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Bismarck by ted99 - FINISHED - Amati - 1:200


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Thanks, Rod.  After my move (end of Feb) and after I get the "workshop" (a 5' bench) reset, I'll start on the fine detail.  Based on your report, I will give the small brass to brass details a try with soldering.  I'm pretty well facilitized for that.  Still stuck with my balcony railing for a paint booth, though.  I've run out of larger structures to build, so could be mid-March before I start again.  Time to pack everything up.

 

In an earlier post, I offered the opinion that for me, the ideal kit would have a plastic hull and wood/brass superstructure.  I enjoy POF hulls but after several of them, they just seem like rote work, now.  Particularly after having done the Bismarck hull--my first modern ship.  A wooden sailing ship hull has a more interesting fabrication, but from experience I don't enjoy rigging.  Bismarck with it's plethora of PE brass detail has been very interesting and more fun than another sailing ship.  So, I'm going to test my premise by doing the 1/200 Trumpter Missouri next.  The two together at the same scale will be a very interesting comparison.  Bismarck is the ultimate pre-WW II battleship and Missouri the ultimate battleship of all time (save perhaps Yamato--wish Trumpeter would do this one in 1/200).  Hood is a perfect example of the backward-looking British Admiralty's armoring the ship for alongside broadsides rather than plunging fire and air attacks.  I've just ordered the Trumpter kit and the Pontos up-detail kit.  Who knows what the price may be at the time I complete Bismarck with current inflation.  Thankfully, there are several build logs of this kit on MSW.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I got to tour the Missouri in Pearl Harbor in 2011, and that's what got me thinking about building a battleship. I haven't built a plastic model since I was a teenager so that was out. Sterling models had a wood model of the MO at 1/196 scale that shows up on eBay occasionally, but you're never sure what you're getting. By now I've worked with enough plastic and PE parts that the Trumpeter kits look very appealing.

 

I will be following your build of the Missouri with great interest. After, of course, you finish the Bismarck.

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  • 3 months later...

Move completed and all the pictures hung (wife would never have let me work on hobby until pictures were done--ugh).  Did the decals on the deck, prior to a spray of matte clear protection before I glue on all the deck parts.  Decals were 1:200 from Custom Hobby Decals in Australia.  website: www.customhobbydecals.com.  Took about 2 weeks to arrive.  These are a very heavy gauge decal--probably because of the size--and very much needs a decal setting solution.  Tough to get the fore decal squeezed over the chain reinforcement deck pieces.  I think paint is a better solution, but I'm not set up for that so decals it was. 

 

Rod mentioned soldering some parts and I am set up for that, so I thought I'd give it a try.  Depending on the piece, soldering was a better choice than CA, but after trying it out, there were not so many places where it was better.  For example, connecting the round railings at their ends turned out to be a great place for solder.  Also, any place where there is some stress.  But overall, I think CA is better for most places.  It's taken me a while to develop a technique that looks good.  At first, I was using medium CA because of the longer set time and gap filling (of which I had more than I would have liked).  Now, though, having found the "looper" CA applicator, I've been able to clean up the look of my joints using thin CA.  By the way, anyone using the "fork" applicator from MicroMark?  Cleaning out the loop of the applicator filled with set up CA is a pain and it looks like the "fork" might be a little easier to clean.  Wish I had a lot of the brass PE to do over, now that I'm better at it.

 

Been doing the "fiddley bits" skipping around the manual as pieces appeal to me.  I'll spray all of these subassemblies with matte clear before assembling them on the hull--remember I've decided to leave all my brass natural, painting any wood grey and leaving the plastic it's natural grey color.  Never intended to be a museum scale model--I just want to show off the minute PE brass detail.  I figure the matte clear will be needed to retard tarnishing.

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There's only two ways that I know of clean off CA from tools... flame or acetone. Acetone takes longer. If the tools are plastic... all bets are off.

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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6 hours ago, ted99 said:

Move completed and all the pictures hung (wife would never have let me work on hobby until pictures were done--ugh).  Did the decals on the deck, prior to a spray of matte clear protection before I glue on all the deck parts.  Decals were 1:200 from Custom Hobby Decals in Australia.  website: www.customhobbydecals.com.  Took about 2 weeks to arrive.  These are a very heavy gauge decal--probably because of the size--and very much needs a decal setting solution.  Tough to get the fore decal squeezed over the chain reinforcement deck pieces.  I think paint is a better solution, but I'm not set up for that so decals it was. 

 

Rod mentioned soldering some parts and I am set up for that, so I thought I'd give it a try.  Depending on the piece, soldering was a better choice than CA, but after trying it out, there were not so many places where it was better.  For example, connecting the round railings at their ends turned out to be a great place for solder.  Also, any place where there is some stress.  But overall, I think CA is better for most places.  It's taken me a while to develop a technique that looks good.  At first, I was using medium CA because of the longer set time and gap filling (of which I had more than I would have liked).  Now, though, having found the "looper" CA applicator, I've been able to clean up the look of my joints using thin CA.  By the way, anyone using the "fork" applicator from MicroMark?  Cleaning out the loop of the applicator filled with set up CA is a pain and it looks like the "fork" might be a little easier to clean.  Wish I had a lot of the brass PE to do over, now that I'm better at it.

 

Been doing the "fiddley bits" skipping around the manual as pieces appeal to me.  I'll spray all of these subassemblies with matte clear before assembling them on the hull--remember I've decided to leave all my brass natural, painting any wood grey and leaving the plastic it's natural grey color.  Never intended to be a museum scale model--I just want to show off the minute PE brass detail.  I figure the matte clear will be needed to retard tarnishing.

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Hi Chap,

Looking really good!!

 

Decals look great. I am currently in communication with the company as I want to get some 0.5mm Pinstriping decal for the Arado Canopy Frames.

 

Cheers....HOF.

Completed Builds:

 

A/L Bluenose II

A/L Mare Nostrum

Sergal/Mantua Cutty Sark

A/L Pen Duick

A/L Fulgaro

Amati/Partworks 1/200 Bismarck

A/L Sanson

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17 hours ago, ted99 said:

Cleaning out the loop of the applicator filled with set up CA is a pain and it looks like the "fork" might be a little easier to clean. 

Ted,

I use medium CA on a toothpick to glue parts together or to the deck, then hit the joint with thin CA from a glue looper. Every 5-10 joints the looper gets clogged, so I burn it off with a Bic lighter and wipe the carbon off with a paper towel. I used the same loop for my entire model.

 

Incidentally, the many plastic bags that all the PE and plastic parts come in make perfect surfaces for holding little puddles of CA ready for the next joint. Just don't rest your arm in it.

Rod

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Thanks, Rod.  I had read about the flame method of cleaning, but didn't have a torch, anymore.  Never thought of the Bic lighter--will get one.  At present, it's a #10 knife blade and a small drill for the hole--tedious.  The Bic lighter is an elegant solution for a condo that doesn't want any "gas" appliances.  Yes, I stumbled onto the bag trick.  It's a great medium for a small drop of CA to dip the looper in to.

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12 hours ago, hof00 said:

Hi Chap,

Looking really good!!

 

Decals look great. I am currently in communication with the company as I want to get some 0.5mm Pinstriping decal for the Arado Canopy Frames.

 

Cheers....HOF.

Harry--That's a great idea.  Let us know how that works out.  I would never have a steady-enough hand to paint them.

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2 hours ago, ted99 said:

Harry--That's a great idea.  Let us know how that works out.  I would never have a steady-enough hand to paint them.

Thanks Chap,

I had a look at several Internet tutorials, I got tired of mucking around with bits of painted tape....

 

Cheers....HOF. 

Completed Builds:

 

A/L Bluenose II

A/L Mare Nostrum

Sergal/Mantua Cutty Sark

A/L Pen Duick

A/L Fulgaro

Amati/Partworks 1/200 Bismarck

A/L Sanson

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Continuing on the fiddly bits.  I'm just skipping around in the manual working on parts that go together and parts that need something done before I go on to another stage.  The swastika decal photo shows after I used the Micro sol for final adhesion.  I used the micro set on the deck before sliding the decals on, and then sprayed a coat over the decal, but that didn't get a tight-enough adhesion, so I sprayed Micro Sol over the decal and that achieved what Micro Mark describes as a "painted on" look.  I was nervous about using a brush for this stage, so I repurposed a small eyeglass cleaner bottle and just over sprayed the decal for a touchless approach.  Worked fine. 

 

The next two pictures are of the two superstructures sitting in place on the hull showing a tight fit.  A slight push in the middle of each gets each down tight to the neck and I'll do that as the glue sets when I put them on for good.  I used my "sheet of sandpaper on the deck and moving the structure back and forth" until I got a good fit.  The next pictures show the fiddly bits I've completed, ready for a spray of Rustoleum clear matte.  That's next up.  Then I can start gluing subassemblies together and the bits that connect between them.  The last picture is of the two hangers.  They were a lot of fun to build.  I did the one after the other and you can clearly see which one had the benefit of the learning curve.  Really great how much better "thin" CA applied with a looper works to minimize excess CA.  Rod--I got a Bic grill lighter and it works perfectly to burn off the clogged looper.  What a time saver!

 

About the time I completed the hull and started on applying the brass cladding, I decided that I'd like to do the MIssouri and in 1:200, the only choice seems to be the Trumpeter plastic kit.  I've decided that is OK, as having done the Bismarck hull in wood, I don't need to do that again and the plastic superstructure isn't much different from putting PE brass pieces on brass cladding.  So, I purchased the Trumpeter kit and the Pontos super detail kit to go with it.  That'll be my next project.  Did that before the move.  But, I began to think that it would be neat to do a "set" of the major battleships of the two sides in WW II in 1:200.  The obvious candidate is Yamato.  I'll display them stacked one above the other on supports screwed to the wall.  The French Navy was never in the War and the Brits seemed to top out with the Hood and that was a Cruiser.  I rule out their left-over Battleships, so at the moment, it's just the three.  Looks like the only choice for Yamato is the 1980's Nichimo plastic kit, so I just bought one off eBay.  So far as I can tell, Pontos didn't do Yamato but there are some PE detail sheets for Yamato advertised on eBay and I'll have a look at those after my Yamato kit gets here and I see what's in the box (supposedly next Monday).

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Continuing on the fiddly bits.  I'm just skipping around in the manual working on parts that go together and parts that need something done before I go on to another stage.  The swastika photos show after I used the Micro sol for final adhesion.  I used the micro set on the deck before sliding the decals on, and then sprayed a coat over the decal, but that didn't get a tight-enough adhesion, so I sprayed Micro Sol over the decal and that achieved what Micro Mark describes as a "painted on" look.  I was nervous about using a brush for this stage, so I repurposed a small eyeglass cleaner bottle and just over sprayed the decal for a touchless approach.  Worked fine. 

 

The next two pictures are of the two superstructures

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Hi Chap,

Some very nice work there!!

 

It will be interesting to see this complete, a different "Take" on this model.

 

Cheers....HOF.

Completed Builds:

 

A/L Bluenose II

A/L Mare Nostrum

Sergal/Mantua Cutty Sark

A/L Pen Duick

A/L Fulgaro

Amati/Partworks 1/200 Bismarck

A/L Sanson

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Ted,

 

Beautiful work on all the fiddly bits. The decals look perfect. Your model is starting to look very interesting with all the exposed brass.

 

And with the Missouri and the Yamato under the bench, you will be busy for a LONG time!

 

Rod

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks, Rod--means a lot coming from you.

Continuing with fiddly bits.  The superstructure is close to complete--just lacking the details that cross over from one module to another.  Next steps are to drill the stanchion holes at the edge of the deck.  I was fortunate to outline the wooden deck edges while still at the hull construction phase and was able to sand the hull edges to a uniform 1 mm gap, except at the stern, where it became 2mm.  I will use the .7mm drill size that the instructions call for.  Then I'll do as much of the deck furniture as possible before actually gluing on the superstructure pieces.  After the drilling, I'm going to build the boats and try to attach them to the hangers/superstructure before I assemble to the hull deck.  Looks like I will have better access as separate pieces to rig the holding lines.

 

The superstructure pieces have had their spray of Rustoleum matte clear and it did a great job of evening out the sheen of the different pieces.  Particularly where my earlier attempts with CA resulted in smearing around the different pieces.  After the matte spray it all disappears.  The clear does a good job of revealing all the PE brass detail, which would have been covered if I had used a colored spray can.  It's hard to control the thickness with a big spray can, compared to an airbrush.  The smaller Tamiya cans are a lot easier to meter out, but very limited in their color choice.  It's amazing to me how much easier assembly of the tiny bits are having grasped the use of thin CA and a loop applicator.  The tiny pieces grab immediately with a thin application of thin CA, unlike the medium CA applied from it's tip I started with to get the increased working time I thought I needed.

 

Beginning to get a feel for what the completed model with unpainted brass will look like.  Interesting how the i-phone camera shows the plastic as "blue", while my eye says "grey".

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Your photos look like the Bismarck is trapped in an ice floe. 😀

 

On 6/20/2022 at 11:53 AM, ted99 said:

I will use the .7mm drill size that the instructions call for.

I don't remember what hole size I used.  But cut out one stanchion and test the fit on a scrap of wood before you drill everything.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Boy, are there a LOT of fiddly bits.  But, that's why I bought the kit--lots of detail.  I reached the stage where I've added as much detail to the superstructure as is reasonable, without being attached to the hull; so I've attached the two pieces of superstructure to the hull with PVA glue.  The pre-sanding of the bottoms of the superstructure using the hull deck as the mandrel has worked out with good gaps at the deck join.

 

I was forewarned by Rod about the interference between the rear of the #2 turret (Bruno?) and the ammo hoist, so I found that I could increase the "inset" at the bottom of the two plastic pieces glued to the rear of the turret to give enough clearance that allows the full range of motion.  Picture shows the extra material removed from the plastic, compared to one of the other turrets.  Could be this is what the prototype had, since it looks right.

 

I'm now seeing the overall effect of leaving off painting the brass and the plastic parts (except for where they had black highlights) and I'm happy with it. Really shows off the amount of PE detail this kit has.  When I do Yamato I think I'll paint all of it, compare the two, and then decide what I'll do with Missouri. I have the Pontos detail set for the Trumpeter Missouri, so it may have close to as many detail parts as Bismarck (lacking only the brass cladding of the superstructure).  But, not nearly so much available for Yamato.  Plus, from my research, Yamato had very abbreviated deck furniture because of the backblast from the 18" guns.  Everything was enclosed as much as possible and any exposed manned guns had to be abandoned if the main battery was in use.

 

Next is to work on the remainder of details that could only be done after the superstructure is mounted, and then the deck details.  After that, the overhead wires, the hull side gear, and finally, the handrails as the last items to be done.  I'm modeling Bismarck as she appeared just before leaving Bergen for her first (and last) deployment.  The superstructure dazzle camo had been painted over, but the air recognition swastikas would not be painted over until she was underway and had left the range of Nazi air cover.  I'm timing it to be just before all of the gangway and boat boom gear was stowed, but after all of the boats had been stowed and the aircraft were about to be put into their hangers.

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5 hours ago, ted99 said:

Boy, are there a LOT of fiddly bits.  But, that's why I bought the kit--lots of detail.  I reached the stage where I've added as much detail to the superstructure as is reasonable, without being attached to the hull; so I've attached the two pieces of superstructure to the hull with PVA glue.  The pre-sanding of the bottoms of the superstructure using the hull deck as the mandrel has worked out with good gaps at the deck join.

 

I was forewarned by Rod about the interference between the rear of the #2 turret (Bruno?) and the ammo hoist, so I found that I could increase the "inset" at the bottom of the two plastic pieces glued to the rear of the turret to give enough clearance that allows the full range of motion.  Picture shows the extra material removed from the plastic, compared to one of the other turrets.  Could be this is what the prototype had, since it looks right.

 

I'm now seeing the overall effect of leaving off painting the brass and the plastic parts (except for where they had black highlights) and I'm happy with it. Really shows off the amount of PE detail this kit has.  When I do Yamato I think I'll paint all of it, compare the two, and then decide what I'll do with Missouri. I have the Pontos detail set for the Trumpeter Missouri, so it may have close to as many detail parts as Bismarck (lacking only the brass cladding of the superstructure).  But, not nearly so much available for Yamato.  Plus, from my research, Yamato had very abbreviated deck furniture because of the backblast from the 18" guns.  Everything was enclosed as much as possible and any exposed manned guns had to be abandoned if the main battery was in use.

 

Next is to work on the remainder of details that could only be done after the superstructure is mounted, and then the deck details.  After that, the overhead wires, the hull side gear, and finally, the handrails as the last items to be done.  I'm modeling Bismarck as she appeared just before leaving Bergen for her first (and last) deployment.  The superstructure dazzle camo had been painted over, but the air recognition swastikas would not be painted over until she was underway and had left the range of Nazi air cover.  I'm timing it to be just before all of the gangway and boat boom gear was stowed, but after all of the boats had been stowed and the aircraft were about to be put into their hangers.

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Hi Chap,

Your Bismarck is looking very nice indeed!!

I hope to get some photos posted today of my model. There are additions I have made on my version but I am pretty much trying to stay with the build sequence of the instructions, that means a plethora of sub-assemblies....🙂

 

Great to view your progress.

 

Cheers and Regards,

 

Harry.

 

Completed Builds:

 

A/L Bluenose II

A/L Mare Nostrum

Sergal/Mantua Cutty Sark

A/L Pen Duick

A/L Fulgaro

Amati/Partworks 1/200 Bismarck

A/L Sanson

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, I corrected the mast, more or less, by using a cut-off disc in a moto tool just below the crows nest and rotating 180 deg.  A short piece of the 3mm brass tube was just right as a splint inside the 4mm mast.

 

Everything is now done, except for the railings and the fore and aft flag stanchions.  Pictures attached.  I experimented with some green EZ line for one section of the antennas.  I liked how the stretchiness made the lines tight, but not so powerful a pull as to risk pulling something out they were attached to.  I was reluctant to use the EZ line throughout because the instructions state it's subject to degradation from UV light.  Time will tell.  I had some of the fine "green" line (which is advertised to be "corroded copper").  If I had been buying it, I would have used the black.  I'd prefer a thickness between the "fine" and "thick", but I suspect that the fine is actually "to scale".  Also, I tried using 30 ga brass wire for the four sets of horizontal antennas and soldered the ends to the brass spreaders.  I like the look of them.

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On 6/20/2022 at 11:53 AM, ted99 said:

Beginning to get a feel for what the completed model with unpainted brass will look like.  Interesting how the i-phone camera shows the plastic as "blue", while my eye says "grey".

I love the exposed brass against the gray parts and black decks on your model. It really highlights all the work that you've put into your model.

 

I had the same experience with color mismatch from the iPhone camera or perhaps all the LED lights in my house. I eventually edited all of my photos in Adobe Photoshop Elements and just ran the "Auto Color Correction" option on everything. That seemed to help a lot.

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Thanks, Rod.  Yes, LED lights here too.  Bismarck did skirt the arctic ice pack as she came down the Greenland coast, but was never in the ice, but that fake Carrera marble top does look like it. I'm really pleased with the natural brass look.  I left all plastic parts their natural color, except where there were black highlights, and painted all of the wood parts either gray or black.  Bismarck will be with the natural brass,  The next ones will be fully painted and Bismarck will be my "demo" model.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Starboard side railing complete.  I take back anything I said about fiddley bits before.  These stanchions and railings are the fiddlest bits there ever were.  Eye crossingly tedious.  But the result is worth it.  Look much better than the PE railings on the superstructure.  I've never done anything like this before, so I'll detail my approach in case there is a better way before I start on the port side.

1.  Drilled the railing holes way back when it came up in the instructions just as the wooden deck was glued to the hull.  Instructions called for .71mm drill, which I used.  I think a slightly smaller size is better and one should do test holes in scrap to pick the optimum size, as Rod did.

2.  The instructions say to use a pin to clean out the stanchion holes after painting.  I didn't paint, but still thought I would use a pin vise to open them up a bit.  A #80 drill is slightly larger than the etched hole and worked without twisting the very thin brass.  Tedious--oh yes.

3.  I drilled my holes hard by the printed wood deck edge, as directed by the instructions (and as would be on Bismarck judging from photos).  This caused a problem with the little "tabs" on either side of the stanchion used to get a uniform depth of the bottom of the stanchion in the hole.  If you set the stanchion at 90 deg to the deck edge so that the holes are pointed in the correct direction, one of the tabs hangs up on the top of the decking.  I dealt with this by inserting the stanchion in the hole with the tabs flat to the edge of the decking.  This ends up looking like the prototype with flanges on either side of the stanchion hard against the wooden deck edge.  I then twisted the stanchion 90 degrees to get the holes parallel with the deck edge.  BUT, before doing that, I drilled out the holes once again using a pin vise.  This was because frequently, capillary action on the CA glue would block the lowest hole.  This time I used a #79 drill to go up one more size.  It was easy to do this with all of the holes facing out and flat with deck edge.  No problems with the larger drill and I really appreciated the extra size when threading the railing material.

4.  The supplied black "thread" is perfect for the job.  Stiff enough to thread easily, but not so stiff that there are problems with pulling it through.  Experimented with EZ line for this, but it's too flexible.  Also tried #30 brass wire but too stiff.

 

attached picture showing where the stanchions are flat and then where I had done the 90 deg bend. Second picture is after completion.

 

I'm about to leave on a Cruise to Iceland, then Shetland IS. and Faroes on the way to Bergen.  LOL, I'll be retracing the first half of Bismarck's last voyage.  No work until I get back in about 3 weeks.

 

Ted

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30 minutes ago, ted99 said:

One final note.  I don't think it's possible to do this job without a magnifying class on some sort of stand.

Hi Chap,

Awesome work!! (Something that I have to look forward to)

I have purchased some PE Chain Link Railings from Aber, so, hopefully, my task may be a little easier.

 

I must agree, you cannot do this stuff with ought magnification of some description.... 🙂

 

Cheers and Regards,

 

Harry.

Completed Builds:

 

A/L Bluenose II

A/L Mare Nostrum

Sergal/Mantua Cutty Sark

A/L Pen Duick

A/L Fulgaro

Amati/Partworks 1/200 Bismarck

A/L Sanson

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On 8/14/2022 at 5:51 PM, ted99 said:

I'm about to leave on a Cruise to Iceland, then Shetland IS. and Faroes on the way to Bergen.  LOL, I'll be retracing the first half of Bismarck's last voyage.  No work until I get back in about 3 weeks.

Ted,

 

Is this Holland America's "Voyage of the Vikings" cruise? The itinerary sounds similar. We took that cruise in 2016 and it was one of the most interesting trips I've ever taken. I know that you'll enjoy it.

 

Some advice from someone who just had Covid on a cruise:

Get tested just before you go.

Wear a mask on the plane and around crowds at airports.

Take some rapid test kits.

Take cough syrup, throat lozenges, nose spray, and a whole bottle of Tylenol. Pack the liquids in a zip-lock bag.

If you don't need this stuff you can leave it behind at the end and have more room for souvenirs.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Rod

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks, Rod.  No, it was a Viking cruise on one of their new ocean-going ships.  970 Pax capacity, which I think is ideal--large enough to weather heavier seas, but not so large that one is in port with 5000 of your closest friends.  But, every stop had at least one other ship and up to three others.  These cruise ships have a lot of superstructure, compared to draft, but they do have stabilizing vanes.  Leaving the first Iceland port (capitol whose name I cannot spell, at the moment) and turning North up the West coast we encountered seas heavy enough that the Captain felt it prudent to slow down and we missed the first port call.  Sea state subsided after that first day and the ride was very comfortable.  My worst time at sea was in a Nuclear Cruiser escorting Enterprise when we ran into a Typhoon on the way to Japan in 1967.  Enterprise was taking water over the bow 112 feet up and my Cruiser looked like a submarine from the Bridge.  Decks were totally awash.  I've been in the North Atlantic before, but at a "classified" submerged depth.

 

Neither Wife nor I have been visited with Covid, YET.  We took all of the precautions you describe, except pre-test.

 

Will resume construction after I'm sure my body is in the correct time zone.

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  • 1 month later...

I'm finished.  Railings completed and all the little do dads done.  The railing for the other side was easier than the first, having had the experience.  Pictures of the completed ship attached.  I'm happy with my decision to keep the brass natural.  It's a showcase of my modeling skills (such as they are)--not something attempting to be a museum scale model.

 

I've decided my future projects.  At first I was going to do the major Battleships:  Bismarck, Yamato and Missouri.  But, thinking about it, I've added Enterprise CV-6--the ship type that obsoleted the battleship.  All in 1:200 scale.  Have to go to all-plastic for this, though.  The wooden hull for Bismarck wasn't all that difficult and I really don't need to do that again (nor would my shoulder want to do all that sanding, again).  I now have all 3 future kits (Nichimo and Trumpeter) in hand, and the super detail PE sets that go with them.  Next up is the Nichimo Yamato.  I have not found any build logs for this ship on this site, so it's going to be all virgin territory for me.  So, for any other future builders, I will do a build log.  I'm thinking that I will actually paint the future models since all the superstructure is plastic, not wood and brass like Amati's Bismarck.

 

I'll see if I can figure out how to log this build as "completed" later.

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