USS New Jersey by popeye the sailor - Tamiya - 1:350 scale - PLASTIC

[popeye the sailor]

this ought to bring a smile to your face Lou    I was indecisive as to what to amuse myself with next.........could have been any one of the many active projects I have ongoing,  but a recent exchange caused me to bring this out of the closet.  I guess it's been over a year since Lou sent me this kit.........a kit that had been started by another gentleman,  whose passing was how Lou came in possession of it.  he also got/bought a rather vast array of different paints in many forms.......bottles,  tins and sprays.

 

it's been so long ago,  that I can't recall what the deal was,  but I got a good portion of these paints.   Japanese,  German,  Royal Navy, French,  UN....you name it.......I got a sampling of each nation.   there were plenty of Testors paints too.......some quite old {I think he told me some were from his inventory}.  I'm sure Lou can add to this.  the fellow did a lot of prepainting and some assembly on the kit.  I don't believe I got the fellow's name.......I don't recall it if Lou told me...I hope I'm not being rude   after seeing what he painted,  I did say that in light of how well he did,  I wouldn't change any of it...>I didn't take into account that I would have to match up the paints before proceeding.

  

I did do a light inventory to make sure all the parts were here..........and by my guess,  it is complete.  this will be the largest plastic ship I will have done to date.  so now,  the model is out of the box and I am evaluating where he left off,  and what the best starting point is on it.  since I received the paints,  they are separated and I have been sourcing color charts for White Ensign and Humbrol........I already have one for Testors,  and recently found a good one for Humbrol.  White Ensign is a tough nut.......can't seem to find one........even if I did,  it likely would be many charts to cover all the nations.  so here we go.........down another rabbit hole 

[Prowler901]

Cool!  I have this kit waiting in the wings as well.  Spent four weeks aboard her on my 3rd Class Midshipman cruise in the summer 1985.  What an amazing piece of machinery.  An engineering marvel from stem to stern.

 

I look forward to following along.

 

Todd

[Egilman]

I'm here brother... I don't have this specific kit, but I do have the Missouri in my stash.... 

 

Will be following....

 

Easy chair placed,,, now where's that darned popcorn....

[popeye the sailor]

the Battle ship U.S.S. New Jersey {BB 62} was the second of four IOWA class Dreadnaughts,  launched in Dec 1942,  built during WWII.  she served through the entire war with the Japanese.......may of 1943 through to the end of the conflict.  at the end of every conflict,  she would be decommissioned.......only to be recommissioned for the next one.  she served in the Korean war and Viet Nam,  and was later commissioned to aide in the Lebanon conflict.

   in the 40 years,  she is the only BB class vessel to have participated in four major conflicts.  though her looks might not appear to have changed much in these 40 years {per the instruction sheet},  there were many modifications done on the vessel,  in preparation for each of her missions.  as outfitted in the kit,  she has the following:

3 triple 16 inch guns {turrets}

6 twin 5 inch gun {turrets}

8 Quad Tomahawk missile launchers

4 quad Harpoon missile launchers

4 Vulcan/Phalanx 20 mm guns

3 Sikorsky SH-60B Sea Hawk Helicopters {the kit only supplies two}.............oh,  I get it..........the third one is flying around in the picture { I see that now}

    this kit was produced in 1984,  so most of the information in the instructions is likely old news..........I did bookmark some sites for further research.

the box is in pretty decent shape.........but the hull sustained some rub marks and etch scratches.   most didn't take the paint off,  but some touch ups and buffing will be in order if I intend to save the paint job.

I removed the rudders in order to drill holes for the inboard screws. the screws have holes,  so I will fit them with a pin to center them in place.  some parts were painted on the sprues,  but there are a lot of loose pieces.  I would guess that he was doing some dry fitting.

this might not be a big deal,  but it makes me think that he wasn't working according to the instructions...........these parts span over 4 or 5 pages.   some are not painted at all....some of these parts are sub assemblies that consist of 2 or 3 pieces.  the 16 inch gun turrets are partially assembled........and partially painted.  I will take them apart and do more paint work to them.

as can be seen......I don't care for the stand.  I may source some pedestals and go that route.  it will be hard since he cemented in the bow and stern deck sections.  I'll look into it     icky Mae

bottom left there........you see the superstructure has some assembly.  I did attempt to remove parts,  but I stopped in fear that I might damage something.  it has been assembled fairly well.......once I dial in the paints used,  I can touch up tell tale places.

there is some slight ghosting in places,  so it is a safe bet that he used the White Ensign paints.  I've used them for a few projects and that is one thing I observed with them.  they are already fairly thin,  so thinning them down further will need to be experimented with.  I also saw that Tamiya instructs you to mix a lot of the colors used,  so they are not 'out of the tin' colors.  I'm not into doing that all that much,  so I will need to match the colors as close as I can,  and mix where I need to.  

a few more sprues of parts and Bob's your uncle..........that's the kit.  there are some decals that should already have been put in place on the superstructure that I need to catch up on as well.  I tinkered with it a little the other day,  but a got more done today.........I'll have that update for you soon  

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

Count me in Denis,   that some nice work  to  work off   - this will be  very enjoyable to follow  - got my seat  next to  the  family here,     tell you what  thats what Lou is  like   - salt of the Earth.

 

OC.

[Egilman]

30 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

I also saw that Tamiya instructs you to mix a lot of the colors used,  so they are not 'out of the tin' colors.

Back when the kit was manufactured it was the only way to get close to accurate colors... Today you can buy them pre-mixed and very accurate from several sources both acryl or enamel....

Edited June 3, 2022 by Egilman

[popeye the sailor]

hello Todd.......welcome aboard.  I've ben living in another part of the forum........I just got back!    this is going to be an out of the box build..........PE would be nice,  but I don't think the admiral would approve it.  from what I've seen so far,  there are some parts that should have already been added to what's been done.  I hope there isn't too much of it,  cuz he did a lot of jumping around.  depending on the model,  I tend to do it too,  so I shouldn't be too surprised.  the model is nicely detailed......so far,  the only nuance is drilling the holes for the inboard screws { an aide for centering later on}.  enjoy  

 

welcome Egilman......is your Missouri by Tamiya?  I have the Hasegawa 1:450 Missouri {talk about a kit that could use PE }.  I bought the wood decks for it.......something I've never done before.  I'm sure the popcorn machine will be rolling in pretty soon.........just what I need.........butterfingers    enjoy my friend!

[popeye the sailor]

good to see you OC..........still gotta finish catching up on you hood    meant to ask.........whatever happened to waiting on building it?  you jumped in with both feet!    I know........I know........you needed something to straighten your eyes,  painting those figures...........

 

believe it or not........I think this is my first Tamiya model.  gotta remember..........I'm old school.  my only stray from the US based companies was Heller.  even back then,  I never did any mixing.....not unless I was looking for some off the wall color.  as a matter of fact.........a little while ago,  I was rummaging through one of the White Ensign bins { I have two of those three drawer plastic thingies},  when I believe I found the paint he used for the anti foul paint he used on the bottom.  "RN 19 Royal Navy WWII Antifouling Red"   perhaps the hull color is in this bin too    you wouldn't believe the colors I have...I must have at least 10 shades of gray  {I'm still look'in for the other 40  }

[lmagna]

Just in time Denis My wife just got back from a trip with a girlfriend and gave me my supply of peanut brittle! So up to the rafters I go with brittle and hammock and I will be certain to be looking in. I can't remember, did the kit still include the instructions?

 

Along with the Washington and Hood I always liked the lines of the Iowa class ships. Of course everyone has to be impressed with their abilities and achievements. But I do not have the patience to build one with all the repetitive guns and stuff! That was why I though it would be the perfect torture device to send to you. To be honest your picture of the paints rather shocked me. If it was not for the containers I would have forgotten how many I sent. I do remember the containers! I have no memory of how we managed that! One thing that you need to remember though is that what you are showing is just the enamel paints! I kept just as much of the acrylic paints he had. It took me two days to empty out my car and get it put away after I got home!

 

I do know that finishing a model that was started by someone else is always harder than starting from scratch and I am pretty certain that this will not be an exception. I never did learn the name of the original guy, just that his stash was being sold off  by his brother-in-law. He had already gotten rid of some pretty nice stuff before I discovered him. Probably a good thing as I would possibly gone broke dragging home a bunch of stuff that I really had no need, or room for and spent MUCH more than I did. 

 

Speaking of going broke............ Micro Master in NZ has some beautiful upgrades for this ship! 😵  https://micromaster.co.nz/

 

Looking forward to seeing what you do with her Denis.   

Edited June 3, 2022 by lmagna

[Egilman]

1 hour ago, popeye the sailor said:

welcome Egilman......is your Missouri by Tamiya?  I have the Hasegawa 1:450 Missouri {talk about a kit that could use PE

Glad to be here.. Yep, Tamiya, WWII version... And yeah the Hasegawa is kinda passe... {chuckle}

[Jack12477]

I'm here also, Denis 

[mtdoramike]

I'm glad to see you pull out this kit Popeye, I love Tamiya kits and look forward to your progress. That is a heck of a box of paints. 

[Matt D]

This looks like a fantastic project, Popeye!  Just last weekend, my son spent a night on the New Jersey with his boy scout troop.

 

Edited June 3, 2022 by Matt D
Added photo

[Oldsalt1950]

Popeye, if you need current pictures of anything on the Jersey, let me know. She is just 12 miles up the road. 

 

Jim

[Canute]

Denis, I'm in too.

 

If you want to disassemble plastic, try putting it in the freezer section of your fridge. I've dismantled a few cars that way. The plastic cement get brittle and you can gently pry the pieces apart. You may want to use plastic tools to do the prying, so you don't mar the kit parts. And get the Admiral's permission to use her freezer. The colder the freezer the better.

[lmagna]

At over 30" long it had better be a chest style freezer!

Edited June 3, 2022 by lmagna

[popeye the sailor]

thanks Lou for shedding a bit more light on the kit.  I guess we have an unknown sailor on our hands.  I still want to try and leave the work he did on it and preserve it....a monument to another modeler who didn't have the time to finish his ultimate model.......something I think we all strive to accomplish.  I have the utmost respect for this.....to any modeler.  it is their license..........their course of direction.  it is our job to encourage....not discourage,  no matter which way the model goes.........their triumph to sit proudly on their mantle,  or go down in flames and end up in the circular file.  the hope is that they learn from it and continue,  and we should do our best to perpetuate the craft.  I am glad to have has some {small} hand in seeing Augie's Confederacy come to fruition.........and now I have an opportunity..........*crack*..............oh sh__ .....the soapbox broke*   well......while it may not be as good as some of the more accomplished steel navy modelers here........I will do my best!  I like what he did....I never pictured the deck {s} bordered off in color like this........never did one like this either.  finding the antifoul paint last nigh is pretty big.....I had better get a move on and source some pedestals for it.....and the wood base.

    your trying to get me killed aren't you?!?!?!........the admiral saw me browsing {of course I looked as soon as I saw it  }.   I bookmarked it..........if I can get something by.....we'll see.  I left the ship as I left it last night {you'll see with the update I have for you all}.......and asked her to envision upgrades..........yea,  that went over like flatulence in the clergy....but I'll keep trying.  it may also be a good thing for the Hasegawa Missouri or the Nichimo Shokaku that I have stashed away.  thanks for the link   ..........and yes,  the instructions were in the kit........it is complete.  does strike me odd {a little}  that there are some extra parts........so far they pertain to a fourth turret....there may be more.  makes one wonder if one of these sprues {molds} was used for other large scale kits.

 

you'll like the kit Egilman........it's a nicely detailed kit.  PE wise........the model could benefit with doors and small stuff,  but overall,  out of the box,  it's going to look really nice  

 

welcome Jack.........good to have you look'in in   enjoy!

 

Hi Mike.....I had just gotten Christine out of my system........although I have another '58 Plymouth Fury to do a custom job out of...that can wait   I wanted to get back to ships....lou's comment kinda helped me along.  I've promised him long enough    enjoy!  are you still holding off on your find?

 

welcome Matt  

 

welcome Jim    I'll keep your kind offer in mind!  I have bookmarked sites for research........if you have pictures or take some,  by all means post them..........we'd all love to see them    thank you!

 

welcome Ken........good to have you look'in in    I have a small chest freezer........it's big enough for the hull    I started to break the super structure down, but basically to do some of the missing detail paint....window glass,  etc.  I figured I could get it done without damaging anything,  so I stopped.   it's an option to keep in mind   

 

on with the update  

[Canute]

My freezer is, but I usually do the disassembling with cars under a foot.  And it gets really cold. Nanook would like it. 😉 You had mentioned reworking the superstructure, so that should be a more manageable size. The hard part is getting the freezer cold enough to make the joints brittle, but it does work. I recently did 3 cars, two worked well, one was glued with an epoxy and I couldn't remove the car weights without demolishing the car. The life of a kit-basher.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Canute

[popeye the sailor]

thanks to the moderator who updated the title.......I was unaware of all the changes.  I'll keep it in mind....thanks for all you folks do  

 

it wasn't hard to remove the gun barrels from the turrets...all but one.  rather than risk damage,  I painted it on the turret....not too big a deal.  one of the range finder nodes was missing on one of the turrets...luckily there are a couple extras.  going out on a limb,  I used a testor's color that looked very close to the original color.  but when I was finished touching them up,  I saw that the difference could be seen,  so I painted them all over completely. 

the Tomahawk missile launchers were already assembled,  so I painted them.  dry fitted is the deck plat form for the rest of the Tomahawk launchers and the Harpoon launchers.  the step structure for the Vulcan/phalanx launchers is also seen here.  I painted the screws...I was going to paint them Brass,  but stuck with the instructions and painted them gold.  the decking I'm pretty sure was painted in Teak........the instructions suggest deck tan.

this is to get a sense of the direction that was being taken with the model,  and the relationship of all the loose parts.  as this progresses,  I'm seeing a lot of the parts that are still missing,  and locating them on the sprues.  the funnels are partially assembled..........still more to go with them.

this structure here will go on the forward section...  also seen here are the 5 inch gun turrets.......these have also been assembled,  but not painted.  they have specific locations,  so I need to figure out which goes where and label them for future reference.  good that the guns haven't been added yet.

I did a little clean up at the bow....the anchor chain is molded detail.  I have quite a bit of chain,  but might not be correct for the model.   I am thinking of removing it though.  then I wanted to see the built up model 

more of the forward structure dry fitted,  as well as the aft funnel...I didn't go any further.  I can see the direction he was taking,  and to me,  it looks really good    when one can see through the shadows,  it is realized even more.

I've done a few touch ups...the rest can be done as accents.   adding in what is missing will further enhance it.  the bollards need to be painted.......add them to the list.  curious about the two placement circles towards the bow and the stern tubs........wish there was something to add,  but it wouldn't fit the model.   more to come  

[popeye the sailor]

we all gotta break a few eggs Ken   

[Old Collingwood]

Thats looking really impressive Denis  - got so much detail to it.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

it's about to get more OC.  I was browsing through the site that Lou linked me.  it appears that they favor British and German ships,  than US ships.........   very nice stuff though      I got an e-mail from Mega Hobby yesterday,  so I took a browse though there.  I saw a PE detail set for this kit!  interesting because I have noticed that there are no railings at all in the kit.  I ordered it........in my experience with them,  I will likely see it within the week.  it's a good thing I haven't assembled too much yet.  I'll work on cleaning up the hull until it arrives    I guess I'm jumping into a deeper rabbit hole than I thought   

[Old Collingwood]

13 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

it's about to get more OC.  I was browsing through the site that Lou linked me.  it appears that they favor British and German ships,  than US ships.........   very nice stuff though      I got an e-mail from Mega Hobby yesterday,  so I took a browse though there.  I saw a PE detail set for this kit!  interesting because I have noticed that there are no railings at all in the kit.  I ordered it........in my experience with them,  I will likely see it within the week.  it's a good thing I haven't assembled too much yet.  I'll work on cleaning up the hull until it arrives    I guess I'm jumping into a deeper rabbit hole than I thought   

It will be well worth it  though  - got some real potential  to be a Stunner.

 

OC.

[Egilman]

48 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

I saw a PE detail set for this kit!  interesting because I have noticed that there are no railings at all in the kit.  I ordered it...

Deep dive... {chuckle} there are actually several different PE sets out there from several different manufacturers... We won't mention the AM Resins sets though...

 

The kit when it came out was a top of the line model, but in todays aftermarket ultra detail world it would look it's age without it unfortunately...

 

I have a dozen ship kits here in 1/350th, the aftermarket for one of them costs more than the sum of all the kits put together (USS Hornet) Probably why I've moved away from ships for a while, I need to resolve myself to learning P/E work in a large scale..., I'm not there yet...

 

It will look great with some P/E brother... you made the right choice...

[lmagna]

The link to Micro Master was for the 20mm guns they have. Depending on the time period the NJ carried about 6 trillion of them along with about 3 trillion 40s. Making all of those guns can be a drag to say the least. Model Monkey on Shapeways has a wider range of US stuff, even though I do not think they have 20s or 40s. Hopefully the cost  of the upgrades does not exceed the savings in getting the model in the first place. If so then I apologize, it was not my intent to cost you a lot in this kit.  

[popeye the sailor]

hello gents........the mailman smiled today........I was due to get it on Thursday.  Mega Hobby hasn't let me down yet     I'll get into it in a moment........but first...

 

it will OC........but due to the pre assembly,  I may have to pick and choose what I put into her.  I still don't want to mar the work done already.  in fact,  I am a bit surprised that this gent didn't order it.

 

while that statement may be true Egilman,  what makes it so is how much {and how fast} the use of PE has grown.  still,  there are some kits,  that without it,  might look a little bland.......this is one of those kits.  the big thing is the missing detail......the most obvious is the railings.  the only ones in the kit are the collapsible ones at the stern.  I thought it would look strange not having railings,  let alone weird     as for resin,  or aftermarket parts,  the kit doesn't really need them.........there is enough detail that it can hold it's own when finished.  but for reasons that a lot of other folks cite for using it,  is that it will give the model more detail.  you can go either way though....by using PE,  it negates the use of aftermarket parts..........and just as much the other way around,  except that you'll need to get some railing PE.

 

I know Lou........I don't want to go all hot 'n heavy either......I don't have a lot of experience with PE.  I got a chance to delve into the history of the New Jersey.......and it's pretty interesting.  at first,  I couldn't put my finger on the timeline for the model,  other than the dating for the kit being 1984.  when she was first launched in 1943,  she had quite a compliment of weaponry

20 Quad Bofors 40mm

49 Oerlikon 20mm were on the main deck and lower upper decks

10 twin 5 inch secondary gun turrets {totaling 20 guns}

as time went on and her needs changed,  some or all the placements were removed,  to make way for the missile age.  I found this article which will better explain it all,  there are some pictures in it that I don't think I can print.

Full History - Battleship New Jersey

when you get to the war with Japan..........WOW!  even in the condition that this kit is in.........it is worth every penny spent    the kit depicts the timeline in the '80's.....she was decommissioned for the final time in 1991.

 

the PE I got is from Eduard's

three sheets of some really detailed stuff

.....and the instructions.......head scratch'in good time!

there's a lot more............   there is some that I probably won't be able to add,  but what I can add will really add to the model.  I did most of my chores today.......mowing and did my own decommission to my car,  the Toyota,  due to go to the scrap on Friday.  I'll see what I can get done tomorrow  

[Old Collingwood]

This gonna keep you busy mate.

 

OC.

[Egilman]

You can't go wrong with Eduard brother....

 

You know, there are those that do Resin AND PE updates? all in the same model.... (sometimes the manufacturer just got it wrong) Resin AM fills that gap...

 

Well it advances the hobby so it's good, (not for the pocketbook though) and many manufacturers are now including PE as standard parts... 

 

Will be following with great interest my friend, good luck.... Anything I can help with let me know... in '84 she wore modern #5 SNG (Standard Navy Grey) overall, modern Deck Blue on her turret tops & landing pad, teak decks...

 

She's a stunner when complete...

[popeye the sailor]

yea.........Tamiya did a great job denoting what paint and where.  would have made it easier if the gent wrote down what he used.  I do,  but resorted to leaving the paints with the model.  this led to the problem of having multiple bottles of open paint,  so I got away from that practice.  yes again,  that the use of PE and aftermarket is a personal taste,  depending on what one would like to see in their models.  my original thoughts........now coupled with the idea of adding PE,  has put me in a sort of 'groundhog day' which is sending me back to the beginning again.  so far,  I've refurbished the main guns,  only to go back to them again.  the ladders are quite visible,  so I will leave them...........I started to add the railing bits to the roof of the #1 gun,  fumbling and dropping the first piece a number of times.  getting use to PE will be fun   

Edited June 9, 2022 by popeye the sailor

[popeye the sailor]

the guns have been redone again.........added the little railings and the range finder parts.  I confirmed that I found the correct antifoul red used on the bottom,  but I've hit snags in other places.  the deck tan used on the decks has been elusive,  and further hindered by ghosting from the colored plastic.  even if I found the correct paint,  it would show like a sore thumb when touch ups are done.  I'm not looking forward to it,  but I may have to try and break down the built up super structure.   I'll only run into the same problem over and over again.  it's an odd start,  but it's doable