Yamato by ted99 - FINISHED - Nichimo - 1:200 - PLASTIC

[ted99]

Decided to do a little test on not painting fine details.  I used the Flemish grey to color the frames for the Tom's Modelworks hose reels and the single 25mm AA guns from one of the Chinese vendors on eBay.  The coloring came out to be a beautiful soft grey (note that the 25mm gun PE sheet had a clear sheet of plastic on both sides that had to be removed).

 

The pictures show the post-coloring PE sheets and the second two the assembled pieces.  No painting will be necessary and no attendant paint build up.  I could not have assembled the 25mm guns a few months ago, but my assembly techniques continue to improve.  Note that the "carpet monster" ate some of the magazines supposed to be on the breech mechanism.  I doubt that the magazines were loaded until the guns were about to be used, anyway.

 

I highly recommend the PE detail sets for the MK 96? single and triple AA guns that one can get on eBay.  These guns are in very prominent positions on the model and well worth the effort over the plastic pieces in the Nichimo kit, if you don't load them up with paint that obscures details.  I've just ordered a set of the triples.  I had some reservations when I ordered the singles back before I started construction because of doubts I could actually assemble them.  

[ted99]

The paravanes from the Fujimi PE #201 (Central Structure) package.  Much better than the plastic pieces in the kit.  These Fujimi PE sets are fantastic for detail, but as I have mentioned before, they are for the Fujimi plastic superstructure parts rather than the Nichimo kit parts--and they are different.  Many of these PE parts are VERY small and exceed my skill level, but those that I can use are really good.  For instance, the hatches all are in two sections with a hatch surround that is bent over behind the actual hatch (which as hinge and handle details) giving a third dimention.

 

The paravanes were colored with my initial go at "Brass Black", which is too black plus it really is not a tightly adhered chemical coating.  It tends to rub off with handling.  The Flemish grey is a much better color AND it seems to be an actual substrate on the brass which does not rub off.  It can be scratched, though.

 

I'm about to begin the PE details on the central superstructure--of which there are many--and I'll be some time at this before another post.

[ted99]

One thing that has done a lot to improve my assembly of the little things is to find ways to make up for not having a third hand in the middle of my forehead.  I have found that the little cups for CA really need to be kept from skidding around.  Micromark has a holder for their little red cups, but I've found that it's difficult to reuse the micro mark cups after the CA sets.  The CA sticks to the red cups.  I found some clear plastic cups on the Walmart site for holding eye makeup adhesive that releases the cured CA very easily.  I'm using the shown tool to hold the cups still.  It also lets me tilt the cup slightly allowing me to put less CA in the cup and still get a "load" on the applicator tool.

[hof00]

2 hours ago, ted99 said:

One thing that has done a lot to improve my assembly of the little things is to find ways to make up for not having a third hand in the middle of my forehead.  I have found that the little cups for CA really need to be kept from skidding around.  Micromark has a holder for their little red cups, but I've found that it's difficult to reuse the micro mark cups after the CA sets.  The CA sticks to the red cups.  I found some clear plastic cups on the Walmart site for holding eye makeup adhesive that releases the cured CA very easily.  I'm using the shown tool to hold the cups still.  It also lets me tilt the cup slightly allowing me to put less CA in the cup and still get a "load" on the applicator tool.

Hi Ted,

Nice solution!!

Have you tried to use a "Tea-Light" candle with a hollow cut into it? (Medium Drill Bit)

CA seems to take a long time to go off in the hollow.

 

I guess what works for you is the best solution. 😀

 

Cheers and Regards,

 

Harry.

[mtaylor]

Clever method.   Necessity is, as they say, the mother of invention.

[ted99]

Been diverted by setting up Atmos in my TV room.  Picture of some parts after use of Jax Flemish Gray.  Note.  Not so successful when doing whole sheets.  Seem to need to remove parts from the brass sheet.  This stuff works great on Stainless Steel, too.  Ask my kitchen sink how I know.

[ted99]

Done as much of the Fujimi PE as I am going to do on the superstructure.  Picture shows the various pieces.  It is a sunny day and little wind for my balcony "paint booth" so I got out the old rattlecan and painted them.  I'll let the paint harden off while I work on the PE triple AA guns--all 18 of them.  

[rvchima]

Hi Ted,

I just realized that you had started this. I will be following along.

What a terrible setback with the broken hull though! But anything you can build you can fix.

For blackening brass I use Novocan stained glass patina. They don't have a gunmetal product. Try Brasso tarnish remover for removing your black patina.

On my Syren I used a vinegar and salt solution to age the copper bottom. I remember it taking maybe 20 minutes. Then I rinsed the hull carefully with fresh water and put some Lemon Pledge on it.  It still looks great after 10 years.

Rod

[ted99]

Thanks, Rod.  The Flemish Grey has worked well if I remove the PE brass from the sheet before dipping in the (rather expensive) Jax chemical.  It works much better on brass parts like gun barrels than sheet brass--probably because of some manufacturing residue on the brass sheets.  Haven't found the best method for cleaning the PE sheets, yet.

 

Continued assembling the triple 25mm AA guns from a Chinese e-Bay source.  These completely exhaust my skills and require working through a magnifying glass.  I've attached a photo of 16 of them assembled as far as I can go.  A second photo shows the Nichimo part as per the kit, one with as much of the Fujimi PE detail as I could attach, and one of the assembled from PE Chinese source.  Note that some of the included details from the e-Bay kit were not used.  Things like foot pedals and gunner seats.  They require watch-maker skills I just don't have.

 

A side note.  A "new" Chinese seller of 1:200 Yamato parts appeared today on e-Bay with some fascinating parts.  They are barrels and blast bags for the Nichimo turrets, fully assembled single and triple 25mm AA guns and the "double" large caliber AA guns.  They are "printed" from computer files and appear to be absolutely detailed to a degree I have never seen.  They appear to be truly museum quality.  The Nichimo gun turrets are excellent, but the barrel detail is completely subjugated to motorization.  These new pieces substitute for the poor Nichimo parts completely.  For a couple of hundred dollars, you can have a complete gun set that takes second place to nothing.  I'm too far along to do this, now.

 

Also, e-Bay now has a reissue of the Gold Medal Models "second" sheet of PE parts for the Yamato.  The original vendor sold his masks to another manufacturer a year ago and the second sheet, which has a lot of rear deck detail, was unavailable.  It is now.  Once again, I'm too far along to add these details, but I would have snapped them up at the outset.  My observation is that these two sheets of 1:200 Yamato details from Gold Medal Models are the best way to go for builders of the Nichimo kit.  The Fujimi PE details are far more detailed, but intended for the Fujimi superstructure parts--plus they are far more detailed than my modeling skills will accommodate.  The GMM PE is for the Nichimo kit parts and the level of detail is more suited to my skill level

[Canute]

Ted, try dipping the PE into white vinegar. It's a weak acid and makes a decent etchant for cleaning the PE. Rinse with water and let dry.

[ted99]

Central superstructure more or less complete.  Interesting vis a vis Bismarck, Missouri, et. al.  Apparently the back blast from the 18" guns was expected to be so severe that everything was consolidated in one central structure that could be tightly closed up.  I also note that all the AA guns at the deck level are enclosed, apparently for the same reason.  The six "open" 25 mm triple AA guns at the after end of the superstructure were just sitting there.  I've since replaced them with the correct enclosed turrets.  In case I never mentioned it before, the Nichimo model seems to be the 1945 version of Yamato, which had a lot of differences to the early Yamato in the AA gun deployment.

 

Back to the main hull, next, to complete the rear hanger deck area.

[ted99]

Just did the railings and some of the flight deck.  It was a real pleasure with the railings.  Gold Medal Models PE.  Fit the hull perfectly and matched the hogback sheer line.  The bottom rail is the same height as the wood decking, so when attached, it looks like there is a steel strap at the edge of the planking--just like the real thing.  I asked the question earlier about tarnishing the copper strip I'm using for the vinyl walkway--the best method I found was to leave it outside in the Houston air for two weeks.  Started the tarnishing just fine (lol).  railing was treated with the "Brass Black" in my first attempt to get a non-paint grey.  Too black, and it's not a chemical bond--color flakes off.  Still think Flemish grey is the way to go, but expensive.

[yvesvidal]

Ted,

 

You are turning this crude Nichimo model into a masterpiece. Congratulations.

 

Yves

[ted99]

Thanks, Yves.  I think that the new Trumpeter kit you have is a far, far better place from which to start, now that it's available.  I keep following 1:200 Yamato listings on eBay and I'm amazed that most of the listings for the Nichimo kit are still in the $600 range.  Given all the pieces one has to purchase, in addition to the basic kit, to have a decent static scale model, the price should be more than $200 less than the MRC/Trumpeter kit.

 

For any modeler considering a 1:200 Yamato (and I highly recommend it as a very imposing model) using the Nichimo kit as a base, I recommend the following items as the most cost effective

-  A scale wood deck

- The complete Gold Medal Models PE set (at least 3 sheets)

- The Tom's Model Works Hose reel set

-  The following items from the Chinese vendors on eBay:  The 3D printed  25mm single and triple AA guns, the 3D printed large caliber double AA guns, the 3D printed blast bags and barrels for the main and secondary guns

 

Unless you have watchmaker-level skills with PE Brass, the Fujimi replacement superstructure and PE brass is overkill and way too good for the Nichimo hull. You will still need the Gold Medal Models PE sheets, as there are a lot of parts in there (like railings, crane and catapaults) that Fujimi doesn't do.

[ted99]

Just a quick shot of the kit airplanes.  Color scheme from "A", but the yellow edges of the wings were beyond my Floquil yellow paint.  Too thin.  I have problems getting yellow paint to come anywhere close to "one-coat" coverage. I'm not going to attempt to color the canopies--beyond my skill level.  I think the Trumpeter approach of casting the aircraft in clear plastic is a good approach.  One can simply mask the canopies before painting.  I'll find out with my next large kit, as it will be a Trumpeter.  No decals with this old partially-assembled kit, so I'll have to find another source for the 1:200 meatballs.

 

Next will be to attach the launch/transport carriages to the planes, attach hose reels and do the boat davits.  Unfortunately, there do not appear to be any brass substitutes for the kit's plastic davits.

 

There will be a 6-8 week hiatus on construction.  Wife and I are leaving tomorrow on a 5-week cruise from BA, around the Cape, up the West Coast of S America, thru the Panama Canal, thru the Caribbean and end at Ft Lauderdale.  A "repositioning" cruise for Viking's Antarctic "Expedition" ship from the South to the North.

[rvchima]

Ted,

It sounds like an excellent cruise - you can't beat Viking. Please let me know how you like it. One recommendation - take some COVID test kits, bottles of Tylenol and cough syrup, and any other cold and flu meds that you like. If you don't need them you can always replace them with souvenirs at the end. Voice of experience.

Rod

[ted99]

Back from the cruise.  Learned something new about the Viking ship.  It's one of 2 Viking "Expedition" liners: 665 ft long, 77 ft beam (sized to fit the Great Lakes locks), 378 pax and max speed of 16 knots.  The interesting thing is that it's propulsion system is a pair of stern nacelles (like those under an airplane wing) with the screw in the "tractor" position.  Diesel electric and it frequently cruised at 15 knots.  The Chief Engineer told me that the tractor position of the screws resulted in about 6% greater efficiency because the screws were in "free" water, rather than behind a prop fairing.  The props were variable pitch and the nacelles rotated for steering in lieu of rudders.  

 

The ship had completed the "summer" season in the Antarctic and was repositioning from Tierra del Fuego around the Horn and to the Great Lakes via the West coast of S America through the Panama Canal to East coast of USA.  We got off in Ft Lauderdale on the day of the floods to find the FLL airport under 2' of water.  Getting home to Houston was an adventure.

 

Resuming work on Yamato.  It's just bits and pieces, now.  I had to move my two models to make room for some work in the ceiling of my "shop" and while they were down, I set them side by side to illustrate the difference between Bismarck and Yamato.  They are lined up with bows at the same point.  You can see that there is little difference in length or draft.  The big difference is in beam.

[Roger Pellett]

Ted,  The Viking Expedition Cruise ship Oceanus visited Duluth several times last summer.  For forum members not intimately familiar with Midwestern US Geography, Duluth is at the western tip of Lake Superior the western most and largest Great Lake.  Duluth also boasts the largest harbor on the lakes.  The cruise lines have recently discovered the Great Lakes as an attractive destination for both foreign and US passengers but some don’t include Lake Superior destinations because of the Lake’s size and relative isolation.  We are, therefore, pleased to see Viking visit our city.

 

Last fall, Viking ended their Great Lakes cruising season with what they called a 70 day Longitude Cruise.  Beginning in Duluth, the ship traveled across the Lakes, down the US East Coast, through the Panama Canal and down the South American West Coast; the reverse of your trip.  The snow in our yard has almost melted, so soon it will be time to see Oceanus and perhaps her sister back in our harbor.

 

Roger

[ted99]

She was on her way there from Ft Lauderdale on Apr 15.  Should be there by now.  I looked at videos of the Great Lakes itinerary and it looked very good.   Viking has added two Mississippi river boats, but I'd go to Great Lakes WAY before the Mississippi river.  Because of the Jones Act, Viking has to have an all-US crew on their Mississippi boats.  I have a neighbor who recently finished their "Lower Mississippi" cruise and was very disappointed in the service.  Because Viking's Great Lakes cruises terminate in a Canadian port, the Jones Act does not apply and Viking is able to keep their Norwegian Deck Officers and "international" service staff--which were wonderful on my ship (Octantis).

[Azzoun]

Ted, 

Thanks for keeping us posted.   I also own this Nichimo kit and had considered selling it except my kit is mint.   My initial intent was to build it as a static model but now have acquired the more accurate Trumpeter version.   Now, I've decided I want to make the Nichimo RC as it was meant to be.   And so, acquired the hardware but I'll be following your log to the finish line, looking forward to seeing the end product.!

 

Joshua 

[ted99]

As it was intended, it's an excellent kit--for R/C standoff scale.  I think you are doing the right thing by using 4 motors, eliminating the gearbox.  The gearbox does a good job of one motor and opposite rotation of the two sides of the props.  But it's noisy and will probably end up with excessive wear because of lack of lubrication.  With individual motors, you can have a lot more flexibility.  If you decide that you are not interested in rotating turrets I suggest that you look at the new blast bags and barrels that fit the kit turrets.  The turrets themselves are good enough, but too many sacrifices were made in aid of animation.  The thing that gave me the most trouble with motorizing a model was articulating the rudders.  Your selection of parts and the ample room inside the hull will make this much easier, but I would suggest fixing the aux rudders in place at the straight ahead position.  Articulating them is overkill and not necessary for operation.  I suspect that this is what was done on the real vessel.  One step up from the kit's fittings are the two Gold Medal Models PE sets for the railings, radar masts and aft deck details and I think they would be a good addition to an RC version.  More than that would be overkill.  Up to you about the "wood" decking add-on.  I'm sure it can be waterproofed with a liberal application of matte clear and it really improves the appearance of the model--perhaps the single most important item for improvement.

 

Don't forget adding internal bracing.  The screw arrangement used to make the deck removable for internal equipment is very flimsy and won't stand a chance of lasting without substantial internal bracing.  You may also find it useful to put bracing on the underside outer edges of the removable decks to prevent warping.  You will probably find that there is some warping of the unsupported hull--I did.  Use the bracing to get the screw holes in the hull to line up with the screw holes in the deck.  This will probably be the single most difficult thing you undertake in motorizing the model--it will all be scratch work.

 

It'll be fun, I'm sure.

[ted99]

OK.  I am declaring completion.  I'll do the anchors and chains later, when I get some more JAX Flemish gray to color them without paint build-up.  The rigging is very incomplete, but "A" is not terribly helpful on this aspect and the Nichimo instructions are totally absent on this subject.  I'm also missing a set of boat davits (it was a "used" kit), so I could only put on one pair, instead of two.

 

Closing thoughts:  I remain convinced that if one is doing a fine scale model, the Gallery/Trumpeter 1:200 is a MUCH better choice as a starting place.  As I have constructed this model, a number of detail parts have come on the market.  In particular, the Bunker line of 3D printed armament details.  I've only seen pictures, but they seem to be fabulous in their detail.  I am of mixed feelings on these parts.  They are truly museum quality and could be practically perfect, but is this a hobbyists' model making?  I got a lot of satisfaction assembling PE 25 mm guns--but they don't look even close to the photos I see of the Bunker parts.  In some aspects, this dilemma is part and parcel of the "Plastic v. wood" model debate.  How much are we willing to delegate to a mold-making or 3D printer v. our wood and PE-shaping skills.  After doing the Amati Bismarck's hull, I decided that I didn't need to do another plank on frame hull and the injection molding hull was just fine.  I also think that, if they had been available, I would have loved to have the Bunker blast bags and barrels to replace the Nichimo parts that were severely compromised by the "motorizing".  This is a question for each hobbyist to reconcile for themselves.  As to this Nichimo kit, it's possible to buy a lot of detail parts, but some of them are overkill for the quality of the basic kit.  I suggest the "Gold Medal Models" PE sheets for the superstructure and decking details.  A wood deck is good.  The Bunker blast bags and barrels for the main and secondary armament are also perfect.  Beyond that, it's probably overkill.  The hull requires the addition of internal bracing.

[ted99]

What's next?  I built the Amati 1:200 Bismarck because I wanted something different from the PoF wooden sailing ship models I had built in the past and really liked the 1:200 size.  During the construction, I came on the idea of building a set in 1:200 scale of the "best" WW II battleships of the various combatants.  I eliminated the British, French and Italian combatants because they were all second-rate to the best and settled on Bismarck, Yamato and Missouri.  Farther along in my building of Yamato, I decided that I needed to do a model of the major combatant that replaced the battleship--the fleet carrier.  So, I purchased the Trumpeter USS Enterprise, CV-6; to make up a set of 4.  Then, after reading the history of Yamato, it seemed like I should add the combatant that actually did the most in sinking the Capitol ships--the submarine.  One could argue that Carrier Air did a lot of sinking, but it seems like there was always an assist from the subs.  Carrier air set them on fire, but the actual sinking seemed due to the subs.  The choice in 1:200 scale is very limited and I was only able to find USS Gato, SS-212 and the German Type IX C.  I've pictured my display wall and the two shelves waiting for Enterprise and Missouri are there above Bismarck and Yamato.  In the center is the little shelf that will show the two subs.

 

The wooden Bismarck was 1:200 and that set my scale "set".  None of my other candidates were available in wood.  There are some long-discontinued Bluejacket Shipcrafters WW II combatants made in wood, but they were all 1:98 scale and nearly impossible to find, so plastic it was.  Had I known that this was the path I would take at the outset, 1:350 would have been a far better scale to have selected.  The Tamiya 1:350 Bismarck seems to be excellent, with lots of aftermarket details; and Trumpeter seems to have a good selection in 1:350.

 

So, next up will be the subs.  No PE detail parts kits for them.  After that, it'll be Enterprise, with Missouri last of all.  At my advanced age, it will really be "all".

[ccoyle]

Nicely done!

[GrandpaPhil]

Very cool!  Well done!

[yvesvidal]

You turn that old Nichimo kit into a piece of art. Congratulations.

Very nice collection that you have, already.

 

Yves

[gak1965]

She looks great! Glad you took it to the finish line

[Ian B]

Great job---- 👍 looking forward to the Subs 

[Azzoun]

Congrats!  Looks amazing...   If mine comes out looking that good, it'll be amazing to see in the water!

[Canute]

Well done, Ted. And great perseverance.👍