USS Constitution by lambsbk – Revell – 1/96 - PLASTIC – With Fiber Optics

[lambsbk]

First, I want to say thank you to the MSW staff for their
continued perseverance in the rebuilding of the MSW forum. It is great that you
are back up and running.

I had not posted a great deal before the data loss and will
try to rebuild the information previously posted.

When I was a teenager I loved building plastic models. My
last one built was a Revell 1:96 USS Constitution which I managed to build as
far as the standing rigging before enlisting in the USAF and transferred out.
It was several years before I asked my family where the model was stored so I
could finish it. Alas, they thought I had lost interest and it went out with a
spring cleaning. Years pass…and while on a visit home I saw a case displayed
1:96 Connie at my brother in law’s house. It really looked good and my thoughts
were taken back in time. In September this year I saw an Ebay listed Revell
1:96 Connie kit and thought why not give it another try. After it arrived I
realized in a small way the project scope and its difficulty so I started
trying to remember all I had forgotten about plastic builds. 

My first decision point was to figure out the final look of
the build: new or with patina. To assist with this I bought a second model
which had been started in the 1970’s but only got as far as the hull halves
bonding. I got a pretty good price and it allows for some spare parts for the
first kit. The copper antiquing was a thumbs down by my wife who liked the
fresh copper look better even though I got a pretty good patina with a blue-green
wash. So a fresh build without antiquing was the plan.

I followed the Revell directions for the deck detail but
wasn’t entirely happy with the look. About this same time I started to follow
the MSW site and saw the decks created by AndyMech. They looked far better than
mine but I thought there was no un-doing the work I had already done.. I
thought about the differences for a month before finally deciding to just dive
in and try Andy’s method OVER the work already completed on my decks. So the
result is actually a combination of the two: First flat black spray to the
decks followed by wood tan spray per the Revell directions. They were then
sanded with 6-0 sandpaper spray glued to paint stirring sticks to give flat
sanding control. This added a nice ‘worn weather’ look to the decks which I was
not expecting and took away the gloss sheen. Next I followed Andy’s directions
to a tee. I discovered the scoring of the planks works best the closer the
ruler and blade are to the work. The result is, in my opinion, not as good as
Andy’s but I was much happier with the detail his deck method had added.

 

In addition I had made a decision to mount the ship on pedestal type mounts to allow the fiber optic cable to get under the base. Some of the Connie hulls have a molded spot at the keel to drill out and put bolts in to mount the ship. In addition, they will allow an easy transition from cradle (see below) to base. The square nuts were placed before the hull halves were glued. After the glue dried the hull was carefully aligned parallel to the drill press and using a 11/64" bit the holes were drilled through the keel. See pics below.The insert is for a square nut and the keelson and keel can be CAREFULLY drilled out to accommodate a bolt for pedestal mounting. The square nut has to be placed before gluing the hull halves together (well, it can be placed after but then requires some repair). You then drill top down with a small diameter bit (through the eye of the square nut) and then flip the ship keel up and, change the bit, and drill the exact diameter hole to accommodate the bolt, stopping short of the nut placed in the hull. If you are careful, you will not see the drilled hole externally.

 

Edited April 14, 2014 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

 

Next, I worked on painting the hull detail and stern detail.
The stern and Gallery were first painted flat white and gold. The flat white undercoat
brought out the red and green colors better than painting over the black
plastic. This doubled (or tripled) the work but looks much better.  I used a home made antique white for the
Gallery walls and Gun Deck: 1 gloss ivory, 2 flat white, and 2 gloss
white.  Gallery detail: the wall
paintings were molded into the plastic by Revell but not visible after painting
the walls (bulwarks?) so detail was added with permanent markers to ‘paint’ the
Gallery wall paintings.

 

Edited August 14, 2013 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

 

After doing this work I thought it a shame to just close it
in unseen so I began experimenting with lighting the rooms. First I tried grain
of rice lights but they got too hot to be in a plastic model. So fiber optics
seemed more plausible. Plastic type 0.75mm with tapered ends worked best. I
drilled holes in the dresser after dry fitting them and carefully threaded them
to the hull. An exit hole has been drilled mid keel. I bought some silver bead
jewelry pieces and hypo-cemented them to the dressers. Vintage?  Probably not. But the effect will, I hope, be
worth the sacrifice. The Gallery glass is 3/8” microscope cover slips glued
with hypocement. There should be no chance of the windows ‘aging’ and clarity
should be at its best. Gun Deck optics and lights were added which I hope WON’T
be seen much since they are pure fabrications (I tried in vain to find some
reference or picture to help with an authentic reproduction to no avail). I am
still working them but probably they will not get much better. (Note: See below for a change in the gun deck lilghting...I did get an idea of the lanterns used on the deck from a photo included below.)

 

Edited April 16, 2013 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

 

I am not happy with the poor detail of the revel kit
concerning the Gun Deck and am trying to work some detail into the deck. A
Camboose was attempted but did not turn out so great.  I ended up buying the BlueJacket EP version
(still in the mail). Also, since I have a lot of spare eyebolts from the second
kit I am thinking of using them on this deck to enhance the detail of the guns
and their moorings. Thoughts on that from anyone are appreciated.

 

Cable Bitts which I do not belive was on the early version of the ship. I probably won't use these at all. If I do they will need modification.

 

 

Curiously the rigging is different in the new kit compared to the 1970's version. The old stuff actually looks BETTER. I think I will use it instead of the new but I wonder how it will hold up in the long run.

Edited March 7, 2013 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

After thinking about it for a few days I am going to spend some time on the gun deck. I am kind of anxious to move on with the build but I know I will regret not working in the gun deck detail later. I will not be able to add the diagonals and cross beams I have seen in other modelers builds (I just don't think I have those skills) but will add what I can.

 

I also FINALLY saw a photo of the gun deck lighting. I am going to try to replace what has been put on the decks (fabricated) for some individual bulwark mounted lights (lanterns) using smaller (0.25mm or 0.50mm) fiber optic. This rework should be a bit closer to authentic.

Edited February 20, 2013 by lambsbk

[RadMan]

Everything looks great.  I am just starting to paint my gun deck and will use your log and AndyMech's as a guide.  I think the detail in your Capt's cabin is awesome!!  How many hours did you spend on the gun deck painting?? (don't answer...i am afraid to hear it).  OH!!!!!!!!   and thanks for the cannon's!  I received them on Monday.  I don't know if they are from your 1970's kit or the new one, but they are structurally much better than my existing ones.  The match pins actually aligned the cannons, and the mold lines were very subtle. 

[RadMan]

btw, how did you do the detail for the framed painting above the couch in the Capt's stateroom?  with a microscope?  and is that a real mirror I see in there?   I am really curious how you are able to do this micro work.  Can you explain how you accomplish it?

Edited February 20, 2013 by RadMan

[lambsbk]

The decks took very little time following the Revell instructions: sprayed  2 to 3 times (flat black followed by wood tan) then sanded. Maybe a couple of hours? Using Andy's method took longer. Probably 10 man hours if not a little more. A couple of points: a good no. 11 exacto knife is a must. Alignment is critical. I used the hatches for parallel syncronization. I noticed that Force9 used a similar technique of alignment as well. I also tried to align the scribed marks between the deck sections but I have not seen if that effort has panned out yet. When the upper deck is glued I will know.

 

The detail in the paintings was acheived with a set of permanent markers from Hobby Lobby. I gave the remaining ones to my daughter so I am not sure who made them. I suspect any permanent marker would do...I bought a multicolor set with the finest tips I could find. I believe, in retrospect, I only used blue, green, brown, yellow, and maybe light green. The white in the paintings is simply the wall color. The frames are painted gold with a fine brush. I wish I had scored the wood plank lines off where the frames are painted.

 

Yes, it is a mirror. The molded Revell pic at this location was a portrait! I am not that good of an artist. So I started keeping my eyes out for a small plastic mirror with fair reflectivity. I wanted to see some of the Gallery windows from inside and a reflection seemed the only hope of doing that (I will be framing the windows from the inside when I get closer to closing them in). I was also hoping the mirror would improve the lighting effect from the fiberoptic lamps. I actually found what I was looking for in my desk drawer by chance. A pharm. company had given it to me years ago (one of those small, personnal grooming types).To cut the mirror out I tried hot knifing the small mirror but that warped the reflected image. I finally found that simply cutting in the same groove over and over with the exacto gave a clean line without the warpage. I glued it with hypocement, again, to avoid warpage of the plastic and the reflection. I wish I had known you were interested as I have a lot of material left over and could have sent some over with the cannons (yes, they are the vintage 1970 cannons).

Edited February 20, 2013 by lambsbk

[RadMan]

Hard to believe you got that detail with a marker.  Nicely  done.   Though you have inspired me a bit... but instead of painting or using a marker, I may try to printout a small half-naked photo of my wife on nice photo paper and glue it over the existing frames.   LOL, I hope my wife isn't reading this....its just an idea at this moment.

[RadMan]

Looks like you're getting ready to glue the gallery to the rest of the stern.  When I dry-fit mine, the alignment doesn't look good.  I have quite a good gap where the bottom of the gallery fits to the two halves of the hull.  Did you have a similar fit issue?  I think I may just need to do some aggressive trimming, still it doesn't look like it will be easy, because its not obvious why it isn't fitting.  I will take some photos later.

[lambsbk]

Yes, I did. I had to use an emory board to re-shape tha tab and knock a little bit off of the door frame. After that it was a simple matter of shortening the overhanging tab. I have a small gap on the bottom. I will probably add a little cement as I fear it will only worsen when the Spar Deck is added.
 
I believe you are talking about the gap between the gallery bulkhead and the bulwark. I have considered closing that off since this deck will be lighted but I am not sure just how to do it. I suppose a well cut and placed peice of styrene might work...in theory.

Edited March 7, 2013 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

I have not had a lot of time to work on the build this week but have experimented. Fun. I hate the lights I put on the Gun Deck so they are history. I will replace them with a scuttlebutt and salt barrels. Fiberoptic lanterns have been replicated and will go on the bulwark. I am going with evenly spaced 5 per side but if anyone knows the particulars I would love the info. Pics to follow. I have also experimented with improving the guns by adding the tackle with their blocks and adding eyebolts for these lines and blocks. I won't change the knob or button lines. The camboose has been soldered (made of brass from Blue Jacket, Connie PE - and NO I am not a good solderer I have discovered - paint will cover a multitude of overdone here). After these I will add some bitts and pumps and then move on...hopefully to the Spar Deck.

Edited March 28, 2013 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

I discovered 2 things this week which other members warned about: 1) those gun port doors really DO break off easily and 2) the black plastic eyebolts (like some people) DO NOT perform well with pressure. .

Edited March 7, 2013 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

The prototype ship's lanterns have been refined and I was able to get the reflector behind it as well. Mostly it is a matter of getting used to turning the 1/8" square clear plastic stock on the drill press in a lathe like action. Drilling the plastic is not that difficult and painting the lanterns is the easiest step. Next up is to try to put the fiberoptics into the bulwarks so they are not seen. I will be using a Dremel with a small engraving bit to groove the plastic. This is a technique I am going to have to perfect on the practice ship (old vintage set hull) before moving to "real" thing. Nonetheless, I will be sweating these cuts more than any steps thus far taken on this model.

 

Fortunately, I am at conference this week so it'll have to wait 'till next week...more time to think about this upcoming "surgery." Pics to follow.

[lambsbk]

The progress has been slow this week but I have completed the fiberoptic lamps for the Gun Deck and have been experimenting getting them onto the bulwarks on the spare hull. Hopefully I will start mounting these lamps on the model this weekend. After that I will tackle the guns with their tackle. Eyebolts will be added to the gun carriages to facilitate same.

 

 

For those interested there is a detailed separate log for the 'how to' on these lanterns:  http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/3163-fiber-optic-lanterns-ca-1845-196/

Edited August 27, 2013 by lambsbk

[patrickmil]

Your ship lanterns look fantastic! They will make a nice detailed addition to the inside of your Connie and will really light the space nicely. I may be stealing this idea down the road.

[lambsbk]

Thanks Patrick. I can give you a more detailed 'how to' if you are interested and hopefully help you avoid a lot of trial and error. The 1/8" plastic is simply square stock. Centering the stock in the lathe or drill press is crucial. Dimensions of the turned lamps are: cap width 1.2mm, cap length 1.5mm, lamp 'glass' length 3.0mm, total lamp length 6.8mm. These dimensions worked out well with the width 1/8" stock. They were taken from the above photo and converted. The plastic heats quickly so low speed is needed on the turn. I used fine files for shaping. Drill a center hole for the 'oil' container from the bottom of the lamp and paint it flat black inside with a microbrush. Paint the top and bottom of the lamp flat black to prevent light bleed-through then top coat with a metal color of choice. Lastly, drill a slightly tandem hole diagonally and parallel (starting from the rear bottom and center of the lamp) with the oil container hole so that it rises BEHIND and ABOVE it. That puts the fiberoptic near the bulwark (or bulkhead) and allows for running the optic cable.The hole size will depend on the fiberoptic stock (I used 0.75mm plastic). There is fiberoptic cable bleed-through so I painted most of it's coarse black to reduce this problem. (some fiberoptic cable is better than others - maybe there is some out there with less side firing than what I bought) File 1/32" to 1/16" of the optic tip at 45 degrees angle with fine sand paper so it glows when lit. Insert this into the fiberoptic hole. Done.

 

A bit tedious but really, what isn't when adding detail? I think it will look good when installed this weekend (hopefully).

 

For those of you interested I started a separate thread to describe how I made the lanterns. Check it out at  http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/3163-fiber-optic-lanterns-ca-1845-196/

Edited September 11, 2013 by lambsbk

[RadMan]

Everything looks great... don't worry about progress, all this micro work you are doing takes time.

[lambsbk]

Lamp install is now 'underway.' 4 out of 10 are done. I only made one jig for the lamps so each one has to be glued and dry before moving on to the next one. I planned on 10 lanterns (5 port, 5 starboard) evenly spaced. Well, the FIRST ONE PLACED was off by 'a gun port' so they are not going to be even. Oh well, MEASURE TWICE CUT ONCE, I know, I know. Maybe the mistake won't be so bad...Most of the lanterns now will be concentrated in the darker areas of the deck; We'll see when the deck is closed in.

Edited April 9, 2013 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

I have thought about supporting the gun deck with glued braces from the keel to the underside of the deck. I think this will accomplish 2 things: 1) It will give a sturdy platform for glueing the deck peices together and 2) it will make them even at the seems. Downside: I am not sure if it will affect the overall fit of the Spar deck. Any thoughts from other members on this plan are appreciated. There will be no going back and correcting this modification should it prove unworkable for the rest of the build.

[AndyMech]

One thing to be careful with is the alignment of the masts.  If the spar deck is fixed, then getting the masts in straight might be an issue.  I know when I put my masts in, the spar deck (which was floating) did have to move slightly.  Once aligned, I'm guess it would be fine to glue it in with braces.

 

Andy.

[lambsbk]

Thanks Andy. Given that info I will let the deck float over the braces. I mainly need a center support to prevent any future sagging and to align the deck peices mid ship. Something like an "A" brace will suffice with the feet braced on the hull.

[lambsbk]

Well all the lanterns are installed. Most of them did well. If I had to do it again I would complete this step before any of the deck was installed. Since the aft portion of the gun deck was in place the 4 aft lanterns were tricky to place in the bulwark and did not turn out as good as I would have liked. They are not bad...just not good. The only lantern that came out a little crooked was the port no. 4. I had drilled the optic hole at a slight angle and there just wasn't any correcting this when glueing the lantern. The next step from here is to brace the deck from below and compress the hull to install the guns and their tackle.

The optic detail exiting through the keel.

Close up of lantern no. 1, port.

Edited May 10, 2013 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

I put a little light to the lanterns to show what they can do.

Edited April 16, 2013 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

I want to re-establish the gentle gun deck camber for water run-off and also provide a stable platform that allows some gun deck mobility for the future mast placement. This might also help me join the deck sections but if not at least they will align better. I first used a cross section amid ship and traced out the arc. I then then reduced the ratio to match the model and traced the arc to the plywood in order to cut out a rough brace. I'll put some flat styrene on the wood which will allow the deck to float above the brace. I plan on externally compressing the hull to match the compression of the fitted Spar deck so I can add the guns with their tackle and not have to worry about the tackle changing shape or position when the Spar deck is finally glued to the bulwark. Then I will release the temprary compression clamping and hopefully all will remain as placed on the Gun deck. These deck braces are the first item placed in this overall plan.

 

 

Edited April 19, 2013 by lambsbk

[RadMan]

The lamps are truly impressive.  I laughed at your "hind-sight" about the lanterns.  I could probably start another blog for the "correct" order to build the Constitution in hind-sight... for instance I should have painted the interior bulkheads white before gluing the hull together.  Just one of many hind-sights.  I look forward to seeing more of your great "micro" work.

[lambsbk]

Thanks Radman for the encouragement. Hmmm...looking back on my last post I have to disclaim: the 'Imperial Walker' look to the brace is purely coincidental. Well, it won't be seen.

[RadMan]

Hey Lambsbk.  I was looking at your blog again today as I will be painting the Gallery Stern soon.  First, I must say your paint job on the stern looks amazing.  I also noticed you deviated a bit from the Revell instructions...and I noticed you even painted the hair on the figurines!  Can I ask what kind of brush you used for this?  Any advice?  Did you thin down your gold paint?

Edited April 19, 2013 by RadMan

[lambsbk]

I spent at least a week on the transom alone. I experimented with the spare part before taking on the model. Here is what I learned: At least 2 coats of flat white paint (I believe it was actually 3 coats) were needed. In addition I found that a single flat white undercoat brought out the colored portions of the transom better. (This did not include the gold color which was painted un-diluted directly to the black plastic. Again, at least 2 coats.) I tried doing the Revell stripes on the windows but like Andy really did not like the look and stayed with what I believe is more of a colonial look of simply flat white. The figures port and starboard are mermaids and I painted them as such: blue green mix for lower body, cream for torso, and hair color...whatever you like. I attempted to paint my wife's hair color on my ship's mermaids (although I don't think I have told her that yet). The central figurine is a military figure. I painted him with a colonial blue jacket with brass buttons (almost impossible to see), brass chevrons, and gray white hair (I left the paint roughly mixed for a mottled color look - again, I don't know if this is visible). Rope detail is red. The flutes are painted flat white first (2 coats here) and then the superior portion of each flute was attempted to be painted red. When dry, I had to scrape red over-paint off of the inferior portion of the flutes CAREFULLY (with a no. 11 blade) as to not dig back to the black plastic (that is why 2 to 3 coats of white are needed first - prevents gouging to the base plastic). Depending upon the viewing angle it looks pretty good (especially from the transom anle view shown below). It is not perfect but I will not go back over it again.I carefully scraped excess paint off of the black original plastic whenever there was overage on each portion of the transom. The 'CONSTITUTION' was painted with gold using a 'stamp' method. I dipped a pencil eraser into the gold paint on the inside cap of the gold bottle (not too heavily) and stamped the gold onto the ship's name LIGHTLY. The windows are microscope cover slips but I think the included Revell plastic would have been just as good. I just did not want time to dim or yellow the windows due to the included fiber optic lighting of the gallery seen above. Good luck. Let me know if you have any other questions. Andy also worked a lot of detail into his transom and may have some other pointers. The stripes on the transom were first taped with Frog tape and then painted 2 coats of flat white. Minor overage was again cleaned up with gentle scraping.

Edited April 20, 2013 by lambsbk

[lambsbk]

I'll have to check which brush I used after work today. I'll get back to you on that...