USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 by Hank - FINISHED - Trumpeter - 1:200 - PLASTIC

[mtaylor]

Hank,

I agree with Eamonn and Evan.  You'll come up with a better foremast.  Hopefully, though, when the foremast is complete you won't re-look at other bits and decide to re-do them. 

[patrickmil]

Yeah, Murphy sucks big time!!! Sorry about the mishap, but I'm sure this will result in a much better replacement.

[Hank]

Evan, Patrick - Yes, I think you are both correct. I'm already thinking ahead of this and trying to gather more info on how the platforms were laid out - and this is NOT an easy task - very little to Zero info on the 67-69 mast configuration online. Most today is the IOWAs in their modern (82-90s) appearance. Esp. when it comes to detailed photos, plans, whatever. So, I'm really stretching the envelope on this one!

 

Hank

[popeye the sailor]

are you using model master paints {made by testor's}.......I'm quite a fan of the armor colors.   sorry to hear of your mishap......I'm sure your redo will be as equally pleasing to the eyes

[Hank]

Well, after a month of making a second Foremast/Radars from scratch (this time mainly brass, not styrene) I've got it almost complete and mated to the conning tower. A few items left to add but couldn't do that until the mast was in place. the lower foremast yardarm will be added at a later date in order to keep from messing it up (which I have a tendency to do these days  )

 

Next week I'll be back on the ULQ-6 ECM antenna construction which goes on either side of the upper conning tower "boxes". I've drawn that equipment in MicroStation so I have a fairly reliable drawing to go by in cutting out the brass angles, etc. for the framework. It's fairly confusing to someone without knowledge of what it is and why it's there.

 

One item I will have to create from scratch is the after movie projection booth which is located centerline at Frame #180 just aft of the Tureet #3 gun barrels. This was not in existance in 1945, so the Trumpy kit does not include it. I've drawn it up in MicroStation from a few somewhat sketchy photos and drawings by Alan Chesley/Floating Drydock. This booth was added to all 4 IOWAs in the mid-'50s, but differs from ship to ship. My booth is depicted as of 1969 and I'm fairly confident that it is correctly represented with the exception of the after bulkhead mounted equipment - I'm still looking for additional sources of information.

 

 

Hank

[patrickmil]

Very nice redo! Our predictions were spot on with this looking even better than the last one.

[Guest Tim I.]

When Trumpeter released this kit, I was very interested in building it. My wife constantly reminds me that I already have to many hulls in process. I have not done too many plastic builds in the past year or so, since my newly discovered love affair with wooden ship kits. However, I still have Tamiya's IJN Yamato (new tooling in 1:350 scale) about halfway done (no superstructure yet) taking up residence on one of my shelves in the box. 

Your work is crisp and very precise. Despite the mishap on the mast, I agree that it looks better. I look forward to following your build log and living vicariously through your build!

 

- Tim

[popeye the sailor]

looking good Hank.....the redo looks great

[WackoWolf]

The mast is excellent, nice and crisp. Keep the pictures coming.

[justsayrow]

Hank,

Great work on the mast!  It's so crisp!  Did you CA the brass or solder it?

[Hank]

Thanks all for the nice comments! I might add that the Main F.C. radar Mk. 8 (the rounded object above the optical rangefinder at the top of the conning tower) is also scratchbuilt. These items take a long time to create and thus, this project will take a LONG time to build.

 

Hank

[mtaylor]

Hank,

 

The new masting does indeed look better.  I believe you're going to end up with a true one-of-a-kind and very well done model. 

 

And really... a movie projection booth???  Who would have thought?

[Hank]

Mark wrote:
 

And really... a movie projection booth??? Who would have thought?

Yea, it really was for outdoor movies. I do recall seeing one on the fantail at night. We had a 16mm projector in the booth and got movies off the fairly current movie circuit as well as 40's & 50's hit movies that were making the military circles.

 

When I get time to post a .jpg of my .pdf of the drawing I made, I'll do that.

 

I'm not sure what the booth became in the 80's modernization. I'm sure those guys were too hip for just "movies"!!

 

WISCONSIN had an additional room on the after starboard side of their booth - I have no idea what it was for - it's not detailed in the 1956 Book of General Plans, only shown on the main deck plan. From a 1964 photo of MISSOURI during the McArthur Memorial Service, hers looks to be very similar to NEW JERSEY's booth.

 

Hank

[WackoWolf]

Maybe it's going to take longer to finisher her, but it will be worth it's weight in gold, and at the same time your having fun.

[rickbco]

Hank, what are you doing with the Bofors 40mm? I am building Missouri, Tokyo Bay surrender scene with personnel, and was just wondeirng ifyou were waiting for Pontos, using the kit, or had looked at the Veteran PE and resin kits.....

btw, your work is astounding--thansk for being an upward call to some of us newbies.

Rick from Colorado.

[Hank]

Rick - NEW JERSEY in the mid-60's did not carry 20 or 40mm AA guns - they (the guns) were completely removed in 1967 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. (see following post for additional historical note)

 

I have purchased the Pontos Detail Up set w/o deck and am replacing the kit parts/PE as needed. Both the kit and Pontos PE 20 & 40mm guns/tubs/F.C. directors will not be used. An acquaintance in Alaska who is building a scratchbuilt ALASKA has spoken for them (at least at this point). I have seen the Veterans 40mm Bofors kits - WOW!! is all I can say.

 

Hopefully, Pontos will be creating the decking for my project as I have been in correspondence with Kim, their U.S. rep.

 

Good luck with your build - that seems to be a popular time frame for MISSOURI builds these days.

 

Hank 

[Hank]

Since my last post, I was able to contact and correspond with a former Long Beach Naval Shipyard project manager who was involved with the final fitting of radar and electronics aboard USS NEW JERSEY prior to her Sept. 1968 departure for WesPac. Richard Landgraff and I have been erstwhile correspondents/battleship enthusiasts since the 80’s and have now re-established contact after quite a few years of absence. Richard spent well over 30 years at LBNSYD working on the IOWAs through the years as the needs of the Navy changed and the ships were in service and out. Currently he is involved with the USS IOWA Museum located at the L.A. Ports.

After an exchange of photos and a critique of my (2nd) mast assembly, Richard made a few observations which I have amended this week:

1) The foremast on NEW JERSEY was removed in 1967 at Philadelphia NSYD and replaced with a 36” diameter lower pole. The current available plans of NJ of this time period do not show the mast correctly. They also show the mast with a starboard side vertical ladder and this is also incorrect. The ladder is mounted on the front face of the mast; I now have photo proof of this thanks to Richard. I have removed the mast from the conning tower, modified (enlarged) the two mast support brackets and replaced (modified) the lower mast pole to achieve the required diameter ( 3/16” @ 1:200 scale) or as near to it as I could make it without major damage to the rest of the assembly. Historical Note - the original IOWA class foremasts were designed to be lowered in order for the ships to pass under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York harbor. If you compare these photos with the prior photos posted a week or so ago you will see the differences in the mast structure. I've also added the wire rope stabilizing stays on either side of the mast extending to the rear of the ECM equipment houses.

 

2) The forward tubular bracing I made for the lowest radar platform is not correct and was modified per Richard's directions to more closely resemble the actual bracing. In addition, side tube bracing that was omitted from the after brace was added. These corrections are not all that evident in my photos below.

 

In addition to the technical knowledge I have learned this week, Richard has also provided me with other snippets of battleship history (namely involving NJ) that probably no one else is aware of. This kind of first-hand lore is slowly but surely disappearing as those associated with battleships and their construction/modification take their final shore leave. I am keeping these items of lore in a separate file as they are related to me in order to hopefully preserve these stories.

One item of interest that I will share is that any photos you see of NEW JERSEY in her late 60's configuration with her 40mm gun tubs up forward of Turret 1 are PRE-deployment photos. Those tubs were removed the day I arrived on board in Sept. 1968 and Richard was supervising the yard crew removing those tubs. We left a couple days later for Westpac.

The photos show the new mast structure with only touch-up painting left to be complete. I will begin work on the 08 Level Conning Station and ULQ-6 antenna arrays next week.

 

Hopefully, I'll be able to "retain" Richard as my own "Dreadnaught Consultant" on this project since his 1st hand knowledge of this ship is so extensive.

 

Hank

[Kevin]

lovely re-work on the mast, thats a lot of gear up there to be supported on steyrene in the first place, and was possibly always going to be subject to being damaged without a fall, 

[Hank]

Kevin,

 

Well, actually the mast poles were brass tube, but the platforms, etc. were styrene - and they did take the fall and are now history!! I'm inquiring as to the fate of the 67-69 mast with my consultant to see where/what it's fate was (just for my own curiosity). More than likely was scrapped by the shipyard when the new tripod mast assembly was built in 81/82. Yea - a lot of calculations as to weight distribution, wind and sea spray effects, etc. in order to make it work properly and survive the elements at sea.

 

Thanks for the kind remarks - I'll check out your BISMARK soon!

 

Hank

[dgbot]

When you finshed that assembly I bet you took a nice bath a couple of beers and took a rest.  Great job.

David B

[Hank]

David,

 

Thanks for the nice comment!

 

Hank

[channell]

Keep up the good work, Hank! Cheers from both forums!

[Hank]

Jason, you dawg!!! - thanks (from both forums !

 

Hank

[Hank]

I've started on the ULQ-6 radar antenna frames and after two nights of work, I have a couple of photos to show my progress. Actually, I'm a bit further along with the lower framework, but these are the latest photos.

This phase of the build is assisted by R. Landgraff (as mentioned in an earlier post) who actually worked on the final construction of these ECM units in 1968 prior to the ship's departure for WesPac. So, I'm fairly confident that his knowledge will pay off in the long run.

While I'm using my CAD file for the overall construction of these frames, I'm thinking that they could be improved upon by perhaps being produced in PE brass and designed to be a folded-over frame instead of individual pieces as my framework is currently constructed. This would also eliminate the fact that the two frames are not 100% identical and that all the members were the same width, etc.

So, when it comes time to mount these units on the conning tower, I will probably use minimal glue so that they can be replaced with a more professionally designed and constructed set in the future.

Wednesday night I got the intial painting done and begin work on the lower "Derby Hat" framework construction that will be added below the existing framework. The actual ECM gear has yet to be constructed and then added.

 

Hank

[michael20]

Looking great Hank,

I'll be looking forward to future updates. Seems half the fun is in the research and the history.

 

Happy Modeling,

Martin G.

[Hank]

Martin,

 

Thanks so much for the kind remarks. Yes, I'm currently reading Richard Landgraff's book A History of the Long Beach Naval Shipyard - he's my "fittings" consultant I've mentioned in my posts. Research (history) is always ongoing.

 

Hank

[mtaylor]

Hank,

Those frames look pretty darned professional to this eye.   And I'm not seeing the differences.  Pretty fantastic!

[patrickmil]

Hank, how are you not going cross-eyed looking at these tiny parts??? That is excellent work! I'll have to second Mark's comments about not seeing anything different between the two.

[dgbot]

After two shots of aged scotch he sees 4 and divides by 4.

David B

[Hank]

Mark, Patrick, David:

 

Thanks for the reassurance that I may have to revive my old drinking days  - NOT!!!!

 

This work is very time consuming, subject to the constant carpet monster, but in this case 100% necessary. With Mr. Landgraff's first hand account of the final construction/adjustments made to the ECM set, I'm doing the best I can to represent what was put up there by his crew at LBNSYD.

 

Hank