USS Maine by dgbot - HMV - 1/250 - CARD

[dgbot]

I then started working on the interior part of the side. Bending and folding as needed.  I had to double check everything to make sure I was getting it right.

The first part was done first

This was where alcohol came in to realign the piece.

Then the rest of the portion was glued in.

David B

Edited August 23, 2014 by dgbot

[dgbot]

I then put in the rest of the interior.

The problem is I am not sure about how this last part is to be placed.  I went through the plans but I could not find anything.

So I will work around it until I can find and answer.

David B

[ccoyle]

David,

 

The part you are confused about is the inner superstructure wall.  You actually have the part upside down in the photo - the small panel on the far right goes to the left of the 6 in gun mount.  The second panel must be curved to fit in front of the gun mount.  Here are inboard and outboard pics of the area in question - hope these are of use to you.

 

[dgbot]

Thanks, the plans leave a lot of guess work. But I am getting there .

David B

[Mirabell61]

Hi David,

 

your work is looking  fine, hope to see more soon. I think working with Card is more difficult than with Wood, I never did it myself to date, but I read a tutorial about it.

 

Nils

[dgbot]

I have made some progress and finished the deck house.  Thanks for the tip.  

 

I started working on the 6" guns.  The first thing was to find and cut out the pieces and figure out how to assemble them.

One touched up they were put together.

So far so good.

David B

 

[dgbot]

One the items I picked up I have found very useful..When many of us use glue we usually put some on a pad and apply a needed so as to not make a mess.  I piked up a couple of syringes. and at the advice of a friend tried using them.  Less mess and more control.

David B

[dgbot]

I have been lax lately so I better bring things up to date.  After making the 6" guns I glued them into place an assembled the Panzerdstan.

David B

[dgbot]

I then started working on the cannons.  This time even though I followed the plans and studied everything it was a bit tricky.

The first thing was cut out the main parts to build up the base'

Then I started on the barrels.  This is where I deviated a bit.  I was not happy using the card for the core to flimsy.  I took a toothpick and using Jim"s draw plate I brought it down to the right diameter and used that as a core.

After building them up I painted them watercolor.  I thought they were a great improvement.

David B

 

 

[dgbot]

I has the most trouble with the main turret wall.  The first time I glued it up it did not fit the base properly in trying to fix it I damaged it.  Fortunately I had scanned the plans earlier just in case,  This time I cut out the opening for the cannons.  The carriage was not acceptable and I redid it. Then I fitted everything and proceeded to put in the cannons.

Then to my surprise the main guns would not fit in their numbered occasions.  After some trial and error.  I found out that for some reason the print mislabeled the assemblies.  Once I reversed the locations I got a god fit.

David B

Edited September 11, 2014 by dgbot

[Captain Slog]

Hi David,

 

Your turrets and guns look great.  I think doing paper gun barrels must be the most difficult to do...I chickened out and got turned barrels, although might still do the paper ones for practice.

 

Looking forward to more.

 

Cheers

Slog

[dgbot]

Hi David,

 

Your turrets and guns look great.  I think doing paper gun barrels must be the most difficult to do...I chickened out and got turned barrels, although might still do the paper ones for practice.

 

Looking forward to more.

 

Cheers

Slog

Coming from you that is indeed a compliment.  

David B

[Azzoun]

The needle of glue also works on a bottle of zap, see?   If the glue dries in the needle, hit it with a lighter but don't breath in the fumes    On a side note, i don't know how you can work with this medium, i think i would find it rather frustrating...

Edited September 12, 2014 by azzoun

[ccoyle]

On a side note, i don't know how you can work with this medium, i think i would find it rather frustrating...

 

Oh, indeed it can be!  There are many potential pitfalls with paper, but I think one of the worst is working with a poorly designed kit, e.g. one in which the parts fit is poor, or the diagrams are incomplete (or wrong), or the graphics on adjacent parts don't match up, etc.  Fortunately, HMV kits have one of the best reputations in this regard, and, as in any modeling medium, a lot of the outcome depends on the skill of the builder.  David really took on a big challenge with this kit, and if you recall his earlier struggles with much less complex kits, you can really appreciate how far his skills have come (that old saw about practice makes perfect)!  Like those 6" gun mounts - those are much trickier to do nicely than they appear, and David did a respectable job on them.

 

Cheers!

[dgbot]

Thanks for the vote.  My main problem now is trying to make everything look smooth.  The main problem I am getting into is that some of the parts are slightly off.  I take this as a copy issue which will happen no matter who the manufacturer is. I have had to make some mods that I will be showing.  I do not expect this model to win any awards or be the equal to Dan Parisers or others.  But I wish to do the best that I can to improve so that one day I can show off a masterpiece. But I am not in a hurry.  I find this challenge invigorating. I know I will make mistakes but I intend to improve on them.

David B 

[dgbot]

At the moment I am lucid and able to think so I might be considered sane or normal.  The next thing was to work on the scaffolding.  This is when I really appreciate how delicate this stuff can be and taking very delicate cuts.  

The first thing was to identify and figure out out to do the job.

When getting this thin I was having trouble keeping everything stiff for a straight cut.  So most of it was done using straight edges.

The scaffolding in the front gave me the most problem in getting everything lined up. This involved quite  bit of trial and error until I was able to glue everything down.  I am also touching up the colors as I go.

So far so good.  

David B

[shipmodel]

Hi David - 

 

Coming along quite nicely, given the limitations of the materials.  It is really taking shape.  Don't worry about comparing it to my model or anyone else's.  I know that there are a whole pack of mistakes in my model that, hopefully, I have corrected or covered up.

 

BTW - the 'v' shaped fittings to either side of the gangway between the center and aft deck houses were supports for a pair of large motorized cutters that were never fitted on the ship.  They did find a use for the scaffolding, which was to stow extra spars and even the rolled up set of sails that were originally designed for the ship, in case it ran out of coal in mid-ocean.  Here is one of the earliest plans for the ship, with three masts and raked smokestacks.

 

 

Keep up the good work.  I will be eagerly watching for future installments.

 

Dan

 

 

[Mirabell61]

Looking great David,

 

I like those Little Details, windowrims, doors, ladders and Gangways, etc

Do you use AC glue for the card

 

Nils

[dgbot]

Thanks for the compliment Dan. I remember when you built yours and drooled over it. I have been scouring my archives of the photos I took. But that was a while ago and a couple of hard drives. I am using white glue for everything. The stuff dries quickly when used sparingly and is easy to clean.

David B

[shipmodel]

David - 

 

I have lots of photos if they would help.  Feel free to ask and I can get them to you.  It may be easier to run off a disk and mail it to you than to try to email them.  Just send me your address.

 

Dan

[dgbot]

I started working on the funnels.  This proved different in that some of the ways of putting it together were a little varied.

The first thing was to cut it out and begin the assembly.

I was not happy with the stiffness of the material so I glued together a couple of plugs out of stock and wrapped the funnels around them.

The pipe was next.  This stuff needed extra care it was delicate even doubled over.  Once touched up it was glued on.

So far so good.

David B

 

[Perls]

Hi David,

 

Before seeing this log I didn't even know that card kits existed. Your work is amazing, it looks to me that paper is a LOT less forgiving than wood.

 

You mentioned above that you've only used white glue. Did you need to thin it out to use in the syringe? Do you think one could use CA in a syringe or would it harden in the needle. Anyway, keep up the good work.

 

Best,

Steve

[GuntherMT]

 Do you think one could use CA in a syringe or would it harden in the needle. Anyway, keep up the good work.

 

 

 

I tried CA glue in a syringe, and it works fine as long as you don't want to use it for more than a single session.  The problems I ran into (I've only tried this for a single session, so it may be a learning curve as much as anything) are that it's so thin that it's quite difficult to get only a tiny bit to come out, it tends to act on the plunger quickly, making it harder to compress, and then you get too much glue out with the tiniest of squeezes.  This might be moderated by a thinner syringe, mine are too large diameter for this application I think.  You can pull the plunger back and suck up the excess.  Also, it forms white crystalline structures inside the syringe, especially on the plunger, so everything is tossed in the garbage bin after the session, as using acetone to clean it up degrades the plunger seal.

[dgbot]

I have no problems.  Once you fill it and push out the air. I am set.  It will come out a drop at a time or in a line if you wish.  I do have a bit coming out the needle but not much.  I take the plunger out and fill the syringe. put the plunger in and then once the air is pushed out is the same as a bottle.  When not in use I leave it in a pill bottle with a little water so the tip does not dry out. And if it does let it sit in the bottle for an hour and it works jut fine.  Less mess and waste.

David B

[Perls]

Thanks David and Brian,

 

I guess I'll just give it a try. I had a dog with diabetes and still have a few syringes around.

 

Best,

Steve

[dgbot]

I use it for small items.  Instead of using a toothpick.

David B

[dgbot]

Well I have good news and bad news.  It seems that when my immune system was suppressed for my stem cell transplant I caught a very nasty fungal infection called toxicplosmosis.  They say my body was fighting it for a long time. and when my immune system was suppressed it took over like wild fire. My kidneys were almost damaged by the antibiotics they used to fight this stuff.  According to the mri it put lesions in my brain and wrecked havoc on my nervous system.  I was told by my sister that the doctors woke me up and I did not know who she was.  She was frightened out of her wits.  When I recovered they put me through a battery of physical and mental tests and exercises to assess the damage. All I have to do is watch my fluid intake,  2 liters of water a day is a must because my kidneys were battered.  Along with my muscles.  I was weak as a kitten.  this was because I was motionless in bed for almost 3 weeks.  It felt good to walk again.  Took me awhile but my legs got used to it fast enough.  I could not lift my arms above my head, since I had not used them for a long period of time.  However I am better now and pulled out the box where I kept my modeling stuff. I was in shock.  They had moved me to several rooms and somehow misplaced the card sheets I was using and the model I was working on was buried underneath some books.  With a litle work the model was fixed up.  But I may not be able to complete it.  I scanned it to my hard drive but the main problem is printing out the sheets with the proper colors.  Unless you have new ink cartridges when you start you will not get the match you are looking for. However, the Maine is looking good and I am not ready to waste ink on parts that might not be seen.  I will have o think about it for a couple days.  The betting odds are I will go through with it when I am feeling better and a little masochistic.  What do you guys think.?  

David B

[shipmodel]

David - 

 

All my best wishes for continued and complete recovery.  What a scary time that must have been!  So glad that you came through it and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

The Maine had her own troubles too.  Glad she came through OK as well.  Maybe if you write to the manufacturer or retailer and explain your problem they will provide replacements for the missing sheets.  I know that if it were Bluejacket or Expo they would do it without a second's hesitation.

 

Be well

 

Dan

[ccoyle]

Wow, you really went through the wringer!  I'm glad to hear you are recovering.  Any time a model gets damaged, or parts get lost, or whatever the nature of the mishap, it is a good idea to sit back and take stock.  Soon enough you'll know for yourself whether the project can move forward.  I recently started a card airplane model - got as far as completing the left wing.  The wing did not turn out well enough for my personal standards.  After staring at it for about two weeks, I realized I would never be happy with the wing in its current state, and I didn't have the will to re-do it, especially since I wasn't super-enthused about the model in the first place.  So, that model's off to the side and my work space is awaiting the next project.  All that to say, go for the continued build if you like, but don't feel compelled to finish it just for the sake of finishing.  It's a hobby - build what moves you!

[dgbot]

Thank you for the reply.  I have not shelved her yet.  I scanned the plans into my laptop for when I want to redo a part.  When my sister allows me behind the wheel I will get some ink for my printer and make a copy and finish her.  I do not like not finishing a model.  According to the doctor my nerve's reflexes should be impaired I feel just fine My hand and eye coordination are okay.  But my sister is looking at the discharge paper and it states no operating a vehicle.  I do what she wants.  She is the boss and she worries about my safety all the time. Thank you for the photos Daniel.  I will be looking them over with relish.  Your Maine was excellent, a real looker.  I remember repairing a model I was working on that had it's keel broken. So I will finish this one as well.  

David B