USS United States by popeye the sailor - Revell - 1/96 - PLASTIC - bash

[dgbot]

Great looking deck Popeye.  I see that you follow a rule I always like.  When caulking a deck try to make it subdued so that it does not stand out and detract from the beauty of the planking and the wood used.

David B

[Beef Wellington]

Nice customizations Popeye, interested to see how this all turns out, a very interesting model.

[Piet]

Unbelievable - - - what can be done to a ho hum plastic kit to make it something special!!!   I like your thinking, out of the box !!  

 

Cheers,

[Marcus.K.]

Popeye,

 

impressive! Great looking decks. Congratulations for that. Since I personally very much "fear" to try to create a wooden appearance on a plastic part with paints this "hybrid-technology" wood/plastic may be a way out for me. Although its a lot of work the result seen here an in other builds seems to justify .. no, DO justify the additional efforts.

 

Phantastic work. I am looking forward to see you next steps.

[popeye the sailor]

thank you David,  Jason,  Piet,  and Marcus.   with the invent of the deck inlay,  I know this is extreme.   the two factors that I looked at was the longevity of the adhesion of the inlay,  and those seams in the deck sections.  doing them in this way,  insures defeating both of these problems.   I wish I could continue,  but it seems I can't escape automotive troubles.  I'm still not out of the woods yet......but I shouldn't complain..........I'm still building,  but at a more "metallic" level       thanks for the good word gentlemen........and thanks to all of you for the likes!  

[Kilo66]

I have enjoyed following your adjustments of this venerable kit. I note, though, that it has been quite a while since the last log entry. Has this fascinating build been indefinitely relegated to the "someday..." catagory?

[popeye the sailor]

thanks for your interest Kilo......it has been a bit harder lately.   there have been lags in building that I didn't anticipate on......usually I'm a one-armed paper hanger!      then there's my imagination.........that always seems to get the best of me......and that accounts for the cornucopia of builds that I have established.  would you believe........I have my second build of the Cutty Sark sitting in the hallway.....all I need to do is repair a few lines from the move we did to get here,  and do the braces and studding sails,  to finish her.  she's been in the hallway since 2009!  some knucklehead brought me a wooden kit.........and I've been a spinning top ever since!

    I do thank you for the poke......does make me smile that there is an interest in her.   I have the wooden deck clamped to their plastic counterparts,  so they don't lose their shape........I didn't like what happened to them after the last break in the build    this does give me time to see what some of the other fine builders are doing with their Connie builds......some of these features apply to the United States,  even though Revell chose not to add them in.  At the moment,  the top spins around the Andrea Gail....moving quite well and with no signs of stopping.   but as anyone knows,  poking a spinning top,  can cause it to go in another direction     you never know,  my friend.  thanks for looking in and the good word! 

[mobbsie]

She caught my eye again Denis so had another look through and it seems a shame that she has been relegated out of contention. Your lifting her out of the also ran's mate and making her into something special.

 

Would it help to resurrect her if I flashed my big puppy dog eyes and rolled over onto my back.    

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[ScottRC]

thanks for your interest Kilo......it has been a bit harder lately.   there have been lags in building that I didn't anticipate on......usually I'm a one-armed paper hanger!      then there's my imagination.........that always seems to get the best of me......and that accounts for the cornucopia of builds that I have established.  would you believe........I have my second build of the Cutty Sark sitting in the hallway.....all I need to do is repair a few lines from the move we did to get here,  and do the braces and studding sails,  to finish her.  she's been in the hallway since 2009!  some knucklehead brought me a wooden kit.........and I've been a spinning top ever since!

    I do thank you for the poke......does make me smile that there is an interest in her.   I have the wooden deck clamped to their plastic counterparts,  so they don't lose their shape........I didn't like what happened to them after the last break in the build    this does give me time to see what some of the other fine builders are doing with their Connie builds......some of these features apply to the United States,  even though Revell chose not to add them in.  At the moment,  the top spins around the Andrea Gail....moving quite well and with no signs of stopping.   but as anyone knows,  poking a spinning top,  can cause it to go in another direction     you never know,  my friend.  thanks for looking in and the good word! 

 

 

Popeye,

 

You really described the behavior that many of us seem to display with this hobby.  I started my third Connie build in 2007 and am in  the doldrums on installing the mizzen yards.  I just lost interest in dealing with rigging plastic after building a wooden model.  Lately, when I'm in my workshop, I like to compare myself to a coondog in a room full of squirrels.  I run to the Connie, then look over and want to add something to the Endeavor, then oh oh! sitting on the drawing table is the plans for the Essex that I have been studying.  I spin and spin and spin like you on a top, never really getting progress done on just one project.   Now looking at your US build and a number of other builders who turned the Revell kits into composite wood/plastic builds, I want to start another one, but either the Cutty Sark or the Alabama, since I have both kits (gad, but I also still have another Connie kit).  However, then there is the Syrene kit that I want to start.  Arrgh!  No, can't because I want to build the Essex.  Oh, forgot about the CW Morgan I started a few months ago then put back into the box.  Whew!

 

Scott

[foxy]

That sure is coming along popeye.

 

Great looking decks.( thinks he may have given me food for thought on my ship.)

 

When I first sore the pictures of the first coat before drying, 'ouch'. but once dry it really looks great.

 

Frank

[popeye the sailor]

gee......I dunno Mobbsie..........you mean,  like this?

 

 

     has been since May.......hasn't it?

 

thanks for your interest as well Scott.  when I first came here to MSW,  I was working on the Cutty....and then.......BAM.....I get a wooden kit tossed in my lap.  it's been mayhem ever since.  my problem stems from ideas I get......and the  "I can't wait to try it out"  mentality.   I'll probably kick the bucket before these are all finished,  but I'm trying like crazy not to let that happen.  I am so jealous that you have an Alabama kit in the wings........I was trying to get a copy of the Billing's HMS. Warrior instructions....would be a great ship kit to modify into the C.S.S. Alabama.   there I go again.........I got it BAD!   I hated those seam lines as much as the next guy.........there must be a way to get rid of them.   I had done a few build from this Revell series,  and I wanted to do one with a perfect deck.  when the idea of the wooden deck hit me,  it was killing me....the longer that I put it off.   So I bounce around the builds,  doing a little here and there,  with the hopes that they will be finished.....sooner or later.   I refuse to terminate any of them

 

thanks for your interest as well Frank.......as mentioned,  the wooden deck concept was too good to pass up!  I believe that's what got this build in my roster in the first place.  yes,  that is what you get when you work with lacquer,  in less favorable environments.  I probably would have been better off using a brush.......but I did it with an airbrush.  to this day,  I still don't think it was part of the cause.

    I have already built this kit back in the 90's.........really sweet that I should find another one.  thanks to a friend of mine alerting me that one was on E-Bay.......I probably never would have seen it....the price I got it for was even sweeter!

 

all I can say at the moment,  is keep a sharp eye.   should I do any progress on her,  you can bet your boots,  I'll be posting it!     again,  I thank you all for the interest you've shown....I really appreciate it 

[Marcus.K.]

Ahooy there! What´s up, Doc?

 

thrilling news from Constitutions Log lines - engravings of early US Frigate United States found - go and see:

 

https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/2016/06/14/federal-frigate-early-views-united-states/

 

Have fun!

 

But as usually: engravings and paintings have to be "read" with care. They are no photos. Their purpose is not to show the "real" thing 100% accurate. As I pointed out in my comment I doubt that Thomas Clarke was able to see the ship in fully rigging before he had to finalize his edgeing. Also the 16 guns per side - not really realistic? On the other hand: would an Artist be THAT inaccurate? With the most important issue of a war-ship - its armament?

 

Where is the dolphin striker?

 

I am curious about your thinking ...

Edited June 16, 2016 by Marcus.K.

[popeye the sailor]

hello Marcus,

 

believe it or not,  I have this book marked.....found it a while ago.   personally,  I'm not much for hand drawn or painted pictures.   something about  'artistic licencing'  makes me a skeptic.   I know.....it's all we have to remember her by.........best we can do is use them as a rough draft.   try and read all we can about her and imagine what the change may look like per the drawing.   here are a few articles that I have

 

http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/shipprofiles/p/ussus.htm

 

http://www.modelshipmaster.com/products/tall_ships/uss_united_states.htm

 

there are a few links at the bottom of one of these articles.........I have them book marked as well.   in my mind,  since there was to be six vessels built {I think that is how many that were planned},  all of them would have some basic similarities.   of course,  the commanding officer would have a say as to how they were fitted out.  there are features that I want to change and add,  besides not adding the cannons at the very bow of the ship..........I am going to leave the port lids.   they look so good when they are all installed.   I wonder if this address is still good.......it's at the lower left of page 2.

 

 

I'm sure they would cost more than $2.75 today     when was the last time you saw a reference to the F.S. numbers?  of course,  it's still a mystery why Revell printed the instructions in blue,  rather than black and white.   I wouldn't go with a flat yellow stripe though..........a sandy sort of yellow maybe {ocher}.   I still wonder why Revell left the galley quarter parts out of this kit.......after all,  it is a spin off of the Constitution kit.   where these parts would be located,  the holes still remain.    the gun deck never changed >shrug<

 

 

 

I've forgotten where I got that picture of the galley quarters.......but in comparison to these two images,  it is the same stern gun deck section.   it all boils down to what is really different about the Constitution and the United States......to me,  it's the addition of the poop deck.

 

 

I never realized it when I built her the first time,  but the pumps probably should be in a more logical place,  than at the bow.   at least they didn't forget to add the heads.

 

 

AWWWWWWW!  I'm just rambl'in..........sorry to say,  I haven't done much with the build.   it's safely tucked away in the closet.........I have the wood decks clothes pinned to the plastic ones,  so they don't lose their shape.  looking back,  I started monkeying around with it in 2012.....the allure of making the wooden decks was just too much to pass up.  in 2014,  I made the horrifying discovery that the decks had warped.......so badly,  that others had to be made.  I forget where the mold date is on the kit..........I just looked at them,  and they are still good.  I guess it does make a difference which way the wood grain runs      my plan for this build,  is to continue it when I get at least a couple of the other projects finished.   for you folks who are following this log....I do apologize.  at this time,  all I can say is that it has not been scrubbed.......I have no intention of missing out on another opportunity to build this fine vessel {model}.  you know,  it took me less than a year to build the first,  but I didn't concentrate on paint,  and had no clue about the inconsistencies with the kit.  even I.......am hoping it's not too much longer    thanks Marcus for looking in

[AndyMech]

FYI, that's my photo of the galley quarters from my build of the USS Constitution, Revell kit.  Thanks for including it here!

 

Andy.

[CDW]

I've had a great time looking through this build thread. Wish I had found it sooner, but better late than never.

Great job, Popeye!

This is inspirational for some projects I have waiting in the wings.

[popeye the sailor]

that right.........I have others Andy      I thank you for allowing me to post it.......I want to put this into the United States....why it was omitted,  I have no idea.

      I was a teenager when I built the Constitution.   when I moved away,  my mother kept it.   when I came back to N.H. she still had it........I had to do a couple repairs,  but it was still intact.   when they moved to the lake house,  I was put in charge of making sure nothing happened to it........made it there without a scratch  {a little dust maybe...she would never clean it....too afraid}   it went down hill from there.........they had it by a wood stove.  how sparks were getting onto it,  I haven't a clue,  but there were holes in the sails by this time.  add in the soot tinge,  and she looked right proper for battle.   can't remember when it's final day was........I heard about it though........it got knocked over.  I didn't say anything.

      I would love to get another one.........but after seeing what I do with wood,  the admiral doesn't want me doing plastic any more.   it's not set in stone,  since I have the Lindberg Jolly Rogers and an old kit of the Revell Santa Maria.  as I recall,  you finished your Connie.......the kit makes such a stunning model.........I love the size       your work is also commendable......I will be following some of the ideas you had building her. 

 

thanks for looking in daddyrabbit.   I've not done this type of mod,  to this degree....it will be interesting once I can get back to her.   the hull needs a bit more paint before I can get into outfitting the gun deck.......I sure there are some sub assemblies I can get into as well.   I will be putting some movement to this log soon.........trying my darn-dest to find an opening for it      don't give up hope.