Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

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Expand view Topic review: Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

At the annual reunion of WW2 LSMR veterans in Cleveland, Ohi

by jcmackay » Thu Jun 15, 2017 10:10 pm

Hi everyone,

A quick update to thank Silenoz for his comments. To address your first point, the launchers had a deflector at the rear that deflected the rocket exhaust upwards, so I suspect most of the residue that was deposited would have collected in the launcher deflectors. It's an interesting point and I will see if I can get a definite answer.

With regard to the launchers being aligned, I should tell you I did that to see if anyone was looking closely. :heh: However, that's not actually why. I am currently in Cleveland, Ohio, for a reunion of WW2 LSMR veterans. In the last couple days leading up to the trip, I was working feverishly trying to get the model presentable. It is a far cry from being finished, but I didn't have the time to make it perfect or complete. I had to settle for getting it in some state of completion. One other secret: I installed the launchers with rubber cement so that I can go back to correct the alignment. Here's a couple of photos from the reunion:
Here are two of my models on display in the hospitality room in the hotel, along with memorabilia from the USS Clarion River.  On the left is a 1/96th scale model of the Clarion River that I built for one of the former crewmembers, who is also the owner of the memorabilia.  On the right is the model of the 198.
Here are two of my models on display in the hospitality room in the hotel, along with memorabilia from the USS Clarion River. On the left is a 1/96th scale model of the Clarion River that I built for one of the former crewmembers, who is also the owner of the memorabilia. On the right is the model of the 198.
A former WW2 LSMR-198 crewmember holding the model. The model got a lot of fascinating conversations and reminiscing started.
A former WW2 LSMR-198 crewmember holding the model. The model got a lot of fascinating conversations and reminiscing started.
We are having a great time and thoroughly enjoying the company of the WW2 veterans and their families.

John :wave_1:

Re: Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

by Silenoz » Wed Jun 14, 2017 2:59 am

looks good, maybe some more black to the launching surface, as if the salvo was launched a short while ago...

Only small remark I see is that the launchers aren't all aligned, but I think it is also a nice thing to actually design and build one of these...

The launchers are installed!

by jcmackay » Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:55 pm

Hi everyone,

Well, I finished mounting the launchers on the deck. Photos are below. First, though, I want to send a note of thanks to Sean for his comments and address a couple of his questions.
Goodwood wrote:And yeah, I totally hear you on the rockets�how big or small were the buggers, anyway? I'm betting they're not that much bigger than the 5" HVAR carried by aircraft. Besides, considering the fact that you do have three such projects on the go at the same bloody time, that's certainly an understandable way of looking at it. Hope you enjoy the weathering process! I recommend picking up some of the Tamiya brand "Panel Line Accent Color" washes, if you haven't already. :wave_1:
I haven't nailed down the exact size of the rockets, but they were 5 inches in diameter and about 36 inches long. In scale, they would be about .035 inch diameter and .25 inches long. That would be quite a bit of work and maybe I'll get to that later. Thanks, Sean, for the suggestion about the Tamiya washes - I don't have that but I am going to try to find them. :thanks: :thanks: :thanks:

And now, what you've been waiting for:
photo 01.jpg
photo 02.jpg
Still much work to be done. Until next time...

John :wave_1:

Re: Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

by Goodwood » Mon Jun 12, 2017 2:41 am

Haha, nice! :cool_1:

And yeah, I totally hear you on the rockets�how big or small were the buggers, anyway? I'm betting they're not that much bigger than the 5" HVAR carried by aircraft. Besides, considering the fact that you do have three such projects on the go at the same bloody time, that's certainly an understandable way of looking at it.

Hope you enjoy the weathering process! I recommend picking up some of the Tamiya brand "Panel Line Accent Color" washes, if you haven't already. :wave_1:

Re: Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

by jcmackay » Sun Jun 11, 2017 11:30 pm

Hi everyone,

A quick note to answer Sean's question and say thanks. :thanks: :thanks:
Looking very good, John! Can't wait to see the launchers installed. Are you going to put rockets in them? :D
Here's a tease:
The FIRST launcher is installed!  Now it's time to fill up that empty deck!
The FIRST launcher is installed! Now it's time to fill up that empty deck!
Funny you should ask about rockets in the launchers. I was mulling that over the other day, but I have to say that first and foremost, I want to get this model done. The rockets would be itsy-bitsy pieces and take a lot of time, and I'm not even sure that their presence would even register with most casual observers. I'm not ruling it out, but if I do install them, I'll do that sometime in the future, once I've declared this one done.

John :wave_1:

Re: Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

by Goodwood » Sun Jun 11, 2017 4:18 pm

Looking very good, John! Can't wait to see the launchers installed.

Are you going to put rockets in them? :D

Ready to install the launchers

by jcmackay » Sun Jun 11, 2017 10:58 am

Hi everyone,
A quick note to Sean: thank you very much for checking in and posting your comments. :thanks: Glad to know who's always out there keeping me honest!

The launchers are all complete and painted. I don�t trust my clumsy fingers, so I want the last things to go onto the model to be the launchers. Today, I�ll show you how she looks:
Superstructure is now permanently installed.  The 40mm guns you see are scratchbuilt.  I probably could have purchased 3D printed guns, but I'd already started on these when I realized there was another option.  The aft gun director tub is also installed with a PE ladder that was on the launcher PE sheet.  None of the kit ladders were tall enough, so I incorporated ladders into the launcher PE.
Superstructure is now permanently installed. The 40mm guns you see are scratchbuilt. I probably could have purchased 3D printed guns, but I'd already started on these when I realized there was another option. The aft gun director tub is also installed with a PE ladder that was on the launcher PE sheet. None of the kit ladders were tall enough, so I incorporated ladders into the launcher PE.
The splinter shields for the 20mm guns are in place; it will be no problem laying the guns into the cradles later.
The splinter shields for the 20mm guns are in place; it will be no problem laying the guns into the cradles later.
Weathering will come later.
Weathering will come later.
stbd 02.jpg
In my next update, I�ll show you the launchers installed.

John :wave_1:

Re: Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

by Goodwood » Sun Jun 04, 2017 6:06 pm

No problem, John!

I've been watching all of your projects (along with everyone else's) with interest, but generally only reply when I either have something useful to say, or see something that's just left me utterly gobsmacked with awe.

First launcher primered

by jcmackay » Sun Jun 04, 2017 4:04 pm

Hi everyone,

A quick update to show you the first of the launchers that will go on the deck.

First, I want to send a note of thanks to Sean for his kind words:
All the hats I own have been doffed to your efforts on all of your projects, John, and this one in particular. Gotta admire a man brave (and masochistic) enough to tackle such repetitive bending and gluing for the sake of such a conversion. Shine on you crazy diamond. :thumbs_up_1:
Sean, it is great to hear from you again and thank you for the feedback! :thanks: :thanks: :thanks:

Now, a look at that first launcher:
The photo is pretty fuzzy; I don�t have a close-up lens on my cell phone!  I�ve installed the frame that connects to the launchers.  This is the forward centerline launcher.
The photo is pretty fuzzy; I don�t have a close-up lens on my cell phone! I�ve installed the frame that connects to the launchers. This is the forward centerline launcher.
Another view.  I think I�ll be blind by the time I finish these!
Another view. I think I�ll be blind by the time I finish these!
John :wave_1:

Re: Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

by Goodwood » Thu Jun 01, 2017 10:56 pm

All the hats I own have been doffed to your efforts on all of your projects, John, and this one in particular. Gotta admire a man brave (and masochistic) enough to tackle such repetitive bending and gluing for the sake of such a conversion.

Shine on you crazy diamond. :thumbs_up_1:

This is slow, tedious work!

by jcmackay » Thu Jun 01, 2017 10:17 pm

Hi everyone,

I want to send a note of thanks to Silenoz, who wrote:
nice conversion, though the firing of these rockets looks spectacular, I remember reading that for D-day these landed short in the sea instead of on the opposing side... that aside, nice to see such a craft build...
Thank you for your kind words. As you pointed out, the results using earlier launchers were inconsistent, especially with the initial fin-stabilized launchers. The rockets had a specific associated range and I wonder how many of those rockets fell short due to the ships launching too early? Thank you very much for posting your comments, Silenoz! :thanks:

Major construction of the launchers is complete. I still have to tweak on them a bit to straighten and align, and then add some other parts. Take a look:
LSMR-198 had 85 launchers organized in 16 banks:  11 five-launcher banks; 1 two-launcher bank, 1 eight-launcher bank; and 2 10-launcher banks.
LSMR-198 had 85 launchers organized in 16 banks: 11 five-launcher banks; 1 two-launcher bank, 1 eight-launcher bank; and 2 10-launcher banks.
Building these seemed like a never-ending project!
Building these seemed like a never-ending project!
John :wave_1:

Re: Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

by Silenoz » Tue May 30, 2017 2:56 am

nice conversion, though the firing of these rockets looks spectacular, I remember reading that for D-day these landed short in the sea instead of on the opposing side... that aside, nice to see such a craft build...

Launcher base units assembled

by jcmackay » Fri May 26, 2017 10:22 pm

Hi everyone,

A bit of progress to report; all of the base units for the launchers have been assembled.
The LSMR-198 had eighty-five Mk 51 launchers, which were arranged in banks.
The LSMR-198 had eighty-five Mk 51 launchers, which were arranged in banks.
Each base unit was constructed from a cast resin base frame and deflector, and a rear guide made from a .080 inch styrene channel.  After a little bit of cleanup, they will be ready to be assembled to the PE sub-assembly.
Each base unit was constructed from a cast resin base frame and deflector, and a rear guide made from a .080 inch styrene channel. After a little bit of cleanup, they will be ready to be assembled to the PE sub-assembly.
Next, comes a lot of PE bending!

John :wave_1:

First crack at the Mk 51 launchers

by jcmackay » Sat May 20, 2017 10:28 pm

Hi everyone,

Well, after a long pause, I am back to work on the 198. Today, I'll show you my first stab at building the Mk 51 launchers. The picture below shows my first attempt, but I probably won't use it because it didn't turn out good enough. However, I learned a lot from this and future launchers should look much better.
This first one looks kinda rough and isn't complete, but I thought I'd paint it to see if paint made it look better.  It didn't help as much as I'd hoped!  This launcher consists of 3 parts: a cast resin base frame and deflector; the rear guide made from .080 inch styrene channel; and the PE sub-assembly and gate.  Once I've built all the launchers, I'll paint them olive drab.
This first one looks kinda rough and isn't complete, but I thought I'd paint it to see if paint made it look better. It didn't help as much as I'd hoped! This launcher consists of 3 parts: a cast resin base frame and deflector; the rear guide made from .080 inch styrene channel; and the PE sub-assembly and gate. Once I've built all the launchers, I'll paint them olive drab.
All total, there are 85 launchers to build, so this will be a slow process.

John :wave_1:

Re: Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

by dhenning » Wed Feb 22, 2017 12:35 am

Yikes! Maybe I'll stick with 4 sets uncovered and the rest covered in tarps! Very daunting. I am hit and miss with photoetch. Did okay with my White Ensign 3"/50s and twin 40mm in 1/144, but the ring sights quickly disappeared after construction of the guns. Here's hoping for good luck on the 3D printing!

Mk 51 photo-etch arrived today

by jcmackay » Tue Feb 21, 2017 9:50 pm

Hi everyone,

Well, it looks like I am going to be out of excuses soon for making no progress on the model. Today, I received the photo etch launcher components from Hauler. :woo_hoo: I have to admit that most of the delay in getting the PE is my fault; the good folks at Hauler got right on it, and once I addressed the revision of Corel, they produced a beautiful rendition of what I had sent them. (And for a great price, too.) Here's a look:
The PE represents mostly the steel tubular frame of the Mk 51 launchers.  The base frame and deflectors will be resin castings, and the rear guide will be styrene channel. On the right side of the sheet, I have the framework that connected the launchers into banks.  Also, I threw in a few ladders for good measure.
The PE represents mostly the steel tubular frame of the Mk 51 launchers. The base frame and deflectors will be resin castings, and the rear guide will be styrene channel. On the right side of the sheet, I have the framework that connected the launchers into banks. Also, I threw in a few ladders for good measure.
These launchers are going to be intricate little buggers, so I expect they will take a while to build. That means I still have an excuse to fall back on for not making progress! :heh:

As you might be able to tell from the photo, the PE sheet contains many more components than I'll need. There were 85 launchers on the 196 class ships and with this PE, I'll be able to mangle quite a few before I have to worry.

As I mentioned last time, I am still waiting to see what results I get from my inquiry about 3D printing of the launchers. I haven't received a final answer or example yet, but I am sure the design work will take quite some time. If I can get them printed, that will make the job of replicating a 196-class ship much easier.

John :wave_1:

Will it be 3D printing or photoetch?

by jcmackay » Sat Jan 14, 2017 12:21 am

Hi everyone,

I have a quick report regarding progress on the model, but first, let me thank David (dhenning) for his kind comments and wishes.
dhenning wrote:...Haven't even started my LCI(g) project yet-so no hurry on my behalf on the rocket launchers. There are some out there on Shapeways-but not the scale or the type that I am looking for. Finished up my YMS minesweeper conversion from the old Revell Calypso kit early this summer in time to take it to Scalefest in Dallas back in late May. Posted a few poor quality cell phone pics from a show here in Little Rock...Looking forward to see your work on the commissions and this project again. I'm in the market for new 20mm oerlikons for my LSM since they made their way to the YMS!
David, if you are building your LCI(G) from the Lindberg kit, you already know you have some work ahead of you! In my previous build of the LCI(L)-30, I scratchbuilt 20mm guns. That was very time-consuming. I hope to be able to obtain 1/160th 20mm Oerlikons from a vendor on Shapeways soon. Will keep you updated.

I have a set of 1/144th 20mm Oerlikons from the Revell LSM kit that I don�t need. If you want them, send me a PM and I�ll send them along.

For today�s update, I�m pursuing parallel paths towards tackling the launchers. I took David�s advice about checking into getting the launchers 3D-printed. I�ve provided drawings and photos to one of the kind people on Shapeways to see if he can produce them. David, since you�ve been on Shapeways, you probably know that they have a vendor selling 1/144th Mk 51 launchers, but IMHO, they are extremely crude. I�m going to see what my contact on Shapeways can do and will let you know when I have some results.

In parallel with that, I submitted my drawings for photoetch to Hauler, but they apparently need an older version of Corel, so I�m trying to resolve that issue. Again, I�ll keep everyone informed about how this turns out.

John :wave_1:

Re: Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

by dhenning » Tue Dec 27, 2016 8:21 pm

John,
Good to hear from you again! Haven't even started my LCI(g) project yet-so no hurry on my behalf on the rocket launchers. There are some out there on Shapeways-but not the scale or the type that I am looking for. Finished up my YMS minesweeper conversion from the old Revell Calypso kit early this summer in time to take it to Scalefest in Dallas back in late May. Posted a few poor quality cell phone pics from a show here in Little Rock. Started on the 1/35th PT-109, but hit some roadblocks when school started up again (have an 11 year old and a 13 year old). Hope to get some time on it over the holidays.

Looking forward to see your work on the commissions and this project again. I'm in the market for new 20mm oerlikons for my LSM since they made their way to the YMS!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
David

Re: Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

by Aop Aur » Sat Dec 24, 2016 2:39 am

Great scratch-building work you have there! Now I will have to go back to my bench and practice! :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1:

Aop

Re: Converting Revell's 1/144th scale LSM to LSMR-198

by jcmackay » Sat Dec 24, 2016 1:43 am

Hi everyone,

I feel I owe an apology for the long silence to readers who've been faithfully following this thread. My LSMR-198 project has been disrupted by a number of things this year: at the beginning of the year, everything took a back seat to moving into our new home, which was nothing short of chaos. More recently, I've been focused on several commission builds. I want to address a couple of comments and questions that have been left hanging and maybe, just maybe, I'll have some news on the 198 model to report in the near future!

First, let me tackle this question from David:
dhenning wrote:John,
Hope you are all settled into the new home and back to modeling. During a recent trip, I read the book "The Heart of Hell" by Mitch Wise. It is the story of the LCI(G)-449 leading up to Iwo Jima. Highly recommended. I've decided to build one of my Lindberg LCIs as a gunboat and will use your LCI build to assist.

Have you made progress on the rocket launchers for your LSM build? Are you still pursuing photo-etch? If so, could a fellow modeler get in the loop to purchase 10 for an LCI(G)? I know that you are modeling a Mk 51 launcher and the LCI's used Mk 7, but I think the difference at this scale would be negligible.

Have you considered getting one of the 3d designers on the forum to print these out instead of photoetch?
Thank you very much for your question, David. I'd sure like to hear some more about your LCI(G) project! I commend you for tackling one of those - they saw extensive service and nobody builds those! You asked several interesting questions: am I still pursuing PE for the launchers, could those be purchased to represent Mk 7 launchers, and have I considered getting these printed? Yes, I am working, albeit slowly, on the PE Mk 51 launchers. However, in answer to your second question, although the Mk 51 and Mk 7 appear similar, the dimensions are significantly different. I suspect that the Mk 51 launchers will be oversize if you are building the Lindberg LCI. I haven't done the calculations to know whether a Mk 51 in 1/144th scale would be reasonably close in another scale, such as 1/160th, which is the scale of the Lindberg kit. As for getting them 'printed,' that is an intriguing question that I will have to pursue.

A quick response to ModelMonkey's comment: Thank you for the input. I am probably typical of modelers who deal with products produced using any new technology: I assume that there will be some bumps in the road, so I am forgiving. I had hoped for the best, but expected the worst. Your comments suggest I set my expectations too low. Although you correctly point out that I could have gotten a replacement if I had complained, I didn't. I see this as a shot across the bow. I will be in the market to order more printed products in the near future and with the knowledge I've gained from this first experience, my expectations will be much higher.

John :wave_1:

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