The Ship Model Forum

Very nice and thanks for taking the extra time to post pics, thread, etc. I am building these same ships as well as the rebuilt Wee Vee and Tennessee and it's not easy getting a hold of paints, PE, gun barrels etc at times to fully complete ships with the exception of the 3-D parts (love em). Keep up the passion, it shows in your work.

Very nice work... Those "Printed" parts look fabulous .

VERY nice model! I really like the comparison shot :wave_1:

Nice work Abe. Like your mini-Battleship Row.

Moved to the completed forum.

Thanks Dan.

Well I'm going to call her finished today. I have no rigging materials, so that may come at a later date. Here are some of the final pictures I've taken, the whole set will be sent in to the site for the gallery.

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Finished1.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Finished1.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Finished3.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Finished3.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Finished4.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Finished4.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Finished5.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Finished5.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Finished12.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Finished12.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Finished17.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Finished17.png[/img][/url]

Some shots with sister Maryland:

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Sisters1.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Sisters1.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Sisters2.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Sisters2.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Sisters3.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Sisters3.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Sisters4.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Sisters4.png[/img][/url]

Looking good. I love the pic of the four of them together.

Thanks Mark. I'm learning more about Pennsylvania through your build, they are more different than I realized!

A small update on WeeVee:

Got the main turrets glued in place, the funnels installed, one boat handling crane and the aft catapult. The boat handling cranes won't be as detailed as the photo etch provides. I kept losing pieces building the first one so the second one is going to be built to match the first. The missing parts aren't really noticeable if you don't know what to look for. One thing I'm not looking forward to as this build progresses is rigging. I've never really done rigging and my past attempts have been bad.

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Amidships2.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Amidships2.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Amidships1.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Amidships1.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Stern1.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Stern1.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress28.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress28.png[/img][/url]

Hello Abram:

You are making good progress on the WEE VEE and the highlighting breaks up the otherwise monochromatic paint. I notice too that the WEE VEE Had that little structure on the air defense level. I wonder if it housed a radar control station. Hmmmmm. I also notice you have a nice fleet of pre-42 battleships going there as well. Looks great. I will be interested to see how you handle the AZ to PA conversion in 1/700. A challenge in any scale but in 1/700 I can imagine the challenges rise geometrically. Looking forward to further updates.

Thank you Bob.

I tried some weathering tonight, just some basic black wash and light grey dry brushing. The pictures aren't great, but I feel it breaks up the monotony of the paint and brings some of the little details back.

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Superstructure11.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Superstructure11.png[/img][/url]

Thats one sharp looking Wee Vee you've got there! :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1: Can't wait for you to post work on your others too! :cool_2:


Bob Pink. :wave_1:

Thanks Mark and Christian!

I plan to do some dry brushing once I am almost done with the ship, I'm hoping it'll help bring the details back out, like you said Christian.

Here's some fun pictures of my current 1/700 'fleet'. Maryland and Arizona were built a while ago and I have plans to buy new kits and rebuild them. I'm getting close to finishing West Virginia and I just started Pennsylvania (she'll get a build log soon).

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/Pacific%20Fleet/PNAZWVMD1.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/Pacific%20Fleet/PNAZWVMD1.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/Pacific%20Fleet/PNAZWVMD2.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/Pacific%20Fleet/PNAZWVMD2.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/Pacific%20Fleet/PNAZWVMD3.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/Pacific%20Fleet/PNAZWVMD3.png[/img][/url]

Nice work. Perhaps you try some drybrush on the model.
The black paint absorbs all details and with a grey drybrush you show it again.

Greetings Christian

This is coming along nicely. In that small scale I can imagine the details could quickly clog by brush painting. I couldn't see any orange on the inside of the top. I like the looks of these, I hope that some injection molded company would release this in 1/350 or 1/200.

Another update today. I got the masts done. I would definitely recommend using an airbrush to paint the 3D printed cage masts. I painted the forward mast first and clogged it up. Luckily I was able to blow the paint out of the main mast as I painted it. I also don't know how to get any paint inside the fighting tops, but you can't really see the orange inside. I'm curious if there is a different color 3DModelParts can use for these.

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Superstructure9.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Superstructure9.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/MainMast1.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/MainMast1.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Masts1.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Masts1.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Superstructure10.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Superstructure10.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/MainMast2.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/MainMast2.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Masts2.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Masts2.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Masts3.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Masts3.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Masts4.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Masts4.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress25.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress25.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress26.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress26.png[/img][/url]

Another small update, I got the main turrets done.

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress22_zpsynodqfl7.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress22_zpsynodqfl7.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress23_zpsuqxnaqim.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress23_zpsuqxnaqim.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress24_zpss3smifyo.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress24_zpss3smifyo.png[/img][/url]

And a sneak peak of the next project (that I've already started)

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20Pennsylvania/Progress1_zpshkna2lhq.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20Pennsylvania/Progress1_zpshkna2lhq.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20Pennsylvania/Progress2_zpsust472pz.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20Pennsylvania/Progress2_zpsust472pz.png[/img][/url]

Jeff, thanks! Thank you for the information about Maryland too, I'll need to remember that wen I build a new Maryland later.

She's looking really good Abram!
I still wish there was a way to make the individual bars on the cagemasts thinner. The shape looks great but the thickness is a bummer.
The deck looks really good also. Keep up the good work.
On a side note, I no longer believe the 3rd turret on Mary was blue. I have a couple of very clear post attack photos that clearly shows the two tops were not the same color. #3 top was much lighter than #4 top. I still don't know why though. It appears to be light gray. The problem is, before she was painted into MS-1, the #3 top was deck gray which was very dark.

Time for a progress update. Getting close to getting all of the major parts done.

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Superstructure8_zpsd5dq2pw3.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Superstructure8_zpsd5dq2pw3.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Superstructure7_zpsev1ir2lt.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Superstructure7_zpsev1ir2lt.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Superstructure6_zpsg1bbvdd5.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Superstructure6_zpsg1bbvdd5.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress11_zps0qhcbzhk.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress11_zps0qhcbzhk.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress12_zpsg0jcd28d.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress12_zpsg0jcd28d.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress13_zpsbzggquae.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress13_zpsbzggquae.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress14_zps0t6gplpa.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress14_zps0t6gplpa.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress15_zpsvuwygq4f.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress15_zpsvuwygq4f.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress16_zpsgqqunfmr.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress16_zpsgqqunfmr.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress17_zpsaiezyslz.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress17_zpsaiezyslz.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress18_zpsgdkcddex.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress18_zpsgdkcddex.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress19_zpszkl1to0l.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress19_zpszkl1to0l.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress20_zpsa4mv3eju.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress20_zpsa4mv3eju.png[/img][/url]

[url=http://s214.photobucket.com/user/AbramJ/media/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress21_zpspleyka9s.png.html][img]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc184/AbramJ/USS%20West%20Virginia/Progress21_zpspleyka9s.png[/img][/url]

Thanks Brian! That's the info I needed.

I don't know about the aft gun tubs but their is a photo in the AJ Press Big Five volume 2 that clearly shows West Virginia bridge guns were 3" not 1.1's. I can't tell if Maryland had 1.1's in her aft tubs, never seen a picture to confirm, also I not sure if Nevada or Oklahoma received their AA guns or which type. I've seen photo's of California and Tennessee and both have 3" AA guns in both fore and aft locations, Tennessee is strange in that all her AA splinter shields have no reinforcing ribs (including 5" AA). I believe Pennsylvania still had 3" AA installed (at least in August 1941 she did), I can't tell from the Pearl photo's if anything changed.