The Ship Model Forum

Conning tower work continues. The Navigating Bridge (with Pilot House up front) is now on top. Two more levels upwards to go.

_________________
Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby

I hate you. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.

That is incredible work.

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Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

Thanks, Martin!

Actually it's all your fault, and Jim Russell's.

Martin’s Lexington:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

Jim's Saratoga: http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/cv/cv-02/350-mq/mq-index.html

I've been gathering information to scratch a 1/350 RMS Queen Mary, 1936. The skills needed for that one will push the envelope for me. But what a subject.

_________________
Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby

Flag Bridge (above the Navigating Bridge) and Air Defense Bridge (highest level) coming together.

_________________
Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby

What a terrific model your building. I'm sorry I am late to the party.
This is now bookmarked. I will be looking forward to your progress.

Paul

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http://paulbudzik.com/current-projects/Neptune/Lockheed_Neptune_Model_Budzik.html
http://paulbudzik.com/tools-techniques/outside_the_box.html

Thank you, very much, Paul!

Here are some photos of the uptake casing placed on the flight deck. Around the casing will be built the funnel. The casing replicates the real ship's four enormous boiler uptakes (the words "uptakes" and "smoke pipes" are both used in the Navy plans). It is essentially a compartmentalized box made from 0.040" Evergreen V-groove sheet styrene. The thickness provides the funnel with internal strength and stiffness while the V-groove helps with alignment.

The four, large rectangular openings at the top are the uptake exhausts and will be open with visible interiors when the funnel is complete. Therefore, the smooth side of the V-groove is used to form each of the four uptakes' interior. The grooves will all be hidden once the funnel is built up. The pencil marks on the casing exterior show the path of the uptakes.

The model is starting to be recognizable as Saratoga.

_________________
Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby

Building the conning tower and funnel continues.

Splinter shielding has been added to the various conning tower decks. A venturi (wind deflector) will be added to two of the bridge decks soon.

The funnel is under construction around the uptake casing. The circular structure on the funnel's forward side is a quad 40mm Bofors mount tub. The mount's director will be placed in a small tub on top of the boxy structure seen here aft of the Bofors tub.

_________________
Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby

Outstanding! Love how you made the uptakes and build the outer funnel around them, like the real thing.

_________________
Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

Thanks, Martin! I'm really enjoying your CVA-11 build.

Here are some photos of CV-3 overall, so far. The conning tower, flight deck and funnel are not yet fixed to the hull, just put in place for photo purposes. The model is now unmistakably USS Saratoga.

_________________
Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby

don't know what else to say

Matt

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In the yards right now:
USS Utah AG-16
On Hold
1/350 USS Portland CA-33 1942
1/350 Trumpeter Texas with a twist

Thanks, Matt!

Work on the Funnel and its platforms continues.

_________________
Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby

Some overall views so far. Work on the funnel continues.

The conning tower, funnel and flight deck are not yet fixed to the hull. The resin Twin 5-inch Mount and resin Mk.37 Fire Control Directors are by L'Arsenal and likewise are not yet fixed. As mentioned in the post above, the resin directors will be modified. The L'Arsenal directors are of the latter flat-back type and Saratoga carried the earlier angle-back Mk.37s.

Work on the incomplete funnel top is the present focus. The funnel uptake exhaust grills ("Grand Arches") on the actual ship are much more complex than depicted by Fujimi, Trumpeter and Tamiya kits. I'll do my best to replicate their very interesting, 3D appearance.

_________________
Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby

_________________
Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

Very impressive

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"Also we will never see a 1/350 late war Enterprise from Dragon due to a paralyzing fear of success...." - Heavy Melder

Lots of unfinished model ships + attention issues = A busy slipway where nothing gets done!

Thank you, Martin and JT!

Taking a break from the conning tower and funnel, turning to heavy AA gun positions, here are some photos of initial work done on the 5-inch single mounts' and all but four of the quad 40mm Bofors mounts' positions. (Additionally, there are two twin 40mm Bofors tubs not yet fabricated.)

For the AA positions arrayed within the ship's former boat bays, I've begun fabricating these multi-level structures as inserts. Although not yet complete, the major structures, composed mostly of 40mm ammunition clipping rooms and vents on the actual ship, are visible.

The splinter shielding, not yet complete, is composed of 0.010" styrene strip. It will receive outboard vertical stiffeners later and the tubs will receive supporting girders/trusses where indicated in plans and photos.

Note also that the portholes on the bulkheads at the back of the bays are shown quite large in plans and photos so I have assumed them to be standard 16" ports. By comparison, the portholes in photos and plans along the hull's shell plating are probably the smaller 12" standard US Navy ports so I have sized them accordingly.

_________________
Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby

So who are you selling the masters to, so the rest of us can build this puppy?

_________________
Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

Thanks, Martin!


Tempting to do so and I am open to the idea. Let's explore this.

The conning tower and funnel are now too detailed to cast from as masters. I could make a new funnel without the platforms installed, and a new conning tower, both intended specifically for mold-making.

The hull, on the other hand, was intended from the beginning to be built as a styrene master specifically to cast resin copies from. I felt that a plank-on-frame styrene hull this size would be too fragile over time and susceptible to popped seams - damage difficult to fix. Completing the model using a resin hull would solve the seams problem, and the model would prove more resistant to rough handling during construction and painting.

A mold of the hull hasn't been made yet; I ran into project-killing quality issues with the resin and mold making rubbers, products I have used in the past with success. These problems stopped my casting cold .

A mold of this hull (and flight deck and possibly the boat bay inserts) could easily be made and copies cast in resin if I had the right materials. With better mold rubbers and resin compounds I could do it, or have a quality caster do it (outsourcing cost, of course, is a huge consideration).

That would give you, and any others interested, a 1944 Saratoga . Any thoughts or advice?

_________________
Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby

Steve,

She looks amazing, I wish I had your skill!

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-Abram

Wow... no words, I also wish I had such skill. Everything very beautiful and sharp!

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CV-8: http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=153851
DD-436: http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=157123
CVL-24 http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=158455

Sweet stuff, Steve!

A '44 Sara would be seriously cool.....

Question.....how are you going to make the flight deck tie down strips? I've been wondering that since your flight deck update!

Bob