WIP - 1/350 USS Lexington (CV-2)

[lvsquarerigger]

So I removed the splinter shields I had put on, flattened the platforms, and then started installing the shields again.

I first put the small pieces on the flats between the gun positions as this gave something solid to work against as I put the curved pieces on. I would put a long section on one side to divide the sections and then one side just long enough to go by the flat piece already installed. I put glue under the one that would stay and not under the short one that would later be cut off. I had to let the flat pieces set for a day so they would be solid. Then it was on to the round pieces.

In one pic you can see the pieces I used as a wedge against the fairlead to hold it's shape while the glue set. I learned I could avoid this by bending a crease into the styrene. This let the straight section line up and it only took a little time holding it till the glue got some grab.

This morning I cut the holes for the lines to access the fairleads but haven't fabricated the bollards the lines would go to through the fairleads. Also I filed and sanded the shields to make sure the joints were square and crisp. Once the supports, I really don't know what to call them but they are pieces of steel that stick out from the shield in a regular pattern, are in place it will all look crisp.

The line holes are a little bigger than I like but I haven't anyway to make them smaller. If I use a smaller drill bit I can't clean up the hole and it's really ragged so I guess I'll live with it as is.

[lvsquarerigger]

OK, I lied, or at least fibbed a little. I couldn't just let it be so I tried a little different way to make the holes.

I first sized a drill to match the space in the fairleads, figured this was an easy way to scale it, chucked it in my cordless Dremel, and proceed to clean up the existing holes, and also replaced 3 different sections and then redrilled them.

Also cut the shields down as I thought they should be.

[lvsquarerigger]

While waiting for the shields to set I also mounted the rudder and shafts. I intend to remove the plastic shafts and replace them with brass rod, not because they are out of alignment or shape but just because that's the way I want it to look when done.

The rudder came to me as a one off, resin casting of what the rudder actually was, so I accepted it and here it is. It only has a place for one hinge. I glued up three small strips of styrene to get the thickness then cut out a groove in the hull and mounted it. After it had set I cut and filed it to shape and then mounted the rudder. Then it was each of the shafts. One other reason for using brass rod is the PE props have a hole slightly smaller than the plastic.

[John W.]

Jim -
Great progress getting those details done and right. Thanks for providing the photos.

[lvsquarerigger]

Well I finally made it to the hobby store and ended up going to both of the ones I use here. It seems that one didn't have every little thing I need, and some of the styrene strips are really little and thin, and I still had to have them order in some tube. These are pics of the shielding as it gets to finish stage. Having the small strips I could now get the stiffeners on. This is only one side and the other will come soon, but no more pics of that as these are enough.

I also added the seams that show on the sponsons for the flight deck widening. Ignore the dark lines, they were the first way I tried to get all those fine wispy lines to align but it didn't work quite right so I removed them and started with the front one in place and then using a spacer, a strip of styrene, to align the next one. The strips seemed to want to glue to the spacer and not the ship so that was tossed as non-effective. Then I clamped the spacer in place, used the point of a #11 exacto to scribe the line, and then carefully laid the strip on after dragging it lightly through some glue. This seemed to solve the problem but be aware it was like handling a hair in the wind and a real pita. But it's done so now there's one less thing to do. Of course fifty more pop up but that's part of the fun.

The actual pic I used as reference came in about 3 pixels aver the limit here on the forum so had to shrink it even more but it's the best I can do.

[lvsquarerigger]

As most of you have found out the rear shafts are too close to the hull and the props hit it so something had to be done. I chose to follow Charles Landrums fix and extend the braces.

I was told the shafts are not correct as depicted, there is a tapering to the shaft housing as it comes out of the hull. Some pics are on the way but don't know how I will deal with that but do have a few thoughts. We'll just have to wait and see.

[lvsquarerigger]

I've been a busy little beaver but not much to actually show. I liked how Charles Landrum did the plenums on his Lex build so I copied that. I also made and installed the mooring bits that are missing in the kit (also removed the couple of wimpy ones they had on the aft weather decks).

Got some pics that show the Lex shafts, props, and rudder which I'll post here. They show the braces to be streamlined instead of the squared off shape in the kit so had to go back and do some judicious filing, those rifflers that have been gathering dust on the shelf really came in handy. Have a real good shot of the Lex from directly aft while in drydock and it clearly shows the rudder shape. Only problem is the file size is too big and the only one I can get to fit the forum here is way too tiny. WIll see what I can do later though.

Also have a pic of the spreaders taken from the Lex looking back so you can see they are not solid as depicted in the kit.

I braced the top of the hull so the flight deck would naturally fit in instead of trying to force the top out to fit the aligment studs on the bottom of the deck.

[lvsquarerigger]

After seeing the pics of the Lex in drydock I had to make some modifications to what came in the kit. First I streamlined the shaft braces. Then I cut out the plastic shafts. Next I formed tapered extensions from rod stock, chucked them in my little Dremel and tapered them to the approximate shape I saw in the pic. Then it was sand them a little more to get them to fit and line up with the shaft supports.

Siniace I was going to replace the shafts themselves anyway now was the time to drill them out and put in the brass rod. I won't put the props on until it is painted as the PE ones are easily susceptible to damage.

[lvsquarerigger]

Got things going for a few days so no new stuff for awhile.

[lvsquarerigger]

Well my head band magnifier arrived yesterday so now I feel ready to tackle some of the PE stuff and am also getting some assistance from a friend to set up my airbrush and put a first coat of primer on the hull. It will still be a few days as there are a lot of things going on and I have a group of friends coming in over the next couple of weeks culminating in a large get together the last weekend of the month. So don't get discouraged, just check occasionally and it will take off again soon.

[MartinJQuinn]

Great stuff - looking forward to more updates.

[lvsquarerigger]

I hadn't been doing much on my models as I have had so many other things going on right now. BUt I noticed something that got me started off on a tangent that should have been addressed awhile back. I have noticed that most of the pics I see of modelers benchs are rather cluttered, mine included. This bugs the neat freak side of my mind but I have just sorted things out as I work and move on, besides, I rationalized, I haven't got everything set up yet so it will work out. Too late! I noticed that I had pushed my magnifiying lamp back and snapped the mast of my almost finished Constitution cross section, AGAIN! DAMN!!!!!

So I decided to do those things I had been thinking of and get things set up, then finish the Constitution, after repairing it of course, and get it out of the way in my small workspace.

Here are a few pics of the disaster and the first steps to recovery.

[lvsquarerigger]

Well all the visitors have gone and I have a day to recuperate before I run off to Montana for my grandsons' graduation. When I get back from that it will be time to pick up and carry on. See you in a week or so.

[lvsquarerigger]

Well it's obviously been more than a week but I'm still kicking. Been busy as hell and a lot going on. Will be out of town again next week and have a cabinet I have to build for an organisation when I get back but I took a small amount of time to fire up my new airbrush and get a feel for it. I first just loaded up some paint and sprayed all over a big piece of stray plywood I had laying around. Then I got my hull and deck out and sprayed primer on the areas I've been working on. This is supposed to show any flaws that will show when you do the actual painting. I was pretty impressed with how most of it did come out and it does show the flaws I have to work on. That will have to wait a little but here are the pics of the results. I tried an online photo editor to see if I can get better results than with my HP product. With this one I can get them small enough to post yet still be able to zoom in. Yay!

[MartinJQuinn]

Jim,

Just curious - have you had the chance to make any more progress on your build?

[SweeperSkipper]

Very nice build of the lady Lex, Some years ago I acquired a Silk Handkerchief from the ships store, Sold to the Sailors for there Wifes and sweathearts. However I dont know from what Lex she came from. Looking at it I would say Pre WWII But cannot say for sure.

[Lucky]

Hi
Excellent job
Ciao
Luciano

[lvsquarerigger]

Haven't posted anything for quite some time namely because life has been very busy for me and all that time of being retired has flown like the geese in the fall. After several years of being a widower I started dating, long distance of course, and am now engaged. Since it's long distance, about 6 hundred miles, we commute back and forth but haven't yet decided how we will actually settle down after the wedding. In the meantime my Lex sits up on the shelf, watching over me perhaps, and I haven't done anything but have hopes for more after I'm settled in the new house however that works out. So it isn't dead but it is waiting for rescusitation.

[lvsquarerigger]

Well it's been some time since I last posted and boy is there a lot of water under the bridge. All my stuff in storage, moved to a new city(Albuquerque), had pneumonia which put me in the hospital for a couple of weeks, during the treatment of which they found heart problems so I had another couple of weeks in the hospital, a different one, for quadruple by-pass surgery. Going to rehab three times a week and doing quite well now but still have to find a house, get my stuff down here, and then set up. So enjoy what has come so far and it will get done. I promise.

[MartinJQuinn]

Holy cow - you've been through the ringer. Get well soon!