The Ship Model Forum

The holidays are over and now it's time to work on another project. So I decided (when I was building the USS Missouri) that the new project would be the Glencoe 1/225 USS Oregon. I know this kit isn't the best, and it needs a lot of work to make the ship pretty. So I decided to take on the challenge! Plus it represents my home state of Oregon.

I bought this kit on Ebay sometime during the summer of 2016 and when I opened it, there were two hulls, one was a 1/240 scale. There was a letter inside from a guy named Scott, and a copy of an article of the USS Olympia.

I bought barrels from B&D Barrels, PE from Toms Modelworks and the decking is from Scaledecks.

I hope to finish this model by October, but knowing how bad I was with deadlines on my last build, I'm not very optimistic. If I screw this ship up, I might just convert it to the ex USS Oregon or the IX-22!

The first challenge is deciding if I want to cut this phantom deck. I know there were some step by step instructions but all the pictures of how it was done is no longer available. Decisions decisions!

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska

Sweet!

Pulls up chair, opens bag of popcorn.

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I tried to make the kit look right. I gave up, too much work, threw it away.
Better luck to you!
John

Oh man! What kind of issues did you run into with this ship?

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska

I liked the hull & the deck but everything else has to be rebuilt. I couldn't just build it like the kit is engineered.

Gary Kingzett built the model successfully some years ago
and removed the non- existing deck.
He published images and desorption of his works in a USA published model mag


See the September 2000 issue of Fine Scale Modeler for a run down of how Gary Kingzett built his USS Oregon model.

you can buy the back issue here

http://www.finescale.com/issues/2000/september-2000 cost is $ 5.99

meanwhile

here is a link

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_su ... 32288.aspx

to fine-scale thread by a chap who was building the very kit you have
alas almost all of the thread is rendered useless by the ruined photobucket pictures not being available...(
BUT there are clear images of what you are hoping tp do by removing the dodgy deck

like this one and other improvements




meanwhile--either persist with the kit--it can be made into a nice model

or you could acquire one of the 1/360 YS kits
I built it here back in 2002

http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/sh ... eview.html

Meanwhile herewith some images of Gary Kingzetts Oregon built using the Glencoe starting point


http://ussoregon.tripod.com/KingzettModel.html

sample pic

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Jim Baumann,

Thanks for the pictures and suggestions. I found the Fine Scale magazine that you suggested last month at a small used bookstore. Unless someone ripped the pages out, it didn't show how he removed the decking, but nonetheless, it's a good reference to have.

I'm not sure if I possess the skills to do something that drastic. I'm always up for the challenge, but if I screwed up the cut, either the ship goes into the bin or I have to buy a new set. Maybe someone can do a 3D print without the deck!

Any suggestions on the cutting? Would using a Dremmel at low speed work? If so, what kind of cutting disk?

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska

Wow! After a couple of weeks of slow work on the Oregon, not much done. I drilled in a few holes per Toms Modelworks into the hull and decided to start assembly of the hull. The plan was to glue the two halves of the hull and rudder together and then I could putty the gaps on the keel and some indentations. I decided to do a dry fit with the hull and decking. Well, to my surprise (though this kit is full of surprises) my original plan might not work. There is a noticeable gap at the bow and stern section of the ship. If I had originally glued the two halves together, putty and then add the decking, I probably risk destroying the putty work because I would have to widen the hull to fit the deck. So I have to think of a different way of building this ship. I think this means I'll have to do the prep work on the deck first before working on the hull.

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska

Cool. Will be watching this one with interest.....Cheers mark

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I glued both sides together first. I don't remember the deck fitting as badly as yours.
Cheers!
John

John, I might dunk the hull in hot water and re-shape so the gap is a little more manageable. We'll see!

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska

I decided to use hot water to fix the warping on the hull to minimize the gaps between the deck and the hull. It was a success, and everything fit almost perfect. So the next day, I decided to glue the hull and the deck together. It took a few dry runs and some thinking on how I would get it to fit all together. I'm glad that I was able to get these little clamps, they helped a lot for this situation. I'm quite happy with how this is turning out so far...

I'm now off to test my skills in puttying the gaps in the keel and indentations...

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska

As I wait for the putty to dry, I decided to mark up the lines to cut this fake deck off. I think the lines are fine, but I wanted to check with everyone on this board and get some feedback or advice. It seems that I need to perhaps cut closer to the edge of the wall but I’m not sure. I wanted to keep the holes so I could put the guns and boat skids on.

Any opinions?

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska

I hacked away the deck using a dremmel and scouring with a utility knife. So far so good I suppose. I still have some work hacking away the edges and that will take a little more time. It looks a little rough and it ain’t pretty, but I’ll need to clean it up a little before adding the lower deck then it'll look somewhat a little more marginal. Anyways here is the progress I’ve made so far. Any feedback or suggestions are welcomed!

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska

Off to a great start! Glad to see you finally tackling the beast, I wanna say there was another online article or old FSM that showed how that deck needed to be modified. I'll dig around and see what I can find.
Keep up the great work and hopefully we will see her in person soon!

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

Finally! I think I'm done working on the superstructure of the Oregon. It took me about 5 hours over a week and half, cutting, and sawing off the deck. It took a lot of work and it tested my patience a little. I even plunged a blade into my thumb cutting off the fake railings, but it didn't stop me from my objectives!

It may look a little different, it might not be perfect, or accurate, but it's better than before. Overall I'm quite happy with how it looks. I know there is more work to be done, but I think I'm heading in the right direction. So the next step is to put in some support under the hurricane deck and adding a new lower deck. I guess this ship is forcing me on how to do some scratch building...

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska

Well, it seems like I haven't been doing anything on the Oregon these days, but I'm working (albeit slowly) on this ship. I visited the Oregon Historical Society to get some pictures of the ships blueprint/drawings. There are a lot of air ducts, skylights and vents that's under the hurricane deck. So that means the visit was successful. Which means some scratch building simple boxes...

I started work on the new decking that is below the hurricane deck, and it turned out okay. It's not a perfect fit, but I added some stops on the side so the deck would be even with the existing deck. I also covered up the gap between the turret and new deck. If I left it alone, there would have been a 1/4 inch gap. The deck was a challenge since I wasn't sure how to create a deck that fit in a space that had a lot of different angles. I tried different methods but ended up cutting cardboard to get a rough idea of how the deck should be shaped.

The next thing I started working on was building simple boxes. As simple as it seems, it wasn't simple at all. This is my first foray into scratch building and it's been a quite frustrating. It looks like garbage, one big hot mess. Even though it doesn't look great, I'm hoping the life boats will obstruct all the issues with my scratch build. I gotta persist, and see this through. It still looks better then having that faux deck.

The more I work on this piece, the more I realize that my cutting of the deck may come back to haunt me when it comes to adding the turrets...way too many gashes and rough spots. Just have to kick that can down the road for later.

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska

It's been awhile since I've posted something, but it wasn't because I stopped working on the Oregon, I'm just slow at this scratch building stuff. Plus the TV is taking my time! I didn't want to post anything that didn't show any sort of progress. So here are some small updates.

I started airbrushing the hull. It took awhile tuning the airbrush but I finally got it figured out after an hour of tinkering with it. I don't have any pictures since it doesn't look like I did anything!

I've started to work on different parts of the boat, such as the mast. I figured I would put it together, and then paint as I go. Sadly, I don't have any pictures since I only glued the two halves together.

I finished filling in the different boxes (air ducts, funnel, skylight) after taking out the phantom decking. It's not beautiful, but I think it's better than leaving that deck in. I also added the moveable deck for the guns. I just have them in the non-battle station mode.

I removed the plastic barrels and replaced them with brass barrels.

Anyways, I'm going to keep chugging along on this project...Here are a few pictures of my progress.

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska

Here is a small update...I worked on the Oregon's mast. It took me a couple weeks. Out of town trips and waiting for the proper tools to roll out PE usually delays the build...but at last, it's done. It hasn't been primed or painted yet. I think I'll work on other parts so I can paint it all at once. I have added pictures of the mast before the PE and with PE.

Rolling PE into a circle takes some practicing!

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska

I was thinking of getting chains for the Oregon, but I'm not able to find a 1/225 anchor chain. Does anybody have any suggestions? I was thinking of using a 1/200 chain knowing the scale will be different. Opinions?

_________________
Doing a terrible job of building model boats since 1988...

Current Build
USS Oregon
USS Iowa (mothballed)

Planned builds
USS Wisconsin
USS New Jersey
USS Alaska