1/700 USS West Virginia **FINISHED!**

[ArizonaBB39]

This post may be a little premature, but I figured I'd start out with what I have. For the last several months I took a break from building ships and spent my time building other things, aircraft, cars/trucks, etc. Just recently, though, I got the urge to start working on ships again. I've decided on building the Trumpeter 1/700 1941 USS West Virginia. I've built their 1941 USS Maryland, and I've read the kits are very similar. For this build, though, I won't be doing a strictly out of the box build. I've ordered the 3DModelParts accessories, Five Star PE set, Master Models 16" and 5"/51 metal barrels, and the Artwox wood deck.

Everything I ordered from 3DModelParts has arrived already and all I can say is: WOW! The level of detail is amazing, and they all look to be in scale (much better than kit parts). So to start this build log off I'm going to provide pictures of the 3dModelParts accessories I got. I want to apologize now for the picture quality. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't get very clear pictures because everything is so small my camera was having a heck of a time focusing. I took all of these pictures on my cutting mat, the grid size seen in the pictures is 1cm x 1cm.

First the .50 cal water cooled machine guns. These things are TINY!





Next are the 1.1" quad antiaircraft guns. These are very finely molded/printed each base has seats and the guns have the sights on them.







Next up the 3"/50 guns. The barrels on these are very thin and the guns have sights and seats.





Now the 5"/25 guns. I feel the barrels might be a little on the thick side, but I haven't compared them to anything just yet. The bases are well cast with fuse setter racks, and seats.







Next are the fighting tops. The splinter shielding is very thin and looks much better than kit parts. All of the windows are molded/printed open and also look to be in scale and accurate.







And lastly, the cage masts. These are beautiful. While not as thin as photo etch, these provide the correct shape and look as the originals, and you don't have to try folding/rolling them into shape! Still the cage is finely molded/printed and open all the way up. (Last two pics show comparison to Trumpeter kit cage masts)









All in all I am very pleased with the 3DModelParts accessories and I highly recommend them. I will be buying more from them in the future for sure. Once all my other parts come in I will also do a quick review of them as I had a hard time finding reviews before I purchased everything for this build.

[ArizonaBB39]

Time for the long awaited (or perhaps not) update to this build. I finally got everything I ordered Friday.

First are the replacement barrels from Master. I got the 16"/45 barrels for no blast bags and 5"/51 barrels. The barrels look great and much better than the kit parts. The Five-Star PE set also comes with brass barrels, but for blast bags, so now I can choose, although I will probably go without blast bags.







5"/51 barrels and kit 5"/51 gun for comparison









As mentioned I got the Artwox wood deck. It looks pretty good and the planking is definitely more in scale than the kit parts. It comes with chain to use for the anchor chain, but it looks very out of scale so I won't be using it.











The anchor chain, the grid underneath on my mat is 1"x1"



And I got the Five-Star photo etch set. This consists of 7 photo etch frets and a six page "instruction" booklet. The etching looks very crisp with relief etching on the top/front side of the pieces. This is a very extensive set and covers pretty much everything on the kit. One part I wish they had included was a new radar platform for on top of the forward fighting top. The set includes parts to create all new fighting tops, enclosed 5"/25 mounts, bulkhead overlays, lots of misc. parts to replace the smaller kit parts (chocks, doors, ladders, etc.) and even a template of sorts to help you bend the cage masts to the proper circumferences. Since I have the 3DModelParts cage masts I won't be using the templates, though. Each photo-etch fret is held between two sheets of thin plastic (kind of like two sheets of static cling window decals). The "instructions" consist of pictures of the kit with the photo-etch pieces attached with some numbers called out referencing the parts on the photo-etch frets. They are mostly clear on the larger parts, but leave a little guess work for smaller parts. Overall the Five-Star photo-etch set is very good and I would recommend it.



























And finally some actual progress photos of the build. I've got the hull/decks all glued together and have started doing the superstructure. I had to stop when I discovered that my superglue had dried up and was just a hard mass in the container. (Pictures taken with my OOB USS Maryland gallery link: 1/700 USS Maryland)

[Mgunns]

Carl really does a bang up job on these 3D printed parts, between him and Model Monkey, the world of aftermarket parts is their oyster. I really hope that Trumpeter or their subsidieary comes out with one of these Pearl Harbor BB's in either 1/350 or 1/200.
What do you use for cement and paint for the 3D parts?

[gott_cha]

I like the delicate look of the PE cage masts...but have never seen anyone be able to roll them into the proper Hourglass shape.

The 3D print parts are fantastic for detail . One question though,..is there any "extra material or "flash" present or are they all as Crisp as the 50 cal pics?

[blacman]

it's going to be very nice thread...
looking..
good luck!

[ArizonaBB39]

Thanks guys.

Mgunns, for what I have glued together of the 3D printed parts I just used my orange Testors glue. They haven't come apart again. It is recommended to use super glue or white glue. As for painting, Steve of ModelMonkey says to use acrylics as enamels won't ever cure properly.

Gotta_cha, all the pictures are of exactly how the parts came. Other than the thin wafer the parts are on there isn't anything else to clean off.

Hopefully I can get to the hobby store tomorrow and buy some new super glue so I can continue working.

[BB62vet]

Abram,

My gosh - I'm simply marveling at the fact that these parts are so detailed and SO SMALL. I'm having a hard time working in 1/200 scale, let alone 1/700.

I'll be following this build as it progresses - should turn out to be a real interesting build. I agree that we now have a small cadre of dedicated and willing 3D designers/printers that can support most of the corrections/additions to kits where needed.

Hank

[ModelMonkey]

Love it! And the subject. Looking forward to this thread!

By the way, your photography is excellent. All the detail shows up.

[MatthewB]

I like the delicate look of the PE cage masts...but have never seen anyone be able to roll them into the proper Hourglass shape.

The 3D print parts are fantastic for detail . One question though,..is there any "extra material or "flash" present or are they all as Crisp as the 50 cal pics?

That is because the PE isn't designed to be rolled into the hourglass shape.

If it were, it would have a different shape when flat (the PE "sides" that are folded/rolled together would be concave lines, rather than straight lines).

MB

[MatthewB]

Oh!

And I will have to take a look at the 3D Modelparts' Quad 1.1" AA guns. I have a ton of the Fine Molds Nano dread stuff, but that is bound to run out at some point.

MB

[gott_cha]

I like the delicate look of the PE cage masts...but have never seen anyone be able to roll them into the proper Hourglass shape.

The 3D print parts are fantastic for detail . One question though,..is there any "extra material or "flash" present or are they all as Crisp as the 50 cal pics?

That is because the PE isn't designed to be rolled into the hourglass shape.

If it were, it would have a different shape when flat (the PE "sides" that are folded/rolled together would be concave lines, rather than straight lines).

MB

Well duh!, that goes without saying. And Photo-Etch will never be more than either straight runs..runs bent at various degrees or rolled cylinders.
The focus of my comment was about the "delicate look" and not a misunderstanding of dimensional physics.

[gott_cha]

Love it! And the subject. Looking forward to this thread!

By the way, your photography is excellent. All the detail shows up.

!00% concur! keep us updated Abram

[ArizonaBB39]

Thanks for all of the encouragement guys!

I finally made it to the hobby store yesterday and bought a can of Tamiya primer and some new super glue. I got some of the PE started, it is really small!! I've never used PE in 1/700 before (this is my third 1/700 build) and it has been a learning curve. It is also funny how you see flaws in pictures that the naked eye can't see. This afternoon I was home with my son because our babysitter canceled on us, so during his nap I got the main hull painted and the wood deck put on. The deck is very nice and looks much better than my attempts at painting. I noticed that the deck piece for the aft deck is designed for the USS Maryland kit because I had to cut some of it off to fit the West Virginia. The paint is Model Master 5-D acrylic. Model Master stopped making their USN paints for a little while, but brought them back. Unfortunately I can't find 5-D or 5-S, so I'm assuming those are the two colors that didn't make it back... I also noticed that they don't have 20-B Deck Blue in acrylic. I haven't searched online, but that might just be my hobby store that doesn't stock those colors, I don't know. At any rate a while ago (after MM announced they discontinued their USN line) I bought out an e-bay suppliers stock of 5-D and so that's what I'm using. (my preferred time period is pre-war to 1942) Enough of my ramblings, time for pictures!

The start of the Superstructure. The PE parts add a lot of detail not present in the kit parts.





Bulkheads at the deck split, again adding detail lacking on the kit.



After paint and the application of the wood deck.







This build is making my current USS Maryland look like garbage, so I'll probably buy another and build it nicer. I also am looking forward to Trumpeter's release of the 1941 USS California and USS Tennessee.

[Quincy]

Looking really good! I love this thread!!





Bob Pink.

[ArizonaBB39]

Thanks Bob.

Another update. I'm progressing pretty well on the superstructure. There are a lot of little PE pieces that make this up, but it really looks better than OOB. Its going to take a little caressing to get the superstructure to sit flat on the 01 level deck. I don't know why it is slightly bowed.

I had a possibly silly question about the anti aircraft weapons on board, mainly the 3" vs 1.1" guns. From photographs you can plainly see that USS Maryland had her 3" guns replaced with 1.1" guns by the time of the Pearl Harbor attack (at least that's what I gathered from the pictures on Navsource.org). Sadly there aren't any clear enough photos of the USS West Virginia (this I can find) for me to tell one way or the other. So my question is: Did West Virginia still have all four 3" guns (two on the superstructure under the bridge, and the two on either side of the main mast)? I'd like to know before I glue my 3" guns to the deck.

[Brian K.]

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.

[ArizonaBB39]

Thanks Brian! That's the info I needed.

[ArizonaBB39]

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

[Jeff Sharp]

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.

[ArizonaBB39]

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