The Ship Model Forum

I’ve made a little more progress on the superstructure. Most significantly, I ended up giving in and getting the Eduard PE set. It has some pieces that the Pontos kit just doesn’t provide. I’ve been trying to fashion deck prices from a diamond plate PE sheet, and the shapes needed are tough to cut in a clean fashion. The Eduard set has these pieces, making it a much easier fix.

I’ve been working on the funnel on and off. There’s a lot of detail that can be added. The anatomy of the ship and super illustration books are invaluable here. I decided to remove the pipes that are molded onto the funnel structure. They are actually separate, secured by fittings at various points along their length. I’ve started to reconstruct them with the appropriate PE pieces added behind. I added some other small modifications as detailed below.

I’ve been working more on the funnel. After sanding the molded-on pipes, I attempted to recreate them with styrene rod , resin ends, and brass brackets. I’ve also added a few hatches and other small details.

Some slow progress has been made this week. I’ve worked on the bridge structure. To make it accurate for 1945, some of the protuberances on the kit pieces had to be removed or revised. There’s a lot of sanding and filling and a little scratch building involved.

I’ve been working on a couple things lately. I’ve put together the supports for the rangefinder of the main tower structure. I had to be a little creative with this, since the Pontos parts were made for the new tool, and on the old tool the support itself is molded onto the observation deck below. I also added some supports for the bulwark of the deck. I did the same for some other parts of the bridge superstructure. I also started tackling the rangefinders themselves. There is a lot of detail to be added to these parts.

Great work!

Hi DMC,
I like how you are using your research and adding lots of minute details.

You do exceptionally neat work; should be very noticeable when the model is finished.

Pardon my ignorance, but I don't know your real name and therefore can't find out if you have any completed models in the MW gallery. It would be really fun to see a finished one, as it would add to the anticipation.

Regardless, I will pop in here on occasion--it inspires me to put more effort into my projects

BTW, I LOVE those gusseted rails!

Regards,
Chuck

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http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... uck-Bauer/

Chuck,

Thanks for your post; you’re very generous. My name is Dan Chase. I have a few ships in the gallery. Speaking of completed ships, I really like your battleships in the gallery. They’re a pleasure to look at.

By the way, are you the same person who had an article about detailing ships in Fine Scale Modeler earlier this year?

Hi Dan,

Yes, I am the author of two recent articles in Fine Scale, and one older one about my HMS Repulse. There's likely to be a third article published in the Fall, plus I have one more ready for submittal.

Thanks for the referral to your gallery. Very nice models, varied subjects and seascapes. I really enjoy the creativity in your subject choices and the artistry in your presentations.

This project is going to keep you busy for a long time but in the end you will be very pleased--and so will all of us viewers.

Cheers,
Chuck

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http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... uck-Bauer/

Beautiful work.

I’ve been working on the bridge tower lately. Using Anatomy of the ship and the Super Illustration books, I’ve found a couple things I felt I had to fix. I realize that no model is totally accurate, and that even the different sources disagree on some things, but these is a searchlight platform missing altogether. There’s also a side gallery that is molded solid that ought to be a place people could stand in. This is probably being too detail-oriented, but I went ahead and tried to correct them anyway.

I’ve been plugging away at the bridge tower. The ladders and platforms have been added to the rear of t structure, and a few smaller details have been added. The rangefinders have been completed except for the radars. It’s slowly taking shape.

There’s a few small additions. I’m coming to the end of the bridge tower construction. At this point, I think it’s time to prime and paint it. I was able to finish off the range finder’s radar. There’s a lot of small details that go into this structure. I am leaving off the gun and searchlight directors and the searchlights for the moment to make painting easier. I’ll paint them separately and add them later.

She's coming along very nicely.

I agree. Very nice work going on here.

Those platforms are a neat find.
Kind of odd though; seems like there should be a ladder or steps to get up onto them.

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http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... uck-Bauer/

Dan K - Thanks for the encouragement.

Chuck - thank you as well. You’re right about the ladder to the platform - I found a drawing in the Super Illustration book that shows a ladder and I added one (see below). Also, I think I figured out why some models have the platforms lower. Looking through Super Illustration and Anatomy of the Ship books, I’ve found that they were lower in 1941, but were moved by 1945 to the higher position. Since I’m wanting to model the ship in its final configuration, the higher position is correct.

I need some advice from you guys. Should I finish the details on the superstructure (railings, etc) and paint it before putting the wooden deck on, or should I put the deck on now to avoid damaging details and mask it with tape when painting the superstructure? I’m open to suggestions.

Over the last couple weeks the forward segment of the deck was glued in place and the deck and superstructure were primed and painted. I decided to do this before adding all the superstructure detail because I planned to add a wooden deck, and I was afraid of knocking a lot of small details off. In retrospect I think this was the right call.

I used the Artwox wooden deck. Since I’m trying to model the ship in its final configuration, I chose the blackened deck. It is very uniform in color, so I think some weathering will be needed. A lot of minor trimming was required to get a good fit. I like the overall look, however. It’s looking more like a ship!

After a long absence, I have resumed work on the Yamato. Life intervenes in my hobby time sometimes, as I’m sure everybody has experienced. I was look at where to pick up, and I’ll realized that the black deck I had just put on looked too perfect. I experimented with a few of the scrap pieces of the deck, and decided to try sanding some of the black ink off to give it a more uneven or weathered look. I’d be curious to know what people think of the result. Does it need more taken off? Should I leave it alone? Or is the effect not at all what I was going for?

You're doing a really amazing work!
Addons plus scratch builder! Top

Yamato will my last warship I'll do in my plans because I consider it the most difficult, and you confirm it seeing your images!
Follow with interest!!

I like what you've done with the deck. Looks better a bit scuffed up.

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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

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