The Ship Model Forum

1:500 DE England:



Basic hull with two superstructure and three tubs added.

Tom,

Looks great!! Very tiny, indeed...better you working on that than me!!! I think with the detailed parts you've designed it will be a real interesting model when completed.

Hank

_________________
HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

Certainly the number of tiny adz parts (TAP's) that are feasible are reduced from a 1:144 model. There you can do towing pads and whatnot, here about the smallest component one can do might be a sky lookout chair. For instance items such as superstructure railings must be beefed up both to print and also to have any ability to be de supported and applied in a survivable state.

Added numerous small bits and pieces: Depth cargoes and K guns, sky Lookouts, director, tubes, small hatches etc. Time to start base color coats soon.

Current progress. With a model this small many pieces are very delicate and have had to be replaced. The latest was the props which extend below the bottom of the hull and I mistakenly set it down and squished the bottom blades! Still working on the aft 01 level 1,1 quad. I was able to modify Hank's larger scale barrel assembly but still working on the carriage.

looks pretty good tho it might be fun to paint with all the details in place. I presume your printer cannot use metallic resin because if it could, that might solve the prop blade breakage. doing the anchors somewhat last as I don't see them?

Anchors not installed yet, masking the hull would break them.

Last night added a probably temporary stand to the hull. Using my heavy armed scriber on a glass plate,I marked the waterline, masked and painted the hull bottom. The boot top remains to be added. I used my Circuit style machine (Cameo) to cut black pin striping, which produces something much like Tamiya tape. I have used this before on HO locomotives for pin striping and it might work well for the boot top rather than paint. remains to be seen. Only the part wrapping around the stern where there is some angle would need a different treatment, Once the hull is painted some of the details such as anchors can be added. As an example I popped a depth charge rack off of the stern while masking. Fortunately it survived and I found it undamaged.

I have printed a mast, but these are too flexible to withstand rigging. in the past, with larger models one can print them hollow and reinforce with piano wire. Too small in this case so I'll make the mast bones from brass wire and add printed details. Main deck life lines, dunno yet. I did make a DE at this scale once upon a time with steel wire stanchions and an old girlfriend's hair but that one was a styrene card hull which drilled easily, the printed hulls do not.