1/350 Trumpeter SMS Viribus Unitis

[MartinJQuinn]

Excellent work. The PE work is very sharp, and the details on the guns really pop!

[Sszabi]

Gentlemen, thank you!


Unfortunately, I haven't been able to work on the ship in the last few months, I had other things to do instead, like a garden, painting the fence, etc.
In the last few days, I've almost finished the masts. I mostly used Eduard etching and Model Master parts for this. The searchlight platform of the rear mast has been slightly modified based on the photos, because the supports are not good either in the 3D model or in the blueprints according to the photos.

The main turrets were also completely finished earlier. In principle, they are ready for painting.

Of course, after I finished with the masts, I pushed the ship, which was on the shelf, and successfully knocked down the funnels... Both were damaged, the steam pipes broke off, and the handrails were also damaged . I fixed it, but obviously it didn't turn out the same as it was...

[Sszabi]

Fellow modellers!

I need help , according to the evidence, I have finally started painting the ship
The problem is this: I am depicting the ship in its 1912 state, when all units in the fleet still wore green.
Which color is closest to the one used in the fleet:

- Tamiya XF-89 dark green,
- Tamiya XF-67 NATO green (I think it is too light),
- Mr Hobby H-64 dark green?
I also have Tamiya XF-11 and Mr Hobby H-36 in stock, but I think they are absolutely far from good.

I read that the closest would be Humbrol 31, according to a 1997 article, but Google threw up the name "Slate grey matt", and the color is more gray than green in the pics, plus I would rather use Tamiya or Mr Hobby paint.
Can anyone help? It could be a different paint, I'll buy it if needed

[Gabor]

Hi Szabi,

I would use a light tone:

http://www.josephlavender.com/sms-viribus-unitis

Tamiya XF-89 seems good:

http://www.super-hobby.hu/products/XF-8 ... -Matt.html

[Mr. Church]

Yeah Humbrol 31 is called Slate Grey but really has a distinct green look:

https://agtom.eu/en/humbrol-enamel-pain ... q5oywrm9vo

Here is he model of Viribus Unitis in the Museum of Military History in Vienna:

https://www.shipsnostalgia.com/media/un ... is.405007/

One would imagine the shade of green used on that is at least "ballpark" compared to the actual colour. Pretty sure it is described as an "Olive Green".

[Mr. Church]

*with all the caveats of the photo in the museum being taken under artificial light etc etc.

I have seen it "in person" and the photo is a decent representation of what it looks like standing in front of it.

[Sszabi]

Thanks for the help!

In the end, I decided on Tamiya paint, the base colors are there. I tried to play with the effects a bit, so I lightened the base color with a little white. I think it looks pretty good. Then the weathering will also work on it (the photo is a bit deceiving, but unfortunately I can't take a better one with my phone).

What caused the biggest problem was that after I was done, a friend of mine pointed out to me that the waterline was a little higher than it should be, and he sent me a photo to prove it. I told him that I had sized the position of the line based on the drawings, and I also have a photo that shows it will be fine this way....

The photos clearly show that the line is sometimes closer and sometimes further from the attachment points of the torpedo protection net support rods... I even thought that maybe the pink waterline doesn't show up well in black and white photos and that's what's causing it, but who knows.
This thing has me a little confused, but it seems that everyone is right, depending on when the photo was taken... or not, "the truth is out there"...

[Mr. Church]

The hull looks great. Such an unusual colour scheme.

I think for the Olive Green colour scheme the steel decks and main gun turret roofs were also Olive Green. And not dark grey.

They only became dark grey once the new overall light grey paint scheme was applied post-1913.

[JIM BAUMANN]

late to the party alas

for my KuK ships I used Humbrol 31....

''' The ship is painted all over in 'Montecucollin' green, the nearest match as researched by Falk Pletcher in PSM mag 1997/2 being Humbrol 31, with the lino decks getting the WEM colourcoats Corticene treatment washed down somewhat.
The pink boot top is as per the original, the lurid hue being a result of the saltwater reacting with the boot top paint.

This was changed (!) at the outbreak of WW1 to dark grey whilst the remainder of the vessel was then re-painted in a light blue-grey. '''


1/700 Erzherzog Ferdinand Max ( 1994 (!!) WSW kit )

[Sszabi]

Gentlemen, you are right, I managed to screw this up quite frankly.
What annoys me is that I also suspected that everything should be left this olive green, I wanted to ask about it in here, but then a couple of people's models and the GPM 1/400 paper model printout also brought this up, so it didn't seem impossible. Of course, there is no photo evidence, I have looked through all my books and saved pictures several times but I couldn't find anything that would support me. Since I am starting to lose interest in the ship, and I don't feel like masking, cutting, etc. again so I'll fix the errors someday, but not now.... I will be more careful next time.

[JIM BAUMANN]

>>>Gentlemen, you are right, I managed to screw this up quite frankly.


cripes!! --its not thaaaaat seriously bad; !! keep going!!

>>>Since I am starting to lose interest in the ship,.....

whaaaaat-- you are sooo far along it would be a terrible shame to allow yourself to be discouraged

>>> so I'll fix the errors someday, but not now....

I would not do anything!--its unalterable without risk of damage/ foul-ip

BUT--I what I would do ...===> as the rescue mission

is.....

Set the ship into a deep ( for the hull) water base-- like your Mauritania

- that will distract the viewer from all that light green (!)
and you from any any perceived waterline issues ...

Don't give up -- please -- you are so far along !!

I know Britannic is calling... but,,,,,

Best wishes

Jim Baumann

[Mr. Church]

Ah definitely don't abandon ship. No need for that. No Italian Frogmen have been sighted just yet.

Who knows? When the order to repaint into the light grey scheme came perhaps they repainted the decks first? So I would imagine green with dark grey decks would be at least plausible? Albeit short lived!

[Sszabi]

Hi!
I painted the dark gray parts to the greencolor, also on the superstructures. I will paint the small parts with a brush later on the main deck. I tried to wash the side of the ship with enamel paints. The part below the waterline was made based on the photo, with a sponge brush dipped in dark green and gray paint. Not much of this will be visible, because I will put the whole thing on water. In the next few days I will highlight the details with pinwash. The colors in the photos are much more vivid than they really are, I also tried taking pictures with 2 phones and my old friend, a 20-year-old Kodak camera, but it didn't work....

[marijn van gils]

I'm happy you didn't abandon this ship. She is looking very sharp, and the colours look great!

[SG1]

Fantastic below-the-waterline-effects. Beyond-amazing work so far. Keep this up!

[Sszabi]

Hello!

Small progress: putting 0.5 mm wide black decals on certain parts of the superstructure. I really liked this decal thing, I saw it on Jim Baumann's ships, although he used it for something else there Unfortunately, I have no idea what the real name of this is, but I wanted to show it anyway.

It may have been a bit forced, because I found 2 photos showing the green ship up close, but I'm trying to support my own stupidity XD.
In one of them, you can see that the deck hatch is solid green, there is no such black stripe at the bottom, as you can see later, so I left these green. The other is one of the barbetta from 1913. Unfortunately, in this photo too, there is a very small sign that refers to what I mean, but now I hope I'm not mistaken that this dark stripe is there at the bottom. It's hard to tell because the open covers of the hatches behind the people are visible, casting shadows, etc.

If I'm right, or if I'm not, I'll leave this alone. The matte varnish will suppress this shine...

[Artoor]

I'm speechless. What you guys do with all that PE parts is amazing. I can't use smallest railing without swearing and tons of CA.
I really like weathering on waterline

[JIM BAUMANN]

well done for persevering with your model.

You are right--I use decal strips for all sorts of things-....
like on this 1/700 RN pre-dreadnought laying red decal over white decal( varnished on )
to create really sharp demarcation for the boot-topping --as well as hull and superstructure stripes stripes






I use decal strop for making the wood coaming strakes ( brown decal strip ) on 1/700 ships boats etc etc



-certain decal strip manufacturers go down to 0.2mm and 0.3 mm
( useful in 1/700 as well) I also sometimes -to avoid the decal carrier film cut thin strips out of a

The black strip --as underhand it--is a flexible bitumen stop and paint applied to waterseal the vertical to horizontal joints,
I guess to waterproof and also resists the start of corrosion.

From ship to ship and pending which navy the strop can vary in height

for example on the 1894 HMS Halcyon the strip was around 12-14 inches ( 30--35 cm ) high!!

[Sszabi]

Hello!
Little and very boring progress: a made the torpedo net rods using for that Green Stuff World brass tube, thin wire and lot of patience...Maybe it wouldn't have been a bad idea to buy the Shipyard set. Anyway, After painting, once they are in place, the connecting eyes just need to be pressed together slightly and they will be fixed in place.

[JIM BAUMANN]

very nice indeed--as you say ...dull & repetitive-- but its results that count !