Scratchbuilding the USS Santee (CVE-29) in 1/96

[Dave Wooley]

Hi Bill Just love it . Clean , crisp and superbly made , what more can I say.
Dave Wooley

[nick]

You're the master Bill!!

Your builds are one of my scrtachbuilt inspirations!


Nick

[russclark]

hi bill,santee is looking good,very nice styrene work,and i like the crisp edges on your camoflage paint job what is the status of indiana,i was following it very close because at the time i was building massachusetts.

[Bill Waldorf]

hi bill,santee is looking good,very nice styrene work,and i like the crisp edges on your camoflage paint job what is the status of indiana,i was following it very close because at the time i was building massachusetts.

Hello Russ Well, the Indiana is still in drydock, awaiting her superstructure. Frankly, it's on the back burner for now. All my attention is focused on this carrier project. Once Santee is completed and delivered, I will regroup my thoughts and get back on the Indiana. It will be about 2 months..maybe 3 We will see. Thanks for the post!......

[J. Soca]

This gets better and better everytime Bill those casted white metal details look simply marvelous



Jose

[Bill Waldorf]

OK....The moment of truth! As you know, Santee will be a waterline model. This will be my first serious attempt at that. After looking at many photos and talking with lots of folks, I think I have come up with something pretty believable. I am still playing with this. The water has not yet been clear coated and the boundary layer needs to be caulked in. I left myself enough room in the water base so as not to struggle to get the hull in to it. Don't wan't it too tight. At any rate, here is what I've got so far. You be the judge. Comments are welcome.

Well, there it is......Let me know what you think. I'm still tweaking things!! Stay tuned.........

[Timmy C]

I really like the colour you chose for the water. The foam appear at all the right places, too!

I might suggest a bit more body to the stern wake, perhaps in the form of a few strands of cotton like at the bow.

[Dave Wooley]

Hi Bill Alas I have no experience of sea scapes what so ever. So I can not offer any practical comment in that department . However living where I live I see ships every day of the week and the water reaction to the hull on your model, to me looks right. The image of the water in your photos looks slate grey which is the sort of shade of water we see most of the time. Great job and a different perspective on larger scale models. Question and one that I'm considering myself . The material for the case, will it be perspex or acrylic . I ask this because it has been mentioned to me befor that if perspex is marked the offending mark can be easily removed but not so easy on acyrilic?
Dave Wooley

[Bill Waldorf]

Hello again Dave. The "glass" case will be plexiglass. Here in Florida, they want over $900.00 to fabricate it for me. That's rediculous. I can buy the material for about $200.00, plus the adhesive and do it myself. Never built one altough if it is cut right it's just a matter of assembling it. It's just a box, basically.......Thanks for the post.

[Bill Waldorf]

I really like the colour you chose for the water. The foam appear at all the right places, too!

I might suggest a bit more body to the stern wake, perhaps in the form of a few strands of cotton like at the bow.

Hello Timmy....Thanks for the reply. I agree more action at the stern. As I said, I'm still tweaking this. After I clear coat the water, then i'll concentrate on more foamy stuff. You can overdo it real easy.

[JIM BAUMANN]

Bill...

Colouring is great, love the water at the side--but I think you need a bit less white water AHEAD of the cutwater, most ships push a bit--but carriers usually have a sharp forefoot...

looks like its just a matter of a bit of paint to - new word-- 'subtlerize' the effect!



JIM B

[EJFoeth]

Looks quite nice actually. I've some background in hydrodynamics, so for a future project I'd suggest more wave elevation along the hull. The wave elevation along the hull is now a bit flat. This can be correct for a well-designed hull but not for such an old one. Of course, this does depend greatly on the speed but the wash in the wake suggests high power. Looking at the hull form and not knowing anything about the rest of the hull shape, it looks like the fore shoulders of the ship are quite pronounced so I'd expect a wave trough there. The smaller waves diverging from the hull usually diverge at a higher angle.

Still, the general appearance of the water looks most convincing. I haven;t done anything on modeled water surfaces so far and hope to do as well.

[les]

Bill,

You might try Grandpa's Cabinets for a case. He's supposed to be pretty reasonable.

[Bill Waldorf]

Hello again I have now clearcoated the "water" and have added some froth at the boundary layer, and a bit of weathering. I appreciate all the input on this from all of you. Just trying to get it believable.......Check it out.....

Well, I think I'm getting closer..........Stay tuned....

[Dave Wooley]

Hi Bill Looks the part
Dave Wooley

[Neptune]

well, I guess "reasonably well" or even "fabulous" would be an understatement! Really stunning job on that water. I do think the froth on the sides could be increased, depending on the illustrated speed of the ship of course. I don't have any pictures of this particular ship, but from what I see when we are making about 14kts, that froth covers 1.5m or 2m from the hull. Anyway, pictures of the ship at speed, as you definately have, will give a good impression of the size (I don't even doubt the result will be spot on)

[Millard]

Bill
Had to do some catching up ultra cool my friend. Very nice
Rod

[Bill Waldorf]

Hello again all! Hope everyone had a good 4th of July! I have now permanantly mounted the ship to the "water" base, and I have installed the flightdeck/gallery deck and the island/radar tower assembly. A few more details need to be added, but things are coming along well. Photos I am posting are of the stb. side, port side not yet completed. In this first series of shots, I'll walk you around the ship. Then on to some detail shots. Let's take a look...........

Overhead view of the stern here. Twin 40mm and gun directors will be added soon.

Another stern view here. Most of the gallery deck details have been added. Note the stb. aircraft jettison ramp, just fwd. of the stacks.

The 5" 38cal. guns have been added. They are hard to see as they are tucked under the flightdeck.

On to midships. The 20mm mounts have been added. Note the scratchbuilt floater net baskets.

Again,the 20mm mounts. There are two more of these on portside, plus another triple at the bow, for a total of 15 in this early configuration of the ship. Many more were added later on.

Note how the camoflage pattern extends up the sides of the gallery deck. This had to all be done by handbrushing as there was no way to mask and airbrush. A 26' MWB will be added just beneath that 20mm mount.

You can see that pattern also extends up the island.

Moving a bit farther forward. Note the supports for the island have been added. 40mm and director to come soon.

Good view here of the insland/radar tower assembly.

Pretty good bow shot here. Still need to add those guns! Gotta make em' first!

Overhead view of the bow.

There's a walk-around of the stb. side. I'll be rite back,with some detail shots!! Stay tuned..........

[Bill Waldorf]

OK! Here's some more shots! I tried to get rid of some of the "backround Noise" by using sheets. I don't have a photo studio here and I'm somewhat limited for space. My photography skills are not that great either. Anyway, check these out.........

Another view of the bow here. I figure the ship is making about 15 knots or so.

Dead on bow view here.

Once I get the aircraft done and the figures added, should look pretty good as a mission underway, with the ship steaming into the wind ready to commence flight operations.

Here's a close-up of one of the 20mm mounts. Guns are cast metal from Bluejacket, shields are p/e brass from Tom's MW, and the sights are p/e from John Haynes. R/S lockers are cast metal. I scrathbuilt the floater net baskets. I'll add the actual nets and floats soon. Elevating wheel is a model RR part.

Close up of the 5' 38 cal. gun. This is a very nice little kit from John Haynes and is resin and cast metal. Consists of 10 parts. I added a black wash to pick up the detail.

A close up of the main searchlight platform. Note I have added a clear lens to the searchlight that I vac-u-formed. Whip antennas are stretched sprue. Sky lookouts are cast metal and I scratchbuilt the rangefinder.

Here's a close up of the flightdeck. The actual deck is scribed basswood sheeting about 3.5" wide. I contact cemented these sheets to the plywood base beneath. I then added some doctored up red mohagany stain. Santees deck was not dark blue until 1943. Note the tie down tracks. I made these from paper using artwork I generated on my pc. I then applied them with elmers glue. P/E tracks are available, but they are difficult to install and are too expensive. I simply need too many of them.There is 62 feet of tie down track in total! I was happy with the way these turned out.

The aft elevator. Lines on the deck were taped off and airbrushed, then weathered with pastel chalk.

Here's the forward elevator. Note the catapault on the portside. Santee had only one in her early configuration, another was added later on.

Overhead view of the island/radar tower. All the platforms on the tower were handbrused with deck blue, 20B.

Another overhead view. Rigging will be added soon. It is rather minimal.

Here's the whole ship. Sorry about the backround........

One more look!

Well, that's it for now. On to the portside to continue as I have done here on the stb. side. Lot's to do yet. I have about 30 days.......Wish me luck......Stay tuned, more to come!!

[Dave Wooley]

Hi Bill Stunning detail work on the workways and around the 3/38. I very much like your subtle weathering application looks the part most convincingly and that deck of yours is pure magic.
Dave Wooley