1/700 HMS Nelson in progress

[Sr. Gopher]

OOOOOOOOOOO. AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH. Excellent Work BlackBrazen!!!!

[Bill Livingston]

Hiya....

Not trying to rush you Blackbrazen... but I keep looking for your updates because they are inspirational and make me want to keep on with mine... plus I get a lot of ideas and see where the bar has moved to as far as quality of build is concerned. Mast and boats were next I think...I am looking forward to seeing how you get on with them...

[Blackbrazen]

BwaHaHa!
Thanks Bill, I really needed a kick up the @rse! I've been dragging my feet a bit but I've done the mast and the boats are just about done too. I'll post pics tomorrow hopefully. I really do appreciate your kind words!

[destroyerman]

Well done Blackbrazen, a speedy response.

Like Bill Livingston, many others have a deep interest in your progress too. We look forward to more images and thanks for taking the time to record and publish your efforts.

[Bill Livingston]

You are welcome Blackbrazen...

You might have to do it for me some day... Like when I need to start doing the rigging or making the seascape... Hate doing those things, yet they make or break the model... Looking forward to seeing your boats and masts... I bet the masts are beautiful

[Blackbrazen]

Well, I got the main part of the mast done now and started doing some of the lower rigging. Got the boats on the boat deck and the boat deck crane jib on. It's a tight fit with the WEM PE part on there. The end of the boom hits the back of the funnel. I tried to add some detail on the Type 273 and given that it's all black, I think it looks OK. I had to add the white band around the mast by hand and it didn't turn out as good as I'd hoped, but if you don't look too close, it's not too bad.
Plenty more rigging to do and then a lot of tiny 20mm guns to fiddle about with!

[Bill Livingston]

Mast is looking really good. I dont know why, but I like the look of it in matt black...

I hadnt thought of doing the lower half of a mast, rigging it and then adding the upper... Makes a lot of sense... clearly something I am lacking in!

How are you getting on with the guns? Keep up the excellent work, she is looking really, really, good



PS. I have only just noticed that my name appears under the title for this thread on the WIP Index page, rather than Blackbrazen. I haven't noticed if the error is permanent, or whether it replaces the name with whoever last posted... I'll check next time... Could one of the moderators change it please? (and fix the fact we dont get a second page and have to reverse the posts! ).

[Blackbrazen]

Thanks again Bill! I'm quite pleased with the mast so far and I'll be getting on with the guns next. I've been spending my time recently trying to decide what to do about the base. I decided to scratch build a base around the styrofoam sea rather than sit the foam on top of a base plate. I've been doing one piece at a time and letting that dry before moving on to the next part. I want to get the base done now before I move on to the top masts and the whole thing starts to get too delicate. I also tried to add some details to the boats in the form of odd bits of rope and tarpaulins. I think the boats should probably be covered up completely, but I'm going to say that the crew were in the middle of doing something with the boats when the call to action stations came...well that's my story anyway!
I'll get onto the 20mm guns next and then it'll be the horrors of the upper masts. Hope I have time...just coming into the busiest time of year at work, but I'll try to keep going steadily...
And yes, I second the request to get this topic a second and third page if possible! It's getting very annoying to have to change settings to see new posts...

[destroyerman]

Blackbrazen,

it's all coming along very well indeed.

Your ships boats look excellent and the detailing is superb. Why cover them and hide a lovely aspect of the build? Could I suggest a partially covered boat with its tarpaulin, just to give the impression of a hurried call to action stations? Or indeed, why have the ships boats covered in action anyway, when every lifesaving accessory might be required in the worst possible outcome of an engagement? I suppose it is up to individual commands, and who is the Commanding Officer of your particular model? Yep. YOU! So you are the arbiter.

The process of locating the latest posting on your thread is indeed annoying, but well worth the effort.

Keep up the excellent work.

[Blackbrazen]

Last update for a while as this next week or so will be a little too busy at work. I'm looking on the bright side and anticipating the renewed enthusiasm that a week away from Nellie will foster! I've just finished the last of the larger boats. This one I am going to install on the port side of the forward superstructure, alongside the crane. Again, I think this would probably be covered by a properly secured tarpaulin, but I really liked destroyerman's suggestion, so I decided to try having it partially covered...maybe it was in the process of being covered up when the call to action stations was piped. I cut the tarpaulin from Tamiya masking tape and then glued it in place with thin CA glue before painting it. I wanted it to be noticeably darker on the inside where it hasn't been exposed to the elements...

[Bill Livingston]

That looks REALLy good Blackbrazen

I had thought about tarpaulins and odd bits of rope and other equipment lying about just to make it look a little more real on my ships too... But the idea of a partially removed tarpaulin, especially if you have a crew member or two obviously involved in the 'doing' of it, would really bring the model to life...

Such a great idea... Think I am going to steal it for my Renown!

[Sr. Gopher]

I hope you don't mind me doing it too!! I think it's about time that I start adding life to my Truk.

[destroyerman]

Well done Blackbrazen, your partially covered boat looks excellent. I am impressed with the idea of light-faded (or sun-bleached) tarpaulins. Now THAT is attention to detail.

And furthermore, your 'parked' boats on the boat deck are much too pretty to be covered.

Bill's idea of making the area look 'busy' is a good one. I have just completed the twin Bofors on its platform for my 1;72 destroyer and I have included figures. I hope you don't mind me posting an image on YOUR thread, but judicial placement of the figures can convey a storyline, in this case maintenance crew sorting out a hydraulic leak on the mounting.

Keep up the good work and thanks for the updates.

[Blackbrazen]

Thanks guys! You're right about the figures. I managed to get a set of pre-painted 1/700 PE figures which I plan to use. They are unfortunately IJN figures, so only some of them can be used...the others are in the wrong colour uniforms. I hope there are enough to man the guns...

[Quincy]

Bob Pink.

[destroyerman]

Blackbrazen,

hope everything is OK with you. We haven't heard from you in a while.

Any more to report???

[ArizonaBB39]

I love your weathering! How do you do it exactly? Ive tried using acrylics before but have never achieved these results!

Keep us posted

[Blackbrazen]

Thanks!
ArizonaBB39 > I used Tamiya acrylics thinned with water and then streaked on the hull and superstructure using a very fine brush. Took a bit of trial and error, but turned out OK.

Bill > Yes, OK but extremely busy at work and tending to come home and crash in front of the telly, so dreadfully slow progress lately! I have promised myself to get the masts done this week though, as I want to take the ship to the Shizuoka Hobby Show in the middle of the month, so I really must get off me @r$e!

Thanks for the comments...it really does help to spur me on. One of the best things about this forum!

[destroyerman]

Good to hear from you again Blackbrazen.

Keep up the good work and remember that you have a little fan club out there.