1/700 HMS HABAKKUK pykrete aircraft carrier (1943)

[GTDEATH13]

Why not place two turrets and a director at each space? A director for every two guns is going to provide superb fire cover...

And you can add more 40mm tubes instead of the director positions in the red dot...

Nice progress so for...

[EJM]

Ok, I need some advice on a few questions I have.

I pretty much finished adding the armament around the circumference of the Habakkuk except for on/near the bridge superstructure which I still have to build and add. In the following pics, you can pretty much see where all the 5" guns are, the 40mm tubs, and the 20mm galleries. So my question is: Is what I have enough? I'm trying to get some sort of equal balance. I don't want the circumference to be too crowded. Though I still need to add the tiny tubs for the Mk.51 directors near all the 40mm emplacements, plus I want to add a few searchlight emplacements around the circumference too.



Because of the large amount of 5" turrets (28-30) on the hull, I figured I'd have to increase the number of Mk.37 directors from 4 to 8. Four directors will be on the superstructure, while the other 4 will be at each "corner" of the ship as shown here:


Also, I'm not sure how I want to detail the "ends" of the ship hull. I could either put a few small 20mm galleries along with some 5" turrets as shown in the first pic below, or I could add 20mm, 5" guns, plus maybe some 40mm in the second pic below? What else could I add to detail the ends? Maybe a few life rafts? I don't think a ship like this would need anchors, chains, etc.

[EJM]

C'mon guys. How's about a bit of advice, eh? I get the feeling I'm talking to myself in this thread.

Ok, here's another question I have. When I go to put everything on the display base which will be weeks from now, a friend suggested building and painting a 1/700 Essex carrier black to act as a "silhouette" as well as for size comparison next to the Habakkuk model. The reason for the black is so that the people viewing the display won't be distracted looking at the Essex instead of the Habakkuk. If I painted the Essex regular colors, then people will get confused as to which ship they're supposed to be looking at and/or judging. But anyway, How detailed should I build the Essex? If it's just going to be a silhouette and for size comparison against the Habakkuk, then I guess there's no need to add 20mm guns, ship's boats, searchlights, etc., right?

[Timmy C]

Maybe some paravanes and random pieces of rope and deck clutter? The occasional Stokes Litter on the bulkheads would also be good. Some fire hoses, doors, ladders, stairs, and ammo lockers would also be necessary in the galleries and decks.

For the Essex, build her like a recognition model - keep it basic, but try to avoid leaving any signs that it's an incomplete model: i.e. fill in the holes where the 20mm and other guns would go.

[JIM BAUMANN]

I think that is an excellent idea-- having a ' non-involving' Essex model to give a sense of scale!

This is a commendable project!-- and I hope to see some low angle views of this behemoth some time.

Have you any intentions of setting in a waterline base dio..?

It would look staggering!


JIM B

[EJM]

I think that is an excellent idea-- having a ' non-involving' Essex model to give a sense of scale!

This is a commendable project!-- and I hope to see some low angle views of this behemoth some time.

Have you any intentions of setting in a waterline base dio..?

It would look staggering!

What kind of low angle shots would you like to see? Let me know and I'll try to take some.
No, the Habakkuk model won't be in any water diorama I'm afraid. I wanted to show the full hull version and hopefully show the engine pods that were used for propulsion along the sides of the hull.

[JIM BAUMANN]

Ahoi EJN

what I meant was...

Almost all the photos of this model are either overheads or oblique overhead photos.

I would be interersted to see te ship from a ' waterline' side elevation - or a 3/4 bow on photo from waterline; ie the view that a passing ship woudl have had of this monster.


Cheers

JIM B

[EJM]

I'll take some pics tomorrow for ya, Jim.

[EJM]

Ok, as requested by Jim Baumann, Here are some other pics that are NOT overhead shots. If anybody still wants to see more/different views, then let me know and I'll take a few more pics. Although if you go back to Page 1 of this thread, you'll find posts where I listed links to plans and blueprints I used in the creation of the wood hull, as well as pics of the unpainted wood Habakkuk hull.

Left side of hull:


Close-up of left side:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/ ... C02954.jpg

1/700 Iowa class battleship hull next to Habakkuk model hull for scale comparison:


Views of the bow of the hull:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/ ... C02957.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/ ... C02959.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/ ... C02963.jpg

Views of the stern:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/ ... C02961.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/ ... C02962.jpg

Right side of hull with an Essex superstructure for scale:

[EJM]

Several posts earlier, I had mentioned the problem of figuring out how I was going to detail the bow and stern of this model. Well, I think I have a solution for the bow, but I'm not sure about the stern and I could use some advice.

I had a rear end deck part from a modern amphib ship that I could use as a bulkhead/structure for putting two 5", two 40mm, and some 20mm on, for the bow area to be detailed. So far, this is the only design/config I've liked at the moment.


The only problem is, I don't have another same amphib bulkhead structure to make the stern area the same way as the bow. The only option that I can think of for the stern is to make it into some sort of boat deck for the ship's boats. Put 1 or 2 small cranes there, a few small boats, and a smattering of light armament for defense in that area. When the wood hull and the flight deck were being built long ago, I completely forgot to add cutouts along the sides of the hull for the ship's boats. Making the stern a "boat deck" is the only solution I can come up with.
So..........Yes or No?

[EJM]

Anyway, I'm really unsure about arresting wires or crash nets, etc. The Habakkuk sure is long (2000 feet), but maybe it might be best to have something in case of accidents/bad landings? I was thinking a few days ago as shown in this sample pic of adding some arresting wires (Red lines) at the back area of the ship (The stern is in the lower left corner of the pic.). What I've shown is just an example. I'm really not sure how many wires would be appropriate to add, if any. And I was only thinking of having them go from one skinny yellow line to the other.


Also, here is an example pic of what I was thinking of doing for the stern of the ship in trying to make it into a small boat handling area. Maybe a few 40mm and 20mm for stern defense, then add a few small boats and 1 or 2 small cranes.

[Cliffy B]

The arresting wire width is fine but given that she's is so long I'd place them in between Elevators 3 and 4 and nowhere else. Most aircraft landing on her wouldn't need them anyway unless you want to store a lot of the aircraft on the deck. In either case only carrier aircraft, IE small planes, would be using them anyway. Given her length I don't really think they'd be necessary even for those. Just my 2 cents, she's looking great!

[Sr. Gopher]

This is pure ART!!! This Habbakuk is defintely one of the best What-ifs I've ever seen take life. Now, let's start talking 1/350...

[EJM]

Now, let's start talking 1/350...

Ha! Like I'd really like to see someone tackle that scale/size! 1/350 would never happen. At that scale, a Habakkuk (plus display base) would be too big to display in house or at a contest. It'd probably be anywhere from 5-7 feet long. Way too big/long to take to a contest.

[Sr. Gopher]

Thats what U-haul trailers are for!!!!

[Cliffy B]

Now, let's start talking 1/350...

Ha! Like I'd really like to see someone tackle that scale/size! 1/350 would never happen. At that scale, a Habakkuk (plus display base) would be too big to display in house or at a contest. It'd probably be anywhere from 5-7 feet long. Way too big/long to take to a contest.

Didn't you say the real ship was about 2000 feet long? If so think about this way, a Nimitz class CVN is a little over 1000 feet long. Think of how large those are in 1/350 and then DOUBLE it. 2000 feet in 1/350 is around 5 feet 8 inches. You might as well be building a small canoe

[EJM]

Well, if anybody wants to try and tackle a 1/350 Habakkuk, then you're welcome to it. More power to ya. I talked to a friend tonight who did some quick calculations and he came up with the following for 1/350th scale:
Height of hull (Minus superstructure) - 6.85 inches
Width of hull - 10.28 inches
Length - 68.57 inches (About 5 feet, 8 inches)

[Sr. Gopher]

Well, if anybody wants to try and tackle a 1/350 Habakkuk...

Good luck to whoever is that crazy!!! (Especially when it comes to collecting all of those parts...living h-e-double hockey sticks).

[Sr. Gopher]

Also, in that other Forum, What-if, it seems like you have a lot of adoring fans... and I'm soon to be one of them - I hope.

[EJM]

Ok, I could really use some much appreciated help and replies with my next question here. Also, if anybody has some good pics and links to share, that would be especially helpful.
I really need some advice on what radars to use and how I should make the radar mast look like. I'm guessing that if the Habakkuk had been built, it would've entered anywhere between late '44 to 1946. What radars and radar systems were common back then? Just so you know, I'm building an "Americanised" Habakkuk ship here.
Also, here's two pics that show a new superstructure that I am currently building.



And a full length pic.