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PostPosted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 10:17 pm 
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File comment: Photo by Ensign Charles Cason in 1945, courtesy of his son, John Cason
LSM 59 at Iwo.jpg
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I decided to start this page to post status updates of my scratchbuilt 1/48th scale model of the LSM-59 after posting a couple photos on the 'Calling all LSM, LSMR and IFS Fans' forum. It occurred to me that what I was posting was probably more appropriate for the 'online scratchbuild projects' forum, especially since the model is still very far from being completed. I also hope that by having the model in this forum, it will get greater exposure than it might get from being on the LSM, LSMR, and IFS forum.

First, I'd like to ask the indulgence of the non-US readers of the ModelWarships site. My natural predisposition is to state all parameters in the English system of measures, vice the metric system. If you have a question about a metric conversion, please send me a note.

The LSM class

For those who are not familiar with this type ship, the designation 'LSM' stands for Landing Ship, Medium. The LSM class arose of the US Navy's need for an amphibious transport ship more nimble than an LST and with greater capacity than an LCI. A grand total of 558 LSMs were built by several shipyards around the country during the last two years of WW 2 and although most were decommissioned after the war, some went on to continue serving in the US Navy, with the last ship of the class, the LSM-161 being decommissioned in 1965. As many of the non-US readers of this site know, many LSMs were transferred postwar to serve in allied navies.

LSMs were too late for the war in the European Theater, but were instrumental in the amphibious invasions of Pacific islands in 1944 and 1945. A number of LSMs were also converted into rocket-firing ships for support of island assaults. The first of these were called the 'Interim’ LSM(R) class and consisted of 12 ships. The first 8 (LSM(R)s 188 – 195) fired fin-stabilized 5-inch rockets from manually-loaded rail-type rocket launchers. The remaining four ships of the Interim LSM(R) class (LSM(R)s 196 - 199) fired spin-stabilized rockets from manually-loaded auto-feeding launchers. The ‘Interim’ LSMR class was followed by the ‘Ultimate’ LSMR 401 and LSMR 501 class, which fired spin-stabilized rockets from auto-feeding launchers loaded by crew members from magazines below decks during the fire support mission. Of the LSMRs, only the Interim LSM(R)s saw combat in WW 2 because the ships arrived too late in the Pacific. Any authentic WW 2 combat footage of LSMRs that you might see will undoubtedly be of one of these ships. However, their sole employment was during the invasion of Okinawa. During the course of the invasion, three of these ships were sunk by Kamikaze crashes and three were damaged. After the Okinawa campaign, the nine surviving Interim LSM(R)s were sent to Pearl Harbor for conversion into ammo carriers for the planned invasion of Japan. The LSMR 401 class was slated to take the place of the Interim LSM(R) class in planned future amphibious operations, but the first ships of the 401 class were only starting to arrive in the Pacific just as the war ended. Some of the 401 and 501 class ships later served in the wars in Korea and Vietnam.

The basic LSM had an overall length of 203 feet 6 inches and beam of 34 feet 6 inches, displaced 1095 tons fully loaded, and had a top speed of 13.2 knots. For armament, the ships went through almost continual modification and upgrades as a result of combat experience, so I won't try to address that here. If you'd like additional information on LSM class ships, I highly recommend you visit NavSource.org, which provides information on the service of the various ships in US and allied navies.

The genesis of the model

I conceived of building this model back in late 2008. For several years, I've been a member of the USS LSM/LSMR Association, which is an association of US veterans who served on the ships both during WW 2 and after. In September 2008, I'd attended a reunion of the association at which I'd displayed my model of my dad's ship, the LSM(R)-192. (The 192 also appears in the gallery on ModelWarships.) As you can imagine, most of the veterans at the reunion were LSM vets due to the comparatively small number of men who served aboard LSMRs. It occurred to me that maybe I should build an LSM to display along with the model of the 192 so as to better represent the service of the members. The 192 is in 1/48th scale, so naturally my LSM project should be in the same scale. I'd built the 192 model using a John Tombaugh fiberglass hull, but in the time since I'd built the 192, Mr. Tombaugh had retired from selling hulls. So, I located another supplier, ordered a fiberglass hull, and waited patiently for it to arrive. After three months of waiting, it became obvious that I would not see the hull for a very long time. (The supplier couldn't even give me an estimated shipping date.) With the Fall 2009 reunion coming up, I fell back on 'plan B,' canceled my hull order, and set about building a completely scratchbuilt hull. Because of the time schedule, I opted for a waterline model.

Why the LSM-59?

With over 500 ships to choose from, I had a bit of a decision to make. Of course, every vet I talked to wanted me to build his ship. I began to research the individual ship histories, hoping to find a ship that had participated in the two premier island invasions of the war, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. I soon found that there were very few ships that had actually been involved in both. The 59 had a particularly interesting career, though. At Iwo, she had been holed in the starboard engine room during her first attempt at landing armor and vehicles of the 4th Marine Division, but was later able to land her entire cargo two days later.

Repairs took the 59 out of action for the rest of the invasion of Iwo but during the invasion of Okinawa, she was involved in a unique experiment during which she was sunk. The onslaught of kamikaze attacks during the invasion of Okinawa shocked the US Navy. To counter the new threat, the Navy converted the old decommissioned high speed transport, the USS Barry (APD-29) into a radio-controlled decoy. The Barry had been rendered beyond repair during the invasion and the intent was use the Barry as a decoy to attract kamikazes away from the rest of the fleet. On 21 June 1945, LSM-59 was standing by as the radio controller of the Barry while the old ship was being towed out by the USS Lipan (ATF-85). At this point, the decoy did indeed attract kamikazes, was hit, and would later sink, but at the same time, the 59 was also sunk by a kamikaze.

Since deciding to build the 59, I've been in contact with John Cason, whose late father, Ensign Charles Cason, served aboard the LSM-59. We stay in touch and I frequently update him on the progress of the model.

In future posts, I'm going to dust off some old photos from the early build of the model, as well as post the newer photos and update this site with the latest progress. :wave_1:


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PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 7:50 pm 
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How the model was constructed:

My background in scale plastic models is in WW 2 armor and aircraft. Other than a few odd warships that I'd built over the years, the LSMR-192 was my first significant ship model. I certainly didn't have any experience scratchbuilding large size ship models (approximately 48 inches long), so I winged it for the LSM-59 and built a skeleton of plywood ribs onto which I applied the sheet styrene for the hull. The LSM's fairly flat slab sides above the waterline were conducive to this method. In retrospect, with everything I've learned in the interim, I would use a different construction technique if I were to do another similar project. At the time, though, the method I chose enabled me to put something together very quickly using my existing skills, materials I had on hand, and techniques I was familiar with.

The photos below show the the first stages of building the hull. Fortunately, I'd just organized my workbench when I took these photos! As the photos show, the hull began as ¼” plywood sheet cut in the shape of the hull plan at the waterline. To maintain the hull square and avoid warpage, I temporarily mounted this plywood sheet to a piece of pine shelving. Next, I cut out and attached 1/8” plywood frames to the 1/4” plywood. A main deck made of 1/8” plywood was then mounted on top of the frames. This deck was only intended as support for the sheet styrene main deck that came later. Note that I didn't carry the plywood for the main deck all the way to the stern; the main deck from the aft bulkheads on the port and starboard compartments to the stern was sheet styrene with appropriate ribbing installed.

The bow differs from the rest of the hull in that it's built entirely out of styrene sheet for a couple of reasons; styrene was easier to work with than wood and unlike the rest of the hull, the bow had curves to deal with. Various thicknesses of styrene went into the bow, ranging from .080” and .060 “ sheet for major structural bulkheads, to .030” styrene for other bulkheads.
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In the next installment, I'll show you how the tank well took shape. :wave_1:


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PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 8:00 pm 
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I can identify completely with tayloring your construction strategy to your current skill levels. Wise move - it lets you move forward without getting painted into a corner. I also like your choice of subjects - lots of good detailing can go on here. Post lots of pics! :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1:

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PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:18 am 
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Dave,

Thanks for your kind words. I was afraid all I would get was snickering when I posted the photos above. :smallsmile: You're quite correct about the detailing, too, and don't worry, I'll be posting many more photos!

John


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PostPosted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:29 am 
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Hi all,

One more photo for today. Below is a photo that was taken from video footage of the LSM-59 at Iwo Jima. John Cason captured this image and several more for me from combat footage. This still photo came from amazing video that caught the explosion I referred to in my opening post that hit close aboard and damaged the 59's starboard main engine during her first attempt to land tanks.

John :wave_1:
Attachment:
lsm59_Iwo_05.jpg
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:06 am 
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Building the tank well:

When I speak of the 'tank well,' I mean the area where LSMs carried cargo. Typically, LSM cargo consisted of armor, such as the M4 Sherman tank, but LSMs transported a wide variety of loads. As an example, for the LSM-59 project, I knew from the start that I would need to build tanks, Jeeps, a crane, and a dozer to represent what she delivered to Iwo Jima.

As I alluded to in my previous post, although the supporting framework was plywood, the external surfaces of the model was made up of sheet styrene. The photos below show the tank well in a relatively advanced stage of completion. To get to the point of construction shown in these photos, I began with .040 inch styrene for the tank well walls and cut openings for the watertight doors that opened to the well. Then, I made a master watertight door, created a mold, and cast 5 resin copies for the doors that lined the tank deck wall. After the doors were installed and detailed, I made the pipe fenders on the tank well walls from 1/8th inch half-round styrene. The tank well deck was made of .060 inch styrene, to which I added tie-down points that were located along the centerline of the ship. I replicated these tie-down points by punching out ¼ inch disks using a standard hole punch, then cut and filed an '+' pattern in each disk. After other minor details were added to the tank well walls such as ladder rungs, I joined the walls to the tank well deck and the main deck. The main deck was made of .030 inch styrene and prior to assembly to the tank well walls, I marked out the locations on the main deck of items such as lifeline stanchions, hatches, bitts, and other components.

Next to the tank well in the photos below you will see a fiberglass LSM hull. Now, you are probably asking, “Hey John, all this time you were saying you built this waterline model of the LSM-59 when you had a fiberglass hull available all aong. What gives?” Well, you see, the fiberglass hull you see in the photos was already slated to become the LSM(R)-196, so I couldn't use it for my LSM-59 project. As you can guess, my LSM(R)-196 project will be the subject of another page in the 'online scratchbuild projects' forum!

Also in the photos below, you'll see the beginning of the LSM conn temporarily positioned on the main deck. The conn was built using templates left over from building the model of the LSM(R)-192. The decks for the conn are of .040 inch styrene and the walls of the conn are .020 inch styrene.

In my next posting, I'll show you the hull as it took shape when .040 inch styrene was applied to the frame. :wave_1:
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File comment: Future LSM(R)-196 hull with LSM-59 tank well
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 2:41 pm 
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The photos below show the LSM-59 hull as it began to come together. After my earlier postings, I'm sure many readers wonder how it is that I keep my workbench so organized. Well, it requires constant effort! :lol_pound:

In these photos, you can see that I've applied the 'skin' of the hull to the plywood frame. The skin was cut from 12 inch by 24 inch sheets of Evergreen .040 inch styrene purchased from Hobbylinc.com . Just as with the tank well bulkheads, the pipe fenders on the hull were made using 1/8 inch half-round styrene. Once the fenders were completed and overboard discharge ports opened on the hull skins, the skin was glued to the frames with Gorilla Glue and fastened in place with finishing nails and small machine screws. After the glue set on the hull sides, the bow was fastened to the rest of the hull.

Prior to attaching the bow to the rest of the hull, I had to of course detail the inside of the bow or 'fo'c’sle' Fo'c’sle is one of the alternative spellings of the shortened form of 'forecastle.' Normally detailing the inside of the fo'c'sle would have involved a great deal of guessing because as you might imagine, the inside of the fo'c’sle was not a favorite subject of photographers. Fortunately, I was able to tour the LSM-45 in 2008 and had the opportunity to take many photos. At the time, the LSM-45 was awaiting its fate after the Museum of the Marine in Jacksonville, South Carolina changed their minds about the ship becoming part their museum about the Marine Corps. Sadly, in the time since, the ship has been stripped of salvageable parts and converted into a barge. :censored_2:

The third photo shows the inside detailing of the fo'c’sle with a coat of primer applied. This view is looking forward through the fo'c’sle; the detailed area at the top of the photo is located underneath the bow 40mm gun tub. Towards the middle of the photo you can see the cable installation for raising and lowering the bow ramp. The bow ramp machinery was located in a compartment in the port bow and using a series of pulleys, the cables were run up into the fo'c’sle to the top of the bow and then to the bow ramp.

In my next posting, I'll show some of the interior detailing of the wheelhouse. :wave_1:
Attachment:
File comment: First shot of the hull sides and bow installed onto the frame
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File comment: Second shot of the hull sides and bow installed onto the frame
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File comment: Looking through the fo'c'sle at the detailing on the inside of the top of the bow.
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 3:48 pm 
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is that an old SUPER SHIPS fiberglass hull of the LSM????

joe

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PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:12 pm 
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Joe,

No, that's an old hull directly from John Tombaugh. John used to sell his hulls retail and my brother had bought 3 of them in the mid 1990s. Eventually, my brother concluded he didn't have the time or ability to take on the task of building LSMR models, which are surprisingly very complex, so he turned the hulls over to me. One of the 3 became my model of the LSM(R)-192 that is posted at http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

I think John Tombaugh used one or more retail outlets to sell his hulls, also, although in my discussions with Mr. Tombaugh, he hasn't shown those cards. Perhaps SUPER SHIPS might have been a retail distributor for John. If you happen to have additional info on SUPER SHIPS hulls, I'd very much like to hear it.

When I get around to starting a new page for my LSMR-196 project, I'll discuss the relative merits and errors of the hulls that I have on hand.

Thanks for your question. :thumbs_up_1:

John


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 8:01 pm 
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i'm very sure super ships went down back in the early 90's.....

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PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:56 pm 
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Super Ships was Peter Shreeves down in Alabama, he later made an association with John Tombaugh in Indiana and eventually Petes new and growing family and a good job took over his time and John eventually totally took over.

Several years later John threw in the towel and had told everyone that he had taken a saw to all the molds and had tossed the whole company in the trash. In more recent years it has turned out that this was not the case.

One more thing, I have the mold for the 1:48 scale LSM, I keep forgetting to add it into my line though. With the next major updates to my web site this hull will be listed as available.

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PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:43 pm 
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Mr. Upshaw,

Thank you for the info filling in the blanks in the history of the Super Ships and Mr. Tombaugh. I'm glad you posted a mention about the availability of LSM hulls from you at Scale Shipyard. On the subject of John Tombaugh, he had a stroke a few years back which caused him to give up his retail business. There is another outfit that sells LSM hulls but I won't mention them here other than to say I was dissatisfied with the service I got and as I said in one of my earlier posts, they are the reason I embarked on this scratchbuilt LSM project. I encourage anyone interested in building an LSM to contact Mr. Upshaw at Scale Shipyard. :smallsmile: John


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PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:06 pm 
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jcmackay wrote:
Mr. Upshaw,

Thank you for the info filling in the blanks in the history of the Super Ships and Mr. Tombaugh. I'm glad you posted a mention about the availability of LSM hulls from you at Scale Shipyard. On the subject of John Tombaugh, he had a stroke a few years back which caused him to give up his retail business. There is another outfit that sells LSM hulls but I won't mention them here other than to say I was dissatisfied with the service I got and as I said in one of my earlier posts, they are the reason I embarked on this scratchbuilt LSM project. I encourage anyone interested in building an LSM to contact Mr. Upshaw at Scale Shipyard. :smallsmile: John
i remember that mold quite well.... :heh: ....right lee???

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 6:50 pm 
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Hi all,

Before I get into the subject of the model, I have to tend to a little bit of business. In my haste to answer a question in regard to an earlier posting, I chose poor wording that slighted my brother. Offline, he chided me for it and he was right to do that. :bash_2: I apologize to my brother and thank him and all of you for helping to keep me honest.

OK, so the other day, I said I'd show you some detailing of the wheelhouse. Well, I decided that this post wouldn't focus on the wheelhouse. Instead, I am going to not only show you interior detailing of the wheelhouse, but I'm going to show you the interior detailing of the conn structure.

When I started the LSM-59 project, I had in mind building at least 3 LSM/LSMR models. The first, of course, was going to be the LSM-59 and as you can guess, the second is going to be the LSM(R)-196. The third will be another model of my dad's ship, the LSM(R)-192 as she appeared during the invasion of Okinawa. You see, the model of the 192 that I have in the ModelWarships gallery depicts the 192 as she appeared as she was transiting to the combat zone of the Pacific. The next model of the 192 will depict her during the events of 4 May 1945 when she was struck by a Japanese fighter, which was reported to be a Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar. That will be another waterline project and building the LSM-59 has allowed me to develop the skills I'll need for that future LSM(R)-192 project.

Anyway, with those 3 projects in mind, I decided I'd try to ease some of the building headaches. One of the things I did was to set up an assembly line of sorts for the conn superstructure. :cool_2: That meant building 3 conn structures in parallel. The benefit to this was that as I found and solved problems on one structure, I could apply the lessons to the other 2. Essentially, I wouldn't be re-inventing the wheel each time I started a new LSM/LSMR. The photos that follow are of one of the additional conn structures that are in the pipeline.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I dusted off the templates from the earlier 192 project to build the conn for the 59. These templates were provided with the fiberglass hulls my brother bought. Now, it might be me, but I had a difficult time making the templates work. :scratch: I found that the template didn't provide enough allowance for the circumference of the round conn and that the templates for the decks didn't match the USN blueprints. With that in mind, I made my local adjustments so that the conn structure would match the blueprints. For materials, I used either .015 inch or .020 inch styrene for the round part of the conn. I used either .030 inch or .040 inch styrene for the decks. For the vertical inboard bulkhead, I used .030 inch styrene.

The first step in building the conn superstructure is to form the round portion of the conn. Before starting, it is important to address the 12-inch 'air ports' around the wheelhouse portion of the conn. In my research, I found that when approaching a hostile beach, LSMs typically installed the battle covers for all of the air ports except for the forward-most port, which was left open. Since I intended to have the wheelhouse door open or able to be opened, and I wanted to detail the interior of the wheelhouse, I opted to open up all of the ports. Then, I installed covers on all but the forward centerline port. Now, if you embark on a project like this, you might decide you don't want to go to this trouble. In that case, you may choose to push the bounds of authenticity and install the combat covers on all of the air ports, leaving the wheelhouse closed and thus saving the additional work required for the interior detail.

One final note about the air ports. If you are striving for accuracy, you need to be aware that they are not equally spaced around the circumference of the conn structure.

The template was designed in such a way as to result in the seam for the round conn lining up in the vicinity of the mast. This is pretty handy, since the mast tends to hide any residual trace of the joint. As you can see in the photos, I've applied a generous helping of Green Stuff putty to the seam.

After forming the round portion of the conn, I next installed the decks for the wheelhouse and the bridgedeck, which was just below the wheelhouse. A bit of description of the layout of the conn superstructure: the radio and navigation space was located in the first level (main deck) of the conn superstructure. The overhead or ceiling of the radio/navigation space was the bridgedeck. Between the bridgedeck and the wheelhouse deck in the lower portion of the round conn was a 3-foot-high void that held motor-generators powering the radar equipment. It must have been a lot of fun to do maintenance in this space in the tropical heat of the South Pacific! :Mad_6: Above this void, as I said, was the wheelhouse and above the wheelhouse was the conning station.

A note about the conn of the ex-museum ship LSM-45. Postwar, many LSMs were upgraded with new armament and other changes. The LSM-45 reflected a change that might escape the casual observer: her conn structure was extended in height about 3 feet. This is visible from comparison of photos of the 45 taken during the war and postwar. This resulted in the motor-generator void below the wheelhouse becoming a useable space and no doubt, provided the personnel on the conning station a little better view. The 59, of course, had a standard conn superstructure and in one of the photos below, you can just barely make out the edge of the door to the motor-generator void space at the aft end of the round conn on the bridge deck.

Next, I began the interior detailing. In the wheelhouse, I applied a double layer of tissue to simulate the insulation on the inside of the conn. I painted this initially with dope and then white enamel. In the first deck space, I added the vertical and horizontal bulkhead frames. In the aft portion of the first deck, you'll see a diagonal frame, which is where the ladder that goes from the main deck to the bridgedeck is mounted. From m tour of the LSM-45, I was able to determine the location and arrangment of the ceiling frames in the radio/navigation room.

Another note about the conn superstructure. I decided from the start to install lighting in the wheelhouse and radio/navigation room. In the wheelhouse, you'll see a red LED in the ceiling, which was to simulate a rig-for-red light, and in the radio/navigation room, I have installed two mini-krypton flashlight bulbs to simulate what we used to call on submarines the 'DC' or Damage Control lights.

The remaining photos of the inside of the wheelhouse are from the conn on the model of the 59. Again, my tour of the LSM-45 helped considerably to enable me to detail the rest of the conn. After painting the wheelhouse deck gray, I began to install the details, starting with the handrails. The mounting brackets for the handrails were made of .005 inch brass, with the rails themselves made of .020 inch styrene. The handrail brackets actually go all the way through the wall of the conn so as to make a firmer bond. I constructed the radar set based on a photo that appears on NavSource.org. It is equipped with a green LED for the CRT. The radar operator's seat is attached to the deck via locating pins and the seat itself has a locating pin on which to glue the figure that would be installed later. I built a master of the Engine Order Telegraph and the compass, made castings, and installed the castings after painting. Radiators were constructed of wafered styrene. The raised teakwood deck for the helmsman was made of styrene strips painted with various shades of yellow and brown. The remaining details of wiring and panels were made from various thicknesses of wiring and styrene.

I've given you a lot to read and quite a few photos to examine, so I'm going to wrap it up here. In my next posting, I'll show you the progress on the hull after installing the tank well. Thanks for checking in! :wave_1:
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File comment: Inside the wheelhouse 3
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File comment: Inside the wheelhouse 4
Wheelhouse 4.jpg
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:28 pm 
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Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2006 6:12 pm
Posts: 1173
Location: campbell river.b.c canada
hi john ,your conning tower is sharp, we seem to be getting a lot of skilled styrene builders on the board .like the detailed inside :cool_1: . one question,what is the green filler you are useing.


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PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 9:47 pm 
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Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2010 9:33 pm
Posts: 413
Location: Port Orchard, Wa
Hi Russ,

:thanks:for the compliment. I hope what people see on this page and others inspires and motivates those readers to expand beyond the bounds of boxed kits.

As for what I use for filler, I'm almost reluctant to tell you because it isn't anything exotic: I use your plain old everyday 'MMD Fast Drying Green Putty' from Squadron Products (the Squadron Shop.) I've seen some pretty high-tech techniques and materials used by contributors to this web site, but I've used Green Putty for many years and am comfortable with it.

John
:smallsmile:


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PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:58 am 
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Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:18 am
Posts: 1979
Location: Brasil
Jcmakay
i was looking your work and i would like to say you a great job and the details simply fantastic.
please update us always with this amazing work.
:thumbs_up_1: :wave_1:


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PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 9:04 am 
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Location: Port Orchard, Wa
Capitão Norbert,

Thank you! After watching your phenomenal work progress on the Bismarck, I truly appreciate your comments. I'm glad you're enjoying the posts and I look forward to posting many more!

John :thanks:


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PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:25 am 
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Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:18 am
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Location: Brasil
thank you John by the kind comments.
These LSM are great and your level of detail amazing me.
the green putty is interesting too.
thanks for sharing your work with us :wave_1: :thumbs_up_1:


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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:33 pm 
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Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2010 9:33 pm
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Location: Port Orchard, Wa
Hi everyone!

Before I get started with today's installment, I wanted to make a comment about the wheelhouse. Before I began the LSM-59 project, I knew very little about LSMs per se. I knew that my dad's ship, the LSM(R)-192, was converted from an LSM, but my focus was on LSMRs rather than the hulls that they were built on. While I was attending the LSM/LSMR reunion in 2008, I was able to tour the LSM-45, which provided me with a wealth of information that would have otherwise been difficult or impossible to track down. That makes it so much more sad that the LSM-45 has been cut up to be a barge. The tour of the 45 also cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had. One of the things I learned while examining the 45 was that in the wheelhouse, the ship was steered with a kind of 'joystick.' The first photo below is of the wheelhouse of the LSM-45. Up until the time I toured the ship, I'd imagined there was some sort of wheel for steering. I know; this is probably not news for many of the readers, but it was to me! When you look at the photos of the interior of the LSM-59 model wheelhouse, you'll see the control box without the 'joystick' in place. As kind of a shortcut, I decided to build the helmsman figure so that he would block the view of the joystick and I wouldn't have to make the joystick! :cool_2:

So on to today's installment. One of the things I'd mentioned in an earlier post was the installation of the doors located along the sides of the tank well. There were 4 doors to the tank well; 2 port and 2 starboard. As I'd mentioned, I made a door master and cast copies to install in the openings cut into the tank well bulkheads. The second photo I've included is of a typical door installation; this one being directly under the conn superstructure. After taking this photo, I realized that there was nothing like a closeup to reveal all the defects I needed to fix! :doh_1: After installing the doors, I added additional details such as the dogs and the handle using thin copper and steel wire. At some point in the future, I'll weather the doors to help the details stand out a bit more.

Once the detailing of the tank wells was complete, I joined the port and starboard bulkheads and the deck into one assembly and mounted the tank well assembly onto the top of the hull. Once again, I used Gorilla Glue to bond the plastic to the wood. The hardening time of the Gorilla Glue gave me enough time to ensure the tank well was positioned right. Where plastic joints between the tank well and hull came together, I used Model Master Liquid Cement. After everything had set up, I once again went to town with the Green Putty to fill the seams.

After sanding, I first hand-painted primer over the seams and re-sanded. Then, I sprayed an initial coat of ocean green over that. I should mention at this point that for the most part, I use enamel paints, although at times, I'll use acrylics. I like acrylics, but since the camouflage colors I use are White Ensign Models enamels, I tend to rely more on enamels so I don't inadvertently cross myself up. Other than WEM colors, I use Model Master enamels.

As you can see in the photos, I haven't painted the entire hull at this point. There were still additional details to be added to the hull, so I didn't want to spray the entire hull yet.

The last 4 photos below show the model as she appeared at this stage, including a couple of shots looking both ways down the tank well. As you'll see in the photos, I hadn't installed the stern bulkhead yet. It was much more manageable to install this after the tank well and hull had been joined.

In my next posting, I'll show you the work as it progressed on the hull that includes the model's first public debut. See you next time! :wave_1:
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File comment: Wheelhouse of the LSM-45
573 01.jpg
573 01.jpg [ 133.42 KiB | Viewed 7073 times ]
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File comment: Watertight door in the tank well
WT door 1.jpg
WT door 1.jpg [ 124.83 KiB | Viewed 7073 times ]
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File comment: View of the 59 from port
Port side LSM 59.jpg
Port side LSM 59.jpg [ 133.87 KiB | Viewed 7073 times ]
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File comment: View of the 59 from starboard
Starboard side LSM 59.jpg
Starboard side LSM 59.jpg [ 134.4 KiB | Viewed 7073 times ]
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File comment: This is a view looking forward down the tank well towards the bow
Bow.jpg
Bow.jpg [ 148.06 KiB | Viewed 7073 times ]
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File comment: This is a view looking aft down the tank well towards the stern. To the right in the photo by near the stern is the foundation for the stern anchor winch.
Stern.jpg
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