1/200 Yamato

[Dirk]

forgot the picture:

Tone (1/350) with additional rivets on funnel and hull (Archer Surface Details)

close up funnel

IJN Tone2.JPG (61.76 KiB) Viewed 4554 times

[Dirk]

Now my message and the pictures are separated. Therefore here the text belonging to the pictures above again:
I saw that you discussed adding rivets. In my IJN Tone build (1/350) I added a lot of rivets. See in the picture above on the funnel and the hull:
The hull from the Yankee Modelworks model did not exhibit much details. I used here for the first time Archer surface details rivets (actually decals, but with rows of 3dimensional resin rivets). For 1/350 scale I would recommend the smallest versions (0.2 mm) and the double row rivets. I used also larger ones and some of the finer weld beads. In your scale 1/200 you have more chice. These surface details can be found on this page:
http://www.archertransfers.com/catSurfaceDetails.html
Only problem: When the rivets are overpainted with final color, the adhesion is a little bit weak. I realized this when I later used Tamiya masking tape on it: One row of rivets (out of 6) was removed with the tape.

[sgtryan13]

Almost time to dust this one off and continue along with her. While working on my Truman project, I have gotten a little work done on the planking, man it is maddening after a while! I think I am going to get the resin main turret replacements and junk the kit ones after all, the biggest problem is that I modified the drooped chain PE rails to fit the kit parts, and I don't have any extra for the new turrets... Hmmm, not sure what I will do about that part.

[Senkan]

I think the resin turrets done by Harry O (where are you Harry O?) are based on the model molds. You probably can use the same parts on the top of the turret. If you do get the resin turrets you're going to have to resize the barbettes.

Back to Yamato....

[Guest]

This thing is huge. I saw one few months ago at a model show. Very impressive kit onces finished. I remember it taking up a table of its own at the show it was that big. You are doing an awesome job. I love the balsa wood work your doing on the deck.

Mike

[sgtryan13]

Back to full speed on the Yamato!

I FINALLY finished planking her deck, man what a time consuming job that was! I am very happy and a bit impressed with myself to say that when I finally joined the 2 sides of planking in the middle of the stern, the fit was almost perfect, off by about 1 mm, so I just spliced in a little splinter of a plank and it is invisible!

Now for the bad news...like every other part of this kit, I have come across 2 new fit problems;

First, the fit of the aircraft deck to the wooden deck. as you can see in the pictures, the stern is skewed off, so the fit leaves a gap between the 2 decks, I have a few ideas how to deal with this, but I am looking for suggestions before I proceed.

And then there is the fit of the superstructure to the deck. everything fits snug except for the front under the bridge where there is a 1/8" gap left. Again, I have a couple ideas,, but I am seeking suggestions so I can come up with the best option.

[Timmy C]

For the aft, can you see what's keeping the "flightdeck" from butting up flush with the wood deck? Might it be the tabs underneath? You can try trimming those away and see if that helps.

[sgtryan13]

Timmy-

There is no actual obstruction making the decks meet that way, the issue is that when i install the lower stern deck and aircraft hangar well, the angle the top deck is in in the pics is how it sits over the lower deck, and specifically the walls of the hangar well. I physically CAN make the two decks meet flush, but then the top flight deck is skewed off over the aircraft well...

[J. Soca]

Great progress with the deck Ryan thats alot of work hope you can figure out a way in fixing those setbacks


Jose

[Senkan]

Back on track... !

Will you be using the stock 25mm guns or will you be getting replacements? I got GPM's 25 mm PE set (30 total) and also 30 sets of 25mm guns off of Ebay. Think Im going with GPM...even though it is taking me forever to put them together (my first attempt at PE is trying to put these damn things together). If you decide to go the GPM route make sure they send you the correct barrels (they come seperate from the PE turrets). They sent me the ones that fit a paper model and not the slim version that fits the PE version.

Remember my planked deck I tried to stain but the CA glue made dead spots and I painted with dark brown paint but the glue spots still showed glossy on the satin finish? I did what you said and sanded the deck and it looks much better. The dark brown was hiding the planks but sanding brought out the detail. Im thinking about putting a gloss coat on the deck (Future?) to simulate wetness (It was raining on April 7).

[sgtryan13]

Senkan, I am glad you were able to salvage your deck! If it were me, and I was ok with how the deck looks like now, I would leave well enough alone and not spray anything else on the deck lest you find out there are more glue issues!

I have toyed with the idea of the GPM guns, but I think I have sunk enough $$$ into this build for now, but who knows, that could all change. At the moment my plan (after i figure out how to correct the fit issues above) is to finish this beast with the kit parts and GMM brass, and just continue to improve all the parts with scratchbuilt corrections and details.

To be completely honest I have kind of lost my passion for this build, the HUGE gap between the superstructure and the deck may have been the "straw that broke the camel's back". Since those pics, I have not touched or even looked at the Yamato. All I can do is think of starting on the 1/350 Wasp who is calling to me from my stash!

The complete letdown I felt when I fit the structure to the deck as soon as I finally finished planking this thing was massive, I went from excitement to anger in half a second!

Have I mentioned that this actual kit SUCKS???!!!

OK rant off...for now anyways.

[Senkan]

Regarding the SS gap...think you could put a support under the deck to raise it up? Go in through the barbette hole with a strong piece of wood or metal. You might have to just take the deck off and attach the SS and then reattach. This might also cure the the issue with the rear deck seem as well.

Its a good kit for someone with glue and a pair of hands. But if you want accuracy and detail and nice fits its a pain. There are a lot of things I want to do to mine. But the longer it takes the less I want to do them. I regret cutting the Tower bridge to try to make it more accurate. Have a feeling it will look amaturish once I get done. Should have left it the way it was. The wood planked deck was a pain and at times looked like caca but it is getting better.

Got a question for everyone...how do you put the line detail on the forecastle deck and the aft concrete aircraft deck? Stretched sprue?

That model is going to knaw at you until its done. Once finished you will finally get relief.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Got a question for everyone...how do you put the line detail on the forecastle deck and the aft concrete aircraft deck? Stretched sprue?

my 1/350 Yamato deck (1/64" masking tape strips) these need to be flattened/rolled a bit, but thats how i did it. there are probably many ways (peices of masking tape applied alternately in appropriate grid, painted, then removed, etc)

[Senkan]

Hey Ryan. Im going to using your degaussing cable method. I had put foil tape over my hull to simulate hull plates but I wanted to add more contrast to the plates so I took the tape off and will be putting styrene or cardboard on the hull in strips to give it that "beefy" armor look.

Been thinking of things to use as porthole seals/covers. Looks like Im going to use flat head nails with 2.5mm heads. Just hope there are some like this at my hardware store.

Hope you haven't put flame to your Yamato and put her to sea...

[sgtryan13]

Huh, that flat head nail idea may be a good one, I might have to give it a try, since I am not happy with the attempts I made and ultimately (reluctantly) decided on since I could not come up with any other ideas, but I like yours a lot, it is so simple it may just work!

I have not set her aflame yet, but I have still not touched her since those fit problems, I am not sold on any of my ideas to fix them yet, at least with the superstructure problem anyways. Until a really feasable solution comes to me, I am really not too motivated on her lately, I am just throwing a temper tantrum at the moment!

[Senkan]

At first I thought that maybe the styrene rod you used as the degaussing cable might have put restrictions on the hull. But since I don't think you applied long strips I dont think it would have made a difference.

Are both the deck and aircraft deck glued to the hull? I say yank both if they are. Glue the SS on. Should give you more control if its off the hull. Then glue the deck to the aircraft deck and try to apply to the hull. Just a thought and hard to visualize what you have to deal with since Im not there. I like to think this year I'll have my deck on the hull but I am fearing the results.

[Senkan]

I was thinking of other options for the porthole covers/seals. I bought a hole punch off ebay with different sizes. Im getting chip board (notepad backing) to use on the hull to represent the raised plate layers (.03 and .022 thickness). Im thinking I could make the covers with this. Im still thinking of using the nails but this might come in handy on another model. I also got some advice from Doug Hallet. He says he has seen others use sharpened metal tubing to punch circles. So we have some options here.

[Senkan]

Well Ryan the hole puncher does the trick. The thing is bigger than I thought it would be (over 8 inches long) and cuts good through the chipboard I have (.03). .03 is too thick though. Not sure if it will cut styrene.

Tonight Im going to get out the dremel and take off the degausing cable and most of the portholes so I can get to adding the hull plates. Kinda excited.

[Senkan]

I layed some of the porthole covers on the hull just to give an idea of what they would look like...

[sgtryan13]

Hmmm, I am going to do a little messing around with some of these ideas. What made you give up on the nail head idea?