Lexingtons last battle, 1//700

[J. Soca]

You have beautiful painting techniques




Jose

[jensel1964]

Your Lexington is so impressing. I'm not sure, what I like more, the paint work or the perfect modelling. This is going to be a masterpiece.
Jens

[marijn van gils]

Many thanks guys!

Meanwhile I finished the ship by adding some ropes on the sides, the guns, and safety netting.











I also added the "batman" platform at the port stern:


Damaged and upward bent 20mm platform through the blast of one of the torpedo hits, with damaged life netting above:


I also painted smoke/burn stains around the forward elevator edges and around the bomb hit. I also simulated the white firefighting foam that is visible in the photo's around this hit and on the closest 5 inch gun. It will still need to be enhanced with some loose rubble.


Motorboat in its' pocket and another 20mm platform. In the background you can see the liferaft I added to the funnel, and how a dirty "shadow" has been painted where others were hanging but have been removed.


And now it's time to start the airwing!

Cheers,

Marijn

[Devin]

I feel like a broken record (is that reference even valid anymore?) but that is some fantastic work. I especially love the highlights on the top edges of every single component. Just outstanding work.

You may have said somewhere, but I went through the thread and can't find it, but I'm curious as to why you cut down the underwater portion of the bow.

[Goodwood]

That is simply incredible work there, mate! You're taking it beyond the next level and setting a new benchmark, I think!

Seriously, take that whole dio to next year's U.S. IPMS Nationals and you'll rake in the awards...

[MartinJQuinn]

Your attention to detail - in both details and painting - is incredible. Terriffic work.

I really like how you did the degaussing cable. Did you have a drawing or just worked off photos?

[Angeliccypher]

Again this looks amazing!

[lost_texan]

This is absolutely incredible work. I can't wait to see what you can do with the air wing! I get excited everytime I see more posts on this thread to see what you've done now. Keep it up sir!


Brad

[marijn van gils]

Thanks a lot for the nice words everyone!

I especially love the highlights on the top edges of every single component.

Thanks Devin! They are a replacement of drybrushing: they complement the shading, and bring more definition and "true color" back into the model. But if not careful with drybrushing, it can give a "stony" appearance, while highlighting the top edges individually by brush doesn't and instead gives kind of "sparkle" to the model. And since a good drybrush job requires several passes with subsequently lighter colors, the technique of simply painting the highlights with a small brush in "wet" is not slower than dry brushing at all. I don't want to knock dry brushing though, I still love it as a technique for bringing out fine textures and groundwork effects for land-based dio's.

You may have said somewhere, but I went through the thread and can't find it, but I'm curious as to why you cut down the underwater portion of the bow.

Aha! That's because I plan to use watercolor paper for the seascape, and inserting the bulbous bow in the cutout of the paper would be difficult as it is wider than the hull at the waterline. So my most elegant solution: cut of the bow before the model got too detailed and fragile�
I will agree with the full-hull-modelpolice that it is very ugly like that! But no worries, it will of course under water on the dio.

Seriously, take that whole dio to next year's U.S. IPMS Nationals and you'll rake in the awards...

Thanks Goodwood! I have been to US shows in the past (twice to MFCA in Valley Forge), so I know how great they can be. I would love to go the the US Nationals, but I'm not sure that will happen next year. I'm going to the UK Nationals this year though, and really looking forward to it! The dio won't be ready by then I'm sure, so not for competition, but our club has a club stand where I can display it in progress. Mostly I'm looking forward to meeting other ship modelers and seeing their work in the flesh!

I really like how you did the degaussing cable. Did you have a drawing or just worked off photos?

Thanks Martin! No drawing available, so I worked of photo's which are often more reliable than drawings anyway (what sources did the drawer use, and how precise was he/she?). Some other models gave me a good hint how it should be (especially Chris Smithers' great 1/350th model), but I did always check photo's instead of just copying. Still some educated guesses were necessary, as photo's at this point in her career are scarce, especially from the bow.

I can't wait to see what you can do with the air wing!

Thanks Brad! Neither can I�

Thanks again everyone!

Marijn

[marijn van gils]

Hello everyone,

Slowly, progress is being made. The airwing is fully constructed (planes included in the Trumpeter kit + Flyhawk PE), as well as some deck equipment (Flyhawk PE). I airbrushed a basecoat on these yesterday, but took some pics before that:

F4F3:


F4F3 with "open" canopy:


TBD (I kept the wings separate for ease of painting):


TBD with "open" canopy:


SBD. The Flyhawk PE is really fantastic! The dive-brakes are even perforated, which is quite amazing if you consider the lenght of one dive-brake is about 3mm.


SBD with "open" canopy:



SBD, to be put upside down in the sea:


All 23 planes together:


And now the deck equipment!
Torpedo cart:


Jack:


Bomb wheelbarrows:


Two types of ladders:



Tractor:


Forklift:


And finally all deck equipment together, ready for painting:


All comments are welcome!
Only keep in mind those planes are only about 1,5cm long...

Cheers!

Marijn

[Stefano Salesi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh78T--ZUxY

LOVE the work on the airwing...the details on the SBD are stunning...i can't wait to see them painted!

[hypno7]

That is crazy nice! Unbelievable nice and clean airplanes... Are you going to fill up the canopies with some clear?

[Devin]

Nice work!

[Zad Fnark]

Gah....

That would make my eyes bleed.

I am so impressed.

Ed

[marijn van gils]

Thanks guys!

Are you going to fill up the canopies with some clear?

I would like to, but have some reservations. It might look sharper without, so I will try it our carefully first.

Cheers,

Marijn

[Devin]

You could leave them without the clear and call them studio scale models. They leave glass out of filming models to avoid glare from lighting.

[lost_texan]

That is amazing. I think I'm doing good just getting the landing gear and plastic propellers on without breaking anything. You have taken 1/700 aircraft to a new level. I too can't wait to see em painted!

Brad

[GazzaS]

I'm so impressed with everything you've done! But I think your magnificent deck gear has scared me away from aircraft carriers.

[marijn van gils]

Many thanks guys!

That's a good idea Devin!
My first concern here is finesse and its' impact on the total scale look of the model. The openings are so tiny (the largest ones are barely 1mm) that the lack of glass is not very apparent, but too tick glass might stick out like a sore thumb. On the other hand, adding "glass" would contrast better with the open cockpits more obvious and make these more obvious. Only thing I can do is try it out...

But I think your magnificent deck gear has scared me away from aircraft carriers.

Thanks, but it really shouldn't. The Flyhawk PE is very well designed and works quite easily. The tractors consist only of 4 pieces, the forklift 3, and the other items just 1 or 2. Bending is easy with good tweezers, and I didn't do anything but assemble the items from the set according to the instructions. It is small, but much easier than the results might make you believe, and I can really recommend this set.

Cheers,

Marijn

[Goodwood]

This is just an idea I've had now, reading your most recent post marijm, but perhaps you could try applying Future (or PVA canopy glue) with a very thin brush (or a toothpick) to the window panes, forming a sort of film that might dry in time? Naturally you would do this after all the painting and decaling (plus flat coat, wash, etc.), but given how such material behaves, it might just be possible to get a glass effect that wouldn't be too heavy-handed?

Again, just some food for thought.