1/200 Scale Group Build from 2015-17

[Fliger747]

Shape ways seems to pack things pretty well. The only design change might be to make it a separate part or just provide a centered socket for a user provided piece. A while back someone 3D printed all the light AA for his 1/72 Yamato, amazing fairy like detail but he did mention it was too fragile to dust.

Cheers. Tom

[BB62vet]

ModelMonkey wrote:

Regarding the Mk.56 Directors, Shapeways tells me that the small antenna on the radar dish won't survive handling and shipping, although it is printable. I may have to remove it from the design and leave that detail to the modeler to make and install.

I have thickened the antenna a bit to 0.7mm in diameter as requested by Shapeways in the hopes that Shapeways will give it a try.


I'd pay a little extra for shipping just so they could tape the part somehow to a piece of card stock...

I too would also pay a bit more for the shipping - Steve, let Shapeways know that the printer should include the antenna - have them test out the thicker version before removing it from the assembly. I can understand that fragility is a part of this process, but if just one of those could be shipped...give it a shot!!

Hank

[Channell]

Very nice work going on here!

Seems I can't let this time of year go by without doing my part to keep Trumpeter in business:



Besides, I couldn't pass up buying the ONLY Trumpy 1/200 kit that *might* have an accurately shaped hull. No, I'm not gonna find out for sure, but a cursory comparison with historic pics of the Nelson/Rodney shows no obvious, glaring problems with the shape of the kit hull. It seems the Nelson/Rodney hull was every bit as weird, awkward and tanker-like as the typical Trumpeter kit hull is!

Anyway, this one was on my wish list since it was announced so it was destined to find it's way into my stash one way or another. I also got the new Pontos HMS Nelson detail set.

I'm a bit torn... can't decide whether I should get back to work on the Iowa or start fresh on the Nelson. As the Iowa is my favorite ship I really wanna do her proud and feel like my modeling skills could be improved on... so putting that build off to work on something else would give me a chance to restart it on a higher plane of existence (since I might get old and die before I finish it ).

As far as the Nelson goes, I DO think it's an interesting subject and I could aim for a relatively mod-free build focusing on quality of assembly rather than fretting over fixing/adding every possible detail of real ship. I thought this would be a less ambitious subject than the Iowa but now that I have the kit+ Pontos set in hand I can see that it's every bit as complicated and scary as the Iowa/Missouri, if not even more so, believe it or not! (The Nelson at the end of the war had more AA guns than the Iowa/Missouri).

Anyway, Summer is just about done and I'm well-rested from my "hobby vacation". My model shipyard will get reactivated in the next couple weeks...

[tegunn]

Nice to see you back Jason. Eventually we're going have to change the group title build to 2016!

[Goodwood]

Welcome back, Jason!

My Nelson build has stalled, so you may as well carry on the torch! Especially since you're using a detail set.

And I agree�if you want to make the Iowa your "best model ever," then it pays to have another to practice your techniques on.

[BB62vet]

Jason,

Welcome back, as well!!! Quite a few really nice projects going on here.

Hank

[Fliger747]

This does seem to be more of a winter seasonal hobby. The only reason I have gotten anything done on Alaska is I can go home of low cloudy days when we are not flying. Bits and chocks have been keeping me busy, on a scratch project there are a lot of the little gentleman to scratch up.

Cheers. Tom

[Mgunns]

Hi Jason:

Welcome back. Good luck on your Nelson Project. I am a bit stalled on my Arizona. I am not happy with the way the hull has turned out and I am going to do my "spare".

Look forward to your updates on the Nelson.

[ModelMonkey]

Jason, your work always pleases!

[Fliger747]

Jason! Welcome back, new projects and all. Perhaps it is the camera angle and focal length but the nelson doesn't look a nominal 10,000 tons lighter. Always amazing at how low the HP requirements were for the low twenty something knots battleships. Often no more than a Destroyer might have.

Quite interesting to read about the various battleship treaty negotiations in which the grandfathering of the Nelson and Rodney played such an important part.

Cheers: Tom

[Channell]

Yea I was surprised... I know very little about the Nelson class and was expecting something more Arizona-sized but DAMN they were big, lumbering (and heavily armed) ladies. Guess there's a good reason a ship like the Bismarck was sent to the bottom after ending up on the wrong end of Rodney's guns.

Still not quite as big as an Iowa, though:

[BB62vet]

Jason wrote:

Guess there's a good reason a ship like the Bismarck was sent to the bottom after ending up on the wrong end of Rodney's guns.

Jason,

Um....NO - BISMARK (leaking oil from previous damage by HMS Prince of Wales) was disabled by British Swordfish biplanes dropping torpedoes which damaged her port rudder and two days later she was finished off by various Royal Navy topedoes and gunfire, ultimately scuttled by her crew.

Hank

[tweety777]

If you take into account that Tirpitz was sunk by bombs so powerful that they made craters like a meteorite has struck a mountain whilst creating an earthquake the 406mm guns of Rodney sound quite a bit under powered to really sink the Bismarck but still they tried very well along with King George V and they have damaged Bismarck so much along with the torpedo's that trying to save Bismarck was not at all worth trying.

Greetings Josse

[Channell]

Jason wrote:

Guess there's a good reason a ship like the Bismarck was sent to the bottom after ending up on the wrong end of Rodney's guns.

Jason,

Um....NO - BISMARK (leaking oil from previous damage by HMS Prince of Wales) was disabled by British Swordfish biplanes dropping torpedoes which damaged her port rudder and two days later she was finished off by various Royal Navy topedoes and gunfire, ultimately scuttled by her crew.

Hank

True, Rodney wouldn't have caught up to Bismarck without the lucky rudder hit and the Swordfish might not have caught up to the Bismarck were it not for a round from Prince of Wales that pierced Bismarck's bow... but when it was Rodney's turn, she fired 340 16" rounds and 716 6" rounds at Bismarck, as well as torpedoes (the only time in history a battleship hit another battleship with torpedoes), scoring many, MANY hits, absolutely decimating the Bismarck and turning her superstructure into a burning meat-market of carnage and horror.

Besides that, Bismarck's guns were fully operational as the RN closed in for the final battle; Bismarck did fight back but her guns were quickly knocked out without scoring a single hit. I'm afraid the legend of the Bissy's immense power are a wee bit overstated.

I tend to agree the Bismarck's crew scuttled her in the end, probably to escape the RN's merciless barrage (it's gotta be the reason Bismarck's hull is in one piece instead of piles of unidentifiable twisted wreckage like virtually every other battleship sunk in combat) but that hardly matters in the end as it was the RN... and in large part the Rodney who ended Bismarck as a weapon of war and Bissy was going down no matter what.

[BB62vet]

Yes, it was RODNEY, not NELSON involved w/BISMARK. I keep getting them mixed up. They all look alike

Hank

[Mgunns]

Okay folks:

This doesn't seem like much progress, but; I almost put this aside as I thought the "Strakes" were too overstated, after some sanding and painting the hull (FINALLY) I think it looks alright. I would have preferred them to be less overstated, but overall I think they will look fine. The next step is the Artwox deck and then on to some more real progress.
It looks like the boot topping is taking a dip about half way down, however when looking at it, it isn't apparent.



I added the fuel line and the little odd shaped fueling "station" on the aft end of the ship.

I don't think I will attempt another 1/200 Ship model, too unwieldy and they take up a lot of space and a lot of paint: But....

[robertmelvin]

I might have to eat these words if Trumpy (or somebody, anybody) comes out with a 1/200 CV-6, but till then, for me, and the room I have available to display, too damned big for a capital ship. Now, a DD or a DE might be just the ticket. I found the 1/144 Fletcher to be a bit unwieldy to work with, so a good compromise between size and manageability. There are a lot of good candidates among the "little boys" for a 1/200 kit, like the Samuel B. Roberts, or the Hoel, just to name two.

Bob Melvin

[Fliger747]

Bismarck's armor was very much on the pattern of the WWII DKM Battlecruisers. As such everything at or slightly above the waterline was well protected, most things above not so well protected, and optimized for short range encounters. Prince Of Whales 14" defeated the side protective system at longer range, flooding an evap room. The fire control system was knocked out early in the exchange, most likely by 8" cruiser fire. As a floating body she survived well, as a warship, not.

Sodak in the second naval battle of Guadalcanal was reduced in effectiveness by similar soft kills but had no penetrating of any main armor. Krishima, armored along the lines of Alaska, quickly wilted under the the tender ministrations of Washington.

T

[Mgunns]

There was an interesting article in PROCEEDINGS several years ago about the Bismarck. One of the things the author mentioned was the lack of sea trials for the Bismarck. One of the things found out early on was that the fire control system was susceptible to failure by the firing of the main guns. The concussion would cause them damage. I don't recall all the details of the article, but the author did extensive research into the Bismarck and found out it wasn't quite the terror it was made out to be. Probably a lot of propaganda and fear mongering, especially early in the war like that, where it was a viable threat. Another one of the things he discovered was how the Captains major concern was the result of rudder failure and the inability of the ship to stear using the screws alone.

[tegunn]

Bismarck's armor was very much on the pattern of the WWII DKM Battlecruisers. As such everything at or slightly above the waterline was well protected, most things above not so well protected, and optimized for short range encounters. Prince Of Whales 14" defeated the side protective system at longer range, flooding an evap room. The fire control system was knocked out early in the exchange, most likely by 8" cruiser fire. As a floating body she survived well, as a warship, not.

Sodak in the second naval battle of Guadalcanal was reduced in effectiveness by similar soft kills but had no penetrating of any main armor. Krishima, armored along the lines of Alaska, quickly wilted under the the tender ministrations of Washington.

T

"Tender ministrations"?! LOL