Model Monkey USS Portland CA-33 Superstructure

[Dan K]

FWIW, I have this pre-war shot which is listed in my notes as Indy off Hawaii in 1941

[Frank Fowler]

Some good information provided concerning the planking on the 01 level. I am going with planking. Also Steve, the plans JTrinja posted answers one of your questions concerning the backside of the 01 level showing two doors and one porthole. Even though these plans are after the 1943 refit, the doors and portholes at this location should not have changed so if you want, you should be able to add some detail there now. The plans also show an extension to the back of the 01 deck house supporting the 02 deck level. This extension was added in the 1943 refit so your drawing without it is correct for 1942. All side view photos I have of the ship in 1942 and before have this area open. Great job and thanks to everyone for helping with this project.

[ModelMonkey]

Great job and thanks to everyone for helping with this project.

Yes, indeed, thanks all for the comments and advice!

...The plans also show an extension to the back of the 01 deck house supporting the 02 deck level. This extension was added in the 1943 refit so your drawing without it is correct for 1942. All side view photos I have of the ship in 1942 and before have this area open.

Roger dodger! The clipping room was for Bofors, not Chicago Pianos.

Here's the 01 level planked with waterway and another view showing the addition of doors and a porthole on the aft side of the 01 level. The door on the aft side of the 02 level is just visible (thanks, JTninja!):

[taskforce48]

Steve,

One thing I noticed and you may already be planning this, but the forward facing window from the pilot house was devided into 3 panes. Otherwise it's looking great and I have my finger on the order button the second it pops up!

Thanks again for the great choice in subject and diligence to do it right!

Matt

[ModelMonkey]

Steve,

One thing I noticed and you may already be planning this, but the forward facing window from the pilot house was devided into 3 panes. Otherwise it's looking great and I have my finger on the order button the second it pops up!

Thanks again for the great choice in subject and diligence to do it right!

Matt

Thanks, Matt!

Regarding the panes, yes, the forward facing window is composed of three panes. Also notice that two of the three oblique window panels are composed of two panes. But, the panes and their small metal frames are not 3D printable, only the permanent structural supports that enclosed the panes are large enough to be printed.

Please see the photo below and note the difference between individually droppable panes and the structural supports. Compare the Portland photo with similar frames on USS Saratoga.

I can include structural supports where the small metal frames between panes are but they will be horribly out of scale and not replicate the panes' framing well. Thoughts?

[MatthewB]

Will that detail print in 1/700?

The reason I ask has to do with the recent PM I sent mentioning the USS SoDak's deck.

If you can get 1/700 planking, and Barbette details to print for the USS Indianapolis-Portland (Early-war), then I should have no problem just printing the wooden decks for the SoDak, and adding the relevant details in the 3D Model. This should reduce the need for PE detailing.

I can't wait for this to get finished, so that I can get my Portland for the First Guadalcanal in the "Water."

MB

[ModelMonkey]

Will that detail print in 1/700?...MB

Don't know yet. This project is definitely the pointy end of the model ship technological spear. Having said that, finer details have been easily printing in 1/700 so confidence is high.

[ModelMonkey]

Should be done by Sunday at the latest.

[Dan K]

If it can't be done, then know that PE ladder will fill in nicely for window frames.

[MatthewB]

Please Work! Please Work......

Will be starting a Thread soon on the work to convert the SoDak from the Post 1932 Outfit to the Pre-1943 outfit. I am doing everything from the deck up (and will be doing it WITH the wooden decking 3D printed if your Portland parts work with the decking. If not, I will be making the decking to work with a wooden decking (thinning the printed decking to leave room for the thickness of the wood).

But... Early-war Portland.... Early-war USS Portland!!!


MB

[Frank Fowler]

Steve, A couple of things not show in the drawing are the openings in each deck for the two poles supporting the two AA directors that are at the back of the 04 level. They would be half round at the back of the 04 level and full round openings in the 02 and 03 levels. The poles then flared into the back poles of the foremast tripod. The openings are shown on the Profile Morskie plans. Maybe you have not got to them yet. Can't wait to order and to see the other parts you are going to do for Portland.

I received the Lexington 1942 bridge island in both 1/700 and 1/350 and the 1936 Sara and Lex bridge islands in 1/700 today from Shapeways. Very nice. The only issue, and this is on all of them including the 1/350, the back outside pole for the tripod is pressed against the island wall and on each one it seems limp. Easy enough to replace with rod. The inside one is ok, but it has an extra platform that it goes through and this helps keep it in place. I think the way Shapeways packs things has a lot to do with the pole being smashed. They wrap the parts tight in bubble wrap and then stuff them in the zip lock bags that are sometimes too tight also.

[ModelMonkey]

Steve, A couple of things not show in the drawing are the openings in each deck for the two poles supporting the two AA directors that are at the back of the 04 level. They would be half round at the back of the 04 level and full round openings in the 02 and 03 levels. The poles then flared into the back poles of the foremast tripod. The openings are shown on the Profile Morskie plans. Maybe you have not got to them yet. Can't wait to order and to see the other parts you are going to do for Portland.

Yes, not yet designed. The poles will be included*.

I received the Lexington 1942 bridge island in both 1/700 and 1/350 and the 1936 Sara and Lex bridge islands in 1/700 today from Shapeways. Very nice. The only issue, and this is on all of them including the 1/350, the back outside pole for the tripod is pressed against the island wall and on each one it seems limp. Easy enough to replace with rod. The inside one is ok, but it has an extra platform that it goes through and this helps keep it in place. I think the way Shapeways packs things has a lot to do with the pole being smashed. They wrap the parts tight in bubble wrap and then stuff them in the zip lock bags that are sometimes too tight also.

Glad that you like them! And good to know that the rear tripod legs get beaten up during shipping. In that case, I will omit the lower tripod legs from Portland and leave them up to the modeler to fabricate and install. No need to pay for items the modeler has to replace anyway. The upper legs are probably needed to support the foretop during printing so I will leave them. A lot of the features of the design are dictated by printing limitations (bulkhead and splinter shield thickness, omission of small details like dogs, hinges and rigols, etc.). I'm sure one day, all of that will be printable, including the railings and stanchions. But not yet.

*Right now, the design comes in at about 64.4MB with one small platform and two director support poles yet to design. Shapeways file size limit is 65MB. We'll see how the final design comes out and adjust if necessary.

[MatthewB]

Why not leave the legs off, print the Foretop as a separate piece, and just include guide-holes in the Foretop as a means to determine placement (if the rods for the tower do not fit, then they are positioned wrong.

It should be fairly easy to create a simple hole and receiver, angled, and with the correct diameter.

MB

[ModelMonkey]

Why not leave the legs off, print the Foretop as a separate piece, and just include guide-holes in the Foretop as a means to determine placement (if the rods for the tower do not fit, then they are positioned wrong.

It should be fairly easy to create a simple hole and receiver, angled, and with the correct diameter.

MB

Indeed. That's similar to how my Arizona and Pennsylvania superstructures are done, except they have no tops included.

But the problem here for the modeler becomes the director supports and how they merge with the foretop legs. I could leave those off, too.

Thoughts?

[SH Park]

Dear Steve

I think there is no radar control room in 1942.


From the 1942 Life Magazine photo of Portland.(January)



And I think changing 1.1 inch Chicago piano with round splinter shield before Battle of Midway or
Battle of Coral sea.

Thank you

Infini-model
Sang Hyun Park

[Frank Fowler]

Sang, The radar shack was added in February 1942 at Mare Island. There is a group of three photos taken on February 7, 1942. There is scaffolding in this area and the structure is visible. I would guess that this when Portland received its first radar. Also, the gun you have pointed out is a 3 inch 50 cal. Portland had four of these prior to the February 1942 refit. During the refit she received the four 1.1 inch replacing the 3 inch guns.

[aptivaboy]

Hi,

Those life photos date to about January, 1942, so she hadn't yet had her February Mare Island refit where a lot of changes took place. The photo with the SOCs is definitely from that time frame. Note that they haven't yet totally painted out the ship's name on their fuselages - it was still way to early in the war. I sent that exact photo to aviation author Tom Doll and he confirmed the rough date based upon the SOC markings - he's a paint and markings guy and has written several books on the subject, so if anyone would know it would be him. The Measure 1 paint also suggests a super early pre-refit date. A lot would change just a month later.

Bob

[Finland's Jonne]

Portland??

I have 2 Indianapolis-kits, my target is building the Indy and Portland!

Great news! I will ordering Portland Superstructur, too!

[Frank Fowler]

Steve, I think the idea of putting a brace between the two legs that the modeler can remove is the best solution if that is possible. If the legs below the 02 level are left off it may be hard to line up replacements and get the supports for the AA directors flared into the main tripod supports.

[Jeff Sharp]

Her Navigation bridge also was teak planking.
http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/c1f32958fcf0b36b_large