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PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 6:00 pm 
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Weekly Log #9

Thanks Larry and Jeff! I'm only just getting started, hope I can keep my mojo up or at least see this one to the bitter end. :wave_1:

I didn't get much done this week, was too busy exploring the strange alien planet of Utah...

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... and pondering the mysteries of the ancient ones:

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Took the whole family on a whirlwind camping tour of the 4 corners region and we had a blast. We're really lucky to live within a half-day's drive of some really cool places on the planet! :big_grin:

Back to business... since I'm doing a weekly progress log there's bound to be some ugly stuff on the log and this is one of those weeks. I'm generally following the kit instructions to keep myself organized; that means I'm still stuck on step #3. Unfortunately my Bissy is a wee bit more complicated than Trumpeter envisioned, making step #3 a hell of a box to get X'ed out:

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Got the hull, so next is getting the main level of the superstructure knocked out. This means tons of modifications/upgrades which will probably keep me busy for a while.

I'm focusing on the forward half of the superstructure for now and getting it prepped before I absolutely plaster it with PE. I also needed to modify the spray shields near the 3 large vents below the bridge as the upper shields hadn't been added yet for the time frame I'm building Bissy. Finally, I needed to wipe away some seams and integrate some crucial PE bits into the main superstructure before I moved forward.

Here's that mess I promised:

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On the back end, I added a large PE plate that adds additional detail to the deck outside the forward seaplane hangars. I don't want it to look like a PE "sticker" was just slapped on so I'm taking additional steps to integrate it better like inletting the PE into the deck at the same level as the plastic and puttying the edges:

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I made my alterations to the spray shields; I intend to blend this mess into 1 seamless superstructure area:

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I had hoped to be able to paint and install the PE "wooden" grates on the deck in this area separately but I also wanted to integrate the little rectangular crew (watch?) boxes into the superstructure like the real ship instead of just sticking them on behind the thick plastic baffles like the kit instructs so I'm just gonna have to mask/paint the grates in situ to make it all work.

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Finally I had to think ahead to the wooden deck area; the Scaledecks deck seems to be intended to be laid down with the next higher level of superstructure sat directly on top of the overlapping wood but that wouldn't work here. So, I got my trapezoid superstructure piece sanded/squared up and used it as a guide to cut the deck to size before I glued the superstructure sections together permanently:

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Now I can glue the deck down at my leisure after I'm done with the superstructure so it doesn't get all marred up while I do all this "dirty work".

Work goes on! :wave_1:

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Current Project: 1/200 Bismarck


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PostPosted: Sun Oct 14, 2018 7:06 pm 
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Nice work, Jason. I can't believe the amount of planning ahead one has to do when building one of these behemoths. It's like playing chess, and I suck at chess!

Oh, and by the way - great pictures of the scenery out there. I love that area.

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Completed: 1:200 USS Missouri (Monster Mo)
Next project: Definitely NOT another big ship!!


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:33 am 
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steinerman wrote:
Nice work, Jason. I can't believe the amount of planning ahead one has to do when building one of these behemoths. It's like playing chess, and I suck at chess!

Oh, and by the way - great pictures of the scenery out there. I love that area.


I tell ya, the plotting and planning for this build has taken more of my time than actual construction, being that I'm trying to fix accuracy issues and am throwing several different brand PE kits/additions into the mix. It's very easy to get overwhelmed and throw your hands up in frustration, especially when your planning inevitably comes up short and new issues keep popping up.

I did not expect my wood deck to fit so poorly and require tons of extra work for example, and test-fitting the second level deck pieces is turning out to be just as problematic.

I've also realized I have a first-release Pontos set that is loaded with instruction errors and is missing some PE, upping the PITA factor as well.

Oh well, guess it's all just part of the fun. :eyebrows:

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:40 am 
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Don't know if you have seen this but there are some fantastic high resolution shots of the bridge/funnel section.
http://3dhistory.de/wordpress/3d-models ... -high-res/


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 2:10 pm 
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Cannonball wrote:
Don't know if you have seen this but there are some fantastic high resolution shots of the bridge/funnel section.
http://3dhistory.de/wordpress/3d-models ... -high-res/


Yep, I've seen it. Good info, wish I could buy the 3d model for a few bucks and "fly" around it myself.

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 2:56 pm 
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What a gigantic undertaking! The work done so far is first class! The shape of the hull looks so right to me.


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 11:17 am 
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zs180 wrote:
What a gigantic undertaking! The work done so far is first class! The shape of the hull looks so right to me.


Thanks!

The hull isn't perfect but I'm happy with how it turned out and think it's at least a couple steps closer to the original ship's lines than what is provided with the kit.

Most enjoyable to me is how the modified hull helps make the build more my own "artistic impression" of the ship than the work of nameless overseas factory designers and a big injection molding machine... helps me feel more like an "artist" than an "assembler". :wave_1:

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 11:55 am 
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Really like your work on the seam between the superstructure levels on the front. About 98% people building this class leaves the seams unattended!

Also the backside should be seamless near the boat/plane houses which usually complicates matters even more!


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 12:42 pm 
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Great looking work! Someday I'll get around to my Bismarck instead of letting it sit then the closet forever. I might even paint "as sunk" with yellow turret tops. Should look interesting to say the least.

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1:350 U.S.S. Chicago SSN-721

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 2:32 pm 
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Koppalakki wrote:
Really like your work on the seam between the superstructure levels on the front. About 98% people building this class leaves the seams unattended!

Also the backside should be seamless near the boat/plane houses which usually complicates matters even more!


Hey, I did promise this was gonna be a Bismarck build like no other! :tongue: But yep, I've noticed the same thing out in internet land. I did the same seam job on my first Bissy 5 years or so back but I haven't seen anyone else do it... which is strange to me because it's not that hard of a workaround to accomplish. The Trumpeter instructions do guide you down a path of building these sections separately so maybe that's why.

I do have a plan to wipe away those backside seams between superstructure levels too; for now I'm thinking I'll build the superstructure up to the level of the main bridge floor (with the PE "grates") and build the upper forward superstructure from the bridge "block" up separately, eventually leaving me one seam in the otherwise finished sections that I can mask off and smooth out + paint before I permanently install the funnel/forward seaplane garages.

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 16, 2018 2:38 pm 
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hondaman117 wrote:
Great looking work! Someday I'll get around to my Bismarck instead of letting it sit then the closet forever. I might even paint "as sunk" with yellow turret tops. Should look interesting to say the least.


Thanks!

The nice thing about model kits is they don't have expiration dates so there's nothing wrong with waiting for the opportune time to start one. For me anyway, it's pretty much mandatory to get a pretty good fire burning in my belly for one of these big projects before I can really commit and get sucked into it for months at a time. :thumbs_up_1:

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 5:25 am 
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Mine has been sitting in the garage for a wee while but as I had not touched anything like this since my earlier years I thought it best to have a trial run on the bonus turret, the first thing I learnt is that I need a lot of bright light and then some fine grade abrasive sheet for the flashing. The needle applicator on the Revell adhesive is fantastic compared to the old style tubes of glue. If I knew how to post photos I would start another thread.

Keep up the good work.


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:03 pm 
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Thought I'd add some more mid-week progress...

Nearly ready to start on the superstructure detail PE, although it's taking some time to get the forward superstructure base up to snuff first:

I reinstalled the AA gun platform extensions with a raised "line" on the deck surface a la the real ship and added new support girders underneath:

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... did A LOT of sanding and a couple coats of primer:

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...and will hopefully get everything else installed and ready for final paint by the start of next week. Lots of extra work but I think it will be worth it in the end. :wave_1:

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 2:51 pm 
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...and I screwed up! All that effort to get those little "phone booths" by the bridge installed and it turns out they weren't there until after the Jan '41 refit. That's after the time I'm modeling Bissy. Guess they've gotta come off now. :frown_2:

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 3:40 am 
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Channell wrote:
...and I screwed up! All that effort to get those little "phone booths" by the bridge installed and it turns out they weren't there until after the Jan '41 refit. That's after the time I'm modeling Bissy. Guess they've gotta come off now. :frown_2:


I'm afraid you're right. Bummer.

Bismarck in Kiel September 1940.

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PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2018 6:54 pm 
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Weekly log #10

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Wow, 10 weeks into this build already! I haven't been counting hours but I'm sure its a lot by now.

This time I resolved the time-frame accuracy issue and deleted the "phone booths" (seriously, that's what Pontos calls 'em in the instructions :lol_spit_1:):

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I had glued them in a little too well and mangled the little guys getting them out.

Patching the holes:

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On the plus side I can now paint the PE grates plate separately like I wanted, so I pulled it up and stripped off the overly thick primer I laid down earlier.

The rest of my focus was on on the deck area behind Turret Bruno. I wanted to better integrate the AA gun "fences" here which necessitated putting the deck down a bit early. The deck veneer did not fit quite right (was slightly too wide on the Port side and too narrow to the Starboard, leaving the plastic underneath visible on the the edge close to the turret) so I ended up doing what I did on the maindeck; lining the deck edges with .010 x .030 styrene strip and trimming the wood veneer to fit flush with the styrene edging. Later the bottom edge of the PE rails can be used as the raised superstructure edge.

It seems pretty standard for builders of this kit to just throw the AA gun "fences" on top last after painting them separately but I wanted to make them look more like the real ship so as usual, I'm taking the more complicated road. As it would be tough to mask them after installation I went ahead and painted the dark "baseboards" and final hull color in this area before putting down the deck veneer and installing the fences. A little tip for parts like this... often times on Trumpeter kits the shields/fences don't quite touch the superstructure walls like they should. Rather than making a putty mess, it's easy to glue a little piece of styrene strip (of appropriate thickness) to the end and carve/sand it after the glue cures, giving you low-hassle clean and seamless ends to your "fences" :smallsmile:

I had some extra paint in the bowl so I went wild and painted everywhere on the superstructure where there would be a "baseboard" to mask off... I'll probably have to do it again as more sanding is needed in places but that's why there's lots of black overspray.

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The "fence" overhangs the main level of the superstructure with a bottomless floor as it comes from the kit so I added styrene to the edges... after the glue dried I then trimmed and sanded it to profile.

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When I'm done there should be no seam; there is also some PE conduit line that will go through this area.

Finally, made a start on the PE, but only got these three vents built and installed before I couldn't see straight anymore and figured it was time to quit for now. Those louvered vents are a PITA to do!

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Funny, I thought I could get all the PE on this section and be ready for final paint this weekend... it's taking a bit longer than I imagined but only work and bills have deadlines to meet and this project ain't one of those... I figure it's better to take my time and do it right, even if I'm not making enough scale modeling eye candy for the week. Hopefully, the "down and dirty" weeks like this help show how I get to a nice looking end-product. (and hopefully I do get a nice end-product! :big_grin:)

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Until next time! :wave_1:

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Current Project: 1/200 Bismarck


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 12:34 am 
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looking good, Jason. Too many people here seem to avoid talking about or showing their goofs or problems. All modelers know better - there are periods where things look a real mess and if you had your drothers, you'd drother people not see them. But that what real model building is. Thanks for showing us real life, not just the beautiful end result.

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Completed: 1:200 USS Missouri (Monster Mo)
Next project: Definitely NOT another big ship!!


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 2:54 am 
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:thumbs_up_1: great work


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PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 8:43 am 
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Thanks Mick!

steinerman wrote:
looking good, Jason. Too many people here seem to avoid talking about or showing their goofs or problems. All modelers know better - there are periods where things look a real mess and if you had your drothers, you'd drother people not see them. But that what real model building is. Thanks for showing us real life, not just the beautiful end result.


If nothing else it makes for great (free) entertainment! :heh:

... but yeah, I agree. I love me some jaw dropping scale model eye candy too, but seeing how the modeler got there is even more interesting.

Hopefully it's interesting to watch my project progress too, even though I'm no expert at this game. My strategy is mostly just being a big spender on aftermarket do-dads and to do stuff over and over again until I think it looks "right". :big_grin:

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Current Project: 1/200 Bismarck


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 24, 2018 6:05 pm 
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More mid-week progress, here are the results of a fairly enjoyable day of building:

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I also did a little more fine shaping of the superstructure "trapezoid" section and sharpened up the corners of the rest + yet more primer. I have also been trimming and adding holes behind the grilles before gluing them on; the theory is that it will keep paint from clogging 'em up and add some depth to the project, but it remains to be seen if it's actually worth it or not.

Here's a pic for size comparison:

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1/200 is big for model ships but it's still pretty dang small. :wave_1:

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Current Project: 1/200 Bismarck


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