The Ship Model Forum

Just a note: On the Texas pictures, if you noticed the two-cable(bar) railing on the main deck, it was changed in 1944(not sure which refit) from three to two..I believe post DDay/SFrance invasion prior to going to the Pacific, though I think I've seen pictures during D-day with it having two

Hi Randy:

Outstanding workmanship and attention to detail! Very nicely done all around. The Photo's of the focsl on the Texas really bring to home the wildcat handles and the brake wheels are set up and how they engage the wildcats (captstans). Great shots and they offer lots of ideas. I am in the final throes of the superstructure, I had to cut about an 1/8 to 3/16ths off the forward portion of the foreward tripod mast to get the platforms to sit level. I would dry fit to ensure a good fit and alignment.
The hose reels on the casemate bulkheads really look the business Randy, great job! The little details on the anti torpedo blister certainly add interest to that portion of the model. At the rate you're going you will be done in no time.

Current progress. All sub assemblies just sitting in place. All additions and current corrections in the raw. Some thicker structures a sandwich of plexiglass and styrene. I keep finding small errors in the drawings such as with the vents between the hangar doors, which need correction, and the MK 38 directors are the earlier type where mine are the correct later square back version.

Cheers: Tom

Tom,

Looking really nice! The details are adding up - giving it an extra appeal. Sometimes, with limited references available, it's hard to know which modification of a certain equipment type to model. Ships seem to be a fluid situation - pick a date and hope you represent it correctly.

Hank

Hello Tom:

This is coming along nicely. As Hank said, ships aren't static, very kinetic. I am looking forward to seeing your progress.

Tom,
I can't agree more with the others! Your ship is looking really nice. I like how your work has the clean appearance. keep up the good work!
-Randy

Sometimes a step forward, sometimes not. As was correctly pointed out my Mk 37 directors with the cockpit for the slewing sight are correct for CB2, but not Alaska. The genesis of this? I used the same MK 37 master that I used for Missouri.

Cheers: Tom

Here you go, two versions, available now on Shapeways, both in 1/192 and 1/200.

Unshielded:
http://www.shapeways.com/product/HGA6H8 ... d=57531079

Shielded director position ("cockpit"):
http://www.shapeways.com/product/GJD66H ... d=57533558

Steve,

Those look very nice, indeed! Looks like you've got the basics down extremely well. Good Job!

Hank

I did order the appropriate Mk 37 and Mk 32 items for my Alaska. Will be interesting to see if 3D printing is "there" yet. Minor progress today on 20 mm gun tubs on pedestals to be placed along the sides of the main deck. These aren't too bad, of greater challenge is to construct the ones on the main deck without forming them around a base plate, which would cover the scribed wooden decking? Not sure how to pull that off as yet. It might be that brass will work better for this than Styrene as it will not try to spring back and stays formed.

Cheers: Tom

Okay folks:

I made some progress albeit of the one step forward two back kind. While making a diagram for a rigging pattern using the foretop and yard arms, I pressed down too hard and snapped the starboard yard arm off. Reapplying it the alignment was off a tad, throwing the thing off, I didn't notice it until I put it on the tripod, I wasn't about to change it as it was on pretty good. So here it is in this picture, with eyelets for the signal halyards.


I added the third light to the foretop and filled the windows with Testor's canopy cement.



The starboard flag locker. I used eyelets and tubes to attach the line. I used EZ line for the rigging.


The port flag locker.

In Jeff Sharp's build he shows a photo of an antenna trunk near the conning tower. This is my version of that. The line from this attaches to the line coming off the foretop to the Jack staff.

And the aft end of the superstructure. From here I will move on to the hull and start working on that.

This was all very time consuming and pain staking work. I used WEM and Eduard PE. I am not happy with the way the halyards turned out, but, I am not going to change them, they don't look that bad in person and I will probably attach some flags as well. I should have been more careful in my spacing of the eyelets in the yards. Oh well, lesson learned for the next one.
Thanks for looking.

Mark,

I dispute our argument with yourself - you've done a very impressive job with all this!! However, I CAN attest to the difficulty in working with these tiny parts - I am also in this situation, as well.

Your radio antenna truck is very good - I'm toying with leaving the ones on NJ as they are or redoing them to be closer to a better photo I finally came up with last week. Of course this is all scratchmade so the accuracy is mine alone.

I lost almost 50% of the buckles/tubes to the carpet monster last week while trying to assemble turnbuckles. My 2nd order came in this week so I have more to "try to lose" this week!! I have put down a white backing on the workbench as you mentioned to me - much easier to see the parts. I've also drawn up a drawing showing the fan antenna array that I need to make for each of the foremast upper yardarms. I'm still not overly happy with the EZ line and it's stretchability - but for lack of other very fine sources, will persevere with it.

The signal flag boxes on NJ are somewhat different than yours - I may have to go back thru ref. mat'ls and try to find any photo of the main flag boxes that would show the tie-off bar in the front - I should have thought of this prior to installing these boxes on the deck. Now, it will be a bit of a job to add them; but not impossible - just difficult.

Keep up the fantastic work - this is turning out really nice!

Hank

Thanks Hank for stopping by and your comments. Yes, EZ line can be anything but EZ. I almost tossed it out the first time I tried it, and the Eyelets and buckles, I gave up on those the first try. An optivisor made all the difference in the world and I wouldn't use anything else but. The EZ line just takes time and practice. It definitely is fiddly and a lot of modelers don't like it. I have gotten used to it's particular peculiarities. I also have two good sets of tweezers as well and have gotten fairly good at using both hands to work with the stuff. Working with 1/32nd scale WWI aircraft helped a lot. For the railing on the flag box, you could put an eyelet on either end and run a piece of thin brass wire or other wire through it. You can increase the size of the eyelet by holding it down on the matt with your finger tip and using a stick pin as a marlinspike you can open up the opening quite a bit to take more line or a piece of rod. Sometimes we just have to sacrifice a bit of accuracy for expediency.

Take care

Mark,

Oh yea - the Optivisor is already in Place!! Even with it, it's still difficult to manipulate those parts. Tweezers - I've got various to pick from - some good in this case, others not so much. I also have plenty of spare/waste PE, brass, plastic, you name it in the parts bin for making retaining rods for the flag boxes.

Currently workbench cleanup is in progress before I get back to the model - it has become a pigpin and something had to give

Hank

Hank:

I may have photos of Missouri's tie off rail, though it is difficult to tell wether that is mostly used as a lashing for the canvas cover. Currently there is a "hitching rail" just forward several feet but not sure that was there in prior days.

With Alaska I spent the day yesterday mostly making 20 mm gun tubs for the main deck. Fairly tedious but I did begin to obtain a technique.

Good luck with the carpet monster!

Cheers: Tom

Tom,

Thanks - I do have the photo with the "hitching rail" - obviously a modern addition. The original had a tie-off rod secured to the front upper edge of the box that was something like 6" or so out from the box. I've just gone thru NavSource - NOTHING at all that shows the fronts of the signal boxes.

I do have a photo of the front of the bags and will look for it tonight.

Cheers: Tom

Mark, your 'Zona is looking quite nice! I'm posting some pictures of signal flag boxes I pulled from the mostly NavSource but some from Time/Life pics(USS Maryland)

The first is of the Arizona..

Ok after resizing, a later Pennsylvania outside view. Tarp cover

The first photo is attributed to the Arizona, but what year version is unknown. The flag "box" unit is perpendicular to the keel whereas I've always seen it at an angle. The other pictures suggest (at least on the Maryland) that the signal halyards were tied off behind them and they untied the line and clipped it on the locker to build the message.