Trumpeter 1/200 USS Missouri Build Log (Sept 2015 - ?????)

[steinerman]

Hey Mark, haven't you learned the #2 lesson of being married?

It's better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission!

[steinerman]

OhMyGawd!!! THIS THING IS HUGE!!!!!!!!!!

[robertmelvin]

Women! The just don't understand how hard it is to be a man! My ex could never wrap her brain around my hobby. She was jealous of the time I spent in my hobby room (I have learned that many women will compete with anything for your attention - and God help you if they don't win the competition) and resented every dime I spent on it. If I was taking food off the table I could understand, but I never spent more than I/we could afford. She referred to my time spent building as "playing with my toys".

I attempted to explain to her that as long as I was in my hobby room she didn't have to worry/wonder where I was and what I was doing. I wasn't drinking, I wasn't chasing other women, I wasn't playing poker. I also tried to explain to her that, yes, it might at first glance appear to be an expensive hobby, but when you amortize the cost of the kit, add ons, supplies, etc., of the weeks, months, sometimes years, it took to build up a ship, it was actually a pretty good deal for your entertainment dollar, and at the end, you had something to show for it (I display my ships in my office). Well, I might as well have been arguing the point with a possum.

Ah, for the by-gone days of yesteryear! Now I'm single, live alone (and like it), have an even better hobby room and buy any damned kit or after market I can afford and want. Which brings me to thinking about model ships and women. A model ship will never get jealous if you work on another model ship for a while. A model ship will never get mad at you if you forget the anniversary of the day you bought it. A model ship will never get mad if you decide to, say, read, rather than work on it. And last but not least, a model ship is always ready to bring you pleasure - they never get headaches.

I haven't been single in so long (20) years, that I'd forgotten what it was like. All in all, I'd have to say that once you get over the initial shock, and if the hellcat doesn't take everything you have, it ain't half bad.

Bob

[Goodwood]

Hey Larry, 'grats on the arrival of your plastic monster!

Personally, I think that we should all count ourselves lucky that women haven't decided that there needs to be more "diversity" in our hobby. Sure there are a few female modelers out there, and they're just as capable as us males at producing masterpieces, but no one has (yet) insisted that there needs to be more room for women�in other words, a feminist invasion into a hobby they're not really interested in anyway but want to be part of because it's "cool" to be thought of as a modeler (as opposed to a model, heh).

It has happened to video gaming, it has happened to comics, and this phenomenon has even invaded heavy metal culture.

[robertmelvin]

Goodwood, I think we may be safe in our clubhouse here. Yes, I'm sure there are some female ship modelers, some of them quite talented, but I'm a long way from feeling like David Crockett at the Alamo when Santa Anna's men poured over the North wall. I do occasionally dabble in wingy things, and it seems to me that there are more women there than there are into ships. Who knows why. Hey, we may be the last bastion of true maleness left. Maybe its a paint thing - "I don't want to paint it Kure Grey, I want to paint it teal." Actually, I would welcome some female ship modelers coming out of the closet and joining in. But, I'm not worried about being overrun just yet.

Bob

[Goodwood]

Neither am I, Bob, neither am I. Mostly, I was agreeing with you (in my own "special" way) that women are attention-seekers, and need to have some sort of constant reassurance; it's part of their nature. Men are more into models for the same reason we're more often in occupations like construction, engineering, the sciences and tech�men are creators and innovators by nature. There are outliers in both fields, of course, but there's a reason why those few matriarchal societies that exist on Earth are dirt poor and use 6,000-year-old technology.

But yeah, I've derailed this thread quite enough as it is. This is Larry's time to enjoy his plastic monstrosity, and our time to watch the fun.

[steinerman]

Well Sean, not a lot is going to happen until I get the ship plans from TFD and can start seeing if I can figure out a way to modify the Trumpy hull without going through all the contortions that Jason and Randy did. The bow seems like a fairly straightforward fix, but the stern is another matter. I sure don't relish cutting away a huge portion of this hull like Jason did, but I would like a more realistic stern contour. One thing for sure - I ain't nearly as anal as he is about this model!

Right now I'm cutting open all the little plastic bags, laying the parts sprues out on a black backdrop, and photographing them. They'll go on my Flickr account where I'm going to keep the pictures of my build. Yes, this is a big boat, but I'll tell you right now - there sure as hell are a lot of TEENY TINY parts that get glued to this beast.

My two Pontos detail kits are supposed to be here within the next couple weeks and then the worrying will begin in earnest! Once I get the hull glued together and can get a look at the size of this monster, I can start building the stand.

[steinerman]

Hey Bob, I forgot to ask you in one of my posts - you said you bought your ceramic tweezers in a "vape" shop. What the heck is a vape shop? I've been around the block a few times, but that's a new one on me. Care to enlighten this old fart?

[robertmelvin]

Hey Bob, I forgot to ask you in one of my posts - you said you bought your ceramic tweezers in a "vape" shop. What the heck is a vape shop? I've been around the block a few times, but that's a new one on me. Care to enlighten this old fart?

Larry, I'm sorry, I should have been more specific and clear. A "vape" shop is one of those shops that caters to people who have gone over to vapor e-cigarettes. They are about everywhere these days, from the smallest towns to the biggest cities. And, for any smokers out there who want to quit, they do work. I was a confirmed 4 pack a day man. Started using one of the vapor e-cigs and within two weeks had quit cigarettes entirely. I don't know how common it is to find those tweezers in a shop, mine just happened to have several pairs. You might have better luck on the internet searching under "e-cig supplies", or on evilbay. The tips are replaceable by the way. I've come to swear by the pair I bought.

And Goodwood, I agree, we have hijacked Larry's thread enough. This is his time to shine! And on that note, Larry I can't wait to see some pics, even if its just parts on trees. Welcome to the belly of the beast, my friend. Stay modeling!

Bob

[steinerman]

Greetings Gents,

I sprained my ankle yesterday afternoon and now I'm hobbling around like a 95 year old geezer who lost his cane. The lawn needs mowing, but it's not going to happen for a day or two.

Anywho - let's get one thing clear here. This AIN"T just my thread! Yeah, it's primarily about this monstrosity I bought, but it's also about you guys. Part of the fun is going to be getting to know others in this hobby like yourselves, which means that I'm saying right now that you can talk about anything your little heart desires. About the only thing that's off limits is nekked pictures of my wife - and if you have any I don't wanna know about it!

Seriously, getting to know you fellas is a big part of why I'm here. I'm also into virtual railroading on the computer and have been active on the train simulator forum for years. Many of the people there I've gotten to know well enough that I can truthfully call them friends. So don't be afraid of "hijacking" this thread. It's open to any and all topics, although if political fights break out I may have to rethink my stance. Comradery in a common hobby is vital, not only for trading knowledge and ideas, but for just plain adding to the fun and enjoyment of something we all like to do.

Now, I'm going to hobble into the iving room, flop down into the easy chair, put my ankle up, and watch a train video of freight trains fighting their way up Cajon Pass in Southern California.

Take care, gents

[steinerman]

OK, I finally got pictures of all the kit parts photographed and posted on my Flickr page. A lot of you already have this kit, but for those of you who don't - and want to see what you're getting into, here's the link to the parts - all 1,573 of them!!!!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/steiners_pics/albums

I found a new hobby shop today. It's on the other end of town from where I usually shop, but I decided to go check it out. I'm in love!!! It's not a large place, but they cater to plastic and RC modelers and they have a huge selection of tools and accessories, including tons of brass and styrene and a huge rack of paints! I can see I'm going to be in there a lot in the coming months.

I've come to a decision this week. Based on the pictures I'm seeing of this model that Kelly Quirk built, as well as Jason's comments of late, I've decided that I'm not going to try to modify my hull. I can't do what Randy did and I don't think I have the expertise to tackle what Jason did, so I'm just going to leave it as is. Kelly didn't modify his hull and yet he has a ship that any museum in the country would be proud to display. Why should I go to all that time and effort, not to mention running the risk of totally screwing up an expensive model, just to correct something that no one will ever see anyway? I'd rather spend my time putting more detail into the upper portion and making it as good as I possibly can. Yeah, you purists out there will probably be disappointed in me, but hey, it's a hobby, I want it to be fun, and I don't want to spend months and a lot of frustration trying to make this a perfect replica of the real thing.

Now, onto the build. HOW IN THE HELL DO YOU FIT THE ANCHORS INTO THE OPENINGS? You almost have to break the shanks to get them to fit right. Do I have to grind out the inside of the opening that much!

[Channell]

Not a bad choice Larry. The kit ain't perfect but it can still be built up into a masterpiece.

As for the hawsepipes...yea, there are still plenty of smaller scale improvements to tackle and this is one of 'em. You've either gotta grind out a bunch of plastic in the inside, break out the putty n' needle files and basically build the pipes from scratch like the real ship or literally break the anchor necks and "cheat" them into position. That's Chinese engineering for ya!

[steinerman]

Thanks Jason! I bought a tube of putty this afternoon and I already have a set of needle files!

Next Question: What do you folks use for the shaft couplings shown here? As near as I can tell, these aren't included in the Pontos kits.

Also, If I wanted to replace the molded doors and bulkheads in this kit with brass ones, would it be acceptable to use ones that are 1:192 scale? So far the only ones I have been able to find is a set from Tom's Modelworks that TFD sells. I can't seem to find any 1:200 anywhere. This is only a 4% difference and if I sand off the molded doors, I'm not sure it would make any significant difference. What do you think?

[Channell]

You'll also have to make the couplings if you want that detail... I made mine with a thick piece of tube in my scrap brass stash, a metal file and some quality time with a dremmel. You could also do 'em with evergreen styrene tube. The couplings are just a larger diameter tube than the props shafts with the ends milled down, a very easy scratch project. You might want to consider new bigger brass propshafts too as the shafts provided in the kit appear to be too small.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure the Pontos set includes replacement doors too.. they're just not mentioned on the instruction sheet. Otherwise, the 1/192 Tom's doors will work too and are very nice (I've used them before and have a couple frets of 'em myself).

[steinerman]

Thank you, Jason! I'd already decided to replace the shafts and I kinda assumed the coupling was a DIY project. Not a big deal

I appreciate you holding my hand here. Once I get going I should taper off with the questions.

[Channell]

No worries and happy to help. I wanna see more of these1/200 monsters get finished... maybe atone for being responsible for a couple of unfinished builds myself...

[BB62vet]

Jason Channell wrote:

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure the Pontos set includes replacement doors too.. they're just not mentioned on the instruction sheet.

This is correct - I found that out also when I was about half way thru the superstructure. No matter, in my case it worked out fine for extra doors on modified areas. Also, Pontos PE includes unnumbered Ports - open and covered. However, as I've already mentioned the port covers actually go on the INSIDE of the bulkhead not outside. I would leave those as is on the kit and not change/alter them.

Hope this helps,

[robertmelvin]

Dang, Larry, that is a LOT of model! Have you picked out a place to display it yet?

First of all, let me say up front that I am not building of these 1/200 monsters, nor do I plan to unless I weaken on the Hornet. That being said, just some general observations. That kit is definitely going to need some PE dressing up. Those bulkheads look pretty barren. Also, I wish they could have avoided the bob-nose job on the bow and given us a one piece hull. A one piece deck would have been nice as well, if it could be effectively molded at that size. For a kit that size and scale, the parts count is mind boggling. Have you considered not building it at all, just leave the box sitting by the TV so all your guests can look at it and go "DAMN!".

If you get a sensation of being followed, that's me following your Flickr account. I can't wait to see you start to work on that beast. Got my easy chair, popcorn and a beer ready to go. I hope you'll keep us a closely informed as you reasonably can, understanding that your primary objective is to build your model, not educate and entertain a bunch of yahoos. And to paraphrase Sheriff Brody in "Jaws", we're gonna need a bigger tube of putty! Actually, I hope not, for your sake.

I do want to take a moment to thank you for sharing your experience with us. Build threads are great to look at but they can be a PITA to do and definitely take time away from your real work. Its very generous of you to share your time like this.

Bob

[steinerman]

Evening Gents,

Monday is our day to volunteer at our local food pantry and we're usually dead tired when we get back home, so if I'm not making any sense or you see a whole string of the same letter you'll know I'm half asleep. (I actually did that once - at work no less! I was writing a manual in Word and all of a sudden I looked and had over two pages full of "P"'s.)

So, what's happening today? First off, Bob, I really think you ought to join us in building one of these monsters. The more, the merrier, eh? Actually, it really won't be as bad as it looks. Between the kit parts and the Pontos detail kits (which haven't arrived yet, by the way), everything is here, unlike the Scarab where I had to kitbash darn near everything under the cowling! Give it some thought - Hey, get it and your wife won't speak to you for a few days! That's reason enough, right?

Next, Tom, I want to complement you on your Arizona. What I see so far is nothing short of superb. You certainly have a lot of patience - not to mention talent. I hope my ship can look half that good.

Now, where was I? Well, the two 10-packs of 0.3mm drill bits that I ordered came today. I didn't know they made anything that small! Good grief, one good sneeze would break them in two! I sure hope 20 is enough!. Like I said, I'm still waiting on my 2 Pontos Detail Kits. Also, my plans from TFD haven't arrived yet either. I'm not going to do a lot until I have the plans in hand, and I can see what's actually in the detail kits.

I did buy a book, "Super Drawings in 3D" by Stefan Draminski, published by Kagero. The reviews on Amazon said it was invaluable for building a model of this ship. I will say, there are tons of detail in it but, all the photos are of a 3D model and I don't know how accurate it is. By the time you absorb it all, there's not much of the ship you don't know.

One of the reasons I wonder about the accuracy is something Hank said in his post above. He said: ....However, as I've already mentioned the port covers actually go on the INSIDE of the bulkhead not outside. I would leave those as is on the kit and not change/alter them.. But, in looking at the detail of the foreward tower, I see the port covers on the outside. Frankly, I'd tend to believe Hank, rather than some 3D model made in Poland. I hope the TFD plans clears this up.

Right now I'm putzing with the anchors. I want to get them positioned before I glue the two halves of the prow together as it'd be more difficult to do afterwards. I hope this isn't indicative of Trumpeter engineering - there's no way in hell these anchors will fit without kitbashing something! No wonder China's economy is on a downward slide!!!

My plan is to fit these babies into place, then remove them, glue the two halves of the bow and attach it to the rest of the hull. Once that's done I'll make new brass prop shafts, turn out a couple brass shaft couplings, and attach the shaft supports and rudders in place. That done, I'll make the stand so that I can secure the model to work on it. At least that is my plan. One thing I'm trying to do is to come up with a decent way of securing the gun mounts yet have them be able to turn. I think I have a plan, but I have to experiment a bit before I let the cat out of the bag.

And that's where things stand right now. On the ship, that is. I want to digress for a bit on another topic. Do any of you know what Dora was? And no, it wasn't a hurricane! As you know, I'm a bit of a train nut and occasionally I run across something that I find really fascinating. This isn't about ships, but it is about modeling - VERY LARGE SCALE modeling!

What was Dora, you ask? Well, it was this monster rail gun that the Germans had in WWII. It was an 800mm (31.5") rifle with a barrel 107 feet long, weighed 1350 ton, and could shoot a 7 ton projectile a distance of 27 miles. It was the largest gun ever made and was destroyed by the Germans themselves so it wouldn't fall into Russian hands.

The reason I bring this up here is that I found this website where a guy named Peter Shaw built a 1/6 scale replica of this gun. This model is incredible, and if you want a good definition of the term "Insane Modeler" I urge you to check this out. This guy's wife must've given up on him years ago!

http://www.vonabt.co.uk/models/Dora/DoraBuild.htm

About halfway down the page, there's a place where you can click that takes you to his photo gallery. It blew my mind!

Have a nice evening Gents! I gotta go water my wife's flowers and plants!

[JimVarnellABH2USN]

Larry first off let me welcome you to the forums, So "Welcome aboard"

As an avid ship modeler I have followed several builds of this beast and I look forward to following your build as well. It is a good {Smart} thing to have the 3-D pictures to follow, I for one will be getting it as well when I get my 200 scale Mighty Mo.

Also, as far as asking questions around here, remember the one thing Mama always said, a stupid question is the one not asked. Several of us are former sailors and we have a wealth of knowledge in reguards to ships and those finer details of things involved in building them. We may not have all the answers but we can find them together. I look forward to seeing how you tackle this monster, As I looked at your work on the R/C crafts you are more then capable of handling this ship. Also, build it to your satisfaction, there is a lot of people that build trying to impress others and loss the joy of building these huge kits, so take it day by day part by part and it will all come together in the end.