The Ship Model Forum

Thanks for the confirmation / second opinion, Rui!

Thanks for the pics, Russ! These are ones that I have been refering to, off and on, as well.

I have added exterior drain pipes to both sides and I've added boat booms to the stbd side but, I haven't seen any pics of the Ajax, late in live, with any booms on her port side. Would this happen in real life? Would a ship have booms on one side and not the other? Are these booms temporarily stowed, from time to time, and not always present?

I'm thinking about having them on the stbd / pier side but not on the port side, for I don't see any evidence of them in the inspiration photo. Would this be realistic, at all?

I have also chiseled out a cargo door on the port side (aft) and one on the stbd side (forward). The kit comes with PE doors to replicate open cargo doors for just two of them.

I added more portholes per photos of the Ajax post WWII.

I mistakenly cut off the molded-in blast shield for the stern 5" gun turret. I initially interpretted the inspiration photo and thought that the blast shield had been removed but, now I see, upon closer exaimination, that it was present at the time of this shot. I've asked LCP for a replacement O1 deck piece.

The first one is mislabeled. It is AR-6

Modifications continue.........

In 1980-81 when I was aboard Vulcan, we normally had the officers gangway to the quarterdeck and a mid-ships gangway for enlisted and normal work at the midship door into the machine room. Both gangways had intermediate platforms due to hieght. As to vessels alongside, that varied dependent upon vessel. I would expect at least one gangplank and a shore power (if shutdown) between vessels.

Great Job, Carl

Thanks for your eye-witness observations, Wrench. I'll be keeping them in mind while completing my dio.

I'm glad that you're liking it, Gopher.

I've been working on the layout of the land section of the diorama and created the large buildings.

I'd like a second opinion / confirmation about the aircraft in the upper left hand corner of the inspiration photo, near the gate. It looks like a Crusader, to me.

If it is a Crusader, are there any in 1/700. I'd imagine so. Anyone have an extra?

That is an F-8 Crusader. Strangely, Trumpeter doesn't seem to have it, but they do have the A-7 Corsair II, which is really close. You could probably convert the A-7 into the F-8. Here is a link to some references:
http://www.the-blueprints.com/blueprint ... es/vought/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTV_A-7_Corsair_II
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_F-8_Crusader

**There might be some Pitroad or Trumpeter kits out there that I missed.

Carl,

WEM used to make them but they're long OOP. Maybe someone on the board has one.

A-7 has shorter wings and fuselage

Great mitre work on the buidings

BTW, Dragon 1/700 USS Antietam CV-36 comes with F8U's

And I believe the Antietam kit depicted it in the post-war era, right? Oh, oops, wrong thread.

Russ2146 wrote:Great miter work on the buildings

BTW, Dragon 1/700 USS Antietam CV-36 comes with F8U's

Correction, it comes with F7U Cutlass'. I don't really know why none of the main companies can't make F-8s or A-4s. They're the missing link for the 1960's air wings.

Here is my layout of the diorama. I then cut out pieces of 100 grit (grass and dirt areas) and 320 grit (parking lots and dock) sand paper and glued them to the base. I then airbrushed the whole thing with Gunship Gray.

I had to butt two pieces of the 320 grit together on the right side. I puttied the seam and sanded the sandpaper. Oooops!
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this area. It won't take the pigment chalk that I'm using like the rest of the sand paper did.

I stand corrected. I misread F-9F-8in a written desctiption.

Of you order 25 bags of them, WEM will cast them again just for you.

Hi Carl

Looking good, looking very good
Overall, I like the copy of image/composition you have created here.
Also like very much the ability you had in making the area dusty and dirty... not easily achieved in this small scale without overdoing it!
Still, there are three things that I would like to point out:
1 - Panelling on the roofs(*1): very good detail that breaks a big surface, making the dio (even) more interesting;
2 - Edge of shore, if possible make it a little less steep and more rugged;
3 - Sandpaper joint area... if the paint and weathering powders aren't sticking to it, you should re-prime that area and repeat the process. This will work.

Hope this helps
Rui

(*1): in the same way you managed to master the LCS-2 vertical surfaces! Top Notch job!!!!!

Rui Matos wrote:Hi Carl

Looking good, looking very good
Overall, I like the copy of image/composition you have created here.
Also like very much the ability you had in making the area dusty and dirty... not easily achieved in this small scale without overdoing it!
Still, there are three things that I would like to point out:
1 - Panelling on the roofs(*1): very good detail that breaks a big surface, making the dio (even) more interesting;
2 - Edge of shore, if possible make it a little less steep and more rugged;
3 - Sandpaper joint area... if the paint and weathering powders aren't sticking to it, you should re-prime that area and repeat the process. This will work.

Hope this helps
Rui

(*1): in the same way you managed to master the LCS-2 vertical surfaces! Top Notch job!!!!!

Rui,

Thanks for you comments. You know I always welcome them. In fact, I had you in mind when I drilled out the stacks on the Ajax. You recommended that on my USCGC Bering Strait model. I'm sure that's what sold the judges at the Nationals in order to have it place second instead of third, or not at all.



The shoreline, in the photo, actually looks rather steep to me. And I'm not done touching up that area. In fact the landscape piece isn't attached to the water, nor do I have a permanent base made for it, yet. I plan to put some small stones at that beachline. The water is a section of Plastruct "agitated water".

I used the same stencil for the building roofs that I used on the Independence LCS. Good eye!

With the pigment chalks that I'm using, it rests in the texture of the sandpaper. When I smoothed the joint in the sandpaer, that texture was lost, there. There's a coat of paint, there, already and the chalk has no texture to cling to. I'm thinking about applying another piece of 320 grit sandpaper over it in a pattern to simulate a divider between parking lots / work areas / open ground.

The overall color / hue of the landscape is almost matching that of the photo's. It looks a little different in real life than in the pics, online.

Right now, I'm prepping the 3 Knox FF hulls. The problem with these AFV Club kits is the dimple in the hull on the port bow and one on the starboard stern. I also like to sand off the molded-in helo deck markings and those for the warning circles on the forecastle and fantail. I've successfully removed the bulwark from the USS Brewton's bow and replicated the hauser for the anchor.

I might try scratch building the barge next to the 1077, this afternoon or tonight. Anybody have an idea as to the purpose of this barge?

Carl this is an awesoem diorama!!!! Had not noticed this topic until now...

Wow... this is great stuff...

keep the photos coming...