Model Monkey Sneak Peeks

[ModelMonkey]

Hi Mark!

Aye, Cap'n, Intrepid '59-ish is in the queue as is the Midway island (I haven't forgotten, I promise!).

1958 photos provided by Ray D. Bean show that Intrepid's island at that time had the major features of her Vietnam War-era's appearance, specifically, the enlarged bridge window framing and high, aft PriFly.

Due to printing problems with the 1/700 scale open navigating and flag bridge window framing as well as the open PriFly window framing for the Vietnam-era islands (does not affect the Korean War-era islands), the six Model Monkey Vietnam War-era Essex islands must be redesigned for 1/700 scale, one by one. That's a very time-intensive project so the redesigns have been on hold for a while in favor of other, smaller projects with better sales potential.

Here are the next projects in order in the queue: [edit: updated]
1.�Baltimore class Vietnam War-era enlarged, enclosed bridge (obtaining plans from the Floating Drydock)
2. USS Texas fighting top.
3. USS�Lionfish�fairwater (design nearly done, new research materials received)
4. North Carolina and South Dakota class 16" turrets (research complete)
5.�1/700 Essex class Vietnam War-era islands (research complete)
6. Bismarck class rangefinders (research complete)
7. Bismarck class 15" turrets
8.�Tennessee�and�California�14" turrets
9.�Colorado,�Maryland�and�West Virginia�16" turrets
10. New Orleans class 8"/55 Mk.9 turrets
11. 5"/38 Mk.38 mounts (for larger scale Sumner and Gearing class DDs - not made available in 1/700, please patronize 3D Modelparts)
12.�Saratoga�CV-60 and�Ranger�CV-61 islands (each unique)
13. Des Moines class 8"/55 turrets
14.�Hiei�pagoda superstructure [edit: canceled]

Based on several requests, would like to add the following to the queue but need help with research:
Texas 1941
Oklahoma and Nevada twin 14" turrets

Another designer, "Micro Master", may be working on HMS Indomitable turrets. He now offers a very nice Royal Navy selection.

And I've got a wild hair to design a Fletcher "round bridge" for the Lindberg "Blue Devil destroyer". Model Monkey products for that kit sell well. A request for a Sumner bridge and turrets was received some time ago for the kit. Food for thought.

Hope this is all good news!

[edit: please see following posts for updates to the queue]

[proditor]

Yay! 2 & 5 make me very happy.

[Mark McKinnis]

Thanks Steve!

[ModelMonkey]

Hood turrets are ready in 1/350, 1/400, 1/600 and 1/700 scales!

See: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=163596&p=707759#p707759

[EJFoeth]

Nice work! Good replacements for the Trumpeter kit.

[Aop Aur]

The Hood turret looks so good in the render pics! That list is pretty insane! Your computer must be filled up with 3D designs!

Aop

[ModelMonkey]

Thanks, EJ and Aop!

Special thanks to EJ and Frank Allen who provided advice and photographic references.

1/700 is ready! http://www.shapeways.com/product/4NBZYP ... od-turrets

[ModelMonkey]

Here's the updated queue: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=164638

KGV class turrets are available at Shapeways from New Zealand designer "Micro Master".

[Edward Wilson]

Have you considered 1/350 correct funnels and base for the North Carolina? That would be sweet!

[ModelMonkey]

Have you considered 1/350 correct funnels and base for the North Carolina? That would be sweet!

The kit sure needs them! There may be a decent market for them. Added to the queue.

[Edward Wilson]

Can't wait for those and the Tennessee turrets!

[Dan K]

13. Hiei pagoda superstructure

Some clarification, please?

[ModelMonkey]

13. Hiei pagoda superstructure

Some clarification, please?

Hi Dan! Sure thing.

1. Project requested by several modelers who have purchased Model Monkey products.
2. Market analysis indicates possible additional market demand.
3. Market demand appears to be sufficient for project to proceed, therefore project added to the queue.
4. No research done. As with any future project, if sufficient, authoritative references cannot be found in the public domain or provided by interested parties to make an accurate 3D-printed product, the project will be postponed until references can be found, or the project will be cancelled in favor of other designs.

It is my sincere hope that sufficient references of excellent quality can be obtained. I would very much like to add quality IJN subjects to the catalog.

[ModelMonkey]

Hi David,

Whichever time period is best supported by the most accurate references.

By the way, thanks for the Pennsylvania reference and help with references for other projects, too!

Any research help from all of you subject matter experts is most appreciated.

[SeanF]

Hiei superstructure... Two questions/comments:
1. I take this to mean it seems a safe bet (market-wise) to assume that neither Fujimi nor Aoshima will revisit their 1:350 Kongo-class kits and produce Hiei themselves?
2. What is the intended base kit for such a conversion, and what else would be needed? I seem to recall hearing that Hiei had some hull bulge differences, or something like that, that may have been what kept the aforementioned companies from producing such a kit.

- Sean F.

[ModelMonkey]

Hi Sean!

Hiei superstructure... Two questions/comments:
1. I take this to mean it seems a safe bet (market-wise) to assume that neither Fujimi nor Aoshima will revisit their 1:350 Kongo-class kits and produce Hiei themselves?

That is the assumption at present. As with any future project, if a plastic kit manufacturer releases the kit before the 3D-printed project is complete, the plastic kit manufacturer just killed the market for the 3D-printed product. Therefore, the 3D-printed project would be cancelled.

2. What is the intended base kit for such a conversion, and what else would be needed? I seem to recall hearing that Hiei had some hull bulge differences, or something like that, that may have been what kept the aforementioned companies from producing such a kit...

This is best answered by those who requested the superstructure. Regarding additional products, such as hull bulges, I would not design those. Sales data indicates that full conversion kits, being very expensive, do not sell well enough to pay for the research and design time.

Apparently, the Hiei project is causing consternation. Customer consternation translates to no sales. Perhaps it is best to kill the project now before any time and effort is put into a design that no one will buy. Good to know Fujimi and Aoshima found there to be problems. That is a big indicator there probably will be design-prohibitive problems for 3D printing, too.

Hiei is cancelled in favor of customer consternation-less designs.

[Brian K.]

Have you considered an 1941 USS Colorado bridge structure, would go well with the Trumpeter kits could use the West Virginia kit for pre-bulged refit or Maryland kit for the bulged hull.

[SeanF]

Sorry, I didn't mean to kill the Hiei project! Just mulling over the implications of it!

Flipping through the CASF Kongo thread, I see mention of the Hiei's bulges being wider than her sisters' - obviously beyond the scope of MM products and I certainly wouldn't expect or press for it. And to answer my previous question: Looking through some photos/drawings and considering what's available, such a conversion would probably best start from the Aoshima Kongo kit - starts you with the correct turrets and good casemates, at least. It's hard for me to tell from photos, but replacement funnels might be a good add - it looks to me like the Hiei has straight-sided funnels while the others have a bulge near the top. (Or I could be entirely mistaken!) Miscellaneous other platform mods/scratchbuilding shouldn't be overly difficult.

Anyone who knows the Hiei better, feel free to completely contradict this assessment!

I hope I didn't come across as implying that I thought that MM needed to offer superstructure conversion/detail parts with an all-or-nothing approach. I was just surprised to see that subject on the list (for the reasons stated previously.) If you proceed with this one, I'd be interested. (Been wondering when Fujimi or Aoshima would get around to one for years now!)

- Sean F.

[ModelMonkey]

Hi Brian!

Market demand for Colorado is uncertain. Please see comments below.

Sean, you asked exactly the right questions! Detailed PM coming your way.

I really appreciate you pointing out potential problems with Hiei. I have to be very careful now with the projects I accept. Due to some painful and costly experience, if there is the slightest hint that a project will morph into a full conversion kit, it is better to kill the project quickly and early.

As you know, 3D-printed conversions are extremely time intensive projects to research and design that ultimate become prohibitively expensive and therefore don't sell. Because of the Shapeways fee structure (designers like me are not salaried Shapeways employees, Shapeways pays designers a small fee each time a design is printed) and the necessity to offer products as affordable as can be made given that 3D printing remains expensive, typically it takes about 260 sales to pay for the time to research and design a typical product (two-weeks to research and design).

If the product can be re-scaled to fit several existing injection-molded plastic kits in more than one scale, the more likely the design is to reach 260 sales. If the 3D product is intended to fit a model most ship modelers have in their stash (Arizona, Bismarck, KGV, Yamato), it is likely to be a winner. One feature for one model in one scale is not likely to sell well enough to pay for the design time. For those requests, it is best to decline the request or only accept the project on commission*. Paraphrasing other aftermarket manufacturers, Loren Perry said in another thread, "I would rather have 10% of the P-51 Mustang market than 100% of the Avro Anson market".

From a business perspective, a few bad sellers can be offset by very good sellers. I just have to be careful to offer enough very good sellers to keep sales balanced.

Hope all this helps.


*In the case of commissions (requester pays for the design time thus becoming a client), commissioned products are not offered for sale to the public in the Model Monkey Shapeways shop. The 3D design CAD file becomes the property of the client and is sent to the client with the product.

[ModelMonkey]

Due to a cancelled commission project, a set of 5"/54 Mk.16 Single Mounts will soon be offered for Midway class carriers in whatever scale you would like. (The gunhouse is Mk.39.) These mounts were also installed aboard Japanese Akizuki-class and Murasame-class destroyers in 1958�59, three mounts each.

Barrels are likely to be printable for Revell's kit but probably not 1/700.

Here are some renderings of the design at about 90% complete: