The Ship Model Forum

My intention is to build the Mogami in the state after her third wartime modification in June 1944.
The Tamiya model is in the condition before. So in the later progress I will have to add more radars and light AA-guns (especially the modifications on the flight deck aft to accommodate the two additional triple 25mm mounts)
My second intention is to get some experience in using my brand new airbrush equipment (I am a little bit frightened because I am an absolute beginner in air brushing.).
I bought the Mogami PE set from LionRoar and want to use it for the current project.

I started to prepare the working area for Captain Toma and his crew (Mogami01). One of the wind baffles from the LionRoar set are already in place. Mogami02 depicts a later state with Mogami's navigator, Lieutenant Commander Nakano already on the bridge. ... and more wind baffles (Mogami03). I like the LionRoar PE wind baffles and I think it it worth the efford to exchange the plastic ones. There are also PE substitutes for the navigation lights on the sides of the bridge in the LionRoar set. At first I thought that the plastic parts are fine enough. But looking on this picture at this magnification they appear a little bit clumsy. Maybe later I will remove them and add the PE parts. For the structure on the floor of the antiaircraft command platform (Mogami04) I used the Flyhawk 1/700 net 0.5mmx0.5mm. Here I used mainly brush painting because I still waiting for my gas mask for air brushing (enamel paint !).
Still a lot to do with the bridge area ...
But I will continue with other parts in the following.

Dirk

For the linoleum imitation in the area of the turrets I used the WEM IJN linoleum colorcoat. But in the middleline I added a little bit of yellow to the linoleum paint. I was supprised by the effect by using the airbrush that it is relatively easy to produce a color gradient (Mogami05). Here it�s producing a weathered appearance (compare with the deck section in front of the bridge which is only airbrushed with the original linoleum paint). I used the linoleum deck brass capstrips from the GMM Gold PLUS Takao Details set (Mogami06). I used the following method to produce the intersections for the capstrips: First I marked a straight line for the position of the longitudinal capstrips and cut the plastic imitations of the capstrips at all intersections with the marked line. This creates a �tunnel� for the longitudinal PE capstrips. After gluing the longitudinal capstrips to the painted deck (by only a very small amount of super glue gel) I glued the perpendicular capstrips onto the plastic imitations and the longitudinal PE capstrips.

I'm following this build with interest. Looks good to date.

This one is also very close to the top of my to do list. As a matter of fact I just received the Lion Roar set, which I purchased with some money I got for Christmas. I am also looking forward to your progress.

Looking great!

In this picture i noticed that the coins aren't German, is that correct?
They appear to be more like Norwegian to me.

Greetings Josse

Hey Dirk

That looks to become another one of your superb builds in the making..

I am watching!

Jim Baumann

Hi Dirk,

nice job so far Lookinf forward to see some more progress.

One question, what kind of mesh have you used to make the grating on Mogamis flying bridge?

Hallo, Dirk!
Schicke Sache!
Wo hast Du den LR Satz bekommen?
Gru�,
Guido

Hi Guido !
Danke !
I bought the Mogami Lion Roar Set in Hongkong from hobbyeasy.
http://www.hobbyeasy.com/ListProducts.d ... status=yes
They are usually one of the first to have the new Chinese products (from Lion Roar, Flyhawk and also Veteran Models) in stock.
The price is good and delivery is very fast.
The only thing being not fast is their home page.
Gru�,
Dirk

Hi Christian,
thanks,

Christian Bruer wrote:One question, what kind of mesh have you used to make the grating on Mogamis flying bridge?

It seems that you missed this information in my text (For the structure on the floor of the antiaircraft command platform (Mogami04) I used the Flyhawk 1/700 net 0.5mmx0.5mm.)
Macht aber nix. I bought it at hobbyeasy.
Gr��e,Dirk

What an excellent effort

Thanks Dan K, PeteM, tweety777, Jim, Christian, Guido and jimbuna for your encouragement and interest. Tweety, you have good eyesight: The coins which slipped accidentally into a picture are not Euros. I think they are from China or Japan from one of my business trips. In Japan I took part in a Steel Conference on the mountain Hiei (near Kyoto). First I thought: mountain Hiei must be wrong because IJN Hiei was a battleship. But then I remembered that Hiei�s career started as battlecruiser.

But here a small update of my progress:
This is the bottom side of the aircraft handling deck from the Lion Roar Mogami set (Mogami07). The upper and lower layers are deep etched brass sheets sandwiching a plastic middle layer. The three layers fit well together and have exactly the same shape like the corresponding Tamiya plastic part. It is already quite stiff and the thickness looks good. But it is well known that the Mogami was a very tough ship, surviving even a crossing of the T. So it�s a must to add further reinforcements to the deck. To be honest, I am not sure if much of this construction will be visible later after the complete assembly. But it seems to me at least a good exercise for the 1/350 Hasegawa Akagi.
I used a method by first priming the complete PE sheet and then assembling it. This has some advantages and disadvantages. By the way: I learned a trick from an airbrusher�s book: By using an airbrush for priming you have a better control then by doing it with a �rattlecan.� But if you are stubborn like me and you want still to use your Tamiya primer from the rattlecan, you can attach a straw (the big ones with the joint) to the business end of the rattle can and spay a certain amount into a glass jar. Then you have to wait until the gas escaped the paint (>1h) and then spray it with the airbrush. Especially for small delicate PE parts with tiny holes etc. this works better then the rattlecan. Mogami08 shows all the struts in place and airbrushed in Kure grey. During the assembly of the struts you need some concentration: In the Lion Roar instruction it is sometimes not very clear which strut comes next. I made one mistake and had to remove one of the struts again (where the primer is scratched in Mogami07). Then next comes a hard decision: Substituting the plastic supports of the �flight deck� with the Lion Roar PE supports? In this case the plastic ones have to be removed. Because the PE supports look very nice (Mogami09) I decided to take the challenge. But for security a took picture Mogami10 to �remember� the correct positions of the supports.

Dirk wrote:It seems that you missed this information in my text

Yep, sorry I have missed that

Amazing construction on Mogamis lower deck. At my first look to I was shocked, because I thought you've made the stringers by yourself from styrene (the primer hoaxed my eys). But now I calmed down, you have only used PE parts

I'm keeping my eye on this one terrific job so far Dirk!!


Jose

Thank you Christian and Jose !
Christian, in the following there will be a lot PE parts which are already primed or even airbrushed in Kure grey. You are right, in picture Mogami07 the primed PE parts look like styrene.

Next I added reinforcement gussets to the HA gun positions. I used gussets No. 6 from the Flyhawk FH-700055 (1/700 WWII PERFORATE GUSSETS), shown in Mogami11 left. I removed the attachments by using a slow turning Dremel-like Proxxon (Mogami11 right). � then holding the gusset with a pair of pliers at the correct position for bending (Mogami12-1), bending by finger (Mogami12-2), making it plane and the result (Mogami12-3) These are two of the HA gun emplacements with the added gussets (Mogami13). Dirk

Mogami14 depicts two search light towers. I used a grid from Flyhawk to bend a cage. I think these cages were for storing canvas.Dirk

I started to attach step irons to Mogami (Mogami15).I hope �step iron� is the correct term.
They are not as beautiful as the step irons of Le Bosco�s VII-C (Topic Work in Progress Re: Revell VII-C /41 1:72). (I love the step irons of Le Bosco�s VII-C). But okay, in scale 1/350 they are 5 times smaller than in 1/72.
Here is my method: To be continued �
Dirk

Thank you for your fine explanation Dirk !!!!!!!! i've always wanted to do add those steps near the bow of ships.... fine work so far


Jose

Jose, thanks for your comments and your interest.
Here now the attachment of the step irons:Here I used the �1,5 mm� perforate bar from the Lion Roar PE LE700034.
The distance of the perforations is exactly the distance I want for the step irons. (The holes in the Flyhawk perforate bars are too narrow.)

This is the tricky part because you have to hold the step iron some seconds in the correct position until the superglue �bites�. Due to the gel there is a little bit time for fine adjustment.
I have already shown the final result above (Mogami15; after one cover of Kure grey airbrushing).
Dirk