The Ship Model Forum

FFG-7 wrote:are the fighting control tops sitting on top of the tripods' struts or are there holes in the fighting control tops base plates for the struts to insert into?

The spotting tops are printed with holes. The main, center leg of the tripod extends up into the spotting top, but the part sits on the aft support legs, as I wasn't 100% sure I'd be able to line everything up.

Into the home stretch...............

Looking great.

Still a few things to do (touch up, replacement jackstaff, rigging, etc), but overall, construction on Oklahoma is finished. I want focus on the aforementioned jackstaff, and then rigging, next.

After this build is 100% done, I am going to build a Tamiya 1/48 F4F-4 Wildcat, to cleanse the palette, before working on the next ship.

Very nice Martin. Bravo.

Great job !

It gives me ideas for my California

She looks great, M.

Work, multiple trips to tour the BBNJ in drydock, a trip to the Naval Academy Museum to drop off one of the late, great Gary Kingzett's models for donation, as well as watching NY Rangers playoff hockey, have conspired to keep me away from the workbench.

After my last post, a replacement jackstaff was installed. The flag gaff (which I had forgotten) was installed on the back of the searchlight platform on the aft tripod. A day or so after that, I realized I had forgotten to add the range clock brace for the aft tripod. Luckily I hadn�t misplaced it, so that was attached. Then I saw I hadn�t put down any anchor chain either, so that was added as well. When that was finished, I started rigging. I hate rigging. One thing I noticed, which I had never noticed before, was that Kraken actually printed the superstructure with four small holes in each of the inboard sides of the port and starboard flag bags, to accommodate the rigging. If I had been thinking more clearly, I would have twisted the line together, slipped that into those holes, then glued and trimmed them.

I was not thinking clearly, and that idea popped in my head AFTER I had already glued one end of the rigging into all of the starboard side flag bags. To get the return run to stay in place, I cut a length of .10 brass rod and put that over the rigging in the outer flag bag, then glued it in place. Of course, when trimming the excess, my knife blade accident cut a line it shouldn�t have, so I had to make repairs. The halyards are all done. On to the rest of the rigging, then figures. Some of these photos really show the issue with the gloss and flat coat that I had - there�s just too many layers on the model, which ruins the finish, IMO. Though it's more pronounced in photos, and not to the naked eye.

That's inspiring !

Regarding the flat coat, it's not shocking from my point of view

Yuth wrote:That's inspiring !

Regarding the flat coat, it's not shocking from my point of view

Thank you!

I�ve done all I�m going to do with the horizontal rigging, and have moved onto the davits and boat booms, starting with the starboard side. I�ve also started rigging the jackstaff and flagstaff. The pics are a bit bright because I used a flash in these photos to pick up the rigging, which is from Infini. After I trim the rigging on the starboard side booms and davits, and finish the jack/flag staff rigging, I'll start the port side. After that, it's onto the figures.

That is all...

Matt

Thanks Matt

With the ship - other than some touch up - done, I started working on the base. I used something called �magic sculpt� to fill in the widest gaps between the hull and the "seascape". I first tried some apoxie sculpt that Devin gave me two years ago but, even though it was sealed, was dried up (apparently, I was supposed to refrigerate it, but didn't ).

Not entirely happy with it, it only came out "ok". Next, I'll start filling in the rest of the gaps with acrylic gel medium, which will take several passes, as it usually shrinks as it dries. I also need to start working on the little peeps to populate the ship.

I think she looks really good, M.

Looking great Martin!
I'm looking forward to the little guys!

Before getting to work on the little peeps (which have been primed), I worked on filling in the remaining gaps between the ship and foam base. That took two applications of acrylic gel medium, but I think, at this point, it's "good enough". Letting that dry, then I'll start adding wave and wake effects. I also did some work on the California, masking off the casement deck in preparation for a new coat of paint. Thanks to Dan Kaplan, who mixed up an acrylic match for the original deck color, I was able to airbrush two coats onto the casement deck for an almost perfect match. There is touch up work to be done, but she'll go back in her box for now, as, meanwhile, I have to finish grappling with a commission I took on (will I never learn?!?), which has become the bane of my existence: a 1/350 GAGA models Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier. It is, hands down, the worst designed, printed and fitting kit I've ever had the misfortune to have on my workbench. A total PoS. A pox on whoever printed and designed it!! Once Oklahoma is 100% finished, CDG (and an 1/48 F4F Wildcat that I've started), will be next up on the workbench.

but she'll go back in her box for now

Oh, noooooooooooo..... Not after all that

Huh. The new paint worked out pretty well. Once given a wash, you'll never see the difference in the decks.

CDG: The gift that keeps on giving.

Now that the gaps between the hull and the base are filled in, I repainted the base, using a darker mix of Phthalo Blue and Phthalo Green, with a smidge of Cobalt Blue. It looks greener to the eye, but bluer in these pictures. Then I started adding foam around the hull, using AK Interactive's "Water Foam" (AK8036). I've never used it before, so I'm interested to see how it performs, after letting it dry overnight. Meanwhile, a contingent of figures has been snipped from the print runners and attached to a board for painting.

Outside of the flag I need to attached, the figures (which I've started painting), and a final flat coat, this build is finished.

Painting little people requires patience! Once final touch up is done, I can add them to the model, and do final flat coat. As this winds down, already working on my palette cleanser, a 48th Tamiya F4F-4

Figures have been added. 99% of them are from ION. There is a pilot and aircrew near the aft catapult, for the Kingfisher, which came from Tori Factory. Once all the figures were on, I gave the model another flat coat (the little Stug was from a local IPMS club group build, that I flat coated at the same time): Going to give the model one last light dusting of flat, and they (fingers crossed) call it "done"!

Amazing build and seascape. Love it!