The Ship Model Forum

According to Wikipedia: �The Standard-type battleship was a series of twelve battleships across five classes ordered for the United States Navy between 1911 and 1916 and commissioned between 1916 and 1923. These were considered super-dreadnoughts, with the ships of the final two classes incorporating many lessons from the Battle of Jutland.

Each vessel was produced with a series of progressive innovations, which contributed to the pre�World War I arms race. The twelve vessels constituted the US Navy's main battle line in the interwar period, while many of the ten earlier dreadnoughts were scrapped or relegated to secondary duties. Restrictions under the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty limited total numbers and size of battleships and had required some under construction to be cancelled, so it was not until the onset of World War II that new battleships were constructed. On December 7, 1941, eight were at Pearl Harbor, one at Bremerton, Washington, and three were assigned to the Atlantic Fleet.�

As a child, seeing Tora, Tora, Tora in the movie theaters (along with having several uncles who served during the war) hooked me on the history of WWII, with an obvious interest in the story of Pearl Harbor. This branched into a broader interest in both ships and scale modeling. Many a day I'd ride my bike to our local branch public library, pull a history book off the shelves and read it, then select several more to check out when I was done.

I have a collection of standard-type battleship models, most started, yet unfinished, languishing on the �shelf of doom�. These include 1/350 resin models of Arizona (Toms Modelworks), Oklahoma (IronShipwright), California (BlueWater Navy) and West Virginia (Yankee Modelworks), as well as a 1/700 Dragon Arizona. Each time I started one, I fully intended to finish it, but got sidetracked or disinterested for different reasons � much of the time due to frustration with having the lack of skill needed to finish them to the standard (no pun intended) I desired.

Some of these models having been kicking around for years and years. I bought the Toms Modelworks Arizona from THE original Tom, back when it was a first released. The postal stamp on the Oklahoma box dates from 2006. The California (in the original blue BWN box with its 2 piece upper hull) and West Virginia are probably just as old, and I think the Dragon Arizona dates to its initial release.

Now that some more pressing projects and commissions are finally finished, the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, coupled with the release of so many 3D printed upgrades for these models, has rekindled my interest in working on these. My interest has also been stoked by Dan Kaplan�s trio of Big 5 battleship builds, in part from the ongoing discussions we've had regarding the ships themselves, but also because his fine work.

I haven�t done a WIP progress thread in a long time, but thought that perhaps I�d try and do one now, in part to motivate myself, and also in part to show off these fabulous 3D printed parts to others.

Most recently, I�ve been focusing on the 1/700 Dragon Arizona and the 1/350 ISW Oklahoma, with a little more attention being paid lately to poor old Okie, the forgotten victim of Pearl Harbor.

For the Dragon Arizona, I'm using the following, along with the base kit:

ModelMonkey superstructure (new version)
ModelMonkey turrets with barrels
ModelMonkey funnel
ModelMonkey spotting tops
ModelMonkey Mk19 gun directors
ModelMonkey (via Shapeways) 3in gun tubs and 1.1 inch director platforms
3D Modelparts "birdbath" gun tub
3D Modelparts splinter shields
3D Modelparts 5"/51cal guns
3D Modelparts 5"/25 cal guns

I'm also using PE and a wood deck.

As mentioned, I had started the kit eons ago, after seeing the one Tony Bunch built. I got started, lost interest, and put it aside. Then 3D printing came along, so I bought ModelMonkey's superstructure and funnel via Shapeways, said "ooooh - pretty!", and put it all back in the box. I took it out from time to time, did a little work trying to fix the casement guns, but eventually was dismayed by the "frosting" on the Shapeways printed superstructure and funnel parts (this seems to happen to many Shapeways printed items) and put it back in the box yet again.

When I discovered that ModelMonkey recently released an upgrade version of his Arizona superstructure, printed on his in-house printers (which are far superior to anything Shapeways has ever done), my interest was sparked again. Here's a comparison to the various parts: Once I got the new AZ superstructure, I removed everything from the print rafts, cleaned up the support attachment points (the tedious part of 3D printed parts), cleaned the parts and painted them with Colourcoats 5D. I did have to remove all the printed on outlines for the deck houses, as the tolerances were so tight I couldn't get the deckhouse above to fit over the outline printed on the deck below. I also ran into a little trouble getting the top of the conning tower to fit onto the deck below, as it doesn't lay flush over the structures on either side of the bridge. That's where I'm currently at. As mentioned, I've been paying more attention to the Oklahoma recently.

For the ISW Oklahoma, along with the base kit, I'm using the following items:

Kraken Hobbies superstructure
Kraken Hobbies funnel
Kraken Hobbies birdbath
ModelMonkey turrets with trunions
L'Arsenal 5"/25 cal guns
Brass barrels for the main and 5"/51cal guns

As mentioned, I had started Oklahoma some time ago, getting the model sort of done up to the 01 deck, including getting the resin turrets and brass barrels completed and partially painted with their turret top colors. Speaking to another modeler, he said I was missing the Oklahoma's degaussing cable. That, of course, derailed me for awhile, until I was motivated to add it. Of course, AFTER I added it, Jeff Sharp mentioned that she probably has hers moved internally before 12/7/41. After going through the trouble of adding it, it's staying. Anyway once I had the Kraken Hobbies superstructure, funnel and birdbath in my hands, I knew it was only a matter of time before I returned to Oklahoma. That time is now.

I realized that in leaving the 01 deck off, I was going to have to do some repainting work, so I opted to re-mask the entire deck. First I masked the 01 deck, then the main deck. Once that was done, I glued the 01 deck to the hull using CA glue. I think I used enough clamps to secure it in place. The fit was pretty good and needed minimal filling. Once that was done, I then removed all the resin bollards cast onto the hull, as 1/3 of them were missing and some of the rest were a bit wonky. Once those were off, I added turned brass bollards I picked up from some outfit in China off eBay. A bit tedious, but worth it. They look much better. After removing all the 3D printed parts from their print rafts and cleaning up the attachment points, I set those parts and the hull aside, and started working on some of the resin parts that will need to be completed before painting can start, like platforms for the main mast and the boat cranes. Out of 5 cranes included with the kit, I was able to find 2 that were usable. I also noticed I accidentally bought an AZ 3D printed forward spotting top, so the correct one is now on order from ModelMonkey, and the incorrect one placed in the box with AZ.

That's it for now. I was hoping to accomplish more today, but (another) major plumbing leak at my house derailed me from time at the workbench. More to come, as time permits.

Ah, finally. The modeler who came in from the cold.

I'm glad I'm good for something. (Thx!)

Nice progress - Okie is looking particularly good.

I agree that the fidelity of the current 3D parts surpasses a lot of the older resin parts. Often by a wide margin.

Looking good!

Fascinating project (s). My APA and LSM projects came forth from previously completed models, many decades old and upgraded to a new standard. As you have discovered 3D is finally coming into satisfactory usability. Expect further advancements as we can currently design things much more detailed than what can print or be used.

Good luck and comfort with some of these Battleships, mostly denied their place in history, maybe getting some revenge at the Battle of Surigao Strait.

The ships of the 20's and 30's were mostly eclipsed by the newer ships and technology, but they were formidable for their time in a quickly changing sea war.

Regards: Tom

Great to see you giving these old kits some love!

I got rid of all of my larger resin kits several years ago, but do still have the in-progress USS Wichita. My plan is to replace everything possible with Black Cat components, but that does, as you said, draw attention to the quality of the resin. Lots of metal and styrene piping will be needed!

Thanks guys. Appreciate the comments. I've been sorting through the resin parts for Oklahoma, looking for those that are usable. Out of 5 boat cranes that came in the kit, I was able to salvage 2. Looks like one secondary battery gun director is missing as well. The boats that come with the kit are a little rough. Here's one compared to a Black Cat 3D printed version. I'm hoping Ben from Black Cat adds more US boat to his product line, as I'll need some 40 and 50ft motor boats to flesh out Okie's boat complement. Plus, there's all those other battleships that will need boats (eventually). I went back through some photos and found a few pics of the other battleships mentioned in the first post.

First up, Tom's Modelworks Arizona. The first photo dates from 2007, and very little work has been done since then (parts dry-fit only). The 2nd photo is from today. I had gotten a replacement forward superstructure from ISW at one point, but, whenever I get to building this, I'm going to purchase a ModelMonkey 3D printed superstructure. I've already got his turrets stashed aside for this build. The color is a Floquil dark gray I used before I was really versed in what the actual colors looked like. I plan on a complete repaint when the time comes. Then there is the BlueWater Navy California. Again, started and stopped. Partially because much of the superstructure parts were warped or damaged. But....Kraken Hobbies to the rescue, with a new 3D printed superstructure! I'll also being using ModelMonkey's 3D printed turrets, spotting tops and cage masts. Finally, the BWN USS West Virginia. This model was never started. It was, however, sold, via this forum, to an unscrupulous buyer from Canada, who stiffed me on the payment. I ended up getting the Canadian police involved - they went to his house, confronted him, and got (most) of my items back. However, the buyer, in a fit of rage at being caught, damaged all of the models he sent back. This time, it was ModelMonkey to the rescue - he designed a replacement 01 deck and superstructure to fit this kit. I'll also be using his cage masts and spotting tops (and probably his turrets). Hoping I live long enough to build it.

Nice, this will be fun to follow.

you might want to remove that bulge on the Wee Vee above the armor belt as not supposed to be there.

Assuming we're talking about the same thing, isn't that just an exaggerated plating line? It's certainly exaggerated on the 1/700 kits.

Glad to see the these beauties coming to life!

Keep up the great work!

Matt

Dan K wrote:

you might want to remove that bulge on the Wee Vee above the armor belt as not supposed to be there.

Assuming we're talking about the same thing, isn't that just an exaggerated plating line? It's certainly exaggerated on the 1/700 kits.

That's what I am seeing, just an overscale representation of a hull feature that was there on the real ship.

Dan K wrote:Assuming we're talking about the same thing, isn't that just an exaggerated plating line? It's certainly exaggerated on the 1/700 kits.

I think you are right - it's meant to represent hull plating.

Agreed. Overstated plating.

Popcorn in hand!

Between being busy and having a stomach bug, so not so much going on. But a new order from Black Cat arrived, with 5/25cal guns searchlights, 3in guns, paravanes, 3D printed inclined ladders, ships boats and other goodies.

Wow!" you have certainly set yourself a target!

But these old kits--
(despite the softness of some of the smaller parts...

like the old cast ships boats etc --- )

DO deserve the work you are putting in--

most of the crude stuff can be replaced with clever PE--
or Black Cat and similar replacement parts to add the sharpness!



JIM B

JIM BAUMANN wrote:But these old kits--
(despite the softness of some of the smaller parts...

like the old cast ships boats etc --- )

DO deserve the work you are putting in--

Thanks Jim - appreciate you stopping by and also your comments.

Broke out the airbrush and was able to get some 5D laid down on various parts. The kit supplied 14in brass barrels were too thick at the breech end to fit into either the separate trunnions or the openings in the ModelMonkey turret faces. I picked up a set of Master Models turned metal barrels for the Arizona, as I needed the 5/51cal barrels as well. These barrels were better but I still needed to widen the holes in the trunnions to get them to fit. Hoping to get some more time at the spray booth this weekend.

Great work so far!!

Really making me want to actually bust out some of these kits and get building.

Matt

taskforce48 wrote:Great work so far!!

Thanks!

taskforce48 wrote:Really making me want to actually bust out some of these kits and get building.

Matt

Get "Kraken" then!