OT: 1/700 water line ship models

[CaptDave]

A lot depends on the type of plastic, too. Delrin, for example, won't hold any glue. I wouldn't expect to find anything weird in a packaged model, but you never know.

Different folks will have different results, of course, but for model railroading I've been happiest with Ten-ex.

[nashvillen]

Got my rigging material from the hobby store I buy stuff from online now that my local store has closed up. Started on my 1/350 Fletcher last night. I like the results. I got a rope color boats and signal flags and a black color for the antenna wires. Should have the rest of this done this weekend. Then, decals are all that is left and it is ready to go on display on my desk at work.

[Mundy]

Nice job on the railings. I really struggle with those butterfly-shaped platforms.

Aren't those radar directors fun? [X(]

On my Benson and England, all I really have left is the rigging. I'm pretty hooked on the stretched sprue method.

Ed-

[nashvillen]

Thanks Mundy,

I spent a week on the gun detector. Another two weeks on the railings above the main deck.

The line is Berkshire Junction EZ line. We use it in Model Railroading for power pole wiring. It has an elastic capacity, but will also hang loose. I think I am not going to pull the next two signal flag lines on each side as tight to get it to look more just hanging there. The real trick will be the antenna wires. Will keep posting pictures of my progress.

[Mundy]

I've ordered a worthy escort for my USS Langley project (when I eventually start it). I plan to keep my 1/700 ships waterlined on an ocean base.

USS Ward

Here's CV-1:

CV1-Langley

Langley's nicely done. They have a Long Island kit, similarly constructed which I need to get sometime.

Ed-

[btd64]

About 35 years ago I bought a USS Constitution kit. Very detailed. Had it almost finished after about 5 months and my younger brother "accidentally" knock it over. I felt like crying.[:(] GP

[SqzMyLemon]

I'll try this again after my first post failed to post.

The 2014 Western Canadian Regional Model Contest was held at the local air museum here in town on June 7th. Hundreds of kits were on display, but sadly ships were few in number. There was a 1:350 Yamato, a 1:400 Titanic and about six submarines including a few WWII German U-boats and modern American and Russian ones. The event was dominated by AFV's, aircraft and automobiles.

There were a large number of private vendors/collectors trying to reduce their stashes and I was able to pick up a Trumpeter 1:350 CV Hornet for $70 Canadian which was a great deal. I also picked up two Japanese bombers in 1:48 scale. I now have a Helen and Nell to add to my growing collection. I'll be joining the group of people trying to reduce their stash in two years when the event will be held here again. I so need to try and get rid of about 50-100 kits.

It was great to see so many models on display showing the different skill set of modelers out there and the sheer variety of kits available covering any area of interest. It definitely inspires me to continue my modeling.

[wdolson]

What brand were the Helen and Nell? The only 1/48 scale kits of those subjects I've ever heard of were vacuform, possibly resin. Hasegawa has done dome very nice injection molded 1/72 scale Japanese bombers, but the only mass market, injection molded, twin engine Japanese bomber I know of is the Tamiya Betty.

In the modeling world aircraft are the biggest niche. I think cars were once a strong competitor for that crown, but that seems to have dropped off in the last few decades. There has always been lots of competition in the aircraft niche and adherents to different scales. For a long time 1/72 and 1/48 were the two most popular, but larger scales have become more popular as the modeling population has been aging and they don't have the eyesight for tiny detail anymore.

AFVs are the next largest niche. Tamiya used to dominate that niche. If you wanted a good, accurate kit, you saved up your pennies and bought Tamiya. Italeri was the only other maker with a good sized catalog of kits. That changed in the early 90s when first Dragon and then a bunch of other competitors started cropping up out of China. Now there is a huge variety of makers and subjects out there.

Ships have always been the odd step child. The market niche has also been split between the sailing ship modelers and the more modern ship modelers. In the 1970s 4 Japanese kit makers pooled together to create the Waterline series which focused mainly on IJN ships. It was probably the most complete array of ship types ever produced. Especially in one scale.

Up to that point the Americans made the widest variety of 20th century ship models, but there was no scale standard. Most of the American kits were 1950s "box scale" kits which were whatever scale the ship had to be to fit in a standard sized box. What was available from American kit makers varied all over the map and included major warships as well as auxiliaries.

Other than the major Japanese warships, most people outside of Japan really didn't know much about Japanese ships, so the 1/700 Japanese ships were usually expensive limited imports. I was introduced to the series when I found some Fujimi waterline kits at Pic N' Save around 1978. It was a closeout store mostly in Southern California that is now a national chain called Big Lots. I scored some really cheap kits there when I was a kid. The kits were the Zuikaku, a Kongo, and the Tone.

Tamiya released a small series of 1/350 scale kits after the 1/700 kits hit the market. These were aimed at the international market, so they featured British and American battleships as well as the Musashi and Yamato. Some of them have recently been retooled and sell for astronomical prices for what you get.

The ship niche has also seen a renaisance as Chinese makers jump into this niche too. They are mostly focusing on American ships in part because of political tensions with Japan (I bought a 1/32 F4F from a Chinese vendor and the kill flag Japanese flags had been crossed out on the box top and the decal sheet). The Japanese have been retooling a lot of their old Waterline ships too.

I came across a thing a while back on the psychology of different types of modelers. It was quite funny. I'll try to find it.

Bill

[SqzMyLemon]

ORIGINAL: wdolson

What brand were the Helen and Nell? The only 1/48 scale kits of those subjects I've ever heard of were vacuform, possibly resin. Hasegawa has done dome very nice injection molded 1/72 scale Japanese bombers, but the only mass market, injection molded, twin engine Japanese bomber I know of is the Tamiya Betty.

Ack, my mistake. They are 1:72 by Hasegawa. I had 1:48 on the brain as that is the scale of my current project.

My hat's off to Trumpeter, they are covering a nice range of 1:350 ships from all over the world. I'm currently working on a 1:350 RM Roma and want to pick up their Prinz Eugen and Richelieu sometime. So many kits, so little space and time for them all.

I'm a hoarder, too many kits!

[wdolson]

Resurrecting an old thread...

This is not my work, but it's amazing. I just came across this on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-700-scale-Diorama-USS-Franklin-off-Japan-Feb-45-/181525867308?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item2a43c8eb2c

[Mundy]

A couple nitpicks was that Franklin was wearing MS.21 at the time that happened, which was 19 March 1945.

Otherwise nicely done.

Here's a similar scene being built around Lexington's last moments.

Lexington's last moments

I've been casually working on a diorama with Arizona, and as soon as I get it, Vestal, for a Dec 7 scene (before things happened). I need to get Vestal (Corsair Armada) and some quays (Loose Cannon).

Ed-

[Lecivius]

Gawds, some people have ENTIRELY to much free time on their hands [;)]

[Lokasenna]

That is just really darn cool.

[TOMLABEL]

ORIGINAL: Mundy

Here's a similar scene being built around Lexington's last moments.

Lexington's last moments

Ed-

I have been following that build. Very, very nice!!!

Has anyone picked up the new 1/700 Tamiya CV3 USS Saratoga 1944/45 version? I haven't yet but the review pics look pretty good as compared with the Trumpy CV2 Lex.

TOMLABEL

[Mundy]

I think Sara will be on my short list. A prewar build next to this one would look neat.

Ed-

[DOCUP]

A question for you model guys.  I have been looking for a late war West Virginia.  I found one from Blue Ridge for a lot of money. I have also found an early 41 right price but not style.  I am looking for something nice but not to expensive.  I haven't built a model in over 18 yrs.

[wdolson]

In 1/700 scale there are a lot more Japanese ships than anything else available. Just about every Japanese warship ship larger than a destroyer has been released at one time or another, and a lot of the smaller ships have been released too. For years the only Allied ships available in 1/700 were mostly famous ships like the fast battleships and carriers. Trumpeter and now some other Chinese kit makers have started releasing American ships in 1/700 and 1/350.

I was surprised anybody had released any model of the West Virginia in plastic, so I looked. Trumpeter has released one fairly recently. They have a tendency to release different versions of the same ship to get the best mileage out of their molds. For example there are multiple Baltimore and multiple San Francisco kits out there. I would not be surprised if they didn't release a later version of the West Virginia within a year or so.

Here is a list of Colorado class BB kits:

http://www.theshipplace.com/usn/bb/bb45/uss_colorado_bb_45.html

There is a late war Colorado in the pipeline, so a WV could be coming on its heels.

Bill

[John 3rd]

My boys and I built the USS Indianapolis and are finishing Arizona presently. For Allies we have Prince of Wales, Yorktown, Enterprise, and Hornet on deck for construction.

Japanese wessels left include Kirishima, Chitose, and nearly all of Kido Butai.

[nashvillen]

This summer has been slow for me with Model making. I have only worked on 1:350 aircraft for my CVL and CV kits which are next in the pipe.

Once daylight starts to really go, and it is close, I will start back on my CVL. Will be posting pictures here as I go.

[dwesolick]

Sorry to bring back an old (but very cool) thread. I've just received my 1/700 (Trumpeter) waterline models of the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. I'm planning to build a small diorama (on a piece of wood) with the two ships sailing (un-historically) close together in the Denmark Strait.
My questions are:
1. I know the Bismarck (and I think PE as well) had their "Baltic" camouflage painted over before they went on their romp in the Atlantic. My understanding is that they were painted a neutral gray, but does that include hull, superstructure and turrets? Also, were the deck swastikas painted over or not (I've seen examples of both in paintings)?
2. Anyone ever tried modeling seas before? I've used artificial water on my kids school dioramas (ponds, rivers, lakes/reservoirs...did "Operation Chastise" with my daughter for a school project, all smooth water) but have never tried modeling the ocean. I bought some stuff called "Water Effects" by Vallejo...its a kind of gel, but not sure how to apply it (with a decent sized brush, I guess?). Any advice or tips here would be most welcome!
3. Also planning to try to make antennae wires. I've built some ships before but only tried to do the wires once (the melted sprue method...what a mess). Anyone have tips for this? Very fine thread maybe?

thanks!