Tamaroa diorama

Maddog129 wrote:

Hello, I am currently putting together a diorama of the USCGC Tamaroa as she looked during the "Perfect Storm" (my first diorama since high school). The base model I have is a 1/350 scale Resin Kit Cherokee Class navy tug, which is the same class as the cutter (originally the USS Zuni). The resin kit is okay, but I found it to be brittle, especially the small pieces such as the anchors, and several pieces broke rather easily. Is there a company that makes accessory kits for scale models that include anchors, winches, etc? Does anyone know if they make zodiac boats in this scale? Also, I'm having trouble finding an acrylic paint to match the "spar" color used on the stack, boom, etc. Opinions needed: On a model this small, would it be worth it to put crew members on deck? (The diorama is based on an actual photo, and there are numerous crew members on deck.) Any suggestions would be appreciated.

What is the manufacturer of your Cherokee Fleet Tug?  Iron Shipwright makes a 1:350 scale resin & brass ATF Fleet Tug of the class which (IIRC) the Tamaroa was a member of.

I used the kit to make the USS Abinaki, the tug that was sent out to relieve the USS Guadalcanal of the captured U-505

If you are dealing with an Iron Shipwright kit already, contact Jon Warneke at ISW and he can get you some extra anchors winches, and bit parts.   ISW also makes a RHIB for their Hamilton-class cutter.   Or you can order some white metal RHIBs from Yankee Modelworks.   If you're not dealing with ISW write back & I'll see if I have any extras in my parts bins.  

Acrylic Spar ??? Cant say I've seen any.  The best out of the bottle match is by White Ensign Models in their Modern Navy Colourcoat line of paints.  They are enamels

As far as adding crew - it is a matter of personal choice.  Adding people adds chances for messing up -- it also increases the interest in the model by adding life and a measure of scale.

The model you show is the one I'm dealing with. As a matter of fact, I sent an e-mail to the company this morning requesting some parts. I didn't address it to anyone in particular. Does John Warneke have a personal e-mail address?

This has been an experience. I finally came to the conclusion that this is not going to be a short term project. The more I look at photos, the more things about the ship I have to customize. (Locations of winches, reconstructing the stern so that it is flatter, building the boom from scratch, as the one included was too fragile for my clumsy hands, as well as the mast above the bridge.) I am enjoying it, though, especially when little things go right.

I found an acceptable match to the "spar" color: "Deck Tan" produced by floquil (Testers) in acrylic.

Have you ever completed a diorama located in the North Atlantic? I was thinking of painting the base gray, creating the ocean with gloss medium, then top-coating with gray/green and white for the caps. If you have a better suggestion, please advise.

Thanks for the help

The Dave

Oh man I cant wait to see this one. That was a great flick! Are you going to portray it riding up the wave sideways as they haul the chopper crew on board??

Nothing that fancy. I'm just gonna show her under way in rough seas. (this is my first ocean diorama). My main goal is to portray her as accurately as possible for that time period, as she went through many overhauls through her life.

The only problem I have with the movie (which was good and fairly accurate) is that they portrayed the Tamaroa as a 210ft medium endurance cutter. The Tamaroa is/was a 205ft ocean going tugboat that saw action during world war 2 as the USS Zuni. The pic next to my posts is her as I hope to portray her in the diorama.

The Dave