Tamiya Big-E - USS Enterprise 1/350

Looks good!  There's a ship group build going on, come and join.  I've been posting progress on my Big-E in there.

Thank you. Could you give me the link ?

Sure. Here you go:

/forums/t/131974.aspx

A lot of sponsons to build and a lot of gaps to fill. Once more a CIWS "box" was removed in order to put a better resin CIWS.

A new week and a lot of gaps to fill. I assembled this kit in 2000 and my impression is that this 2010 kit is quite different in terms of precision.

Still a lot gaps to fill and a screw hole.

New week. New sponsons and new gaps to fill. I'm using super glue to fill the gaps. It's good because cures fast, but is harder than putty to sand. Before glue this small sponsons I will paint them because will be very dificult to do this later. Other big sponsons are already fixed in the place.

looking good Jorge

No pictures today, my cell phone is dead this week. Without much news, still filling in the gaps. I started working on the elevators, removing the plastic piece that will be replaced by a photoetched. A job that I thought would be boring and difficult (almost impossible) but it is fun using a small drill, file and knife. But even so, it take several hours. Next week I'll post the photos.

The Pics:

Three hours later ...

Hi, guys. Today, using the same tools and in order not to be filling gaps (this is getting very boring), I made the hole in the hangar door. It's a job that requires some precision to be good, but the plastic is a slightly thick. This is my first experience, but had a reasonable result. Maybe I use the other pieces that will not use to do a better job.

Hi. Today, more gap filling. A tiring work that is taking too long.

One doubt: I need to glue photo etched rails first or last, after paint ? Thanks for posting.

A.M.Jorge

One doubt: I need to glue photo etched rails first or last, after paint ? Thanks for posting.

If your going to have any of the elevators in the lowered position don't forget to add safety railings around the openings

Hi again, folks.

Mike, thanks for the post.

This is a open forum in order to change experiences.

My english is not very good. So, what I want to know is if we glue photo etched parts before paint or after paint. The GMM's instructions says that we must fix PE rail after paint PE and plastic parts. Otherwise, PE "surface" parts (like doors) must be glued before paint. A think if the PE and plastic parts will be painted with the same color, all parts must be glued before paint. 

Dear friends,

after several weeks assembling, gluing, sanding, filling gaps, today I did the first painting in the model. All previous work is beginning to show results. It is still a small part, but was very good, better than the average of my previous models.

Hi, guys. No updates until now. It's very warm here this summer. Regards.

Hi. This week I lost one small sponson piece, so I've needed to scratchbuild a new one. Also, needed to sand some gaps yet. But I've started to mask some sponsons. Soon I'm intending to paint the hull.

Hey everybody, I've been masking some parts, for, as I said, I plan to paint the hull soon. It required some patience and a few hours, but it was still fun. In the end, my roll of masking tape over!

Olá de novo. Fiz uma mudança de curso. Eu tinha intenção de fazer um hangar bem simples, mas não o farei mais. Estou fixando as peças menores do casco e preenchendo as falhas pequenas. Demorou um pouco mais do que pensei para poder fazer a pintura.

Looking very impressive!  Are you in on the ship group build?  I'm in with a 1/200 scale Arizona and a 1/350 Gambier Bay.  I'm almost ready to start as soon as I finish planking the hull of my 1/200 Titanic all wood model for R/C.

Hi, guys. Today I did a few details that are clear in the photos of the ship at 1982/1983 and even in the manual, but did not come with the kit. They are my first "scracthbuilts. At first It was a little difficult, but ultimately it becomes fun.

There are still a few more details to start painting the hull.

Really starting to take shape now

Dear friends modellers.

Today progress has been small, but important. Rather than put everything together and then paint, resulting in some failures, I painted some places and details that will be difficult to access. However, after joining, I have to fill the gaps. The job is doubled, but is more beautiful (hopefully!). And then, who is in a hurry?

The material and the "hull color"

Providing that one cleaning before painting. A lot residue of dust from sanding.




Areas that will be difficult to access.



Areas that already have access difficult. Imagine then.

The rear deck also will be very restricted.




The platforms that will enter in these tight spaces.




Testing ...




I put the horizontal strip in front of the vertical.

Today I glued the pieces in place. Still was not very good in some places, the tape marked in ink, guess I'll have to retouch.


One of the platforms




Another




Today I also folded my first PE. It is a ladder. I thought it was fairly easy, though I only have some needle-nose pliers. Look:

Highlighting the tree.

Already bent:

Look at the size:
http://i.min.us/ilB6Hq.JPG


In place below the flight deck and on top of the hull:



So I could glue the anchors:

does the Tamiya colors translate to the model master paints and is so where can I obtain a color chart?

Bill

Hi Biil,

I really don't know any color conversion chart, but I found this, it's very helpful:

http://www.paint4models.com/paintchart/paintconversionchart20100101b.html

I hope it was useful.

After a long month beginning and a holiday, I finally got some work in the model. Still assembling the hull. I glued the rear deck and the others spopnson that had not yet done. To my misfortune, I discovered that I mounted a wrong platform, and now I can not glue a diagonal beam supporting the upper deck. I had to take off the flat piece of the base platform and then paste the opposite side. I had to glue, fill gaps and I have to paint again. In the end, will be good.

Rear platform:

Something very strange is happening with the painting when I "unmask" the pieces, where a tape over the other, a line was clearer. I'll have to paint again. The paint, in general, are not adhering well to the kit.

More a small platform:

Diagonal beams supporting the upper deck:

One more:

I stuck to dark gray platform unlike

Half an hour after removing super glue and sanding, I need to fill the gaps, sand and paint again:

It was because of this beam that I discovered the fitting wrong sponson:

The last two small platforms, and the right made by me, because I lost one of these little pieces. I nedd to fill gaps before paint.

From this and the previous day was clear that the detail in from the plastic kit, resin and PE will have to be assembled later.

Overall, I have to fill some gaps, sanding in order to paint.

That's it.

Way to go ...

Today I'm near to finish the hull. At least the base of the hull without the details.

Let's go the flight deck. We must remove the safety nets of the kit in order to put the PEs.

First deck's part, before:

Then, without the safety nets:

Second deck's part, before:

Then, without the safety nets:

Third deck's part, before part before:

Then, without the safety nets:

Look at the elevator that is molded together with the deck. I'll have to remove. It's about 4mm plastic to cut !

I lost the detail photo of removed elevator, but you may see the four elevators' "holes" on deck:

 Look at the first part of the deck being glued. Here, we must have patience in the test fit of parts. If I miss the deck junction by much, I will fill gaps and sanding until the sun turn off !

I was looking at the hull and I realized (the obvious) that one elevator that is molded with the central part of the flight deck, in the hull also there is a closed door molded . However, this door should be recessed, as the door, in fact, not exists in front of the elevator, but behind the internal opening. Thinking about this, I decided to make a new recessed door from the unesed parts, since the kit only provided three indenteds ports.

 First, I got the part not used, measured and drew the new parts in plastic:

 Then I cut and pasted the new parts using super glue:

 There lacked some corners to fill, which I did using more superglue:

Continuing ...

After drying for a week, the homemade door part is not good yet. I had to fill with more super glue. I have not given up. As the glue dries, I decided to finish the join between the bow and the flight deck. There are some fairly large gaps to fill. Filled with super glue and sanded. The details of the hatches were damaged, so I thought it best sanding and rework them with 1.6 mm  diameter styrene, the same I'll use to make the fire hoses axis.

The elevators are also part of the flight deck. I also began to prepare the structures in styrene for use with the PEs. I had an accident and cut my finger. But I went ahead!

Our port that will be one of the doors of the elevators is still not good, need to fill in the missing corners

More super glue and we will see how goo it will be

The photos of the elevator which was molded in the flight deck, removed in order to use the PEs.

The base of one of four flight deck elevators. Already adjusted one. This is the second. Two more are left.

The original piece:

Beginning with the holes

The rear part

Half an hour later ...

Adjusting the bow and the flight deck joint

Many gaps to fill. So I thought it best to fill them, sanding the hatches. Then I will do again with 1.6 mm styrene

After sanding still left some flaws. More and more super glue and sandpaper

Making hatches

And after pasting. It was good, but I had to sand all the pieces will stay with the same height. It was also a little hard to handle, but after all it worked.