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Tamiya 1/700 Fletcher

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  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: Berwick, La.
Tamiya 1/700 Fletcher
Posted by Tnonk on Sunday, February 5, 2012 11:54 PM

I recently got a great deal on ebay with a Dragon Livermore & Monssen, Tamiya Fletcher & 2 sets of Toms PE Destroyer sets (Do these sets come with instructions originally?) for 17.50.  

I initially was going to turn around and sell the Tamiya Fletcher because it doesn't have a full hull but decided to try it for a 'practice' build.

I normally don't build 1/700 due to it's size, my eyesight and my clumsy fingers.  After seeing quite a few great builds of these little ships and the large array available (not to mention they don't take up much display room), I figured I'd give it a go.

Here's what I got in my deal.  The second Tom's set is taped to the reverse, each set is missing only one piece of PE.

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the Tamiya Fletcher but this is the first one I've actually owned.  Not a bad little kit.

I spent a couple of hours working on it tonight. I cut and cleaned up the hull then painted a few bits and pieces on the sprues.

I debated cutting off the depth charges and using the PE one but I've only used PE Twice before (on a 1/32 Trump P-38 & a 1/32 Revell P-51B) so I'm not very good at it. I decided to leave the depth charges as is.

I started by adding some PE railings to the bow. I had to wing it on the PE set due to no instructions.  Just checked the box and gave it a shot.

Then added some PE railings to the stern.

I worked on a few of the 5" mounts and mounted them.

That's it for tonight.

The PE has a few problem areas that the photo's really bring out, I'll have to work on it to get it better.

It's my first attempt at PE railings and while I'm not completely satisfied, my 'practice' build is doing it's job I guess.

More tomorrow or so.

Thanks for checking it out.

 

Adrian

 

  • Member since
    March 2006
Posted by TD4438 on Monday, February 6, 2012 6:20 AM

It's lookin' good for just winging it.I cannot imagine doing 1/700 PE.

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: Berwick, La.
Posted by Tnonk on Monday, February 6, 2012 10:58 PM

Thanks TD, I appreciate it.

I felt the same way about tackling 1/700 PE and I'm coming to the realization that my preconceived notions seem to be right on the money - so far anyway. It's almost, but not quite, an exercise in frustration.  Of course, I knew it was going to start off this way, that's why I just bit the bullet and dove into this 'practice' build.

I'm kinda suckin' just a bit at 1/700. I'm just hoping it gets a little better as I go. I may wind up getting another Tamiya Fletcher (or maybe the square bridge Cushing boxing) and try a second 'practice' build before I start on my Dragon Livermore & Monssen kits.

The small pieces are laughing at my clumsy fingers.  I spent an hour tonight on the floor searching for one of the searchlights to be mounted on the stack platform.  Thank goodness I don't have carpet or that little sucker would have been long gone.  

But I found it so I'm all better now. So far, so good.

I do see some problems with the PE railing on the bow that I'm going to have to fix.  I'll need to get better magnification before I tackle that tho.

I worked on wrapping up the 5" mounts, the bridge and the 40 mm platform tonight.  I also mounted the boats, the forward torpedo tubes & stack and the waist 20 mm's.

I know the paints aren't quite right but I'm using what I have on hand for this build.  The decks are done in MM Intermediate Blue while the sides of the superstructures and 5" mounts are base coated in Neutral Gray.  I'll be using two other shades of gray to finish the camo scheme.

A couple of pics for the nights work.

Thanks for looking in.

 

Adrian

  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Spartanburg, SC
Posted by subfixer on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 12:30 AM

TD4438

It's lookin' good for just winging it.I cannot imagine doing 1/700 PE.

It's clear that he is a better man than I am.   Tongue Tied

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: Berwick, La.
Posted by Tnonk on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 11:46 PM

Thanks for looking in subfixer, I appreciate it.

I managed to get a couple hours at the workbench on the Fletcher tonight.

After setting up my stuff to work on the Fletcher, I had to make a decision.

The more I looked at the pics of the bow railings, the less I liked them. So, I decided to give it a go at trying to fix them before I went any further.  I don't really have the right optics or holding tools, so I gave it a try.

I carefully removed the rails and cleaned up the glue residue.

Of course its right up to par for me when I do things like this, I managed to break off one of the lifeboat davits.  I was tempted to use the PE ones but I decide against it.

It took me a bit of time but I managed to get the bow railings back on & in better position than before.  So, while they aren't perfect, they are much better and I'm satisfied with them.

After I let the bow rails set for a few minutes, I added the back superstructure, torpedo tubes, remaining 5" mounts and the 40 mm platform.

I've got 7 hours in to the build so far, and, as 'practice' builds go, I'm very satisfied.  It could always be a bit better but I'm OK for now.

More tomorrow or so, I'd like to have this build wrapped up by the weekend.

Thanks for looking in.

 

Adrian

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