Olympia gun shields.

The gun barrels should be attached before installing the turrets because shortly after this step the decks are installed making it impossible to retrieve a turret should it get pushed into the hull. I should add that the turret fit is very tight and this isn't likely to actually happen but why risk it. There are two slightly different PE parts for the gun shields. Notice the half round opening on the side of the shield. Some allow the gun barrel to face forward and some aft. The final two pages of the instructions have some helpful photos of the completed ship and that's where I noticed the aft two guns face the rear and the forward three face forward. I used a piece of sprue to bend the shield and they fit perfectly. Be careful of PE parts A34 and 35 (step 3), the main deck stairways. I had to slightly re-bend one where the steps connect to the platform and it snapped in two. This presented no real problem because they can be installed in two pieces but the parts seem very thin and maybe are extra fragile. Some of the parts, should they break, won't be so easy to fix.

On a separate note, I had to ask Squadron for a replacement metal gun barrel because one of the main guns was cast wrong. In less than two weeks they not only sent me the correct part but the bag containing all of the gun barrels. If anyone needs a barrel let me know because I have a complete set minus one and two thumbs up to Squadron who clearly understand customer service.

Did that also include the 6 pounder gun barrels or just only the 8 inchers? because if you also got the 6 pounder barrels in that deal you can outfit another Olympia.  I can take all 10 of the 6 pounder barrels as I have another Olympia I want to finish before I start the new kit.

jeffpez

The gun barrels should be attached before installing the turrets because shortly after this step the decks are installed making it impossible to retrieve a turret should it get pushed into the hull. I should add that the turret fit is very tight and this isn't likely to actually happen but why risk it. There are two slightly different PE parts for the gun shields. Notice the half round opening on the side of the shield. Some allow the gun barrel to face forward and some aft. The final two pages of the instructions have some helpful photos of the completed ship and that's where I noticed the aft two guns face the rear and the forward three face forward. I used a piece of sprue to bend the shield and they fit perfectly. Be careful of PE parts A34 and 35 (step 3), the main deck stairways. I had to slightly re-bend one where the steps connect to the platform and it snapped in two. This presented no real problem because they can be installed in two pieces but the parts seem very thin and maybe are extra fragile. Some of the parts, should they break, won't be so easy to fix.

On a separate note, I had to ask Squadron for a replacement metal gun barrel because one of the main guns was cast wrong. In less than two weeks they not only sent me the correct part but the bag containing all of the gun barrels. If anyone needs a barrel let me know because I have a complete set minus one and two thumbs up to Squadron who clearly understand customer service.

Upon taking a closer look I find I didn't get everything. I have the 10 barrel parts MB2 which are 5 pound guns that go in the superstructure, not the ones that are in the hull. There are actually 14 6 pound guns, 10 in the hull and 4 in the superstructure. I do not have those. If you want the 10 that I have or any of the  8 pounders I have left (3) please send your mailing address and they're yours.

jeffpez

 I used a piece of sprue to bend the shield and they fit perfectly. Be careful of PE parts A34 and 35 (step 3), the main deck stairways. I had to slightly re-bend one where the steps connect to the platform and it snapped in two. This presented no real problem because they can be installed in two pieces but the parts seem very thin and maybe are extra fragile. Some of the parts, should they break, won't be so easy to fix.

This brings up another question.  I was planning to bend the shields around a piece of 1/8 inch tubing, but wondering if I have to anneal the brass first.  Is the radius sufficiently large that I do not need to anneal them all, or do I have to anneal?

And thanks to the  clarification that there are two arrangements of shields with the same part number.

The shields are parts B4 and B6 although the instructions refer to both as B6. I didn't anneal the parts (and never do) and had no difficulty. With the ladder breaking I suspect the weakness was at the joint between the steps and platform where the back of the part was scored. The line on the back  may have been deep enough to weaken the part. Every other PE part I've used has worked well.

jeffpez

The shields are parts B4 and B6 although the instructions refer to both as B6. I didn't anneal the parts (and never do) and had no difficulty. With the ladder breaking I suspect the weakness was at the joint between the steps and platform where the back of the part was scored. The line on the back  may have been deep enough to weaken the part. Every other PE part I've used has worked well.

Agreed, I didn't have to anneal them. 

I cut a small block from HD particle board, drilled a 9/32 hole through it.  Cut the block carefully just above the centerline for the hole, so I had a semi-circular hole/trough through the block.  Placed a shield over the trough, placed a piece of 1/8 brass rod over the shield, and whacked it once with a small modelers hammer.  Works great, did both the small shield and the big piece.  Using 1/8 inch gives me an appropriate springback, just right.

I'm impressed that it worked but even more so that you thought of it in the first place. Well done and keep in touch. I'm finally at the point where I can't pretend the railings don't exist. I never much enjoyed this part and probably built more than I should have before installing some of them but I couldn't help myself. I built this ship as a kid around the time it was first released. No doubt this time I'm doing a far better job and I'm really enjoying it.

jeffpez

I'm impressed that it worked but even more so that you thought of it in the first place. Well done and keep in touch. I'm finally at the point where I can't pretend the railings don't exist. I never much enjoyed this part and probably built more than I should have before installing some of them but I couldn't help myself. I built this ship as a kid around the time it was first released. No doubt this time I'm doing a far better job and I'm really enjoying it.

At a local model club meeting a guy demonstrated railing attachments and I was convinced to follow his methods.  He used white glue thinned 1:1 with water.  I found it works much better than CA.  More working time before setup, and doesn't leave unsightly glue blotches I'd get from CA.  Yet, I find it holds fine- haven't lost a railing section yet.

Another gun shield issue has come up!  Pictures of the Olympia as it sits now shows gun shields on the five inch guns as well as the six pounders.  I would assume it would be even more important for these bigger guns.  Yet I don't see any in the kit.  Why did they provide shields for the six pounders and not the five inchers?  I can replicate the shields, I think, from thin brass, but want to make sure they are really needed.

Some of the five inchers now have windows, which I assume were done for museum purposes- I assume the shields originally used would be just like the 6 pdr shields but larger.

I've looked at pictures many times and never noticed. Considering how complete the PE set is I'm surprised at the oversight.

Thanks for the railing tip. I've used Slo Zap but even that sets up too quickly sometimes so I'm looking forward to trying white glue.

Don those aren't gun shields on the 5 inchers those are windows!  Really those are windows as the gun rooms also served as state rooms. The windows on Olympia are original and came with the ship and are removeable when the guns need to be used.

Don Stauffer

Another gun shield issue has come up!  Pictures of the Olympia as it sits now shows gun shields on the five inch guns as well as the six pounders.  I would assume it would be even more important for these bigger guns.  Yet I don't see any in the kit.  Why did they provide shields for the six pounders and not the five inchers?  I can replicate the shields, I think, from thin brass, but want to make sure they are really needed.

Some of the five inchers now have windows, which I assume were done for museum purposes- I assume the shields originally used would be just like the 6 pdr shields but larger.