My Trumpeter 1:350 SS John W. Brown Liberty Ship

Onyxman - I looked at some pictures of liberty/transport ships and noticed that there were sections along the hulls that showed 'patch job' painting by crews, either done at sea or in port, while on their voyage. I thank everyone for taking a look and giving me some pointers along the way. This was a nice learning experience for me and I'd love to someday be able to do a scratch build of an AP Troop Transport ship to pay homage to my dad who shipped out on the G.O. Squier AP-130 in WWll. I'm amazed that the model companies completly overlook these ships ( HINT HINT) - I guess everyone thinks we teleported our troops overseas! Have yourself a good Holiday season!

It's very realistic looking how you left a clean area on the hull there, as if the crew painted a section as they got access to it. Well done.

Fred

That really is the best way to get into scratch building.

So often folks say" I lost part x from kit y anyone have a spare?"

esp if it's an airplane where mostly there's two of everything- try to make one up.

Rudder really looks good.

Gene - I used graphite powder on my decks and along some of the scuppers and portholes. I also used a wash of dark gray watercolor on the deck. The rust was either oil pastel shavings brushed on, or Testors CreateFX enamel stain rust. Also used a fine point #2 pencil here and there. I used a light gray watercolor on the lower red part of hull to give a salt water appearance and tried a little Green Grunge weathering powder over that. Here's a closeup of my rudder I made from styrene sheet and rod. Without these forums, I would never have have tried my hand at scratch building this rudder. Many thanks!

Robert, I wondered how you got so good so fast, but with an art major that really does help doesn't it. I think your weathering is really great . What did you use ?

Templar1099 - thank you for taking a look at this one and for your compliment. I inherited my 1st model kit after my father-in-law passed away. He was in the sub service so, after sitting on my shelf for approx. 3 years, I decided to build it in his honor in 2012. It was Revell's 1:72 scale Gato sub. I had so much fun building this kit, I went out and purchased the John Brown Liberty and PE set as my next project. I also tackled a badly warped kit of Lindberg's Captain Kidd pirate ship. I'm now trying my hand at Revell's 1:96 USS Constitution model kit. Thank goodness for forums like this to help one along and spark one's ideas. I majored in Art which helps me in paying attention to detail, to the best of my skills. Have yourself a wonderful Holiday season! 

Gene - thanks for your tip on the Optimisers. I'm going to look into getting a pair for these tired eyes of mine! Thanks for your compliment on this ship - I majored in Art so I guess it helps me along with paying attention to details. I hope you have a wonderful Holiday and let's see what we come up with in 2017! Take care.

Fright is really good isn't he. His connie is really a great build with a lot of extra nice details. Lights too.

   GM, the Optivisors are great aren't they. I have 3 or 4 lens that graduated to 5 a long time ago. They are comfortable too. I guess that's where I am working at, 10 or 12 inch's. My Derm is a man, an ex navy Commander & he uses them too, but sounds like he is not as pretty as yours.

   What happened to our private messages ? 

Man, I can't believe it's only your second build, outstanding job.

Gene, I've been wearing glasses since I was a teenager, as I'm pretty nearsighted.

I bought an Optivisor when I got back into modeling in my early forties. I've gone from a 2.5 set of lenses to a 4. I wear it over my normal glasses.

My understanding is that the number is the magnification factor divided by two. The main thing I found when picking lenses is to determine the focus distance. With my glasses and the 4 Optivisor on, thats about 10" in front of my nose. Thats comfortable for me, but I would not want it any closer.

Yes my derm wears them when shes cutting pieces off of me. It's pretty funny. She's a real cute little lady, when I go to see her shes got the lab coat on, the pearls the leather flats. Goes out comes back in in clogs, a gown and that optivisor on. Yikes!

Don, Have either you or fright tried Optivisors. I have been using them for maybe 50 years. Most of the doctors use them too. They are fairly cheap & available at a lot of hobby places. I think I spelled that right.

   They fit on your head & have different strenth lens. I have used a #5 for a long time. They also have what they call an Opti loop, but I have one & never liked it. I just don't build on a model without that thing on my head, & my old eyes are still pretty good.

   I have developed a hand shake in my right hand, but if I brace my hand I can still do trim painting & shooting too. Shooting is mostly 2 handed anyway. That is my second love.

Don - I hear you about the glasses! LOL I use 2.75 glasses and a magnifier with light and I still am in 'the dark'. I bought an inexpensive set of headset magnifiers from Harbor Frieght, but it seems to make things blurry. I realized on this kit that 1:350 scale is not for me. I am at awe on people that can get so much detail on 1:700 scale models! So much for not eating my carrots and spinach in my younger days. Thanks for your feedback and have yourself a HaPpY HoLiDaY !!!!

Looks great!

I am finding cheap but high power reading glasses help my vision, but finger agility is starting to go.  But, I keep hearing the term "use it or loose it."  I am trying that tack for awhile, so have stopped building 1:350 and turning to 1:700.  Hoping it helps the display space too.  I have too many ship models around the house to display them all!

One of our cat(s) broke off the rudder and prop. Thanks to GMorrison for bringing it to my attention. Found prop but no rudder. Had to fabricate the rudder from a piece of sheet styrene and rod. This time I drilled a hole into the hull for pins to hold prop and rudder to ship. Added a thin wire to my flagpole for rope. Also tried to do some rigging for winch cables and line running from tops of mast. Also took Onyxman's advice and 'dirtied up' some of the drain holes ? along the deck line. Putting this away - I want to get back to my Constitution build. Thanks for all of the advice!  GooD HoLiDaY's to ALL !

Robert, that is really nice & the weathering looks great. In WW2 my brother went over on the Grant, a WW1 german ship, to the South Pacific. He said he was sick for 30 days & never got sick again once on the Battleship Indiana.

   Your other pictures you sent me didn't come thru for me.

Ben - thanks and Good Holidays to you!

Thank you Fred for this information. I'll have to read up and do more research on this, seeing how I still have not found my rudder that one of cats have stolen! I did find the propeller that they knocked behind the bookcase. It looks like I'll have to redo the rudder with some styrene. The model had a solid rudder but the photos I've looked at show them as a two-piece rudder.

Very good looking weathering! I would just add that if you look at a lot of photos of liberty ships, much of the streaking on the hull is not rust coming from the freeing ports, but soot running off the decks from the scuppers. The location of the scuppers has to be mapped from photos, as they aren't indicated on the model.

Fred 

Bill - Holy Cow! I think one of my cats may have gotten to this. Hopefully, it fell down behind my bookcase that it was sitting on. She's also missing the prop as well. Looks like it will be back to the drydock for her! I took a break today from working on my Connie and tried to add a little more wear and tear to this one. Thanks for taking a look with your keen eyes and your advice. Here's a pick of what I did.

That is a swell model, Robert. I started my own JOB but it sort of stalled. That kit packs a lot of detail into a small area.

I'd offer a suggestion. The flag looks kind of funny wrapped around the mast. You're a sailor, you know that in the real world it would be hoisted on a halyard.

I would do that, with a thin piece of wire, or rigging line.

One other thing I see is the rudder's gone missing.

Cool model though.

Bill

Jim - thanks for this info. I'm originally from So. Calif. and we have the SS Lane Victory docked in Long Beach harbor. She's a victory ship but she use to have summer cruises that re-created an attack as well. I believe they stopped  events in 2014. Unfortunely, I never took advantage of touring her. We use to motor right past her whenever leaving the channel in our 33' Yorktown sailboat. She was right next to the Vincent Thomas Bridge and not to far from the Queen Mary.

Great job Robert! 

When and if you get a chance, check her out on the internet. She's in Baltimore harbor and she goes out twice a year WITH PASSENGERS. Crew is dressed in period gear and after she is out for a while, she is attacked and the crew wards off the attackers. You get the feel of what it was like to be on her during the war and under fire. You have to get your tickets way ahead of time. Chance to get really close up pics.

Jim  

EJ - thanks and Good Holidays!!!

Holy guacamole! I was worried I would do too much on her but after reading everyone's comments, these ships must have really gotten some wear and tear! I imagine with slow travel plus loading and unloading cargo was grimmy business. I dirtied her up by useing some pastels but also used for the first time some Testors CreateFX Rust enamel stain to help add corrosion. I used a little dirty wash along with dry brushing on some graphite for the main deck deck. I did my first 'cutting' of a model and, was a little nervous, when I added the starboard PE ramp. My hats off to all of the modelers who can bend and glue these fine metal parts without damaging them. I certainly ruined a few. Maybe at a later time, I might go back and try to add more 'grunge' to her but I want to thank you guys for your comments on this kit. 

So;

 Here we have another very well done Liberty . Moderately weathered and all there . Now this is nice and could be messier , But , she's probably representing herself after two voyages .

 You could have a solid hull of rust and it would've been good .These ships got nasty ! T.B.