1/350 Hasegawa Akagi Complete.

I've run out of superlatives 

I don't think I'd worry too much about tie downs.  If they are almost ready to launch the only thing they might have would be the chocks.  It would be much easier and quicker to get everyone in the air.  I think tie downs would only be used when they were just plowing through the water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLBmh__VASY

at 1:19

Still loving it.....

Can't wait to see the people. While the aircraft props and the ocean add movement, the people will really make it come alive. 

When your completely done (including your enclosed display case) I really want to know the total cost and hour invested. This is a rare level of dedication indeed.

Ben

I haven't keep up on the hours and am afraid to figure the cost but the best I can come up with for the hours is over 1100 and cost?.......probably the same 

modelcrazy

I haven't keep up on the hours and am afraid to figure the cost but the best I can come up with for the hours is over 1100 and cost?.......probably the same 

 

HA, $1100, maybe for just the PE 

TheMongoose

HA, $1100, maybe for just the PE

Right?

The 4 Hase PE sets alone costs somewhere in the neighbourhood of $300 plus the 5 Infini aircraft sets of around $150, plus various ladders, railings, cranes, cable reels ETC some somewhere around....say $70 to be conservative. Then you have the 5 extra aircraft sets at what? $30 a piece not counting shipping so say $40X5 = $200. Wood deck $45, metal guns a paltry $10. Then I forgot I had orderd those so I ordered another set at $10 (the extra 8" barrels came in useful on something else). The very numerous crew so say that's another $250 easy. I'm sure I'm missing something but roughly $1200. Oh, and the cost of the kit itself at $175!....$1400 over the 3 years since I bought it!! Dang, I could have paid off a bill!! It was a gift to myself for surviving the first year of a double ling transplant so yeah.....that justifies it Luckily I had a good job an extra income at the time. I couldn't get away with it now. No, back to 1 PE set per kit or OOB. There are some things I budget for now like the Pontos Bismarck set.

I told you I didn't want to figure it, now I'm depressed 

Not to figure the trip to Vegas just to show the dam thing.

I can make you feel better...that's only $1/hr of build time. A bargain at your skill level. I forsee an award at the end of Vegas in your future as well. let's all get MC psyched up again!

Thanks Chris,

I'm just a little burnt out of it at the moment, but almost at the finish line. I'm starting to work on other builds and I swear, I forgot how to fill and sand a wing root!

No worries brother. I'll also be bring several other show worthy builds including my 1:140 Corel Mayflower for the special award for the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower. I built it in 2000 and it's been under a case ever since.

I think in all I'll be bringing 6 builds.

Akagi
Corel Mayflower
Sunken Hasegawa Zero
Academy Oliver Hazard Perry
Bandai ATST
Tamiya Swordfish

I think that's it.

Steve, that has to be one of the most awsome builds that I have ever seen. You are a master of your art.

Have seen and followed a couple of those here.  I think the Puffer and Musashi. Would be worthy additions, but space in the vehicle is a problem.

Thank you Dodgy. Getting the crew done now.

goldhammer

Have seen and followed a couple of those here.  I think the Puffer and Musashi. Would be worthy additions, but space in the vehicle is a problem.

 

Both the Puffer and Musashi are in museums, so they're not accessible.

Ahhhh, they found good homes anyway.

I'm a big fan of your work Steve and for some reason I don't always make it into your build threads. This is just mind blowing work that you do to these builds of yours. Separate cockpits for 1/350 scale aircraft. Now THAT is impressive.

Thanks Mustang

Did I miss something?  Puffer?

Was a submarine build MC did a couple years back.  He set it in a water base as it was launched sideways with a huge splash.

IIRC, he did it for the submarine GB..

**EDIT**. Well, I missed that call, didn't think it was that long ago.  Time's flying by.  First thread on page 49 of ships page.   Finished pics on page 4.

Here is the link GH.

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/7/t/170521.aspx

It's at the Warhawk Museum which my wife and I are taking my grandsons to this Monday. They have the Puffer, Prinz Eugen at Bikini and my 1/72 Type IX U-boat on display.

Got the aircrew on the deck but need to add an officer. Most are at the chalkboard, some are at or headed to the aircraft.

Some of the maintenance crew are on as well as most of the AA crews.

Here is what I have left. The figures at the back are the ships crew watching the historic evolution, the figures in the middle are more maintenance crew and the ones at the front are more AA crew.

this just gets more and more spectacular . incredible work steve .

I wish I could see this in person.

No, wait, it would probably give me a serious inferiority complex when I saw it and drive me to build a (gulp) car.........

What the heck, I'd risk it.

It's still a fantastic piece of work, proving once again...WE'RE NOT WORTHY!!

Good luck, mean it.

Thank you Steve and Ikar.

Okay!

 That does it! I am stopping on the RIO and going back to cars. This is too much for me. WoW!!!

Steve,

Adding the crew really brings the ship to life, well done.

Marcus

Just for the heck of it.....is it too late to ask about where the smoke is from some of the fighter exhausts?

No, I'm not expecting some to be added, just thought I'd ask for fun.

Thanks Marcus 

Ikar,  I thought about that and was almost going to put just a tiny bit of cotton on some of them, but since they are just about to take off, the engines would have been running for several minutes. Reading "Shattered Sword", I learned a lot about the Japanese carrier operations. Apparently, after bringing the aircraft on deck fully loaded and fuelled, the maintenance crew would run the engines for at least 15 minutes prior to takeoff to make sure they were warmed up and running right. 

I just finished that book.  Gives a whole new perspective to westerners on how the Japanese carrier ops were done.  As well as construction.

Found it interesting that Akagi only had two near misses and one direct bomb hit at Midway.  The hit and the misses were in about the worst possible spots to save her.

One has to wonder if that outcome would have changed if the air group survivors from Sho and Zui had been combined and Zui had been sent as part of the force.  But up until then they had only operated as pairs in carrier divisions.

The crew really adds to it.  Only getting better me friend.

MC - a nibble for thought.......take a look at the something different thread in ships.  Could be done as the cut -away showing the bomb damage from the hit at Midway, according to the diagram in Shattered Sword.

And yeah, I'm a troublemaker and a pain in the rudder post housing.

goldhammer

And yeah, I'm a troublemaker and a pain in the rudder post housing.

Never Art, you guys give me insperation for future builds. It was TB that started me in the direction of the Musashi weck. After far more searching and investigation of the Musashi from Allan's team, my rendetion is a little off but still quite accurate with the info I had at the time. It was far more damaged than I protray. The fore deck is almost non existent, but......artistic licence.

BTW, Ikar, I was thinking seriously of attaching some cotton as steam from the outlet on the fore deck to tell wind direction. I don't know if they would have started it this early or already started to help with heading into the wind. 

Other than that, the Akagi finally done, time for a rest 

Actally, I need to replace one ladder, which is ready for paint (two rungs were broken off and it didn't look right), but I glued the last guy last night. I will get better pictures before calling it completely done but for now, heres what I have.

I do wish I had a better background or knew more about Photo Shop type software.

Aircraft maint crew with the planes. Some off duty guys watching the evolution. and AA gunners.

More maint crew, off duty sailors and aircrew completing breifing and bridge crew.

AA and of duty crew as well as sailors at the "big eyes"

These guys want to watch the take offs from the bow. All airplane geeks like me.

More AA and off duty crew.

And AA crew, off duty crew and maint crew from the port side

Get that last ladder on, put the case on her and put her in a safe place before transport to Vegas.