Conversion complete(this time for sure): USS Arizonas pre WWI

Thanks T.B. I'm happy with the look. The mast rods are still at least twice as thick as they should be but they're probably about as good as Revell would have done back in the day. (I know that's not a crazy high bar but I do take some comfort in reaching it) I mostly used the info from this site: usni.org/closer-look-cage-masts and feel my results are definitely in the ballpark when compared to the pictures shown.

I would have liked to have seen your masts made of wire. That would be a project to be proud of. I entertained the idea of trying that, but my secondary purpose for doing this conversion (or any of my 3D printed work really), was the hope that I could sell kits for it on ebay someday, after I retire... On that level this was a flop - way too many failed prints on both the deck and masts, I could never charge enough to break even.

I am looking forward to doing the wireless rigging, If I can pull that off it should look pretty cool. It is pretty intricate and I’ll do it last after the lower string work. But I need to take a break, the wife only has so much tolerance for time spent on my hobbies – especially ones that aren’t likely to show a profit!

Joe!

         Oh My Goodness! Whatta Beutimus model of the Arizona!

 Joe, there was an article in FSM some years back about cage masts. (Before Printers)I did two in Evergreen .005 thickness and one in the same in soldered wire. Being as how I was set up for working with wire from some client's ships it went well. I still liked the cleanliness of my plastic ones better!  T.B.         P.S.She looks Bigger in grey! See what Color can do for you?

what are you talking about what i had said?

ddp59

Joe, how thick is the rods that makeup your cagemasts?

 

that is just the 1st layer as the next 3-4 layers goes parallel to the keel. each layer is sanded & shaped before the next layer goes on. no putty involved at all.

I see now, I missed enlarging the last picture. I see what you did now, very clever. I'm sure there was some filling and more sanding after that last picture but it looks managable. I originally thought the white strips were just tape!

i did not sand in the way you think except to roughen the surface of the plastic hull for better glue adhesion. look at my pictures closely as you should see part of the correction process that you are not seeing clearly & wonder why i did that a way.

I see that olderModeler is starting the same conversion I did, and you were showing him how you dealt with the concave stern issue, but I'm not sure what I was looking at. Were you sanding down to the top level of the tape?

Edit: Just looked again and enlarged the photos. I think I see what you did now. I was thinking of filling in the concave depression - you chose to sand down the edges of the depression making it less pronounced. Interesting.

Nice of that site host images for the posters. That’s a great idea!

that is something to think about.

take a look at this link. http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=385456

The short answer is too thick.

The longer answer: In blender .357mm but I think the actual printed width is likely closer to .5mm as I overexposed each layer by a second due to earlier print failures. You get a bit of bloom/swelling the longer you expose a layer.

I've made a version that is about half as thick and am kicking around the idea of sending it off to shapeways to see how/if they come out.

You can see lots of B&W photos of the Arizona at NAVSOURCE.ORG.  

My belief is that pre and post WWI, the Arizona was painted in a light gray paint scheme using Standard Navy Gray #5.    She was repainted in Measure 1 in the Spring of 1941, consisting of Dark Gray (5D) on the hull and superstructure upto the funnel tops.   Everything above the funnel tops was painted light gray (5L).

Joe, how thick is the rods that makeup your cagemasts?

no shot of the main deck? the wood covering those panels would be flush with the rest of the deck. have a read of this.

http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=12942&start=2520

OK, Got everything I wanted reprinted or added printed... Got everything i wanted removed, removed. Got everything I damaged removing things, repaired. But I just couldn't bring myself to do the rigging - So she's done, for now anyway. Thanks everyone for your input and interest. A special thank you to Dave for his quick information and relentless efforts to keep me honest.

One more thing I wanted to mention, Dave I saw your message about the wood covering the Turbine access panels on the main deck and did some research on it.

Results online are almost evenly split but I do think you are correct, so I painted them the deck color. Didn't like the looks of it though, it just looked off being all raised and non-wood grained so before it had time to set I wiped them back to gray. To paraphrase Billy Chrystal: "It is better to look good than to be accurate" Thanks for the info though.

no problem. also those 2 metal panels in the deck on either side of turret 3 are wood covered not bare metal just like the rest of the upper & main decks are wood covered.

Those plans are amazing. Now I want to make the whole ship!

Thank you

even tho it is a 1927 version Pennsylvania, is still cagemast so might have useful info as they were sister ships.

BB-38 USS Pennsylvania Booklet of General Plans (1927) https://archive.org/details/bb38bogp1927

were are you going to put the aa guns as none shown on her pre-ww 1 picture you posted yesterday, just a platflorm on turret 3 top but no guns shown?

 Post Dave's blueprint Edits are in bold italic - needed to correct myself...

They are both incorrect in different ways. It was actually an interesting problem, and everything made sense once I looked at the issue from a construction point of view instead of a software POV.

In software it was easiest to first complete the main mast, then copy it and cut off from the bottom the forecastle height, this resulted in the searchlight platforms being the same diameter and size. Unfortunately this also puts them at the same height on both masts. Creating the masts this way also meant the forward mast had a slightly smaller base diameter, as the masts tapper with height and I had taken the height difference off from the bottom. -Based on the bluprints the foremast actually did have a smaller diameter base

Thinking from a construction POV, the builders no doubt started with two identical bases and searchlight platforms - Incorrect, the vertical rods were just shorter for the foremast. This fixes everything -Haha!; the bases and platforms are now the same sizes and the platforms are necessarily higher on the forward mast as their positions are relative to their bases -They are actually higher than just the deck hieght offset.

So they both got’a go -This is still true :).

There is a bright side – the searchlight platform supports on the v1 cagemasts were designed too thin and failed to print, the platforms as a result, are warped upwards {a bit) as they extend from the center. The platform supports I added by hand to fix their absence are kind of clunky, so I’m hoping I can print better replacements that fix all their major issues -Also still true.

only need to replace the mainmast if the foremast is correct.

Dang I see what your saying. On the actual Arizona, hight of the searchlight platforms is the same relative to the base of the cagemasts, not their tops. Good catch, the design will be easy enough to change, not so much the model. Oh well, wasn't in love with the V1 cagemasts anyway, now I've a good excuse to replace them.

you did not understand my post & link. look at the platforms partway up as they are not at the same level compared to your model.

Dave your link is of Arizona in Dec of 1918, I've been modeling her pre war 1917 configuration.

compare the makeup of the cagemasts in this link http://navsource.org/archives/01/039/013906a.jpg to yours.

http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/39a.htm

Getting close to complete. I'd like to print the AA gun platform and guns for the stern superfiring turret and a 2 pairs of davits to flank it and a few other tiny bits. Then the rigging and then figure out how I'll mount her.

I've been trying to use as many of the Revell kit parts as I can, even though some, like the motor launch are overly simplified. I'll likely end up using the Revell stands too.

i got about 50+ of those guns from that link for my OBB project.

That's the gun I modeled but mine is way more stripped down. With small details there are two ways a designer can go, make the small details slightly larger allowing them to be present and consistently printed or omit them.

This is more critical with inexpensive home printers.

is that a primer coat or the finish coat on the model? does your 5-inch/51 Caliber Guns look like this?

https://www.3dmodelparts.com/1-426-5-inch-51-caliber-guns-8-pcs/

if i had a 3d printer, i would only use it for small repetitive parts that i did not want to spend the time to make as decks & structures would be made from sheet styrene. my Tennessee model was the 1st time i did surgery to remove the bulges & i so like what i did that i will do the same to the airfix 1/600 scale Suffolk & Belfast to do the other County & Town class cruisers.