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Dragon 1/700 Independence

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  • Member since
    June 2007
  • From: Louisiana
Dragon 1/700 Independence
Posted by jazzy_jeff on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 6:44 PM

I'm building the Dragon 1/700 Independence as the USS Monterey CVL-26.  After gluing the three waterline hull pieces together and sanding away the seams, I noticed a slight bow in the hull.  When I place it on a table, the bow rises up.  How do I fix this?

Also, is there anything special to converting the kit (depicting the Independence) to the Monterey in 1944? 

I plan to do her in the dazzle scheme, and is if the railing was painted in a color corresponding to the camo color behind it?

All help is appreciated.

Jeff

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Greenville, NC
Posted by jtilley on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 12:48 AM

I've had that problem of waterline hulls warping just a little bit several times.  The solution lies in fastening the finished model down to a display base of some sort.  One could, I guess, simply glue the hull down, using weights or clamps to take out the warp.  What I generally do, though, is make provisions to fasten the model to the base with screws or bolts - preferably the latter.

I usually start out by drilling a couple of holes, to fit the bolts, through the "waterline plate."  Put the holes as close to the bow and the stern as you can; that gives the bolts the most leverage to take out the warp.  Superglue a couple of nuts to the plate on top of the holes.  Use plenty of adhesive; it's not a bad idea to build up some filler (e.g., baking soda) around the joints.  (If the nuts come loose after the model's finished, you'll have a problem.)  The bolts and nuts will hold the model to a temporary "work base," made from a conveniently-sized piece of wood.  (I find that making the work base about 3/4" or 1" bigger than the ship on all sides is about right.)  Winch the bolts down firmly with a screwdriver, and the warp should disappear.  When the model's done and you've made the permanent display base, just transfer the locations of the holes to it. 

Another approach is to glue a strip of wood (the harder the better) inside the hull, and hold it down with wood screws instead of nuts and bolts.  That works fine, as long as you don't take the screws out and put them back too often.

There are some nice pictures of the Monterey at www.navsource.org.  One of them shows her in the dazzle camouflage scheme (though the shadows cast by an apparently near-noon sun make it a little hard to decipher).  There's also an interesting shot of an F6F sitting on a lowered elevator.

Hope that helps a little.  Good luck.

Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.

  • Member since
    June 2007
  • From: Louisiana
Monterey Flight Deck Colors?
Posted by jazzy_jeff on Friday, January 25, 2008 4:10 PM

Also, what color was her flight deck, 20-B or Flight Deck No. 21?  What were the rest of her horizontal surfaces?

-jtilley, I tried the two bolt method and it worked perfectly, thanks a million.

 Jeff

  • Member since
    June 2007
  • From: Louisiana
Monterey Aircraft Colors
Posted by jazzy_jeff on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:56 AM

Also, as I am modeling her in 1944, what camo would her aircraft have worn:  GSB or the Three Color scheme?  And would they have any sort of special markings identifying them as on the Monterey?

Jeff

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