Battle of the Coral Sea Group Build 4 May, 2017 - 8 May, 2018

Base I made for Hammann, following directions on this site:

http://www.modelshipwrights.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=2527

Finished things up today.  But first, some information on the real USS Hammann, DD-412

Named for Ensign Charles Hammann, a Medal of Honor recipient from WWI, she was commissioned on 11 August, 1939.

She was in the Atlantic on 7 December, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and quickly sent to the Pacific.

She was assigned to Task Force 17, commanded by Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher.  The TF was organized around USS Yorktown.

On 4 May, 1942, she was ordered to rescue two fighter pilots (Ensign John P. Adams and Lieutenant j.g. Elbert Scott McCuskey) from VF-42, who were marooned on Guadalcanal.  After some harrowing attempts, the pair were brought on board the destroyer.  You can read about it in The First Team, pp. 171-178.

Hammann returned to duty, screening the carriers--Yorktown and Lexington--during the Japanese air attacks of 8 May.  When Lexington was abandoned, destroyers Hamman, Morris and Anderson stood by to pick up survivors (all three were Sims-class).  Hammann rescued some 500 sailors from the water.

Hammann also participated in the Midway battle, screening Yorktown, and famously went down when she was struck by one of four Japanese torpedos launched from a submarine and intended for the carrier.  Hammann broke in half and disappeared bow- first in four minutes.   A secondary explosion, underwater, was likely the result of her depth charges and torpedoes blowing up.  Eighty of her crew were lost.

Finish-photos of Tamiya's USS Hammann

Hope everyone else's builds are going well.  There is still a little over a month now to finish things up.

Excellent work Checkmate.  

Thanks, Scott.  It was a little anxiety-provoking, being so small, but it was a learning experience.

Well check it may have given you cold shivers, but you did a superb job of it.

Well done.

Thanks very much, damouav.  

Been following and admiring the quailty of work-especially the naval builds-very impressive.

Broke out the AM Dauntless and primed it today-hopefully I can get the interior bits painted during the week-gonna be tight making the finish date (scheduling issues) but gonna give it a shot.

haze gray and under way nice ship there CM.

Thanks, Bob and Nick!  

As for the time deadline, Bob, don't worry about it.  Go ahead and finish, even if it goes beyond the official end date.

The recent problems with postimage wiped out the GB badge and finished photos--and probably everything else posted with them.

I've restored the badge and finish-photos from the alternate site.  If there are errors I've made, please post and let me know.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Only about a week to go before this GB finishes up.

If you've started your build and posted progress photos, please go ahead and finish up.

Thanks to all of you who have participated!

I started my Hasegawa 1/72 SBD-3 yesterday CMK. I'm going to push myself to get it done by the 8th, as I dislike finishing GBs late. Here's what I've got. I've also been working on putting some airframe detail into the cockpit. I'll also add a set of resin wheels, and used some Eduard canopy masks to make it quicker.

I've almost caught up my backlog, and I can build in a more timely manner soon.

More photos tonight.

Cheers

Tony

Tony:

I've got that SBD in a closet somewhere, too, so I'll be paying close attention to how the build goes.

Please take your time; don't be overly concerned with deadlines.  Better that you get results that you're pleased with, rather than feel too pressured!

Thanks so much CMK, you're very kind. 

I've put the basic cockpit together, and built some airframe detail on the inside fuselage walls. THis was following with a squirt of Gunze Interior Green. As you can see, it's got a semi gloss finish which I think will be OK for applying a washing, without holding to much of it. I'll schedule in a coat of flat before I close it up.

I've been modelling since I was 9, in 1976. My only other attempt at an SBD was the Matchbox 1/32 one in about 1980. It was given to me by an uncle for Christmas, which was a nice surprise. It was at the dawn of my trying to modify things to make them better, and I can remember trying to drill out two J shaped exhausts from end to end. I don't know why, I guess I didn't know where to stop. Anyway, that held me up to the point where the thing never got built. So, it's high time I got one done !

Enough personal history, on with the show.

Cheers

Tony

I've extracted this old sheet from the decal stash. I plan to depict the third aircraft down. No choice actually, it's the only Coral Sea SBD-3 in my stash.

Cheers

Tony

Looks like a nice kit, Tony.  How is the parts-fit?

I haven't really addressed the parts fit too much yet, although I can see that the fuselage halves fit well and the cockpit assembly fits in neatly. It's been good enough to give me a good feeling about it.

Here's a dry fit of the cockpit assmebly into the fuselage. I still haven't applied the Eduard Zoom P/E set, which should happen tonight.

Cheers

Tony

Very nice, Tony.  Big improvement over the Airfix kit.

Thanks CMK. Here's the next instalment. I finished the cockpit that needs to be done prior to joining up the fuselage. The machine gun can be added afterwards, which I'll do to make things easier for now.

Cheers

Tony

It's great what you've done with it, Tony.  Excellent and eye-catching!

Thanks again CMK. Last night I tackled the dive brakes, surely the hardest part of any SBD build.

I had an old Airwaves etched metal set, so I duly cut out the dive brakes from the top wing. As it turns out, the Airwaves set don't fit, so I've had to shim the cutout to make it fit. They're really thin and flexible, I feel there is going to be some more work. The photo is with the shims in te rough state, they been faired in nicely now using CA as a gap filler.

Cheers

Tony

Disappointing that they didn't fit, but you've done good work to blend them in.  

I've read since on Scalemates that they/'re intended for the Airfix and Testors kits, so I guess those kits have different dimension dive brakes.

I did some more coinstruction last night, the wing to fuselage join is tricky, I had to do some engineering to reduce a big step between the wing upper surface and the fuselage. It still ends up with quite a gap, but that's much easier to fix. The horizontal tailplanes fit very well.

Today I'll be cleaning up all the seams, spraying the prop tips yellow, and commencing on the engine if I get enough time.

Cheers

Tony

I had hoped the Hasegawa SBD had better fit!  

Still--you've got the cockpit looking good in there.

Thanks CMK. I don't have a photo this time. I did get the prop tips sprayed, and about 75% of the seams sorted out. Still a bit to go.

No chance for any modelling today, due to work commitments.

Cheers

Tony

Here's some progress. The engine is painted and in, and the cowling has been mounted to the fuselage. The prop is done apart from the centre being painted natural metal, the spinner is only placed there for the photo. Tyres are black too. I'm just finishing off the rear cockpit before I attach the canopy parts. I'm hoping to get a coat of primer on it today. I'm pretty worried about the dive brakes, but we'll see how we go.

Cheers

Tony

I have an interesting dilemma with this kit.  Whilst I was dry fitting the clear parts, the windscreen fell inside the cockpit and has disappeared inside the fuselage somewhere. I can hear it rattle if I shake it, but I can't see it. I've tried turning it upside down and shaking, but I still can't shake it into view. There are no other access points.

I guess you've gotta laugh....

I typed that after about 15 minutes of trying everything, of course, one minute later, it's out ! 

Shaken, not stirred, Tony.

Glad you got it out.  Makes you wonder why it's so easy to have things fall in, in the first place.  

Anyway--the SDB is shaping up nicely.  

Thanks CMK.

With a little bit of masking, we'll be all ready for a priming coat....at last.

Cheers

Tony