I better chime in as its been some time....
I too think the aircraft are just a little (very small amount) too dark. Exactly how much detail are you going to put into those little birds?
GM; The carrier is looking good as the aircraft both look good and fill up the deck nicely.
Mach; I think you nailed the display base. You said it was simpler, but I think it is just right= impactful but not so much as to take your attention from the actual model.
Believe it or not, I still have not painted the model just yet. Prior to the paint I want to make sure all of the modifications and authentication of details are complete. So, what have I been doing?.....
- The two front legs I created from brass for the main mast fire control tower were almost 0.5mm too short. This caused the fire control top to lean just slightly to the front. That also caused the machine gun birds nest to tip forward as well. Another unfortunate issue was how the legs simply stopped below the main fire control top when they are actually up and through the floor on the real ship. Of course, I could not leave it that way so I removed both front legs of the tripod. Since both front legs went through every platform, and they had various pieces attached to them, they proved very difficult to remove. Of course, even with debonder, and because of the delicate pieces, some of it was bent to came off during the removal. With that said, I was able to cut two new front legs and carefully work them through the platforms. Then all I need to do was reassemble the various pieces and straighten any bent ones. Being satisfied with the build I pre-painted the platforms and the fire control tower tops in USN Deck Gray (forgot the code # off the top of my head). Here is how it looks now:
- I finally got all of the little boats done to include some custom parts. All of the PE boat cradles are bent into shape now as well. I test fitted all of the boats in thier stacked configuration. The two larger boats have a rear hand rail added, a life preserver, and I added a boats wheel, rudder, paint, etc. The little boats got the wood treatment inside, weathered, some minor PE and then painted. And here they are now:
- After looking at various photos of the exhaust funnel I found a couple items needing modification. One thing was what looked like another extension from inside the stack. I do not know exactly what it is, but I added it with scrap metal rod. There are other items that I will show later in the build, but here it is so far:
- Another item that has taken a considerable amount of time was adding the handrails to the superstructure platforms. Initially I was not sure if I should add them before assembly of the superstructure itself (?). After some careful planning and guess work, I decided to add them now for three reasons. (1) because they are easier to attach at this point versus after everything is together; (2) the complex bends and arc's are easier to conform at this point; (3) my thought process of painting will be easier if I add them now as will touch-ups; ; (4) the PE provided my Eduard is thicker than most other manufacturers allowing it to be handled without much risk of bending it. Yes, I said three reasons, but I added the fourth just to see if everyone is paying attention.
I am glad I added them now because I am finding that some of the platforms need slight modifications before adding the handrails. That would be very difficult once the superstructure is assembled, here is an example (the white pieces are plastic sheet):
And here are the platforms of the superstructure once the handrails have been added. I think the bends and arc's are much sharper and accurate than if I would've waited to place them after assembly:
- Another item I've been working on are the various ammunition boxes for the 50cal, 5 inch, etc. I also built up all of the water tight doors, most ladders and stairs, main mast range finder, 50cal MG's, etc. There were other changes I found when validating the model to actual ships photos that I will report on later. Much more to follow as this ship starts to come together....
Ben
"Everyones the normal until you get to know them" (Unknown)
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1/35 Churchill Mk IV AVRE with bridge - DONE
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1/35 CH-54A Tarhe Helicopter