WIP: DML 1/350 USS Elliot DD967

Firecaptain

Very nice.....were those Gold Medal  #GMM3501D decals? Thanks

Yes they are...

http://www.goldmm.com/ships/350-1D.htm

Thanks

Very nice.....were those Gold Medal  #GMM3501D decals? Thanks

In case anyone was wondering what became of the other SeaHawk... I had a bit of fun with it and built  a little display base for it... I used a Dremel grinding disc  and a piece wire to suspend the Helo. I replicated ocean water by using a Golden gel medium tinted w/ a blue/green/payne's grey acrylic mix mopped on with a brush. Then I dabbled a little white paint into the peaks as it began to dry...

I'll be taking a break from shipbuilding after this, although I do have Tamiya's 1-400 on the shelf for whenever I do feel the urge to put another boat in the display case. I just have a few big birds I wanna build 1st :p

Bumps for more feedback!!! :)

Interesting...I always thought it was part of the design and never took notice even after all the the hundreds of photos I've looked at!  I did in fact buy the kit opened and partially constructed. The main part of the superstructure was already assembled as was the hull and main deck so it never came to my attention that antything was wrong in the test fitting phase...Seems like this late in the game it's a lost cause to try and rectify it... Other than that I hope you like it (as you failed to mention anything else besides that one kit fault and ur future plans;))

have you noticed that the 2 sides of the forward superstructure of the model are parallel to each other when they should be angled so that they are flush to the hull & not have that lip that you have on your model? 3 of the 4 models of the spruance class ships i'm building i've corrected that problem & will do the same for the 4th model when i get to it. will also do same when i rebuild another spruance i got off ebay into the radford with that weird mast. 

A quick photoChop I made using an existing photo of  a Sprucan at sea...:)

Snapped some pics today...I'd say short of scratchbuilding a Bushmaster for the starboard deck (I still remember the demo they had of this system and still have a few shells :p), finishing up a stand for the other helo (so as to display it in flight)  and perhaps flying some colors I think she'll be put to bed for now...Until then Enjoy!

@KN5CK I am aware of the color change on the masts. I went with black though as my brother states that they were black when he was stationed on the Elliot. I too remember black masts when I sailed with them as a Tiger in '92. (I also recall the VLS having been fitted to the ship at that time.) thanks for ur input and I hope you will find the end result an accurate and honorable representation of the ship :)

^ Thanks...and It's already been done! :) In fact the ship is finally out of the garage and into my display case following a final push a couple weekends ago (totalling 12hrs). I just haven't got around to taking  final pics as of yet...Although the wife snapped some of me working on the rigging.

The kit decals were a potential nightmare averted thankfully to the use of 3 coats of Testors Gloss Varnish brushed on each individual decal that I intended to use.  I also used a White Ensign Models decal sheet to replace the yellowed hull numbers from the kit's. I also used the white demarkation lines provided with the WEM set for the helo pad and fore/aft deck. I applied all decals over a spot of MicroGloss  (brushed on) to prevent hazing. 

Most of the work, in the last push, has been spent behind the keyboard, trying to find pics of the foremast so that I could figure out how the rigging was done...In the end I still had to do some guess work but I think I pulled it off :)

Finally, I addressed the bridge windows (which I drilled out at the very beginning of the build). Using MicroKristalKlear and dozens of  tiny squares I cut from clear packaging material I replicated glass windows...

"Hull was painted with Tamiya "Dull Red" Spraypaint decanted and airbrushed"

Also, remember to paint the sonar dome a really matte black, the Elliot's was rubber made by BFGoodrich

I was stationed aboard the Elliot from 1995 to 2000, the masts were changed to haze grey in 1993 when they added the Tomahawk launch system, so you would be nore accurate with grey on the masts

All good my friend! Just keep posting yoru WIP pics, it is a great build

cheers 

JMart

Great WIP and build, glad it was ressurected... will use many of your WIP pics as guides when i build some of my dragon modern sea power series kits. cheers

Hehe..I'm glad I could help! One thing I know is lacking on the internet, are some close up, Hi-res shots of rigging and added decks n such of these ships (especially images of the Helo deck and RAST station!). I don't think I've researched so much on any other model I've ever built. Having my brother and his pics + ship yearbooks + his memories have also helped out a lot. I think he'll be very pleased with the model when it's done.

^ I've actually come to understand that now... :) Still sad when u think of all the stories, history and the memories of the people who worked on those boats...But I guess target practice is a necessity for building a better Navy... 

Great WIP and build, glad it was ressurected... will use many of your WIP pics as guides when i build some of my dragon modern sea power series kits. cheers

Rick,

I know how you feel about a ship being expended that way but, for a "Man of War" isn't a warriors

death more appropriate than the scrapper's torch?  I had tears in my eyes watching the 34 boat

(USS Oriskany) being made into a reef.

Ray

Thanks for the info...I researched quite a bit and I know that Haze grey was used in the later fit of this ship just before her deployment to the Persian Gulf. But Testor's Haze grey looks much too light IMO (lighter than SNG) and closer to the color scheme of the Seahawks so I'm saving that color for the Helos.

Had I not mentioned the color used do you think you would have noticed??? I went with SNG as it looks closest to the reference I have...Of course Photos dont always tell the truth and kit instructions call for a 3-part mix for the hull color so I have to guesstimate. Who can say that one grey is better than the other... atmoshperic filtering/ weathering/ different paint batches wlll all cause variations in color scheme so I don't think that any single grey could be the Holy GReyl <(like that pun?:)) 

JWalker

Paint is coming along slowly...Been having to backtrack and clean up a few spots that made themselves evident after priming...FInal base coat of Standard Navy Grey (hull) and Dark Grey (decks) have been layed down followed by touching up of the smaller details that scatter the decks that got nicked with the dark grey as i worked the brush around them. I think the biggest challenge has been strategizing the paint process and figuring out what had to be left  unassembled in order to leave room for the brushwork. I used a paasche S/A/E/M to prime and to paint the the entire ship and sub assemblies in standard navy grey then brushed in the dark grey decking afterwards.

Pics should be up shortly on the 1st page 4th post...

Thanks for reading!y the

FWIW,  Standard Navy Gray was the color used by the Navy from 1919 to late 1941.   SNG is not correct for modern USN applications.    Standard Deck Gray isn't too bad,  but still may be a bit dark for current applications.

Paint is coming along slowly...Been having to backtrack and clean up a few spots that made themselves evident after priming...FInal base coat of Standard Navy Grey (hull) and Dark Grey (decks) have been layed down followed by touching up of the smaller details that scatter the decks that got nicked with the dark grey as i worked the brush around them. I think the biggest challenge has been strategizing the paint process and figuring out what had to be left  unassembled in order to leave room for the brushwork. I used a paasche S/A/E/M to prime and to paint the the entire ship and sub assemblies in standard navy grey then brushed in the dark grey decking afterwards.

Pics should be up shortly on the 1st page 4th post...

Thanks for reading!

No problemo! Thanks for reading...:)

PS: Superstructure and hull are now 1!!!

Excellent build - thanks for the update!  Cheers, Rick

Updates on the 1st page....3rd Post

Thanks!!!

Leonidas wrote:

The new CIWS will make very fine additions to the ship. Good choice.

Leonidas wrote:

Actually I'm Australian....and a fan of 300! Seems like both sets of Harpoon launchers are going to come up great no matter which way you build them. Any plans on upgrading the standard box issued CIWS to resin parts? I noticed the resin CIWS (I forget who makes it) is pretty highly detailed. The reason I ask is I am looking to start the Bunker Hill CG from Dragon and was thinking about swapping out the Phalanx guns with Resin for more detail. Just a thought.

Actually I'm Australian....and a fan of 300!

Seems like both sets of Harpoon launchers are going to come up great no matter which way you build them.

Any plans on upgrading the standard box issued CIWS to resin parts? I noticed the resin CIWS (I forget who makes it) is pretty highly detailed. The reason I ask is I am looking to start the Bunker Hill CG from Dragon and was thinking about swapping out the Phalanx guns with Resin for more detail.

Just a thought.