Revell Container Ship Columbo Express 1/700

If you can get a look at the ships I would be interested to know if the decks on the super structure are actually green like they show in the plans.  I have not seen any photos of the decks.  It would be nice to find that out. 

The loads you're seeing on the Hapag Lloyd ships are filled out by members of the Grand Alliance.  This is a load sharing program where members share vessels.  If you google The Grand Alliance Hapag Lloyd you'll see who all the players are.  It would be great if somebody could do decals.

Dave 

Finally got round to making a start on this kit. I decided it would be an ideal subject to test a program I had. It's called Helicon Focus and it uses lots of photos taken with different  focus points to make an image with great depth of field.

I've heard of that program.  How difficult was it to use?  Are you satisfied with the results?  Your picture came out great.

Dave

Thanks for the comment. Personally; I find the program, itself, reasonably easy to use, it's taking the right sort of photos that I have trouble with.

To get the best out of the software you really need to use (in my opinion) a Digital SLR camera (set to manual focus), a good, solid tripod, a remote shutter release and a good light source.

The trick is taking many shots and slightly adjusting the focus after each shot.

I took 17 shots but I think I need some more practice as parts of the ship still look out of focus.

This is another attempt that took 18 photos to make.

As far as the color of the decks, I won't be able to get a good look at them.   They are way above my line of sight.   Short of going on board, or up in one of the gantry cranes, I don't know the solution...

Hey, maybe i'll ask one of my Puget Sound Pilot friends to take some detail pics!

Fred

Well, since modern hospital ships are converted container ships, I thought it would be a place to start.

Hi Kenny.. if you're talking US Hospital ships you're "close, but no Cigar."

USNS Mercy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USNS_Mercy_(T-AH-19)
Mercy was built as an oil tanker, SS Worth, by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego, California, in 1976. Starting in July 1984, she was renamed and converted to a hospital ship by the same company.

USNS Comfort:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USNS_Comfort_(T-AH-20)
Like her sister ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19), Comfort was built as an oil tanker in 1976 by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company. Her original name was SS Rose City and she was launched from San Diego, California.

Oil Tanker Hulls are shaped differently and their age would make me believe that Mercy and Comfort lack the bulbous bow that the Columbo Express has.

Ah, ok.  Sorry for the stupid question then.

T'weren't stupid.

If you could get one of them to do that it would be terrific!  That's the one aspect of the build I'm in the dark on.

Dave

Thanks for the information.  I'll check into it.  Your pictures are coming out great. 

Dave

Looks like our European friends are already on top of this:

http://shop.strato.de/epages/61404716.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61404716/Products/%22Containerstapel%20CE%22

There are also some individual resin containers available.

I think it would still be easier to cut down the kit's stacks though.

Fred

They also have some photo-etched container cranes & other dockside handling equipment,  but still no aftermarket decals to ehance the container stack variety

weebles

If you can get a look at the ships I would be interested to know if the decks on the super structure are actually green like they show in the plans.

Dave, I'd been trying to establish the validity of that myself and I think I can finally say... sort of.

This photo of the Shanghai express looks like a muted gray/green to me:
http://www.hapag-lloyd.com/images/press_and_media/photo_library/ShanghaiExpress02_Kalender_print.jpg

This one is much closer... check out the color of the inclined ladder steps and deck at the bottom of them:
http://www.hapag-lloyd.com/images/press_and_media/photo_library/ChicagoExpress06_Kalender_print.jpg

Looks like a pale green to me. I also noticed that they flipped the print in the second link!

I can't verify the paint color on the Hapag-Lloyd vessels. I do know that the paint we used on the Smit-Lloyd vessels was a dark green when first applied, but faded to approximately the same shade of weathered green in the photos of the accomodation ladders after some months in sunny weather conditions. I have added three photo's óf the first container vessel to visit the indented berth in Amsterdam, not a HL ship but also with the same green deck color.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Grem56/LFH241009012.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Grem56/LFH241009018.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y35/Grem56/LFH241009023.jpg

Julian

I recently received some good pictures of the huge container ship EMMA MAERSK on my computer. Being computer illiterate, how can I transfer these pictures from my computer to this thread on the Forum about the Revelle kit COLUMBO EXPRESS ? I do not want to experiment in trying to transfer these pictures, and in the process lose them through my inept fumbling. Can anyone out there in Forum land help me ?

 While in the process of asking for computer help, how can I enlarge photos I have stored on my Flickr hosting site before presenting them on the Forum ?

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

  Montani semper liberi !      Happy modeling to all and every one of you. 

                                                        Crackers    

You would not transfer photos here, this site only allows you to embed photos already stored on another internet server. So you might be able to use the Flikr photos, but I'm not 100% sure; most companies that do not do picture hosting as their business do not like people embedding photos on another site as they have to pay for the bandwidth usage but receive no gain for it.

So I would look into Flikr's help pages or files to see if they talk about it.

Also, pictures cannot generally be enlarged without the quality degrading. It's possible, but things either start getting blurry or jaggy.

Great photos gents.  Sounds like a nice sage green might just do the trick for a weathered version.  Now if we can find somebody to do some nice markings for us...

Dave

     I managed to scan some pictures of the super container cargo ship EMMA MAERSK, built in Denmark in 2006, at a cost of $145,000,000. This ship was built in 5 sections which were then floated together and welded.The bridge is higher than a 10 story building. This monster's length is 1,302 feet, width ,207 feet, which is 100 feet wider and 300 feet longer than the biggest aircraft carrier and can not fit through either the Panama or the Suez Canals. This vessel is 123,200 tons with a capacity for 15,000 containers. It is powered by 14 in-line diesel engines at 110,000 BHP, which can push this ship at a top speed of 31 knots`in a trans- pacific time in about 3 days. It is crewed by 13 personnel with all the amenities of luxury hotel living. This vessel has a regular run between China and California, bringing all those goodies that one finds in box shaped stores like Wal-Mart and labeled ,MADE IN CHINA. And that  dear folks, is why MADE IN AMERICA has gone the way of the dodo bird.

       My thanks to Tracy White, who tried to help me place these pictures on the Forum. At first, I tried to cut and paste these pictures directly onto the Forum reply section, but was promptly rejected. Next, I decided to scan the pictures to the Flickr hosting site and then cut and paste them to the Forum thread. Can anyone suggest a better way to post pictures ?  Please let me know. I'd appreciate your help.

               Montani semper liberi !  Happy modeling to all any every one of you.

                                                       Crackers      

I agree about the decals, weebles ... and I can't help but think that trademark issues are probably the huge stumbling block there, what with corporations wanting to get their pound of flesh out of any potential revenue source, even somethng as miniscule as 1/700 container decals.

I had the same thought mfsob, but the model train people seem able to get all the corporate logo decals they want.   Maybe they get permission for all of them?  I donno.

Crackers - Awesome pictures man!  What a MONSTER!  Even in 1:700 scale it would be huge.  The containers in the top right photo look like pixels. lol

     Being computer illiterate, I don't know how to transfer other links about the monstrous container ship, EMMA MAERSK to the Forum. For those of you Forum folks who would like to view more information about this colossal floating monster, just go to your search engine and punch in the name, EMMA MAERSK. Sites like Wikipedia should provide ample information for your viewing pleasure. I wonder if a model kit company would ever produce such a kit for the public. Ever at 1/700 scale, the model would be too big for any person's work bench.  

        Montani semper liberi !    Happy modeling to all and every one of you.

                                                         Crackers   

Just ran the numbers on ScaleCalc and at 1/700 it would be 22.28 inches long, or almost 1.5 inches longer than a 1/350 Arizona.  At 1/350 this monster would be 44.57 inches long.  Per Wikipedia, the Maersk Commpany says it holds only 11,000 20 ft containers, but it calculates them at full weight capacity.  Since not all the containers will weigh their maximum weight, it really can carry over 15,000 containers. And this ship has seven (7) sisters.

Awesome.  Are there plans of any sort available from anywhere for this vessel (the Emma Maersk)?

Thanks, Rick

Rick---My guess for locating plans for the EMMA MAERSK, or her sisters is probably  non-existant. However, you might try: Loyalhanna Dockyard/Taubman Plans, 7527 Gilbert Rd., Bergen, N.Y. 14416     e-mail: LHDockyard@aol.com or:  www.taubmansonline.com  The Taubman plans catalog retails for $24. + $4.      s.and h.  Hope this helps. Can anyone out there in Forum land help Rick with information ?

         Montani semper liberi !  Happy modeling to all and every one of you.

                                                         Crackers        

Just a quick TV alert for U.K. builders. Monday 25th Jan. at 5:00pm on Discovery Channel (Sky 520) an episode fo Superships features the Shanghai Express. Might be handy for references.

     The SHANGHAI EXPRESS is a Hapag-Lloyd's Hamburg Express class container ship, delivered in 2002. She was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan, South Korea. She has a length of 320 meters, width of 43 meters. She has a capacity of 7,506 isotainers and a up to 100,000 tons of freight. Her top speed is 25.3 knots with an engine output of 93,000 horsepower.
      As of April 2008, other Hamburg Express class container ships include the BERLIN EXPRESS, HONG KONG EXPRESS, AND HAMBURG EXPRESS.

      Montani semper liberi !     Happy modeling to all and every one of you.

                                             Crackers     

     The COLUMBO EXPRESS holds 8,749  twenty foot units and 730 refrigerated reefer units. She is 1,099 feet long and a beam of 140 feet. She is also measures 93,750 gross tons. Her diesel engines generate 93,500 horse power at a top speed of 25 knots.

      COLUMBO EXPRESS was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea and finished in 2005.  Christened on April 11, 2005, she was delivered to the German shipping company , Hapag-Lloyd. She is named for Columbo, the largest city of Sri Lanka (Cylon). The COLUMBO EXPRESS operates from her homeport of Hamburg, Germany and travels from Europe to Southeast Asia and back in a 56 day round trip.

      Her other sisters of the COLUMBO EXPRESS class are: BREMEN EXPRESS, CHICAGO EXPRESS, HANOVER EXPRESS, KUALA LUMPUR EXPRESS, KYOTO EXPRESS, OSAKA EXPRESS and TSINGTAO EXPRESS.

       A question to Forum fans: How are the stacked containers on container ships prevented from falling over the side during heavy weather ? It would seem to me that the containers piled on top of each other, would be too unstable to remain in a orderly condition when seas get rough.

        Montani semper liberi !  Happy modeling to all and every one of you.

                                                     crackers        

crackers

       A question to Forum fans: How are the stacked containers on container ships prevented from falling over the side during heavy weather ? It would seem to me that the containers piled on top of each other, would be too unstable to remain in a orderly condition when seas get rough.

Sometimes they don't remain stacked

From Cargolaw.com.   They have an interesting archive of various shipping mishaps