1/350 Aoshima IJN Kongo (WIP)

That looks interesting.

I'm sure it will be.This is my second crack at a 1/350 battleship.I'm glad this one does not have a camo scheme.That will simplify things a bit.

I'll keep my eye on this. It'll be fun to watch this one come together.

I's gonna be a while.The last one took me four months.

This is my 1/350 Trumpeter RM Roma.Real PITA paint scheme!

That DOES look like a pain. You did a damn good job on it though. Looks flawless.

Thanks,but it is far from flawless.

Current progress.

Did you put a base coat on those decks before you applied the tan?

No.It's gonna be multiple thin coats of tan,then some type of wash to make the decking pop.

Okay. It may be how the light was shining on it...or rather wasn't shining on it. It looked like you had gone over the decks with a coat of dark brown or burnt umber or something like that.

The tan paint is a bit old and thick.Gotta thin it out and go with numerous coats.

Looks like you're gonna be having fun with all that PE.

It can be when all goes well.When it doesn't,I'd make a drill instructor blush.

Well this should be good, as was your build for my "That's Amore GB". I love Japanese ships and the Kongo is a classic. Good luck on this.

Can you believe it was two years ago this month I started the Roma? Incredibly I had forgotten what a slow process this is.I hope to have a better update later in the day.

I'll have more later.If Photobucket decides to cooperate that is.

It appears that PB is allowing one photo at a time.

While teset fitting the decks,I found it was necessary to trim or remove the bulkheads to prevent gaps between the hull and decks.

The last bulkhead should also be trimmed or removed.I was only able to post the last two pics before PB started screwing up again.

Td,

She's looking beautiful.  I would love to pick up one of these.

Steve

Thanks.For whatever reason1/350 Japanese battleships are very expensive.This one was a deal at just under $150.00.More than I would usually spend,but I had to grab it.

For those of you following the build,the pics should be getting a little more interesting.

I agree wholeheartedly!  I have been looking to pick up some 1/350 battleships, etc... to build between my sailing ships to kind of break up the building cycle. The only Japanese ships I have found that can be had for under $100 is the older Tamiya Yamato at times and the Hasagawa Mikasa.  I actually did just buy a Trumpeter 1/350 HMS Dreadnought 1907 and I am very impressed with the detailing although I have heard that some of their kits are rather poor on the historical aspects.  I plan on purchasing PE and metal barrels for this and any other metal ships I buy.

By the way, what colors did you use for the deck and the anti fouling?

Steve

The fore and aft decks are Testors Flat Tan/1167.I ran out of that and had to use Testors Model Master Dark Tan/FS30219 for the remaing wooden decks.Both were hit with a wash of Testors Model Master acrylic Rust for a bit of shading (which has yet to work out the way I'd like it to).

I sprayed the lower hull with Tamiya Dull Red/TS-33.

She's starting to look like a ship. The hull looks good.

Thanks.I'm happy it's starting to look like something.

The PE is really going to set that thing off.

I sure hope so.

What about that stand it's sitting on? I thought I saw it sitting on a different stand in an earlier pic or was it something else?

That stand provided in the kit is useless.I raided my Trumpeter Richelieu for another.Same kind the Roma is mounted on.

Oh, okay. The one it's on now looks better anyway.

Plodding right along.

Starting to get her tightened up there a little bit. Looking good.

Thanks.So far,so good.Hope it stays that way.

Moving along nicely,your brass work is really good

Thanks.Haven't gotten to the really tough stuff yet.

It's coming along nicely TD.  Is the dark grey on color of the styrene or is that a paint color?  The PE work you're doing is very nice and I hope to do as nice a job on my next build.

Steve

Thanks.The darker grey is the styrene.I'm using Testors Gunship Grey paint.That was the darkest grey the LHS had in stock.I did look for a darker shade.

Looking really best build.

I would refrain from painting those battens on the linoleum decks, or if you do, dark gray.

Very clean and well thought out

Thanks.Could you be a little more specific about what not to paint?Which decks are linoleum/corticene?

Looking good. Props on the painting work!

Thanks.Tedious paint work is probably my only strength in 1/350 ships.

Instructions like this make me want to whip somebody's a$$!

Another deck added.Unfortunately with a piece missing from the factory.

TD,

Man, I thought Heller had the worst instructions!  I stand corrected.  She's looking gorgeous in spite of the instructions from Dante's Inferno.

Steve

The instructions are a bit of a pain.All the small stuff is added after you complete the superstructure.I have to keep flipping back and forth to see what goes where and when.It wouldn't be as much of a problem if I weren't adding the PE.Thanks for checking it out.

And another deck added.

Superstructure complete!

The biggest PITA by far here were the single pipes running up the side of the stack,not the PE ladders.

Looking really good. Just one stupid question. Where is that ladder in the middle supposed to go? Looks like the stairway to nowhere. Makes no sense to me.

Good question.For maintenance I guess.

That superstructure looks like it would be a nightmare to build even with good instructions.  Yours is simply amazing and flawless!

Groot

Thanks,but far from flawless.The instructions are a bit goofy at times,but everything fits like it should for the most part.That really helps.

She starting to shape really nice.

Thank you,sir.

A bit of AA added.

WOW!

What a PITA!

I cannot guarantee the other three turret safety railings will be successfully installed.

Keep up the excellent work.

I'll definitely make the attempt.

Are you painting the superstructure and railings by hand after installing them? I would think that makes a delicate and tedious task even worse! I try to avoid hand painting as much as possible, because it is not my strongest suit with my big fingers. At some point, it usually comes down to what is least painful, hand painting things like the deck, or masking all the deck clutter.

I usually install then paint the PE.I love hand painting.It is a bit difficult at times.With a good brush and properly thinned paint,tedious details such as deck greeblies really aren't a problem.I'll get back to the bench this weekend.Those turret railings really p*ssed me off! I knew those were going to be a PITA!

Speaking of turrets, I noticed that there is a Japanese 14" turret kit in 1/144 scale on freetime hobbies. I am thinking of picking it up, as it would be an interesting and unusual subject. It's from Voyager and is the #1 turret from IJN Fuso.

Go for it.

TD4438

I usually install then paint the PE.I love hand painting.It is a bit difficult at times.With a good brush and properly thinned paint,tedious details such as deck greeblies really aren't a problem.I'll get back to the bench this weekend.Those turret railings really p*ssed me off! I knew those were going to be a PITA!

Two down,maybe two to go.I'll not guarantee the installation of the other two PITA safety railings.

TD,

The railings came out great, even if they were a PITA to install.  What are you using for the blast bags though?  I am trying to figure out the best and most realistic method for adding the blast bags on the metal barrels I have for the Dreadnought build I'll be doing this summer.

Thanks,

Steve

Thanks.The blast bags are part of the barrel.Molded right on.

The pictures of the Dreadnought I have seen don't show any blast bags, just a curtain around the barrel inside the turret.

The drawings from the Kagero 3D book on Dreadnought don't show any blast bags, but they also say that all illustrations are for Dreadnought as she appeared in 1907. It is possible that she had them later in her career, but if you are doing the Trumpeter 1907 model, you can go without them.

They may not be perfect or totally accurate,but they are there.I'm glad this is done.

I seen pictures of her taken in 1919 before decommissioning and their are no blast bags that I can see. I not saying she didn't have them, I can't find any pictures of her with them.

Those turrets look great! At some point, I will probably plunk down the money to pick up one of the Japanese BBs. I think I'd go for the Fuso, as I really love that towering pagoda superstructure and the 6 turrets. Now, if only someone would come out with an affordable Agincourt in 1/350! Seven turrets, baby!

For me personally, it's a real struggle of the perfect as the enemy of the good. The work you are doing is great, and the only critic you have to satisfy is yourself. There is no "perfect" model, because even the real things had imperfections. In the end, the whole purpose of modeling is to enjoy the process as much, if not more, than the end product. If you can look at what you are doing and say that you are having fun, then that is all that is important. When it stops being fun, it becomes work, except you aren't getting paid. That is certainly not a worthy pursuit. So enjoy what you are doing.

Fun is first and foremost,but all modelers are rivet counters at times concerning their own work.

TD,

The floatplanes are awesome, well done.  Were they clear plastic and you primed them or were they opaque plastic?  Whichever, they came out great.  I'd love to see a shot of the entire ship in progress if you get a chance to post one.

Thanks,

Steve

Thanks.The planes were molded in grey.They are a bit rough.I'm hoping some touch ups and decals will tighten them up a bit.

PITA,but I'm determined to use as much PE as possible.

It would have been a lot more convenient if the instructions had you install these while building the hull.I had to hold the ship like a beer bottle to paint around the chrysanthemum.

Nice work on the railings TD.  Are you using regular CA or something else to attach them to the deck?

Steve

Thanks.There are a few screw-ups.I'm using superglue.I might give white glue a try on this one.It worked well for the turret railings.

Almost done with these damn railings.

Construction is complete.Now onto the rigging and weathering.

First attempt at stretched sprue rigging.