Building a Revell 1/96 Kearsarge

Walt's wife always said Disneyland looked like a train layout.

I have a great book titled something like Disney's Railroads. It's in the train book collection out in the barn.

GM, My wife always said my train layout looked like Disneyland.

Gene, I think you can go with a black that’s not jet black and have an attractive result.

Currently my favorite is Testors NATO black. In the past I’ve used Floqiil or Pollyscale Grimy Black, Steam Power Black or Engine Black. Since there’s something “black” on this ship in just about every material imaginable, it would be good to mix it up.

I know you like to model without weathering, so it’s important to modulate what you do to avoid any somewhat toylike appearance.

Gene,

I believe that the black exterior looks better than gray. But, there is one famous photo showing the Alabama in port somewhere showing her port side. It looks like a dark (or light in some prints) gray rather than black.  There are many models of her in museums showing both black and gray.  I have found no references either way other than paintings and models that show the ship in both schemes.  It's a toss up. 

Bill

  Bill, I am sure not an expert & I listen to you all. I think the Alabama was black just from what I have read & one fairly Knowledgeable modeler used a dark metal color on the waterline. I painted the hull with Floquil Copper & from all I have used of that it should allow an oil/ spirits wash of green & black after. That's what I did on the Kearsarge. On the inside I mixed an Olive green for the "bulwarks" & will do the pin rails in wood tan & datk brown pins. Most of the furniture will be a German Gray, because black does loose detail. The masts will be wood tan & black & the lifeboats wood inside to save detail & black outside.

    Please , all of you tell me where I am wrong. The guns I will do in a semi gloss  gun metal with a gray green carriage. I do a lot of things to bring out detail better because dark colors on a model loose detail.

   Jim, as soon as I get an Alabama post on, please put anything you have on it. You seem to have more pictures & info than any of us. Those last pictures & all like them should go on too.

If all else fails I will spray the chain black. I got some nice meter long chain from Omni Models for about 2.50 + shipping. Best price anywhere. My kids sent me an abay gift card & part of it went for the Cottage guns today.  

   Does anyone know how they measure eye bolts. Whether it is inside or outside the eye? I don't use the plastic ones hardly at all. I have copper & brass ones I used on the Kearsarge

Gentlemen,

Here is a question that well-deserves discussion.  What was the external color of the ship? I have seen black. I have seen gray. I have seen white trim and no off-setting color on the trim.  What are your thoughts?

Bill

Hi Gene!  I thought you might like the info below posted rather then only PM'd to you so...

Gene,

I used to use Blacken It which I gather from a cursory search of the internet is no longer available. Here are a couple of links that I hope will help:

http://www.modelboatyard.com/blackening.html

https://www.amazon.com/Jax-Pewter-Blackener-2-Oz/dp/B00KI21DW4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1514737656&sr=8-3&keywords=jax+pewter+black

Happy New Year to you and yours.

Steve, thanks & I would appreciate the FSM article. I might have it as I have a bunch of my old FSM's. Do you know about when it was?  On the mast rake, I thought of filing a small amount from the rear of the stub that fits into the deck. It already has a slight rear slant the same as the kearsarge. It only need about 7or 8 degree slant. The way I do my standing rigging & shrouds, they do hold the mast where I put it.

  We all hope that Bill will put his pictures on soon. I plan on doing a second Alabama & will use more aftermarket on it. I loved doing the Kearsarge, a beautiful model. Better than Imai in a lot of respects.

Gene,

A belated but sincere Happy Birthday to you. I hope your day was productive  at least modeling wise!

I am looking forward to seeing your Alabama build. I have been researching this for a while to say the least, just wish I could afford a copy of the Anotomy of the Ship book. But I have pictures and papers and now I guess I’ll have to join the party. My biggest concern I see is with raking the masts. I have the ScaleDecks wood replacement deck and the photo etch, as well as the Cottage guns and propeller. I would highly recommend getting the guns at least. The rings on the masts could easily be scratched from styrene tube or ModelExpo might still have them.

There was also an article in FSM a couple of years ago about fixing some of the issues on the Alabama. I’ll see if I can find them, if you think they would help you. There is also a picture online that shows a model of the Alabama in a British museum that if I remember correctly was built by Lairds. The color on the bulwarks was a Yellow Oxide/Buff color, although this could have been repainted after Semmes took command.

Bill, I wish you would figure out how to post pictures because I would love to see what you’re up to with your Alabama.

A very Happy New Year to one and all,

Steve

   Jim & Bill, those are great posts you all just made. Keep trying. I wanted to tell Bill that I got Semmes book Memoirs , I picked up a nice use hardback for $13 + shipping. I wanted a hardback for a little bigger print.Paperbacks have tiny print. I haven't got it yet, but it's due now. I am using Bills colors mostly. 

  Got another question,, How can I blacken brass chain without painting. I know there is an easy way. Help. I told Jim I glued the Alabama hull together & put my 1x2 in. 10"" with about 8" between pedestals. I used the kit deck as I am doing this pretty much out of the box. I will take pictures, but I forgot today. I will close the rear openings & rake the the masts as much as possible. Got something in mind as the kit masts do have a built in rake & I only need about 6 to 8%. . I will start a new thread soon.

I write to Revell and Airfix at least twice a year and have done so since 2006 about the need for more quality sailing ships, always pointing to this forum, Modelshipworld, and, more recently Ships of Scale.  I know that the MSW site has over 27,000 sailing ship enthusiasts; I cite this statistic to the manufacturers to no avail.  Revell does occasionally release a new ship, but they have been very few and very, very far between. Zvesda has released a few, but they seem to have slowed.  Also, Revell seems to think that we should be satisfied with their 1/450 kiddie fare, but I have shown my angst about that.  But, I will keep trying!

Bill

Robert

"Bill, Gene, Steve, Nino and everyone else, I must say there is a fantastic community on this board, far better, politer, more FRIENDLY than what I have encountered over the years on other forums, and I am constantly learning. The Alabama, Kearsarge and especially the Harriet Lane are my all time favourites, I know I shall never get tired of them.... "

    " I've recently built the 1/96 Revell Thermopylae and Cutty Sark for friends, straight out of the box with not a lot of adornments, and though the recipients were thrilled with them the results fell far short of the skill you guys have. But I continue to learn and thank you all for all your info..."

 

Robert, you're not an old guy, I have a son born the same year as you 1953. Also, you did build the Kearsarge about the same time as me,1964. Do they have good hobby shops in Austraila? Do you buy thru Ebay? I buy most of my old kits thru ebay

   Jim , I just got my $13 back on the China sale for the Alabama. I knew it was a scam right after I bought it, but I had just bought a big Clipper ship for11.03 + shipping because no one bid on it. That's why I tried on the Alabama. Ebay as always been great for me in buying & selling. 

Bill, Gene, Steve, Nino and everyone else, I must say there is a fantastic community on this board, far better, politer, more FRIENDLY than what I have encountered over the years on other forums, and I am constantly learning. The Alabama, Kearsarge and especially the Harriet Lane are my all time favourites, I know I shall never get tired of them. The bug bit in 1964 when as an 11 year old I saw a picture of the first Cunarder, the Britannia, and got just a tiny bit obsessed with the early steamships. Then in 1966 I found the Heller "Sphinx", a repackage of the Pyro Harriet Lane and that year got the Alabama for Christmas, the hulk of which still lives in my attic. The IMAI Susquehanna is still the best quality kit I've found - all the parts fitted perfectly and the plastic is superb, far better than anything I've seen with Pyro or Airifx (whose Great Western I have attempted three times and always been disappointed). In the 1960s I went through most of the Airfix and Revell and Pyro catalogues, and eventually gave the models away to relatives. I've recently built the 1/96 Revell Thermopylae and Cutty Sark for friends, straight out of the box with not a lot of adornments, and though the recipients were thrilled with them the results fell far short of the skill you guys have. But I continue to learn and thank you all for all your info. Now, if I can only start posting photos....... 

Nino,

Thanks for the clarification!  After checking my sources, I have decided to keep them.I agree that research never ends!  When you check your plans for the deck, you will find errors in the layout of the rails for the pivot guns, and the deck furniture layout for the kit is equally wrong. I have sanded the rails off and am plugging the various holes throughout the deck and will place the furniture according to my source plans.

Gene,

It is my pleasure to be of any help! The Alabama is a favorite of mine. And, the quality of help from any number of members here constantly amazes me! We have a great group of friends here. God bless them all!

Bill

Bill, thank you again for all the help. I have the green mixed for the bulwarks & will do most pf the deck fittings in dark gray or black. I will do the gun carriages in a gray to vary them . I am using the kit deck & it looks good. The guns I am still thinking Cottage. I will make the shrouds/ ratlines as I am getting pretty good at the rigging tools & can make them fit. 

   Jim's pictures are great & a big help. He is a treasure with the pictures & knowledge . I just bull ahead & build a model. I did do a lot of research on my train models but . Thanks for all the happy birthdays. 

Gene, Thanks for those Bentley pictures! Looks like I'll attempt a car after all.

Happy birthday to you .. and many more!

Gene, as always it was great getting to chat with you on phone the other day neighbor.  Happy B-day my friend and Happy Holidays to all and your families.  Gotta love those old photos .....   Dale

gene

mate , happy birthday , I hope you have lot's more year's of happy modeling ahead of you , all the best for the future my friend . 

steve5

Gene,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope that you have many, many more!

I like the green inboard bulwarks and the buff lower masts.  As for the deck furniture, I will go with Captain Semmes rather than the model. Semmes would know, and the paint scheme was likely per his orders.  I also see on the pictured model at the Washington Naval Shipyard that the several round deck hatches that are molded on the deck by Revell are not on the museum model.  I have been sanding off the plastic deck details as being incorrect, but will have to check my sources again for those hatches.  I may have to carve and sand them off as well. However, I am surprised by the rails used for the Blakeley and Parrot pivot guns; they are a carbon copy of the Revell version while the plans in the book show a much different layout. The plans are heavily based on the underwater remains of the ship off of Cherbourg.

According to the referenced book, those "windows" on the transom were boarded over. The museum model (as well as several paintings of the ship) show them painted a light blue.  I like the effect, but I do not know if it was accurate.  It looks like even more research!

Enjoy the day!

Bill

  I didn;t see any rings Jim & thanks for the wish. Get started on a big one soon as you will find they are an easier build & even easier rigging because of size. They take a little longer on both just because of size & more detail, but are easier to work on. By 88 I want to have the Alabama, 2nd Constitution, Pirate ship, Spanish Galleon, Cutty Sark , C W Morgan, & Hannah  whats her name done. I have 6 kids that better have a house full of ships, fighter planes & cars or I will haunt them.

Gene,

HAPPY  BIRTHDAY!             Glad we can help. 

     Did the kit come with any rings for the Spanker and Staysails? (My Alabama is out-of-sight under the bed and tightly packed with many others, like a Tetris game, so I can’t easily look.)

     I always figured I could just solder some wire together to make rings when I finally build a larger scale model that requires them. It seems all the other modelers who posted related builds bought rings. You would need different sizes for the different mast diameters. I am not ready to start a larger scale, this year, but my birthday is coming too so maybe in May I will try my hand at one of these Big kits.

     Jim.

Bill & Jim, Thanks for the quick answer on the Alabama colors Is it the bulwarks on the inside? I used to know all this, but my brain has slowed down. I will do them in Olive Green.& most of the deck stuff like Jims pictures. They are super pictures that show just about everything I want. The canvas covers on the railings I will do too.

 Thanks again & I'm 87 today & am going to work on my ship today , all day.

Gene,

     I had a visit to the Washington DC Navy Yard 3 weeks ago and I saw their  Kearsarge and Alabama models. It is quite an impressive Museum. Too bad it is not exactly easy to visit.

     I was not there to specifically visit the Museum so I had limited time to spend inside but I did take a few photos.  I attached one here that seems to show the Alabama with a grey-ish color on the inboard side of the bulwarks.  I recall seeing Al Ross’s Alabama that he built for Blue Jacket and he used an Olive green color. I like the Green. It adds some life to the ship.

      The other colors on the model did not seem to completely agree with statements attributed to Capt Semmes. The ships boats are black but the lower masts are Buff and not all of the deck Furniture is black.  I did not see any running lights on the bridge either. 

Here's the Stern...

     I have a few more shots but there was no direct lighting on most of the models and reflections on the cases were frustrating. 

     Nino   

Gene,

The only reference is from CSS Alabama: Anatomy of a Confederate Raider by Andrew Bowcock. All deck furniture was painted black.  The lifeboats were black inside and out.  There is no mention of the inboard side of the bulwarks, so I have painted mine an olive green, much like the USS Constitution if you consider scale effect. It's a guess; black & white photos show a light color.

I hope that this helps!

Bill

Robert, Bill & Scottrc, thanks a lot for all the nice words. I am loking forward to all 3 of you posting pictures. Robert, you must be an old guy too if you built an Alabama 51 years ago. I have you beat because I built them both when they first came out. I'm not ahead of you much tho.. I am going to post another build with the Alabama & the Spanish Galleon. 

    It is surely a pleasure to be with a group of such great guyss & great modelers. Bill, I am not going to do a lot of changeson the Alabama. Just raked masts, ( don't know how yet) & fill in the rear openings. I am doing the deck in paint & pencil with a more wood look. The cannons I am still thinking about Cottage. 

  Bill do you or anyone know the interior colors of the Alabama? I have looked everywhere with a lot of different colors. What color is the inside of the hull, gunwales,& all the deck furniture & gun carriages? I am sprayin copper, naturally, Floquil copper. A dark metal waterline & all black outside. Does any white show outside?

   I had thought of mostly a dark grey for the deck stuff & a little lighter gray for the gun carriages & gunmetal for the cannons. Gunwales white or green or red?  I always go with a more scale color, I guess I mean lighter than full size. Maybe German Gray for the outer hull instead of black.

Seasons Greetings Gene,

I wanted to let you know thay I am really enjoying your Kearsarge build and hope it inspires me to restore my old Alabama.  It got dismasted a few years ago by a cat.  Your work is very clean and precise.  I like that.

Scott