I'm back! And just today I put the finishing touches on my U.S.S. Repose model. The last step: installing an antenna (after I took the following photop) on the tail of the Sikorsky UH-34 Raven helicopter, which I scratch built to replace the one in the kit, which doesn't really look like a Raven and was way too small. I even added a nearly microscopic Lucky Red Lions insignia decal to the chopper — that was the squadron that flew my Marine Corps battalion about Quang Ngai and Quang Nam Provinces during my brief tour of duty. (A Finescale member, Pawel, created the insignia that I used to print my decals. Thank you, Pawel!) Here is a photo of the tiny helicopter:
I also added scratch-built radar and radio antennas that weren't included in the kit, and more or less look like what can be seen less than clearly in photos of the ship.
The Revell kit is a bit of a nightmare to build. Lots of mild warping, plastic that sometimes seemed unaffected by Tamiya styrene cement, and many dimples from the moulding process. Except for a few original decals, I printed my own in an attempt to replicate the ship's appearance during the Vietnam War, but it was difficult to figure out what that appearance actually was because different wartime photos show different paint schemes, different masts, different antennas, and different lifeboats and utility boats. In the end I have a model of what appears to be an American hospital ship, and has decals identifying it by correct name and hull number, but it would never pass muster if compared to the Repose that I "visited,"as a surgical patient, in 1966.
The biggest problems I encountered resulted from lack of experience. I sprayed, filed and sanded parts too vigorously, failed to wait long enough for paint and glue to dry, and managed to break a few fragile parts through clumsiness. I might as well say it now: some of inexperience resulted in making mistake that simply couldn’t be undone, and I ended up buying two additional kits, one of the U.S.S. Haven and another of the U.S.S. Hope. I had ”hoped” that I could build a second model, but not enough undamaged parts are left for a complete build. But truth be known, I just don’t have the patience to even try to build a second Repose model.
In the end, I have a model that I am proud of, and I learned a great deal by building it. I have started another model, of the submarine Nautilus of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea fame, produced by the Pegasus model company. It seems to be a beautifully designed kit, and I think that my skills have improved enough to make it “come alive”. I especially like that base, a giant squid, painted fire-engine red, that has ensnared the Nautilus in its tentacles. I’ve also ordered a LED lighting kit, from Evan Designs, to make the submarine’s detailed saloon visible.
Almost forgot: I ordered and have received a custom-made acrylic display case for my Repose model, made for me by the Modellers Workshop in Montreal. I’ll take some pictures soon so you can the finished model.
I’ve wondered if I established a new record for slowness in completing my model of Repose, but checking back in this thread tells me that I ordered the first kit in July, 2020. Not too bad, I guess, considering some of the problems I encountered. Besides, I’m retired, and there’s a pandemic. What else is there to do? I’ve suggested other activities to my wife of 55 years, but she told me just to go back to working on my model ship and leave her alone!
Bob