Group Build: Historical Warships of WWII

[BarleyBop]

Just noticed your 'rolling pins' in the AAA photo.
I have the same set, the best, great for bending curves... And if you have a smooth glass or ceramic surface with no give, they do a great job de-wrinkling and flattening too!

 

[wjbrandel]

Just got it painted and now I'm almost ready for final assembly.

I decided to paint it according to the directions instead of Measure 22. I couldn't get a decent looking navy blue.

 

[Dan the Modeler]

So it was a busy week and haven't been able to make it to the bench till today. Starting back up with lower hull work. The pin marks were filled and sanded smooth, looks good and moving on to fit check of rudder and shafts. The rudder is fine, but strangely the shafts have pin marks that are just big enough to see, but sanding them away isn't an option.

So it was back to the micro pin and die set to harvest some proper sized manhole covers to fill them in.

Worked like a charm, just a light sanding after they cure up. Test fit of the first shaft was ok, so capped the pin marks and did the others on sprue so that will be ready moving forward.

Now moving on to the upper hull to fill location holes for prop guards where the plastic parts will be replaced by photo etched parts.

There will be a lot of details that need to be removed on the upper hull for very nice photo etched plating over the torpedo plating. I will update on final lower hull completion and upper hull work before they are put together and seam checked.

If I start posting too much progress photos and info along the way, someone please slap me and let me know, got to share the thread with all the other great builds going on.

 

[blakeh1]

I'm feeling an urge to paint all the rubber life-rafts (30 of the little buggers) a bright color. Not neon orange or yellow, but something of a different color than the steel, to provide interest to the eyes if nothing else. Would that be a mistake? Seems most builders paint them the same color as the armor they mount to, you can see some of them stacked up in the 1st picture below.

I've started on the secondary and AAA, lots of those too. thinking I'll mount them near the end, just before paint to avoid breaking or knocking them around.

View attachment 136366

I am DEFINITELY leaving PE-B18 until the end, no way that remains unbent with so much assembly remaining.

View attachment 136367

Depends on whether you are concerned about being a slave to "historical accuracy" or painting what you like or what looks good to the eye.
Most people would probably not bat an eye at lifeboat colors being different
In the end, it will be sitting on your shelf, so do what you think you would like best

Instead of a different color, may just a lightened color of the hull color

As for historical accuracy, I can't speak to your particular color scheme for that measure, but I think the life rafts were made to blend in with the overall "camo" scheme/measure

For example, in this pic of the USS Hornet, the life rafts appear to be the same color as the section of hull they are on, but they maybe reflect a bit more, catch more light, or just the nature of being a different material, they appear to look a tad lighter and that makes then stand out more

On the other hand, here in this "dazzle" camo measure they clearly intended to be the same color as the section behind it

Not sure if actually painted that color here on the USS Iowa, or the rubber/vinyl or whatever is actually made in that color

In these schemes I guess it was a little more important to avoid breaking up the intended effect

although in this extreme case on the USS North Carolina, it is obvious they are painted to not break up the camo and each lifeboat matches the sections color, even having multiple matching colors when crossing sections

 

[BarleyBop]

What looks good to the eye

Fantastic sleuthing!
I don't know what the 'accepted' or 'popular' approach is with naval models, but I like your suggestion of following the camo pattern in maybe a different shade.
That is my approach with vehicle canvas tarpaulins or wooden floors, same colour, but a slightly different shade, or maybe subtle hue shift with a filter... to my eyes, it just reinforces the fact they are a different material/texture, and might not reflect the light in the same way. And it does add visual interest, regardless of how accurate the painting may be!

 

[Edbert]

If I start posting too much progress photos and info along the way, someone please slap me and let me know, got to share the thread with all the other great builds going on.

Just one opinion, and we know what that is like.

But no such thing as too much, I can scroll if I want to.

Here's the latest shot of mine. The Navy blue is a hard target to match, what you see here is three different shades of it.

 

[scottrc78]

5N has been a problem for me to match as well. Its either too purple or too grey.

 

[Dan the Modeler]

Here's the latest shot of mine. The Navy blue is a hard target to match, what you see here is three different shades of it.

View attachment 136627

So here is my color sample together so hopefully you can tell what is what. I use Vallejo Acrylics and they have been the closest matches I have come up with.

I have given the Vallejo colors in order:
Top is for Haze Gray 5-H (Blue Gray Pale 905)
Middle is for Navy Blue 5-N (Field Blue 964)
Bottom is for Deck Blue 20-B (Signal Blue 091) which is an Air model color.

I hope the image displays the colors well enough. HTH

 

[scottrc78]

I used Vallejo 964 for 5N on my Enterprise. To me, it has a purple tint to it in certain light.

 

[Dan the Modeler]

I used Vallejo 964 for 5N on my Enterprise. To me, it has a purple tint to it in certain light.

Interesting, what primer did you use prior to painting? I usually black base the entire model before painting.

 

[blakeh1]

5N has been a problem for me to match as well. Its either too purple or too grey.

Scale Colors has some pretty good paints for Navy stuff. I have used their stuff on all my WWII US Navy ships

https://squadron.com/scale-colors-5-n-navy-blue-acrlyic-airbrush-paint/

 

[wjbrandel]

Ok I'm calling this one done, Modeler's edition my backside. The flight deck took almost 2 hours to fit and even then it doesn't fit quite properly. I don't think I will be getting an Academy model again, this is the second one I have had problems with.

 

[Dan the Modeler]

Ok I'm calling this one done, Modeler's edition my backside. The flight deck took almost 2 hours to fit and even then it doesn't fit quite properly. I don't think I will be getting an Academy model again, this is the second one I have had problems with.

Excellent job! You knocked that one out pretty fast and looks great. Sorry to hear about your experience with Academy kits, has it just been with their 1/700 kits? I haven't found issue yet with their 1/350 kits.

 

[Edbert]

I appreciate the paint codes, but some say XF-18 is close to deck blue, and the laminate deck I purchased would agree. But dang, this looks..."off" to me.

 

[Dan the Modeler]

I appreciate the paint codes, but some say XF-18 is close to deck blue, and the laminate deck I purchased would agree. But dang, this looks..."off" to me.

View attachment 136726

Yeah I would say that laminated deck is pretty far off from Deck Blue 20-B...lol. This was the look in 43ish.

And this was 2008 as a museum and looks closer to what you have now.

 

[Edbert]

The sadface is not a reflection on you Jack.

The "wooden" colored laminate was also available, but would not have fit (all the added AA in later service) and still have been off on color.

This should be relatively easy to correct.

 

[Dan the Modeler]

The sadface is not a reflection on you Jack.

The "wooden" colored laminate was also available, but would not have fit (all the added AA in later service) and still have been off on color.

This should be relatively easy to correct.

Yes, the Pontos set came with both Deck Blue and natural wood decking laminate. I ditched the pre-painted deck for the natural which I can paint and weather much easier, much like the real deck. Will my colors be exact? Probably not, but it will be close enough considering scale effect.

Oh, and you are killing it with the detail and the PE is looking great on your kit. I have to say your skills as a modeler is transferring very well to building warships! I feel like shelving my build to watch your magic.

 

[Edbert]

And this was 2008 as a museum and looks closer to what you have now.

I grew up not far from the San Jacinto battlefield, used to play on the deck of BB-35 as a kid...traversing the AA guns to shoot down imagined kamikazes. I used to do the same in Fredricksburg with an old rusted out M3 (maybe an M5, I was a kid) Stuart tank as well as a Japanese "medium" that was about the same overall size yet had a 2-man-crew I think. It was shot up bad, multiple penetrations, and the Stuart was not much better. This was long before the Nimitz Museum became the George Bush one.

In the 1970s these relics were not roped and chained off. The gears were not welded shut, we climbed into cramped fighting compartments (before the explosion that killed the original crew) through rusty metal, and the turrets could be turned to some degree. None of my friends ever needed a tetanus considering how much lead and rust we were exposed to.

 

[Dan the Modeler]

@Edbert it's great that you had the opportunity in your youth to get hands on with all that history.

 

[blakeh1]

I appreciate the paint codes, but some say XF-18 is close to deck blue, and the laminate deck I purchased would agree. But dang, this looks..."off" to me.

View attachment 136726

I may be wrong, but based on as much as I could find of what 1942 Revised Deck Blue 20B looked like, I found Tamiya XF-50 is almost a perfect match for what I was looking for, just had to add a touch bit of white to "scale it down" a bit

I used it here on my 1/700 Uss North Carolina build before discovering Scale Colors

and below on my 1/700 Uss Yorktown is the Scale Colors Deck Blue (although it has the brownish tint since I weathered with some tan oils to make it look like the stain had worn to bare wood in the more used spots)

the deck of the 1/700 USS Hornet here on the other hand has not been weathered/scaled down yet

 

[Dan the Modeler]

@blakeh1 those are some awesome builds, especially in 1/700 scale and the paint and weathering is very well done.

 

[TimM63]

Just one opinion, and we know what that is like.

But no such thing as too much, I can scroll if I want to.

Here's the latest shot of mine. The Navy blue is a hard target to match, what you see here is three different shades of it.

View attachment 136627

I have a set of paints for measure 21 from Scale Colors. They seem to be the best match I could find. I just looked for them and scale colors website is down.

 

[blakeh1]

I have a set of paints for measure 21 from Scale Colors. They seem to be the best match I could find. I just looked for them and scale colors website is down.

From the Facebook page, the Scale Colors line has been picked up by Squadron, so he no longer sells direct

the announcement on the Facebook group was that from now on, all Scale Colors and SC3D products will be available on Squadron.com

 

[scottrc78]

Interesting, what primer did you use prior to painting? I usually black base the entire model before painting.

I did the flat black undercoat.

 

[TimM63]

From the Facebook page, the Scale Colors line has been picked up by Squadron, so he no longer sells direct

the announcement on the Facebook group was that from now on, all Scale Colors and SC3D products will be available on Squadron.com

Nice. I don't have any social media so I couldn't look at it.

 

[wjbrandel]

Excellent job! You knocked that one out pretty fast and looks great. Sorry to hear about your experience with Academy kits, has it just been with their 1/700 kits? I haven't found issue yet with their 1/350 kits.

So far it has been that 1/700 and I did a 1/35 hellcat that didn't want to go together properly.

 

[TimM63]

From the Facebook page, the Scale Colors line has been picked up by Squadron, so he no longer sells direct

the announcement on the Facebook group was that from now on, all Scale Colors and SC3D products will be available on Squadron.com

https://squadron.com/scale-colors-5-n-navy-blue-acrlyic-airbrush-paint/

 

[blakeh1]

https://squadron.com/scale-colors-5-n-navy-blue-acrlyic-airbrush-paint/

yep, those are the ones

"Squadron Scale Colors (formerly just Scale Colors), has been in production for eight years, and we've been using many colors in-house that have been around since the very beginning"

• Accurate Colors - The Squadron research and development team consists of experts in WWII naval camouflage and historical research. Our archives contain more than 20,000 photos from the period, and thousands of pages of documents pertaining specifically to paint, camouflage, and mixing. We utilize a variety of historic color standards, such as the 1929 Munsell Book of Color, US Federal Standard series 595, 595A, 595B, and 595C, and German RAL gGmbH. We do in-house photo-spectrometry for computerized color matching for Meuthen, Munsell, RAL, and CieLab color standards. This same methodology used for our naval colors has been expanded into aircraft, military vehicles and other areas where historical accuracy is paramount.

Although unless I am missing them, I do not see the other colors like Ocean Grey 5-0, Light Grey (5-L), Pale Grey (5-P), Haze Grey (5-H) and Dull Black typically used in Measure 32 and 33 schemes
Unless they are a different name now.
It was a recent change over though, so maybe they do not have those in production yet

Edited to add...
spoke too soon. Not sure if these literally went up in the past day or not since I had looked before, but now I am seeing them (although I think yesterday there was only 4 pages, now there is something like 8

https://squadron.com/scale-colors-5-p-pale-gray-acrlyic-airbrush-paint/
https://squadron.com/scale-colors-5-l-light-gray-acrlyic-airbrush-paint/
https://squadron.com/scale-colors-5-h-haze-gray-acrlyic-airbrush-paint/
https://squadron.com/scale-colors-5-o-ocean-gray-acrlyic-airbrush-paint/
https://squadron.com/scale-colors-20-b-deck-blue-acrlyic-airbrush-paint/

 

[Dan the Modeler]

Well, I've done it again to myself. I've just added a bit more work for myself, but my hope is that it will be well worth it in the end.

Below is an image of the portholes midship aft and it shows the molded "eyebrows" over the portholes. While this is great that Academy added them throughout the ship, they are slightly over sized when placed next to photo etch detail that will be added to the structures and hull.

I have photo etched portholes and covers that are to scale with all the extras photo etch that will be going on throughout the entire ship. So that means I have 90 portholes to correct just on the upper hull...lol.

As can be seen, I've already begun correcting port side, just a few more to go. You can also see just above the torpedo belt midship, there is structural plating that was added. Both the Pontos and Eduards PE set have a much heavier detailed plating to add, so I will have to remove and replace some of the bilge and discharge piping. There is a very long piping on the starboard side that I can replace with round stock. I'm not sure what it's actual function was on the ship, but it's an easy fix.

Anyway, back to the grind. I hope to have something more exciting to share soon that will resemble better progress.

 

[Edbert]

Results of some experimentation with the "ArtWox" deck-laminate.

At 12:00 is a brown enamel wash, 3:00 is a black acrylic wash (thinned more than the brown), 6:00 is XF-50 thinned about 60-70%, at 9:00 is good old black panel-liner, in the middle is an AK wash intended for Panzer Gray colors.

What do ya'll think looks best?

I'm really happy with the way this laminate works, the precision was VERY high, just wish it was the right color!