1/700 Trumpeter USS Baltimore CA-68

[whiskee]

Well...I do not usually try to document builds or review kits,(I am terrible at writing) but In hopes of breathing some life into this section of the forum, I am going to try to do just that.
I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to build a Tamiya Bismark and started saving the money for the kit..its pretty expensive and that was going to leave the workbench empty for a while. So a few days ago i decided to see what the local Hobby Lobby had a clearance to tie me over until I get my next big project and I found this:

1:700 scale USS Baltimore CA-68 1943.
I snagged it for a bargain bin price of $14.99. Looking at the tiny scale of only 1:700, and the modest box and price I figured this would be a perfect warm up to the bigger and more ambitious Bismark. I figured "hey this is going to be an easy little model to build over the weekend."....I had no idea what i was in for.
This being my first Trumpeter kit I had no idea what to expect find in the box, I knew they were high quality but I did have an impression that they were difficult. When I opened the box my jaw dropped. 299 pieces on 8 sprues and 4 pieces of hull with an option of waterline or full hull. The hull is molded in two halves at the water line. There is an option to use a waterline plate but i wanted the full hull. I think it looks better. The Instructions have you building the model above the waterline first then attaching the lower hull at the end. Upon test fitting the upper hull I seeing the small amount of sanding and work it would take to make the halves fit perfect i decided to to that part first(nothing to break while sanding that way), so far i dont see any future problems doing it that way since the model includes a stand to hold the ship upright while working.

Going back to the quality of the kit, I am more than impressed. What I thought was going to be an easy weekend project is in fact a super detailed hi-quality model war ship. It has so far been a joy and blast to build. These are the smallest pieces I have ever seen and or worked with, and there are hundreds of them.

What I have noticed is the plastic, it is the best i have ever seen. Its hard but not brittle and cuts perfectly I have broken no parts yet which is rare for me.
The only issue so is the aft upper hull, I have a small gap there but i think some putty and sanding will take care of that with little fuss.

So with a 14 hours invested I can say I am more than happy, In fact I am having a blast. This is a different kind of modeling than I am used too and no waiting for paint to dry in between steps!( I am going to spray it when done) That in itself is sort of refreshing. Stay tuned for updates, I'm ready to get back to building.
lots of steps just to build a the tiny main gun

detail is suberb

so many guns!

these are always a welcome sight..

 

[Junkie]

Very cool. Thanks for posting this. I love to see ships being built - so cool.

Don't stress on the writing...lol - you're doing fine. I don't think we have any English teachers here..

 

[TRM]

Hey Wiskee!!!

Doing great buddy!! I feel your Pain, done a few 700's. I remember having that reaction when I opened one too! LOL!!! You making great progress! On that joint you could try a little Thick CA. Apply it with a pin or small piece of wire, let set up and sand it down....or the putty, either way I leave you with one quick tip....Vacuum Wand and panty hose!!! When one of those itsy bitsy 20mm rocket out of your tweezers and land.mmm, in let's say that direction....put the panty hose over the wand on the vacuum. It will pick it up, but not swallow it!!

Good luck!! Looking forward to your next update!! ;D

 

[whiskee]

thanks guys! I have not heard of the pantiy hose trick! sounds like it will work great. So I got the main super structure finished before bed time. I am pretty happy with how it turned out, It will look better once it gets sprayed. Keep in mind this thing is no bigger than a small jar of paint! I have built entire models that did not have as many parts as this tiny assembly.

 

[Quaralane]

Excellent wok on that so far, Whiskee.
And a nice review on the go as well.

Seeing what you're dealing with reminds me of my 1/1000 Yamato build

 

[fumblethumbs]

Ooooooo, that's a nice kit! Your a brave man whiskee...1/700 :'( Doing a great job on her! Yeah, thanks for posting this.

 

[the Baron]

Nice build, Whiskee, glad you're enjoying it! Trumpeter does make some really nicely-detailed 1/700 kits.

You're giving me inspiration to resume building my Pennsylvania and Essex, which have been on the ways for a long, long time.

 

[whiskee]

Thanks guys! ;D Today at work I started thinking about rigging and railing. I orginally was not going to go that route due to the tiny scale of the model but I am really excited about this build and I think the experience is going to be good for me. I am going to use melted sprue for the rigging. I found this tutorial http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=37536 and tried it on my cranes as a test and i am happy with the result. I will post a pic as soon as my phone is done charging.
As far as the railing I had the idea to use window screen while at work. When I got Home I managed to find a piece of scrap and with some trimming, I found that scale and look wise it was perfect, However when cut down to size it becomes too brittle and flexible and attaching it would probably not work. I may just break down and order some eduard railing, there are options. I am just not sure which one I need If anyone knows please tell me. its Supposed to like the railing on this model:

 

[fumblethumbs]

I didn't browse around this too much whiskee, but it might help ya....hope so!http://www.goldmm.com/ships/gms7ordr.htm

 

[the Baron]

Sprue is a good way to go. One of the guys in my club, Bob Ciccone, uses sprue for rigging and even for stanchions and rails. In 1/700, you can get a really effective scale look, and he takes 1st in practically every competition he enters, so there must be something to the technique.

 

[whiskee]

progress thus far..

testing melted sprue rigging on the cranes. The rigging on the mast will be a smaller diameter than that. this was just a practice run to see how the technique worked. The very fine points where the rigging meets the crane were sanded off after drying. They look clean now.

 

[fumblethumbs]

I never had any luck with stretched sprue but your getting great results with it whiskee. Looks nice and uniform.

 

[whiskee]

Sprue is a good way to go. One of the guys in my club, Bob Ciccone, uses sprue for rigging and even for stanchions and rails. In 1/700, you can get a really effective scale look, and he takes 1st in practically every competition he enters, so there must be something to the technique.

This is the trick to making them look uniform.
"Once one side of the yards have been rigged-it is time to tension the rigging !

Many modellers have their pet techniques for this, ranging from dental hot wax tools to soldering irons to lighting a match and using the dying heat from the extinguished match...
I have no experience of the dental wax tool-so cannot comment.
The soldering iron has the disadvantage that the heat radiates in all directions- including where one may not wish to have heat!!
The match method has the inherent disadvantage that it is an inconsistent source- ie it gets colder unpredictably.

I use smoke... generated by Incense ( Joss) sticks in chosen aroma-sandal wood, apple etc etc!

Smoke is a directional source- ie heat rises- as does smoke. To get the smoke to pass across the chosen piece(s) of rigging the model must be held ABOVE the smoke....

For the smoke to rise vertically in a straight line we must eliminate all air movement in the room.

Take frequent breaks and ventilat at short intervals.

By inclining the model at different angles to the smoke source rigging tensioning can be carried out precisely on individual strands of rigging."

I used a wooden dowel that I lit at one end then blew out. It worked like magic.

 

[Quaralane]

Looks like you have a technique that could work well for you

 

[spud]

looking killer. i realy want to add a ship to my shelf because they look so cool

 

[whiskee]

today i got everything finished and ready for paint. hopefully I can find/afford the correct rattle cans. I think i am going to do the measure 21 Navy Camo. Which is

Vertical Surfaces:

Navy Blue 5-N All Vertical surfaces without exception.

Horizontal Surfaces:

Horizontal surfaces, Deck Blue, 20-B.

Wood Decks.

Wood decks except on submarines and carriers shall be darkened to the color Deck Blue. Deck Blue paint shall be used in lieu of stain for this purpose.

Canvas Covers.

Canvas covers visible from the outside vessel are to be dyed a color corresponding to Deck Blue.

Notes:

The camouflage painting need not be exact or carried into corners. Small gear, wires, rigging, and areas permanently in shadow, as under boats, etc., need not be painted with the camouflage colors. There is no objection to exact or careful painting which may be desired for the sake of good appearance at close range.

All bright or shiny objects, no matter how insignificant, shall be painted, covered, or removed.

Glass windows shall be covered or removed, especially during the day in sunny weather, and at night when anticipating searchlight discovery. Insofar as conditions permit, similar precautions shall be taken on airport lenses.



What i did today was brush paint all the horizontal surfaces with field blue which is a shade darker than deck blue(in my opinion) I left the vertical surfaces bare plastic gray, what I am hoping to achieve is a sort of pre-shading. Since I am going to spray the whole ship above the water line in navy blue. I am hoping the effect to be very subtle with a slightly weathered look. It may work or may not..lol

Whats really cool is when a model teaches you something about something in way a book cant. That happened today. I have been doing research on ship camouflage and its pretty stuff. The sides of the ship need to be a different shade then the tops, and today while painting all the horizontal surfaces i got to see how the effect really worked. When I looked at the ship from the top all i could see was dark gray- blue, even details where hard to make out. When I looked from the side it looked like the boat had not been painted at all. It was fun, sometimes you need a model to show you how things really work.

I should of taken some pics, but right now I have it all taped up ready for a coat of paint on the lower hull. Wish me luck, painting is my weakness.

 

[Quaralane]

Just be patient with it. You should be fine

 

[noc5659]

coming out real nice. Building ships in 1/700 scale is very difficult. I just ordered 4. Not sure what I was thinking. When I get those I will probably detail a build. Keep the updates coming

 

[whiskee]

Just a little update, I am just waiting on paints. Since do not have an airbrush I am having to special order spray. I should have an update in about a week or so.

 

[fumblethumbs]

Great, look forward to it whiskee!