It's a Small World - the modelling thread.

Foxbat said:
My biggest problem right now is deciding what adhesive to use fir the photo etched parts. I can't see any practical way of making that decision without going through the whole process of building another model with PE. It may be the case that I decide that it's just too advanced for me to use PE.
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I use Everbuild Superglue HV (high viscosity).
It doesn't run down vertical surfaces like the ordinary CA glue, and you only need a tiny amount for a good stick, important when you're dealing with minute, highly detailed parts like the majority of PE seems to be. As an added bonus, it gives you a 10 - 30 second adjustment time before setting, which I've been very thankful for on several occasions in the past!

The bottle lasts a long time, too - I'm about halfway through a 50g bottle that I bought in January 2021.

71PnZcRb7NL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
 
And I never put the nozzle anywhere near the model. I squeeze a tiny amount into an upturned plastic bottle cap, screw the top of the glue bottle back on, and only then apply glue to the model with a wooden cocktail stick. Cheap, effective, and easy to keep the glue to a minimum on the kit itself. In a blob in the cap, it keeps liquid enough to use for a good half hour (by which time I'm ready to take the glasses off, stretch the fingers and go and put the kettle on anyway!)
 
Foxbat said:
I've taken a photo of the Campbeltown. It's had primer and a coat of navy grey. I'm not sure how to progress the painting because the deck should be a darker grey and it's going to be another piece of microsurgery trying to get that done.

I've included a 50 pence in the photo to give a sense of size. It had around 80 parts but that rises to almost 100 when you add in the PE. It was done as an experiment and learning exercise and I'm glad I decided to do this before thinking of tackling a more complicated model with PE.

One thing I did learn is how easy it is to damage a model of this scale during the build. Quite a few things went wrong but, hopefully, I'll look out for those pitfalls in the future. My biggest problem right now is deciding what adhesive to use fir the photo etched parts. I can't see any practical way of making that decision without going through the whole process of building another model with PE. It may be the case that I decide that it's just too advanced for me to use PE.
View attachment 109745
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Pyan said:
Those railings on the Campbeltown look good!
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I was looking at those railings and my eyes were watering at just the thought of trying to handle them! Huge respect!
 
Pyan said:
Those railings on the Campbeltown look good!
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It took a number of tries to get them to stick. I was a bit worried about the PE because I’d read a few comments on the fragility of it at this scale. Also, because the set came with the model, I expected it to be not that great. I have to say that I was wrong. The PE was pretty decent in quality (not that I know a lot about it).

You can’t see it in the photo but there are anchors and chains that were really fiddly. I finally managed to get them in position but I have no idea how I’m going to paint them. Dry brushing will probably be the only option. Also not easy to see in the photo but the bow mast was a bit of a disaster. The PE was so fine that it took ages to get a grip of it with tweezers. The very act of gripping it, however, damaged it and it was a twisted mess. I managed to kind of straighten it within the jaws of a pair of needle nose pliers but it will never really be straight again.
 
After ordering the recommended glue, I thought that I'd need some material to try it on. After a bit of searching, I discovered a set of generic photo-etched ladders and railings for 1/700 scale ships. I've ordered this because it will come in really handy if I decide to use PE on Chitose when I build it (I really want this model to be the best it can be). Unfortunately, the set did not include anchors or chains but railings in particular seem to be the most standout part of using PE. It also means I will have plenty surplus parts to practice with the new glue and see how I get on. I'll maybe stick some on my King George V for a practice run.

It's coming from China so will take a couple of weeks to arrive. After that, I just need to summon up the courage to tackle Chitose.
 
I don't think I've seen a zeppelin model before.

I'd also never heard of Takom Models before so I decided to have a peek at their product line. I was surprised to see that they do a range of battleship gun turrets in 1/72 scale. I thought it was a strange thing to produce but after checking them out I have to admit they look quite impressive.

Here's a couple of shots of their Yamato turret. The second one gives you an idea of its size.
Yamato_turret_05.jpg

Yamato_turret_08.jpg

I did a bit of research and found the Yamato to be 263 metres in length. in 1/72 scale, that would give a model length of over 3.5 metres.
Never mind the sheer size, imagine the cost of purchasing such a kit. At least the PE wouldn't be so fiddly for it:)
 
I've a few models of the Millennium Falcon in my collection and my favourites are the garage kits. probably due to the rarity, i think.

Last month i bought this kit of the original design of the Millennium Falcon before it became the Blockade Runner. I'm a terrible modeler, so i doubt very much if i'll get around to making it.

Solo+Fin++(2).jpg Solo+Fin++(5).jpg Solo+Fin++(8).jpg
 
One of the big advantages of the internet is being able to see what other folk are doing. I can spend hours looking at and reading about builds. This is especially true if those builds are about the Imperial Japanese Navy. It should come as no surprise then that this post is about a very special build of Akagi. At this point, I'll say that when I looked at the very first photograph in the link below, I thought I was looking at the real thing as it is today. Through a number of posts, the modeller tells how he built it, the techniques and build decisions, along with the reasons for those decisions. He even talks about some everyday objects that he used (like dried parsley). He says that the actual build took five months but planning it took years. When you read his account, you begin to understand why.

There are some builds that are good, others ranging from very good to excellent. Then, there are only one or two that just make you sit back in awe. For me, this is one of the latter and, as far as I'm concerned, the art section is the right place for this thread because, to me, this truly is art.
 
I now have both the recommended glue and photo-etched set that I ordered.
PE.jpg

I tried stricking a section of PE handrail on to a piece of plastic sprue and have to say that it is the best glue I've tried so far. My only concern is how rapidly it sets. Any small mistake might mean the part being glued in slightly the wrong position.

The PE set is fairly generic for 1:700 scale ships and only contains ladders and handrails. I would have liked it to have included anchors and chains but I'm not too bothered. My experience in adding PE to Campbeltown showed that handrails in particular are the most visually striking detail that PE parts can bring to a model.

I'm more or less ready now to start building Chitose - all I need to do now is find the time.:)
 
Not really modelling, but an interesting picture about my favourite subject:

A Guide to Provisioning a WWI Dreadnought Battleship​

This is for a crew of 900 people for 1 month.

le666uk9nteb1.jpg
Some interesting items. 12 dozen bottles of curry powder, 2 cwt. prunes, a ton and a half of lard. The only fresh vegetables appear to be tomatoes and onions - all the rest are tinned, dried or preserved. Interesting that they have German sausage...
 
I read somewhere that the British love of sauce (catsup/ketchup and brown sauce…HP et al) came from the long trips of the merchant navy and that ketchup was originally from the far east. The idea of using it aboard ships was that the sauce helped mask any odd flavours caused by food on the way to going bad. I wonder if curry powder served a similar purpose?
 
Just worked out that every crewmember gets 2½lbs/1.3kg of beef, and 5lbs/2.6kg of potatoes a day...:)
 
Pyan said:
Not really modelling, but an interesting picture about my favourite subject:

A Guide to Provisioning a WWI Dreadnought Battleship​

This is for a crew of 900 people for 1 month.

Some interesting items. 12 dozen bottles of curry powder, 2 cwt. prunes, a ton and a half of lard. The only fresh vegetables appear to be tomatoes and onions - all the rest are tinned, dried or preserved. Interesting that they have German sausage...
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They have cakes and biscuits but, apparently, no bread or flour?
 
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