[berth44]

Absolutely Phil, best service as well, posted on a Friday, had it Wednesday the next week! (you should take the plunge if you've got time, when do you leave??)
Just thought of this ..""NOW""...what I should have done was to very slightly reduce the base width where the two 'sides' for the breach are fixed and glued, this would have cured the slackness for sure..??
Anyhoo, I'll find another way, now, this might be a handy wee hint Phil, when constructing this part, I secured one side with superglue, so that was stuck fast, and the other side I just used 'normal' plastic glue as it's slower to set. This allowed the breach to be fixed easily between the two sides, you just 'pulled back' on the side that was 'drying',located the breach in it's hole on the fixed side, then just pushed the thing together fixing the breach between the two sides (I used a wee drop of superglue to the front of the 'drying side' just to help secure it , most importantly, I didn't need to hold it!!!
Lastly,where will she go??, well, that's the million dollar question my friend, I'll need to measure that glass cabinet that's sitting outside, it might fit in that......Dave

[berth44]

Another night in Phil, got some more done, not much, I was a bit later getting into it and a wee bit slower,'cause this time I was 'thinking' and putting ideas into practise instead of just following the 'plan' ......
So, I was going to tackle the main guns, but I thought I'd just stick to the instructions on a page to page basis. The next in line were 7 searchlights, but I skipped them, as I said, these need painted 'first' before putting them together as they have clear plastic lenses.
Right, next up 'in line ahead,' 4 range finders, nothing hard here, 18 parts all up between them, 3 different types, but the two biggest range finders (MK19) are the same. Now, with these instructions I'm surmising that everything is glued together unless otherwise stated, so do these things turn like they should on this model?.....it certainly don't look like it!! So, the question I ask myself, "do I want them to turn??..yes!", so it's now that I make the mods to ensure this!
This is where you would have to be building the thing along with me and have the instructions in front of you, so all I'm saying is, it took some bits of scrap 'Plasticard', 4 pins (normal ones that dressmakers use with the wee heads!!) a set of 'nippers' (to cut the pins) my pin drill...and superglue!!, now they turn on their bases like they should!!
Moving on, I finished off the night with 3 lots of 'vents' (16 parts), all you have do here is put them together, extra care though is required when removing these items from the sprue, a sharp sprue cutter is definately required and a ready supply of 'new' craft knife blades, a nice wee needle file and a bit of 'wet & dry' fine grade sandpaper...all tools of the trade for 'cleaning up', and all to make life easier and a better model....Dave

[bluedot0]

Hi Dave...Isn't "thinking and putting ideas into practice" called modelers license, I can't remember the last time I followed the instructions to the letter, I've always built some part of a kit differently.

I'm surprised the range finders were static, I would have expected them, on a model of this size to be movable, but it sounds like you've done a brilliant job rectifying the issue. Are the searchlights big enough to put a small led into them, just curious after I saw on another site a couple of other builders put led's into the them, the effect was brilliant.

I have splurged again my friend, I've decided not to buy the Arizona, no funds left, I did buy Aoshima's 350 scale Kirishima, Chokai, and a Tamiya Tone for the princely sum of $418.00 with 44 postage. 3 ships instead of 1 I like that idea better, but I may pick up an Arizona when I'm away, you never know what will present itself.

I've also decided to bring part of the shipyard back into the house, I'll continue to do the timber builds outside in the workshop, but do the plastics inside, be much warmer during winter and I'll get a bit more done as well. Anyhoo...just 2 days away from take off, so at the workdays end I'll be silent for a couple of weeks........will you miss me....Phil

[SkyFire]

Think we will, all miss you.

[berth44]

Hello Phil, probably you are right, but I was thinking more in line with asking myself the question first,("do you feel lucky punk??") so that the 'slack gun' episode does not repeat itself, So,now I have 'turny' range do das. I've looked at the kit again, they sit atop a 'fixture', if you don't glue them they will turn, but they'll fall off there respective perch like a pissed parrot!!
Done some more last night, not much, too busy thinking again, it's a wonder you can't hear the wheels turning up there in 'Coolburn'. I've found some spare ladders and steps, so if I can use them with this babe, I will, and I have, they were two rungs short of a full step, ach, only I will know!! I've also started on the catapults (X2), believe it or not, one bit of P/E and that's it, it's that good!!, the cranes are next,and P/E is used with these, not a replacement, just a couple of spars and that's it, again, the molding is fine..no need.
Anyway, off today, so I've got a 4 day week end, if I don't get back on line, have a great time when you are not 'working', catch you when you get back, miss you already my friend!!...Dave

P/S, sorry that you have decided not to get the Arizona (yet??), hope your other 3 kits keep you happy!!..drop a flower on the Arizona for me when you are there...please. ""bon voyage" "adieu"

[berth44]

I spent more time on the model today, but progress was slow, finished off the catapults, couple of vents the aft crane and the two 'lifeboat' cranes.
Stacks of really fiddly stuff here, like you get etched 'cable' into which you have to insert two guide pulleys in between each of the 'cables', the pulleys and cable when complete are inserted into blocks, these then are inserted into them, then on go the hooks,( 5 of them...tineeee!!!) to finish the blocks off.
These completed assemblies are then (in turn) individually 'hooked' onto more tiny pulleys between the jib parts! These are so time consuming, took up most of my time to get these tiny wee buggers off the sprue, cleaned up (trying to get to grips with these with big fingers....wow!!)
Anyhoo, all are done, I wasn't put of or did I give in!, the main guns and lifeboats are next on the instructions!!!.. perhaps I might get some painting done, can't see any assembly going down over the week end.....Dave

[berth44]

Just after I wrote the above, I painted everything, I've still got some of the smaller parts to do, gun bases and ammo lockers..the 'Tamiya' aerosols are perfect, I don't think I'll need that airbrush, mind you, I think I'll use more paint!.....Dave

[berth44]

Yip, more paint, off to get 2 more cans of aerosol after work today. First disaster, completely ruined an etched railing part, could I fix it to the already constructed boat cranes?, no way!!, completely lost it, crane fell apart, broke the 'lift' cables, just had a bad night, I spent about 3-4 hours on Friday night cutting stretched sprue to make up a new handrail for the crane 'jib'. I was eventually successful but only after I fixed another serious error on my behalf, after finding an easy way to get these rails on, I fixed them (2 off)to the "inward side" of the starboard crane instead of to the outside. I was going to leave them as they have been 'superglued', and these rails are sooooooo thin, you just look at them and they go out of shape and bend!!..I couldn't, so I carefully slipped a craft blade between them and their appropriate jib, and luckily they came of, a wee bit bent and twisted mind you. So, ages spent once again straightning these things out and I eventually refitted them where they should be! This was an awful experience, my own dumb fault for not thinking, just following, so anybody getting this kit, advantage , fit rails before final construction of parts, if possible!!.
I've completed the 4 main turrets, 8 pieces of spare etched ladders fitted to them, blast bags and barrels are painted ready to fix, but the turrets need painting, hence the visit to the model shop for paint!!.....Dave

[SkyFire]

Well done for fixing the ladders in the right place.

[berth44]

That's what it's all about Anthony, "never say never"...Got my two cans yesterday as I said, that's another 25 bucks, cost as much to paint this bugger as what the kit did!!
Painted the turrets straight away, glued the aluminium barrels to the 'bags', those in turn to the turret, so apart from finding a way to attach these to their barbets so that they turn.... they are finished.
However good this kit is and the amount of praise I lavish on it, the instructions are very vague, there is nothing on this, nor is there for the other guns either and anything else that revolves...I reckon it's just 'presumed' that one glues these into position..one does?, but not this guy!..everything that's meant in real life to revolve ...will....one way or 'tuther' (Harrr)
I've started on the ships boats, she has a few!..the boat cradles are very well detailed for 'non etched parts', but boy, are they fidly, with big fingers it's hard, and they are so fragile as well. The boats let the kit down a wee bit, these are begging for etched parts, like handrails etc .(mind you, the props and rudders are molded as necessary!!) The motor launches are also missing portholes, no big deal...a drill fixes that, I'm thinking Brass eyelets from my Titanic might work here!
Anyway, I'll get on with these, what I am stumped for is just exactly how these are painted, some show grey all over, or navy blue, others show white topped boats (launches) with brown decks (teak, whatever) black hulls, just what exactly, who knows for sure, but I'm looking into it! .....Dave

[berth44]

My daily report to me, all I did last night was fix a couple of mistakes I made (again, I'm getting good at these!!) Anyway, fortunately I got away with 'fixin' it and just continued to put together the boat cradles.
No joy on the ships boats,so it's modellers license once again......Dave

[berth44]

Already did it...silly me to sillier me....Dave

[SkyFire]

LoL ;D

[berth44]

Getting more fun now, just started on the superstructure... bigger parts!!....Dave

[berth44]

Not much fun now, it's over before it began!!!...I've skipped the ships boats to do more thinking on that subject, so as I said ,'I've moved onto the superstrucure', the aft Tri-Pod mast and control tower, well, if I had been new to kit building, later on in the build I would have been stumped, why?, the handrails, no way on this earth could these things be fitted if the mast were fully constructed, the two main platforms, especially, the searchlight one, are so complex in their individual shape, thus making this 'an off the kit project' and that is itself pretty difficult, and yes, I'll admit, I struggled with the complex shape but I got there in the end....There is only one thing wrong with this method of attack, handling and fitting, you must be really careful where you put your big fingers, I've already 'flattened' a side, they are "SOOOO' fragile!!!
I'm thinking a template, like drawing round the part onto a piece of card and bending the thing round that perhaps would have been the way to go, but there again, maybe not, I'm a believer in fitting these straight to part, one bit, one bend at a time....
Anyway, the hardest one is done (probably on the whole model, this one would be the most difficult , as for the rest of the handrails?, I'll play it by ear, but in the 'general seriousness' of the whole handrail issue, there are no instructions at all on what goes where, ( there could have been something printed on the instruction sheet,same for the rigging) there'sa painting on the box, and a very small illustration of the ship in the 'instructions for painting' sheet that you get, but in reality, 'the what goes where, 2 railings,3 or 4 railings??, you've got to get your info from the net and other models, or if you can afford it, the 'Illustrated book of the ship' by Paul Stillwell, but it cost an arm and a leg..like 350 quid (Brit Pounds) off Amazon, I don't think so!!....Dave