[berth44]

I gave it a go just then, I didn't put a phone number in, pressed the button and it said welcome to the site, so is it away with my request, otherwise, you can ask on my behalf Phil..are they an Australian mob???

[bluedot0]

That's good mate, damn phone numbers........ from what I can gather they're a US based business, they're on ebay as well, do an advanced search on seller, and put in.......jdigiant......I'm going to buy a deck for the Konig from him, and a PoW when it's available.

Bought the brass for her last night from White Ensign, I built one ages ago....but a new one with brass and wooden decks will look good with the Repulse.......Phil

[berth44]

Not much done last night, the wife got her first dig in,"I just wish you were so constructive about the house!",she says, but there's more, but it's not for publication!! God, she just has no understanding about a man and his compassion, all I can say is, it used to be her!!(OOOOOO)
Anyhoo, I turned my attention to the rudder, I had broke it where it connects to the keel,(just a plastic 'pin' fitting into a hole!!) but I wasn't botherd about that, I was making it fit more realistically to its keel 'doofer' and have it 'turning on hinges' as per how I saw (in my mind) the real one operate.
So,I cuts out the 'imitation moulded onto the rudder hinges', leaving just it's middle hinge, that's a fixture anyway, I then figured out what I'd use for the new hinges (X2) a bit of round sprue that looked about the right size (I'm a "that's the very fellow, that'll do me" person)
On findind a bit, wasn't hard, I never chuck them oot! I roughly measured the two new hinge parts off, flattening off 'an edge' (an edge??...it's round mate!!, I'm sure you knows whatta mean??)This would connect (get glued on to!) the keel part. For the hinge pin I decided to use mans best 'handy hinge', a paper clip!
Could I find one?, no chance! Looks likes the games up till I get one from work next day, then I spied a broken mini drill, on my (cough cough, work bench!!) that's the very fellow!!, maybe it's a bit short (just slightly bigger than than the rudder) but here, if I remove the bit (plastic pin) that's broken, out of it's fitting (hole) in the keel, drill through that, stick the metal 'pin' in with 'shooper glue', It's bigger, it fits perfect, there's enough to fit it through all 3 hinges, and walla, she's working perfect!!.
All Ineed to do then, is insert the rudder back into the top hole and glue the hinges to the other keel part, but I find it doesn't line up, so I just insert a 'spacer' (Plasticard) between the rudder and it's fitment to the keel' It's now working perfect, so a wee bit shooper glue here there, but not there so that it's still free to moove!, and Bobs yer uncle!! (no he's not!!)!
Anyhoo folks, if you can understand all that , in short, I've just succeeded in making the rudder work in a more realistic manner, 'with hinges' ,so now it's 'poseable', just need to make some sort of stand now...'Hmmm'..something fancy perhaps??.........Dave

[berth44]

just fitted the 4 internal brackets for the metal prop shafts, fitted shafts and props,,any good dealers with 1/200 brass 3 bladed props around my dear friends??.......Dave

[SkyFire]

I've used Cornwall Model Boats in the past with no problems.

www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/propellers.html

[berth44]

Thanks Anthony, I had a quick look, they just might have but they do not list any 1/200 Trumpeter kits, something would have to be suitable though, just don't know where to start!!.....Dave

[berth44]

I'm moving on now, the hull is done, the props are just painted at the moment (look OK actually!)and the rudder now operates as it should. I've started to remove parts from the sprue (as per the instructions) and drop them into one of them 'Hobby boxes' (that has wee boxes contained therein) I then work on them individually 'cleaning' them up, IE, removing the mold lines, filing etc etc,(as I said I would) when each part is completed, it goes in another wee box to await the next stage..painting.
Just to finish this bit, this kit has some if the best plastic moulding I've seen of any kit, absolutely no fash whatsoever,even on the tiniest pieces!.....Dave

[bluedot0]

By the time I get back, you won't need any piccies for reference, she'll be built.......Phil

[berth44]

I can't see that Phil, but I'll be getting on with it for sure, "thank you very much"..Last night I removed 70 items from 4 sprues for the 10 X 5" secondary(casement) guns, that's 7 parts per single gun, and all you can see of them are the barrels sticking out their respective gun ports!!
Anyhoo, I assembled all those, I started at 1900 hours, finished by 2300 hours, luckily, the 'extra detail' set came that very afternoon, so I could add the replacement brass barrels (available brass for both lots of 5" guns")
This was where the first , 'not too clever a fit' came into play, the replacement brass was a slack fit into the 'breach' part, so that annoyed me attempting to get everything straight, it's here when superglue is most effective. (just thought of this NOW, I should have fitted the original plastic barrels, secured them in place, then cut them off at the breach, effectively filling up the hole, then re-drilling a smaller hole for the brass barrels to fit, there's a tip for anyone else building the kit, but I can now do that with the next lot of 5" AA guns, and the main ones if they are the same...more work perhaps??)
The next lot to do are the 5" AA guns, there are 8 of them with 9 parts per gun, (" oops, forgot!'', there is also a 'loading practice gun' to assemble, luckily, only one off, but same amount of parts) These guns are all very detailed, but no additional brass for further detailing is available...yet!!
So, that's the progress so far, I'll try and get the above done tonight, so it'll be another late one! I also received a book on the Arizona that I ordered from the UK (Amazon) unfortunately NOT the 'Paul Stillwell Book',(on wish list!!) it's way too expensive at the moment, it was available from 'Amazon UK' for 350 quid, and up to and over 1000 US!!!!..(don't ask, don't know why!!)
My book is simply called 'The USS Arizona, the Ship, the Men'.....and and and', it's a reading book, NOT a book for modellers, so I'm looking forward to the read ,first book I've bought to actually READ since 'JAWS!!!!!!..........Dave

[bluedot0]

You certainly are into it.......just reading your construction log is tempting me, I think one may come back from the US with me.

Now a question for you Dave, on the ship herself, she has skylights and hatch covers on the decks in various locations, some kits I've looked at don't have these details, are they on this kit......Phil

[berth44]

You are right Phil "Aye, am intae it right enough, that's fur sure" as us Scots say, well ah dae!!!,,but as you know?, that's me, that's how I operate, I gets stuck in, "go go go", then, "stop stop stop" when another distraction comes along and that's it!!, but here, this old girl seems to have me 100% in her wake!
Right, answering you question on 'skylights and hatch covers' that's an Arizona "yup", the 'skylights are like wee hooses (Sco), I see them on the sprue, the 'hatches are left open on the deck (as with the 1/350th),stairs are molded down the 'next deck'.....but the hatch covers are there, on the sprue, and are pretty well detailed . I'm going to leave most of these open (a couple of bits of 'streched sprue' will do for the props on either side of the hatch cover. I'm thinking out loud???)
O my mind as well are the molded on closed 'watertight doors' to the likes of the bridge and other points of access to 'other' parts of the ship, 'maybe', I should be able to 'shave' these doors off with a new craft blade for re-use in the 'open' position?, I just need internal detail of a door (from someone please??) and I'll apply that to all doors that I take off. I'll 'cut out' the open door to whatever, or wherever the door leads, maybe add a bit of 'licensed internal things' that might be noticed, or perhaps a sailor figure standing in the doorway, or making his way through it? (you get some crew as well!!).....all that is just a thought, something to ponder on!
Lastly, just to 'wet' your appetite more for this kit, 'fire control gear", IE, the hose and associated fitments are molded to the various bulkheads around the ship, picked out with white and red, it'll add a wee bit of color and look good....."Lastly lastly", final words, no good modeller should be without a huge Arizona model and you should definately bring one home.... especilly after visiting her in Pearl, the greatest tribute and momento...........Dave.

P/S it's a giant box, so it will have to go in the hold of your aircraft, but the box is strong, should be right, you should pick one up from anywhere between 130-290 US, preferably, the smaller denomination!!

[bluedot0]

Thanks for that answer Dave, I had to buy after market hatches and skylights for the 350 scale model, but this sounds like a more interesting proposition, I'll have to give it serious consideration. I like your idea of open hatchways, gives a more realistic look to the ship.


I have given it very serious consideration and have decided to buy one, maybe even before I leave.......Phil

[berth44]

G'day Phil, serious consideration is good,you are definately interested in one then..excellent!! I've had a wee look on Ebay,(perhaps you have done the deed?) I went into the UK site, went through the usual crap to get what I was after, so I typed in 1/200 Trumpeter Arizona and a ffffffew came up...155 quid and 52 to deliver it,was the dearest.... stuff that!!, then I see the mob I got mine from (Hong Kong/China)and they still have it for sale at 80.10 + 26.19 delivery, that's still in UK pounds, (converted that's 169.98 AUD) ,that rate will differ by round about the 2p mark if you go into the site, order it, and pay for it through Pay Pal, you may then pay round the 189-95 dollar mark, but Phil, it's way the cheapest by far that you'll find!!.........Dave

[berth44]

Last nights work on the Arizona progressed with the assembly of the 8 X 5" AA guns and the 'loading practise' gun. I managed to finish all these items, but again, they are fidly and time consuming!
When I was putting these things together (both lots of guns are more or less the same method of construction) they are built up in such a way that the gun can move up and down, but with the replacement barrels being brass, they are a wee bit heavier than what the plastic ones are, so the gun, instead of being 'poseable', falls and points downward.... AA guns should point to the sky!!!! Perhaps once they are painted, they might 'work' better, but as far as the casement guns are concerned, I'm just going to glue those, they do not have elevation like the AA guns, but they will pivot as much as they can in the small area that is the casement cell!!
The next step in the instructions are the various searchlights, but these will have to be painted first, so I'll probably skip to the main 14" guns. The kit gives you a choice here, if you want these guns to elevate (the 'real'Arizona main guns elevated as one unit, and not individually)you get a part that all three barrels fit into, that in turn fits into a 'cradle' inside the turret. The guns then do not have 'blast bags'.....
With 'non elevation' the parts supplied now represent the blast bags, and fitting into those go the 'aluminium' barrels, these are then glued permanently to the turret front...you'd think that in such a big scale somebody would come up with 'rubber boots' to represent blast bags??..I'd like to have the best of two worlds, bags on.... and elevation!!......Dave

P/S....I'm saving up the bits so that I have a whole bunch of stuff to paint in one hit..less waist of paint!

[bluedot0]

The guy on Ebay sounds the go, he's the cheapest by far as you say Dave.

Sounds like good progress is being made, keep up the good work, your giving me plenty of guidance for when I start on her. Have you tried to fix the guns at the pivot point, I did it to a Graf Spee kit years ago in a feeble attempt to make her look like she was in a battle, they kept falling down as well, so I glued them at the pivot point and da da....guns pointing skyward.

Where are you gonna put her, she's too big for that lovely glass cabinet you have.....maybe the centre piece for the dinning table........Phil