A new recruit who'd just joined the navy was waiting for the bus to take him to his new base. While he was waiting, a naval officer in uniform walked over and sat at a nearby bench.
Curious of what he'd gotten himself into, the new recruit went over to the officer and asked, "Is the poop deck really what I think it is?"

Aha. Aha... aha...
Now that we've got the bad jokes out of the way... #:-) Time for a progress report.

I haven't done to much the the Arizona, but I have started. The two fighting tops and smokestack have been assembled. I've also started work on the four main gun turrets - assembly, and drilling out the gun barrels.
Since my Corsair is done, I expect my pace on the Arizona to pick up some.

YodaMan

Amazing, I guess great minds think alike. I have also made the tops for the fighting tops and the stack. I've also started on the turrets. From what I see you can't really complete the fighting tops properly until the rest of the bridge structure is completed and you are ready to line up the tripod supports. At least this looks like to best way to me to be sure the tripods are straight and the fighting tops plumb.

Well guys...I am starting this late...as I had some stuff to finish up for a model show last weekend.....but I am free now...and have decided to do Revell's USS WASP kit.....it looks like a really nice waterline model!!! Should be fun to build!!

Well the turrers are FINALLY DONE and now it is time to start on the fore deck and major super structures. Then planning a massive airbrush session with the decks and super structers. With a little PE on the way. Should be a real eventful week ahead and I am looking foward to it..

My 'ZONA is moving right along, got most of the sub-assemblys done now working on all those little details like boats and planes and bending all that railing and trying to get the blast bags to wrap properly ....................and lions and tigers and bears oh my

Since I'm converting the New Jersey into the Wisconsin, I'm in fact finding mode still. Hooked up with someone who served on the ship during the era I am doing it in. Great step forward!!!! I'm not going to put much effort into detailing it, but things are moving along well...

For all the fine craftsman building the Arizona for th campaign i found this and thought you may like the view.
http://www.modelwarships.com/gallery/bb/bb-39/350-lc/bb39-01.jpg
Conversly I found this on the same page and I got me inspired to build a little better myself
http://www.modelwarships.com/gallery/bb/bb-63/350-kq2/bb63-01.jpg
Hope the links work and hope you get the same goose bumps I got looking at these

Inspire me? Those picture were supposed to inspire me???? They make me want to throw my kit ou the window!!!






...just kidding... :-)

How are you coming on your ship, Warlock?
I've gotten all the turrets and fighting tops on my 'Zona done, and have glued all of the deck pieces to the hull. I will be back to working on my models at night, and on my day off now that I've got a new job. :-) (more funds for models... )

YodaMan

Yes they were to insipre you!!! but i know how you feel when i looked at both Missouris I looked at them they at mine and almost cried.
Got the main turrets done and starting on the superstructures tomorrow. Will be fitting the PE and filling all the cracks I can get too.. The plan is to build the three different decks(foward mid and aft). They mount them to the already completed hull..
Well thats the plan anyway we'll see how it goes.
Got to get back to the monster now that my tears are dry .. Good Luck all and
Happy Modelling

Yoda and Warlock. I too saw those pictures of the Arizona and all the rest of the photos the guy posted. Unbelievalbe.....really. I started looking at photos of the actual ship from the 30's until about 6 months prior and guess what....some of that super detailing is totally incorrect. look at the base of the gun turrets, those unbelievable giant rivet bolts and steel details....unh unh the turrets are just like the ones in the kit some of the extra strip pieces to highlight the bottomof the forecastle no again. now not to takeaway from a certain prisewinner at a show. Why is the paint so worn on this vessel. That paint scheme put on the Arizona was a relatively new one at the time, given with the pride of being on a battleship, the effects of the weathering would not be so severe. so be of stout heart my friends while awe inspiring, this is a case of an epert getting a little too carried away. Oh, and I finished mine and am damn proud of it I am definitely not even in the same ballpark as this guy either.

Yoda and Warlock. I too saw those pictures of the Arizona and all the rest of the photos the guy posted. Unbelievalbe.....really. I started looking at photos of the actual ship from the 30's until about 6 months prior and guess what....some of that super detailing is totally incorrect. look at the base of the gun turrets, those unbelievable giant rivet bolts and steel details....unh unh the turrets are just like the ones in the kit some of the extra strip pieces to highlight the bottomof the forecastle no again. now not to takeaway from a certain prisewinner at a show. Why is the paint so worn on this vessel. That paint scheme put on the Arizona was a relatively new one at the time, given with the pride of being on a battleship, the effects of the weathering would not be so severe. so be of stout heart my friends while awe inspiring, this is a case of an epert getting a little too carried away. Oh, and I finished mine and am damn proud of it I am definitely not even in the same ballpark as this guy either.

Blaster I wasn't going to say anything but one thing that jumped out at me was the ladders on the turrets. He did all this work on his ship and then left the ladders as they were molded on, going up at an angle. I can't even imagine why Banner modeled them like that.

It's funny how different modelers concentrate on different things. Since I'm doing the ARIZONA I've read every article on the model that I've been able to find. Some guys work on the hull but ignore some of the things in the superstructure. Others do a great job on the decks but then leave things on the turrets wrong. I guess to each his own.

An old, good friend of mine loved to superdetail the ships he did. On one of his ships he did he had served on and he did everything imaginable. He was sooooo tired of the thing at the end so he just slapped it together... a shame actually, but I can understand him.

My point is - it could be something like this that sets in that different modellers just don't have the energy to see the whole process through... I know that I am that way!!

Since before my last post, I haven't even touched my model...
Got a new job last Saturday, and have been either too busy or too tired in the evening to do any modeling.. Hopefully that'll change before the deadline.

Couple of more pics of my USS Wasp.....little more progress.....I hit the antennae so the going is a little slower.

Looking great Viper: can't wait to see it painted. I too have slowed on my ship as well. Got a bunch of the subassemblies laid out but I am at the Point of the process that it seems like I am not making any headway at all, am I the only one that feels like this when building any model not just ships?? But I have the next four days off so hopefully I will get something accomplished and be able to post some pics..

C'mon you should have more time since those "Red Wings", became "Dead Things!"

In any case, no we "Leaf" fans don't want Cujo back we are gonna do fine losing the series on our own

Then I can get this Sub build in gear ..

Cheers, Michael

I was kinda wondering if I was the only one who experienced this. I always seem to get to one point, and it's usually different on each kit, where I hit some kind of plateau. Right now with the Arizona I am a point where I can just about see the final product but I can't decide what to work on next. I just have to plunge in and work on SOMETHING or she's never going to get done.

I've just got a bunch of huneydos done (you know honey please do this, and this, and this, and this...)

But I got a new building area out of it (that's why I was so eager to get those other things done!!!)

I should be done on time...

What is a good gray to use for painting a ship gray???

What kind of ship and what time period? That will help narrow down your choices.

Well not sure what Hunter is building...but for myself I was wondering what the proper colors would be for my Wasp. A light grey for the sides of the panels...dark grey for the top of the panels.....and a darker color again for the deck.......but what colors? any FS numbers out there?

Viper:
Depends on the brand of paint your using.
Testors Brand the Super Structors can be Painted Light Ghost Gray. (don't have the fs number I ran out of it )
Tamiya Brand I am using the Sky Gray XF-19
The Flight Decks depending on the effect you want can either be painted a very dark gray almost black or just black. The thing with the flight deck is it is non skid so there is a little texture to it.
I have heard some people sprinkle talcum powder on a flight deck while the paint is still wet and pour the excess off or the wait til the paint dries spray a clear coat on it and then sprinkle the powder on it. the paint it again.
The anti fowling red pain ton the hull I use Testors Insignia red FS 31136. It is the closest thing to the brown red that most ships use without mixing.
The colors I am refering to can be seen on the New Jersey I built last year. The link will show the colors to give you some Idea what it can look like
http://groups.msn.com/armorama/warlocksfleetandaircover.msnw?Page=2
Hope this helps and the link works

For those of you building the Arizona I don't have an actual name for the dark gray of the Measure 1 camouflage she wore at Pearl. From what I've read it is supposed to be a very dark gray but with a hint of either blue or purple. I'm using hobby acrylics called French Blue Grey and Charcoal, about 3 to 2. I don't know how accurate it is but to me it LOOKS right. The light gray for the fighting tops could be Ghost Grey or any other really light gray. It's almost white with a touch of gray.

Viper,

For my modern ships I use Testors model masters Light Ghost Gray for vertical surfaces and Gunship Gray for horizontal surfaces. For Flight decks I use Navy Gloss Gray or Euro Gray.

Hope this helps.

I am doing a 1991 era Iowa-class battleship, the BB-64 USS Wisconsin, waterline in the Persian Gulf.

The model is a Lee USS New Jersey in 1/600.