When it comes to tough looking, I like the Lexington class and Yorktown class. They were big, powerful looking (that massive funnel on the Lexes, for example), and in the case of the Saratoga and Enterprise, took the punishment and kept on going (took two atomic blasts to finally sink the Saratoga). Man, I need to build the Lexington now!

Two updates from me in one month... incredible!

After dry fitting the deck on to get an idea of my color composition, I started the weathering process. Vallejo Panzer Aces Dark Rust was used for the base with Light Rust for the lighter areas, and spot mixtures added in certain areas to blend and work out. Dry brushed highlights have also been added to bring out the lines added earlier. The areas where the washes have seeped to the water will be covered when the water is finished, so it's okay if it pools there for the moment.

The anchors have been added, as has the forward platform and the crew that will be under the deck.




The PE chrysanthemum has been added as well (I really like how this looks).




More weathering and more crew. Since this is Midway, she's had a chance to get a bit more dirty since Pearl Harbor (despite some time in Hashirajima). Also, I'm using scale effect and the fact that this is waterline to bring up the weathering a little more, as less of the hull is seen than full hull. Since a lot of this is in the shadow of the deck, I also have to make this weathering "pop" a little more.




Crew in the rear. The jackstands haven't been added fore and aft, so the guys milling around by the hole in back will ultimately be near the aft jackstand.




Port aft. A close look reveals the PE life preserver cage holding a PE life preserver. I really like this part is it adds a little bit of color and interest.




Finally, the last step before putting the deck on: dirtying up the underside.




And with that, we're ready to put the deck on...

Dade just read this all the way through and most big builds like this have me skipping just couldn't with this one.Absolutly amazing!I build alot of planes and have a few ships under my belt but you got me wanting to pull out the POWales.Will be watching for those future installments sir.Kevin

Hi Kevin! Welcome aboard and thanks for the kind words. The PoW is a beauty and if this little log helps to get you into the mood to pull her out and get to work, that's really great!


Another update. With a lot of intense concentration and help from Jackie to "spot" me on the line up, the deck has been attached. That was always looming large, but thankfully it all worked out.

Before I can begin the weathering process on the deck, I have to start to attach a bunch of the other stuff that will also be weathered (the deck weathering will actually be one of the last steps). And so, the Hiryu's array of guns are attached...






Then it's time to attach the aft aprons as outriggers. I also took the opportunity to add the aerial identifier to the deck (the first syllable of the ship's name: "Hi" (pronounced "hee") -- "ryu"). I was going to mask it off and paint it to go along with the other lines, but I actually like the multi-color aspect as it helps the identifier to stand out a little more.

Now with the aprons, the Hiryu is really starting to look like herself!



From behind, with a visual of the under apron support work. I always find this to be one of the most interesting views of carriers. Note also from this angle, you can see how the guy on the lower deck is leaning back to yell something up to the guys on the upper deck (maybe smoking break is over).




Next up are the safety nets...

Great Job Dade. I fear my eyes won't do 1/700 anymore, though, but yours is a great build.

Hi Jorge, thanks, and I'm sorry to hear about your eyes. The big problem with ships is that unlike aircraft or armor, the subjects are so big that it's harder to move into a larger scale without requiring a massive amount of room.


Update: I have started on the safety netting for the deck. I'm hoping to get it up tonight, but no worries, as this has been my strongest month with amount of work done. So if I don't make it by tonight, I'll have something to start May off with.

Session 11 closed.

Great work Dade just love reading through your BLOG always pick out something to try and do to get my stuff up to scratch Cheers

Hi Dade.

During Midway..were the Hinomaru in carriers painted on the flight deck...I heard that it was a large canvas the can be removed.

And the motorized boats aft of the carrier...Is that a canvas "tent" type structure or is it a type of tarp..Can sailors access through it .... or does pull off like the tarp on a pickup truck??

Thanks Keith! With any luck I should have another update soon.


Renato, the Hinomarus were indeed painted. One of Dick Best's pilots used a Hinomaru to aim at when diving. At the very least for this build, here is a picture of the Hiryu at Midway.




The boat covers are tarps. The boats could be in three configurations. Without any type of structure or tarp attached, with tarp support structure attached but no tarp, structure and tarp both attached. The boats could be accessed through the tarp by simply pulling up the bottom edge and sliding under. Of course, this was only for putting in or taking out items, as the tarp wouldn't be used by the boat underway due to lack of visibility.

Beautiful work, Dade. The weathering looks great - adds a great sense of realism but still very subtle. You really are a master. Barry

Love the weathering. The rust effects are very realistic looking. Was it a wash or did you use pigments?

Barry, thanks! Guys like Omami and Jeff Lin are the real masters, but I really appreciate the nice comments!

Hi Dave, thanks, the weathering here is mostly done with washes (see a post above for description) with a little dry brushing for highlights. Once the whole thing is together, I'll add some spot pigments to blend it all in.

Kicking off the final month! Yikes!


The PE safety and recovery nets have been placed around the deck. These are very fine mesh and scary to work with! I'm glad this part of the build is done...

great update and amazing detail work.... GREAT attention to details...
again kudos for the picture quality and amount of info on the blog cheers

Hi James, thanks! My in-progress photos of these things are never quite as good as my final photos due to lighting etc., but I'm glad they turn out pretty well. While working on the Musashi, I used to cart out all the lights and such to take progress shots, but that often threw off my "building groove", so now I work with the same lights I build by, until the finals.


Update:

Remember how I hollowed out the bridge to put some crew in? That part of the build has now come into focus. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the interior after I put dull coat on the inside, so we only have this picture with everything kind of shiny-- before I closed up the bridge by gluing on the roof. Anyway, this gives added interest when looking at the bridge up close because there are people inside.




And now for the moment of truth...

WEATHERING THE DECK
---------------------------
Disclaimer: I have weathered the deck a bit more than I usually do on my builds. I've never been a fan of unrealistic "over weathering" and my other builds will show this. However, I beefed up the weathering of the deck here mainly so that it wouldn't get lost under all the planes. As with bringing up the hull weathering so it would still catch the eye in the shadow of the deck, I now will do the same thing so the deck can be seen in the shadow of the planes.

The fact that the Hiryu was the IJN carrier that survived the longest at Midway also gives a little more opportunity to dirty her up (she was prepping a third strike when the Americans arrived and put her out of offensive action-- although her own planes had already stopped the Yorktown).
----------------------------

You'll remember how the deck has been gloss coated all this time. This was to set up the area so that washes could flow more easily. These washes are done with Vallejo Panzer Aces paints, generally a drop of paint thinned with water to the consistency I like, and a drop or two of dish soap added to aid in flow and prevent puddling. I have no hard and fast rule of how much water I add-- I just put in however much I need to get the tint/ transparency I want.

The contrast on the next four pictures is a little higher to better illustrate what I'm doing (it looks a little garish but you can see what I'm talking about).

First, a very thin coat of Old Wood is put on the give a basic grounding for the colors. Note that this color is placed on the entire surface, not just the wood.




Another, thicker, wash of Old Wood is applied to certain areas of the wood only to give the effect of different plank coloring. New Wood is also applied in the same manner.




Some Black is sparingly added in small pin washes to bring out highlights such as the arresting cable mounts (cables themselves to be added later). Black streaks are also added to depict tire traffic from the planes from landing, etc. Dark Rust is also added to give some added texture without being as overpowering as black.




Finally, Light Rust is applied. This is done in two different capacities: on metal areas to depict rust and wear; and in spots on the wood areas, where after blending with the previous colors, to depict stains and spilled liquids. This is the step that I dialed up some specifically to give the deck more of a boost under the planes. I would normally stop somewhere between the second and third steps. Note that the elevators get more washes applied per area-- this is because per capita on the ship, the elevators see more consistent use than anywhere else per square foot.




Switching views, we can now see the rest of the ship going down the length. Note the overall effect of the black streaks from planes taking off and landing. Also note how the area in front of the deflector is less weathered than aft. This is because most aircraft handling and operations take place behind the deflector (which is the whole point), so in front is less likely to get messy (I'm still unsure weather to put a plane at the Hinomaru as if some last minute checks had to be worked out). That decal screw up from earlier still worries me...

Unlike the previous pictures, the contrast on these is normal, so this is closer to what the deck actually looks like (more subdued).










Focusing in on the island, where direction finders and mast have been added. This has been weathered similar to the hull (Black, Dark Rust, Light Rust), albeit less so as 1.) it's farther from the water and protected by the deck and 2.) its view is clear and doesn't have to stand out from a "layer" of objects above.






More views of the weathering, including apron and deflector shots.








It's important to note that everything here is done with washes ONLY. After a dull coat is sprayed, some powders will be added, as will dry brush effects.

Here is what's left to do, working from inside out:

1. Finish planes
2. Dull coat deck and powders/ dry brush
3. Rigging/ flags
4. Mount planes and people
5. Mount/ weather/ rig antenna towers and side boat davits and boat
6. Final dullcoat
7. Glass
8. Finish water


Whew!

Great set of pictures, Dade, and nice description of your weathering strategy. I really like the idea of those little people on the bridge. Sometimes in museums you see a display with a magnifying glass attached so visitors can see beyond the obvious features - I'd be tempted to have one on hand when you show off this baby! Barry

She looks beautiful Dade. Very well done.



Bob Pink

Beautiful woodwork, Dade!
Bravo Zulu!

Cheers,
Guido

Hi guys, thanks so much for such kind comments! Barry, I'll be collating this build log into a booklet to accompany the model at shows, so that people can see how this was built as well as calling out points of detail.


Update:

The water shading is mostly done with just a few blending touch-ups left for the very end (the bridge has also been dry brushed for highlights)...

Wonderful artistry in this build, Dade, you have taken the project in hand and offered us a masterful lesson.

BZ

Peter F

Wow!!!!

Outstanding work there Dade! making a PE deck look like real wood.Whew.The paint colors I will have to look into I have never heard or messed with.Cheers Kevin

Hi guys, thanks again!

I have finished the rigging of the mast, arresting cables, etc. and have finished thew planes. I'll have a photo update after I get a couple other things done...

The airplanes have been finished. They've been painted, weathered, and dry brushed. The lighting has washed them out a little, but they'll look fine in the final photos.

First is a shot of each individual type, top and bottom. While most people simply paint the entire canopy area one color, I don't like this. These planes were not bubble canopies and instead had a birdcage structure. Therefore, I try to paint the canopies in sections with my smallest paint brush. I know they're still inaccurate as there are more horizontal and vertical sections, but this still better conveys the actual appearance of these planes instead of just painting the whole canopy one color. Note also the painted landing gear bays on the Zero and Kate, but not on the Val, which has fixed gear.




The whole gang. This was a lot of very tiny, very tedious painting. Also of note is the fact that there are 78 Hinomarus applied (six per plane on thirteen planes).




Next up were the PE aft movable masts. Here they are before having the topmost section attached and before final touch up (the "CA string" on the top left has since been removed).




Lastly, the mainmast has been rigged, flags attached, planes added, crew added (almost 70), aft masts added (along with top sections attached).




From the other side, where the port PE boat davits and rigging (with boat) can be seen.




With this, all major building is complete. All that's left is to rig the aft masts, paint and weathering touch ups, and final dull coat on the shiny CA spots where planes and people were attached...

I'll have final photos up after this weekend, which is Modelpalooza, but well before deadline. This build, the Kongo, and some others can be seen at Modelpalooza if anyone wants to come to the Orlando area and check them out in person.

Modelpalooza Info...