The decks are on. I repeat, the decks are on. Let me get some pictures and get the process typed up, so an update can be expected soon.

Great! Looking forward to seeing them. Barry

As discussed in a previous installment in August, there are a few different ways to mount decks including white glue, paper craft glue and rubber glue. There was also a guy I knew who mounted his with spray adhesive. My original thought was to use white glue, but as I was getting ready to do this, three issues popped up: the long set time of white glue and related to that, the clamping required to keep the deck flat as the glue sets. Finally, there is the issue of some glue "bunching" and staying wet while other areas may dry out.

So I took a deep breath and went the spray adhesive route. I was going to use my paper craft spray adhesive until I found out that the can had glued itself shut down in the tube (despite a clean nozzle). So off I went to Home Depot to grab some new stuff and settled on 3M General Purpose adhesive (extra strength would have been overkill).



Now, the scary thing about spray adhesive is how you have to handle everything or you may find your deck glued to your spraying surface. My work flow went like so:

1.) Pick out ONE deck piece to mount and work on that piece ONLY. In other words, don't spray adhesive on all of your deck pieces at once because I guarantee that most of those pieces will have their adhesive dry before you get to them. Yes, you'll waste a little extra adhesive spraying and clearing the nozzle between each piece, but it's worth being patient.

2.) Place a very small piece of folded over tape to keep the piece from blowing away by the spray.

3.) This is important- Keep another piece of paper or something nearby to transfer your deck piece to IMMEDIATELY after spraying, or the deck will want to start to glue itself to the over spray area of your original surface.

4.) Spray the underside of the deck piece, hold the can upside down and clear the nozzle, and transfer the deck piece to other surface (glue side up of course).

5.) When the adhesive starts to get tacky, place the deck on to the model. Be very careful to get the openings lined up for above deck items to fit through. Needless to say, the aft area of the Kongo was a pain to get on there because it had to fit around the aft barbette and still encircle the flight deck and some other stuff. Yikes! It's very good to have something small and flat nearby to push the deck down into the little crevices and around the aforementioned above deck items. I used a micro chisel usually associated with raised panel line removal...



6.) You'll have a little while to work the deck around because the adhesive has just the right amount of set up time (up to 15 minutes) so just keep pressing down into those little trouble spots. Thankfully the deck is just thick enough to not have to worry about air bubbles and such.

7.) You will still probably get some adhesive where you don't want it, no matter how careful you are. No worries, due to the nature of the adhesive, you will be able to rub off some of the stuff as it gets more tacky (it's rubbery). But for the stuff you couldn't get off, just wait for it to dry and touch it up with some little spots of paint here and there. You'll see some shiny spots in the pictures below- this is where those touch ups have been, but they'll be "dulled out" when the final dull coat is sprayed on. Any little niggling edges can be glued down with a spot of super glue. While using superglue to do the entire deck is dangerous and may crack the deck, little spots here and there are safe.


Whew, so here we are! The deck is mounted and really brings out the feel of the ship. The superstructure base hasn't been glued on yet, thus the small gap. Now that this very important step is done, we can get down to the business of getting this lady put together! (Apologies for some of the weird borders- I had some crooked borders after rotating the pictures during prep. )












Next up, getting those 2.5 billion binoculars and other things mounted into those bridge decks for mounting...

Hi Dade!

Well, a difficult task that can be checked from the to-do list
The wood deck looks dead-on! The tip on the spray mount is a good one, although on my case (the Akagi triple deck wooden deck), I'm covered!
I think that I also haven't congratulate your Father on making an excellent wooden display base for the beast! So.... Give my congratulations to your skilled Father.


Rui

OK, now I'll need to go get the spray adhesive. Man, I'm going to end up having 100 extra things laying around waiting for the start of this project. I did use the black detailer stuff on my Iraq M1a1AIM painted in a sand color and it made the tank look spectacular. Didn't do much for the tri color scheme on the UHU. I guess that was already pretty dark. Well, I 'm going to sit back now and work on a 155 Long Tom and tractor while I continue to watch and gather material for my Kongo. I think pretty soon the Akagi is going to come into the dock and distract my attention for a while (just looking at all the goodies and the underdeck PE set will probably take a couple of days to get over the awae of this one)

Super work Dade!


Kenny

Hi guys!

Rui, I was on the phone with my father and passed on to him the nice things you said. He was appreciative of your very nice compliments.

Steve, I've got so much wacky stuff laying around here that has only been used on one or two models (mostly obscure paint colors), so I know what you mean. I'm glad the Detailer is working out for you- I love the stuff. I'm mostly an oil wash kind of guy, but the Detailer comes in handy so often that I find myself going back to it a lot. Yeah, it's not as noticeable on darker items- you have to use it in tandem with a light drybrushing to bring it out. But hey, at least having that Detailer will last you for many models. And the deck prep stuff (sealer, adhesive) can be used on multiple decks, so that won't be a waste either.

Kenny, thanks!

Uh, Dade; all I can say is Wow and thanx for the excellent pix and walk-through tips. I appreciate your generosity in posting all this for our edification! My own builds are now going to be a lot better than they would have been otherwise. When you get back into the PE part of it, could you advise on your techniques in that department? I know that practice makes perfect - and faster - but although my final results are clean, it takes way too much time to get them there. For instance: how did you get the delicate walk-rails (?) around the smokestacks to adhere securely, cleanly, and without looking beat-up? Right now, my best technique for small stuff is to use Tamiya extra-thin brush-on glue to soften the plastic in the desired area and to allow positioning and temporary adhesion of the PE, and then use a needle (top of the loop lopped off) in a pin vise to apply controllable amounts of CA to the area needed. A disposable brush is at hand to soak up any excess (acetone cleans it up for further use). Again, amazing; so cool! OK, over and out... Stephen

Thanks for the very nice compliments, Stephen. That process you described for mounting PE is very interesting- using the glue to soften the plastic to aid positioning. I'll have to try that sometime.

As for my process, you hit the nail on the head- I can't think of anything I've done other than a lot of practice. I put some CA in a small piece of foil, use a toothpick to apply and then attach the part. I use the edge of a paper towel or napkin to wick away the excess. If there is still some excess, I usually just use a small file to file it off after it dries.

My only trick that I can think of that I often use is if there ends up being too much dried CA... maybe bunched up or clogging a small hole or something; I'll add more CA to the area. The added CA will "melt" the dried, clogged CA glue, so it's easier to spread out and then wick up. With things like the small walkways, I added a couple little spots of CA, mounted the rails, and then used the "wet" CA method to "fade out" the previous glue spots.

Despite all of this, I am actually pretty slow- each PE structure or subassembly usually takes me hours to complete. Thanks again!

...and thank you, too. On another note, there was a post from you on Aug. 15 on this thread where you commented on the different wood deck manufacturers: Fujimi, Hasegawa, Sinsengumi. On another 1/350 boat project of mine, I note that Hobby Link Japan (ilj) carries a laser-cut wood deck kit from KA Models of Korea, no thickness dimensions given, but pricing is lowish (~60.00). I haven't heard of them before, nor seen them mentioned elsewhere. Do you or any others out there have any info on these guys and if their stuff is primo or not?

OK, good luck with your project; it's a pleasure to watch a pro at work!

Stephen

Hi Stephen,

Yep, I've also seen those decks on HLJ, but have never seen one in the wild- or know anyone who has either. I'm considering grabbing their generic wooden sheets at some point, but until then your guess is as good as mine.

More on the Kongo coming soon. It's amazing how many hours have gone into cleaning up and mounting all of the tiny pieces. But once I get some subassemblies together, I should have something.

Hi Dade: I just did order a sheet of the KA wood. Will report...

Stephen

Dear Dade:

Uh, what up, doc? I note your build log has disappeared from the Model Shipwrights Carpenter's Shop message board and that it has also cycled off of its homepage. Is it still active or maybe I don't know something about how the messages are accessed. ? I really wish to follow your work; I'm learning a lot from it.

Best Regards,

Stephen javascript:PasteSmiley(':_|')

Hi Stephen,

The build log is still here- it cycles off the front page when newer messages are posted in other topics. It can still be accessed directly through the forums. You can also choose to subscribe to this topic by hitting the "Subscribe" button at the bottom of the page. You will then be notified by email when a new post appears in here.

There have been no updates for a few days because I have been working to get to a point where I have enough stuff to show. Also, my father has been visiting, so that has slowed me down. Expect something next week.

Hi Dade,
Hi everyone,

Not directly related to the building report but thought others might be interested to know:

I ordered some bottles of THE DETAILER http://thedetailer.net/ and am very satisfied with my purchase. Thank you Dade for making me aware.
Even though this was an international order I received nice communication and prompt delivery.

Al I can say to anyone reading along this build report (registered or not ) is that Dade found a true jewl in enhancing panel lines and super structures.

I´ll catch you arround

Hi DT,

Whew, at first I thought it was going to be asking where I've been on this build. I really thought I'd have time this week, but between the Cold War Tin Cans campaign and the monthly contest, the second half of the month has been busy. Thankfully, the Tin Can extension will ease off some of that burden so I can work on the Hiryu. But next month, it's back to game on for the Kongo. I intend to have the Kongo done by the end of January and I think that will happen.

I'm glad I could help another satisfied customer to find the Detailer. I think it's such a great, easy to use product that every modeler should have some. Thanks for reporting back to us DT, that you enjoy the product. Your nice words, along with Steve's, makes me happy I could pass on this helpful information.

Yeah, just to keep the thread alive - I ordered up some of the detailer and have it in my inventory box, just waiting to be used. This weekend I'll be painting up the armaments on my 1/350 Tirpitz and will be giving it a whirl.. Thanx! Stephen

Hi Stephen,

Glad to hear it- I hope it works out for you too.

Yep, I do too! Look; here is a site you might like to flip through; its about an Amati wood frame, metal-clad 1/200 Bismarck subscription kit. Herr Oehm has documented his build-to-date with some impressive pix detailing every single stage in the process. They are so good they might even be by the Amati brand; I can't read the german in sufficient detail. Anyway, I thought you might like to check out his wow-grade work and to suss out the related links that are all very well worth the trolling.

http://bismarck.oehm.net/

Cheers, Stephen

Hi, very nice work. I did this ship out of the box in my own quick way, now I know how I could have done it properly.

Do you use a brush at all? Do you know what these torpedo shaped thingies next to B-turret (2 on the deck, two on the side) are?

In terms of detail, how does it compare to Aoshimas Kongo? Has anybody seen the two models side by side? I'm thinking of getting Aoshimas Kirishima, but I wouldn't want a less detailed version of that ship next to the Kongo.

Looking forward to the next part.

Hi Jörn!

Thank you!

I use an airbush for about 95% of the work and only use a small brush for touch up work.

Since I haven't seen any of Aoshima's up close yet, I cannot say how the detail compares. However, I will say that Aoshima's has the correct casemate shapes and it has more comprehensive weld lines including the vertical lines- Fujimi's only has the horizontal lines. I wouldn't mind building the Kirishima myself as a comparison to this kit.

The torpedo shaped items are paravanes.They're used in the destruction of mines.

Thank you for watching and the next part will appear next week after I get my Hiryu work for this month done.

Hi Dade, Hi Jörn,

Regarding a comparison between the Fujimi and the Aoshima Kongo it may be of help to have a look at Aoshima advertising page:
Click: Aoshima Kongo
which comes with some detailed photos.

kind regards

It appears that there is very little to choose between the two, in some aspects the Fujimi model is more detailed, in some the Aoshima model. Considering the drawbacks of the Fujimi model, the casemates and the not so good fitting of parts (see bridge assembly), Aoshima might be the better choice...Fujimi still is very nice.

I don't need vertical weld lines. They should be almost invisible anyway; each tenth of a millimeter on the model represents 35mm real thing. 1/10th would therefore be too much already - and the weld lines on the model kits are certainly bigger than 1/10th.

The Aoshima model seems to be an earlier 1944 version than the Fujimi model, I can't see the AAA on B and X turrent or the Type 13 radar antenna on the main mast?

Anyway, lets get back on topic.

Hi Dade:

I hope your Kongo project is going well and that your health is good! Mine is good, too, altho we all have our little glitches, don't we? Mine is that recently my wife accidentally dropped a Mag-Lite flashlight on the dry-fitted superstructure and masts of my current 1/350 project. Ouch.

but...on with the show.... I note that you make no mention of staining the wood decking of your boat, other than using the Detailer wash. Presumably the color is good as is, but do you have any comments about that? If my KA wood comes in too pale, I will be considering how to go on that... Best, Stephen

Hi Stephen,

There will be a slight update soon. Now that I've had the chance to get back to the Kongo, I have been mounting all of the small deck details. I am doing this in waves and first are the boxes. About half of them are on, and when they're on, I'll post an update. Then I will move to the phase of mounting the vents and so on.

Yikes, I'm sorry to hear of that mishap! I hope it wasn't too long to fix!

My health has been holding up fairly well- the stone hasn't passed, but amazingly no pain except once last week. I had high blood pressure, but it has settled back down.

You're right- the color of the deck was very rich so I didn't really have to do anything. If it would have been low on detail or color, I probably would have used a little brown Detailer (and maybe some orange) to add some color. This is what I did with my Mikasa. It was painted simple deck tan (wood decks weren't available back then), and has various washes of brown, orange, and black Detailer.