MSW crew-mate Dade Bell (Karybdis) sends in a beauty of a build story, centering on Hasegawa Models 1/700 scale, IJN Nachi!

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If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!
~Gunny

Congratulations on a masterful build of the Nachi there Dade. While you may have tried to keep it in the realm of OOB, your efforts and workmanship raise the level of the finished project to a real classy job. Thanks for taking the time to give us a look at how much effort you put into your builds as well as the eye candy of the photos.

Howdy Jay, thanks!

Well done Dade on a spotless and thorough build. You'll have to give me pointers on the rigging when I eventually get to that stage on my builds. The linoleum colour looks great, can you pass along the Gunzy paint number?

thanks,

Frank

Thanks Frank!

Sure thing, the colors are:
Hull Gray: Gunze H-307 Semi Gloss Gray
Anti-Fouling: Gunze H-33 Gloss Russet
Linoleum: Gunze H-7 Gloss Brown

I like to use gloss and semi gloss because it's easier to do washes and decals on them, then just lock in with a dull coat top spray.

Great build Dade.


Bob Pink.

Hi Bob, thanks!

Funny thing this modelling business!.... The reasons you state for using Gunze, are the reasons I've always shied away from Gunze. My washes are done with water colours and can only be applied on flat coats. With this said, I really like the linoleum paint and will make do with flat coating the finished deck before applying the wash.

Frank

Actually, the Detailer is water based (I didn't use oils this time). If you add a drop of dish soap and lightly stir it into your water wash before applying, it takes care of the "beading" issue often seen with water color and everything flows wonderfully. Try it out sometime on a scratch piece. This Wespe's washes were done in water colors....



But as you say, worse case scenario, just put on some dull coat first (bur do your decals first ).

Dade,

Very nice Nachi!

Also thanks for the tip on the dish soap. I really dislike using a wash that wants to pool/bead up.

The greatest joy in this hobby is the constant learning and the fine folks that are willing to share their knowledge! Thanks Dade, the dish soap is news to me...


here's my step by step with water colours on flat paint.

I always use distilled water to thin out the paint.


Slop it on.


Remove the excess with a moistened pointed brush, results on the then semi-finished model.


... now I'll stop hijacking this fine thread!

Frank

Thanks Jim!

Howdy Frank,
I do the exact same thing. But the nice thing about using gloss paint is that you can put on your decals (since decals like smooth surfaces), and then your wash, and then your dull coat and maybe save some time by not having to do extra work with the decals. Try the dish soap thing (but just a drop or two- no more!)... it really does work! BTW, that's a beautiful Hetzer!

I just realized that people may think my Wespe is a lousy built 1/35 with soft features... it's actually an old Matchbox 1/76.

Having seen your talents,.. I was thinking the old white metal 285th GHQ Wespe.

Yikes! That's way beyond my capabilities... I think that's more like Jeff Lin!

Hi Dade,

Great looking Nachi! I've always liked the IJN cruisers - so sleek and efficient looking!

Others have mentioned the rigging, but I'm going to take the plunge and ask - what did you use and how did you do it? I have a number of kits languishing because, try as I might, I cannot get the rigiing to look good.

Grant

Howdy Grant, thanks!

For the rigging, I'm gonna be lazy and quote my Mikasa article (although I should put this in each of my builds from now on)...

I use fly fishing tippet which is a type of resin coated thread that will hold its shape and is very strong (lures are made out of this stuff). Now comes the voodoo. For my support rigging (funnels and masts) I use 6/0, which is .005 mm. For standard rigging, I use 8/0 which is .003 mm. Did you catch that? The higher number tippet corresponds to the SMALLER diameter. The stuff I use is called UNI-Thread. It's available in many colors (I have black, brown, and tan) and sizes and comes in 200 yards, which is more than enough.

To expand on this, I unravel a large amount of tippet from the spool so I won't have any issues with the spool colliding with the kit. I put a small spot of CA glue where the rigging will start (use a toothpick). After the CA has dried, I start to run the rigging to where it next needs to go (say, the top of a mast), put a dot of glue there to secure it, and so on. The nice thing about tippet is that thanks to the thin resin coat, it can be "shaped". So if your rigging has to hang loose and bow along a curve, just run your finger along to shape it before anchoring to the second point.

For items like the small insulators seen near the rigging connections, that's just a small dab of white glue that will congeal into a blob naturally and works pretty well. Then paint it when dry.

I hope this helps!

Dade

Yes - that helps alot. Seems easy enough. Thanks for the assistance!

Grant

Hi Dade!

Excellent build article, even if you said that you keep it simpler, it will be a good reference for my own Nachi (same model)
I really appreciated the tip of using the tape - have to try it one of these days, and perhaps not on my Nachi.
Congratulations on another great model in your collection


Rui

PS: Sorry for the long overdue comment

Hi Rui, thank you very much for the very kind words! And please don't think your comments were overdue. I am very happy to receive encouraging words no matter what the time frame.

Another beautiful build.... great pics and blog. again, thanks for taking the time to document and taking so many high quality pictures. I picked up that kit, was on sale last month half-price from Squadron,(dont tell my wife I broke my New Year's resolution of no more kits!). Will use your blog as my "instructions assistant". Cheers

Wonderful work Dade. Thank you for the tips also.

Thanks guys and glad I can help! James, at the time I got mine, it was 40% off, but to see it later at 50% off...

Great looking ship! I like the hull plate tape trick, very cool.

Great build, Dade, that ship must stand in a proud place in your living room.

Cheers,

Peter F

Thanks for the nice words, guys.