Hi All,
I know there must be some modellers out there that do this quite a lot and I was wondering what you find easier.
making the kit as an 'earlier' version or as a 'later' version?
for example:-USS Saratoga as an 'OOB' build, as a 'first commisioned' build or in a 'late war' build. (assuming OOB is somewhere in between!)
I suppose another way of asking this question is this:
Do you find it easier to add little bits of plastic or chop them off
TTFN
Tom

Hi Tom!

That all depends on the project, and the available reference material. Also, I don't necessarily agree that depicting a ship in an earlier form is inherently easier than updating one.

For example, I will soon be backdating Revell's classic USS Kearsarge screw sloop to her 1864 appearence. The kit, as molded, depicts her lines from near the end of her career with a straight sheer and other details not known in the Civil War era. To correct the sheer will require a tricky curving cut along the top of her bulwarks, and then a complete rebuilding of her tophamper.

A more extreme example would be taking a larger scale Akagi and backdating her to her as-built triple-deck configuration.

So, it really comes down to the peculiarities of the subject.

--Karl

Sorry Karl,
Didn't mean to ignore you! I sorta mislaid this thread.
I realize the difficulties if the subject has had (will have) major rebuilds, but I was thinking more along the lines of 'small' refits.
e.g. Iron Shipwrights Onslow to a 1943 version.
TTFN
Tom

Hi Tom!

The issue still depends on the subject--backdating or updating any vehicle, particularly ships, can be easier or more difficult. For example, taking a U. S. four piper destroyer kit and converting her into an RN transfer will require replacing many parts. While not all that difficult, it can be labor-intensive. Likewise with backdating a Flower corvette into the original raised forecastle variety.

The wonderful news is, ships offer a stunning range of conversion options not available to other modeling genres.

--Karl