December 11th update:
still working on the well deck. Railings have been fitted and decals are in place. All parts have been dusted with Vallejo matt varnish. Next step will be a couple of washes with oils to pull things together. It's a lot of internal work that will vanish from view once the Wasp is assembled and even internal lighting won't show all details. Okay, photos:










cheers,
Julian

Looking very nice, Julian. Have you used the kit's railings?

Nice job Julian.

There certainly is a lot going on in that hull.

Si

Hi Daniel, still waiting for the KA/Mark 1 set to arrive so I used the railings supplied with the model. Not too bad PE really, not as soft as Eduard and not the Italeri "construction steel" quality of unbendable PE
Julian

Thanks Simon, it is rather interesting working out where they hid the engine room and ballast tanks etc. Would be fascinating to see a general arrangement plan of this ship I guarantee you
Julian

The PE sets arrived from Korea today First impressions good, very beautiful but very delicate and refined. I'll get a review up this weekend
Julian

Nice! Can't wait for pictures and review.

Hello Julian, you've made a lot of progress and the well deck looks terrific. Have you thought about lighting it? It would be a shame to hide all that great detail. Maybe fiber optics would work? I'm looking forward to following along on another one of your great builds. Al

hi julian,

looks like a megga build, excellent work.

Al

This place offers overhead lighting kits for models that are great:

http://www.microstru.com/Experimenter-Kits.html

Wow, thanks for that. I've been lighting AC carriers hangar bays using grain of rice bulbs. Looks ok, but very tedius.

EJ

Hi Al, it looks as if more is happening than is really the case just yet I have been waiting for he PE to arrive, (which it did yesterday). Should start making some progress now. I am still not decided on lighting the "internals" yet. Even with lights there is no way you will see anything of the forward well deck or hangar bay and the well deck itself will be fill with LCAC's and LCU's so this is a real model builders thing: work on all the details and then hide them deep inside the build
cheers,
Julian

Thanks Scott, that would seem a better solution for the problem of lighting things up. A link worth saving in any case
cheers,
Julian

Come on Sallows!! Where is that PE review?I am waiting very patiently before I order a set for my LHD-1.

Isn't it supposed to be night-time down under now? Go to bed
working on it, it's gorgeous.
Julian

It is about 1800hrs here. Still pretty bright but getting darker.

The strongly anticipated package from mr. Song Hyoung in Korea arrived yesterday, the photo etch sheets protected by stiff cardboard:



Due to the care taken to wrap the set my Mk. 1 USS Wasp detail up set arrived here in Holland in mint condition.



The MK. 1 set comprises of 4 sheets of very fine looking photo etch and a large instruction sheet that shows the placing and construction of parts in photos, a novel but clear way of helping you along with your build.
When I opened the bag and took out the PE for a closer inspection I was strongly reminded of the gold market in Dubai, the four sheets a beautiful gold colour and all containing delicately etched filigree pieces. The etching is noticeably finer and more delicate looking than the photo etch supplied by the model. That being said the sheets are surprisingly firm; somewhere in between Eduard and WEM on the one hand and Trumpeter and Italeri on the other. Mind you I haven't cut any pieces off the PE sheets yet for a closer look. It is vastly more superior to the Fujimi photo etch I used on the IJN Haruna.




Some of the PE parts are almost intimidatingly small so to fit it I will be using a small tool I bought from Billing Boats in the USA:



The blue ball on the business end of this thing is made from sticky silicone that grips the part until your super glue or Gator grip starts to harden. Really works !



The instruction sheet would appear to be very clear and gives you a good idea of how to fold the parts and where to fit them:









(More to follow)

Julian

Hi Julian,

I've seen people use them with spectacular results. There's a few pics using them on Wasp build post in another forum here: http://pete-coleman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=106&t=1312

Cheers,

Scott

Many thanks, Julian. Leaves me wanting more...

Cheers, Daniel

And how do they fold etc Mr Sallows? Do they have bend cutouts like Eduard does or a different method? It appears to be good quality, nice and crisp.

Julian, that is some wonderful work! Are you going to light the well deck?

Part two of the Mk.1 detail up PE set for the LHD-1 USS Wasp:



Sheet D contains the parts for the supplied airwing, LCAC's and the landingcraft.
The rotor blades for the helicopters are more to scale and I would guess that it will also be possible to add the characteristic sag to them. You can see very clearly how MK. 1 have etched the bend cut-outs for some of the vents and covers for the LCAC's.


Here another view of the mesh covers for the LCAC's; crisp and well defined, I like it a lot



Railings, ladders, etc. all looking more to scale that the parts supplied with the kit.






Sheet C contains the deck edge safety nets, radar antenna's, inflatable life-raft container mounts and parts for what I presume is the MOB boat. The safety nets are a big improvement on the kit supplied parts, looking more the part and being more clearly defined.
The same can be said of the radar scanners, once again excellent etching producing fine details.
The MOB boat gets some added details including the slings underneath the boat, ( very nice touch IMHO ). The twenty Euro cent coin gives an idea of the size of the etched parts.
Also included are etched mounts for the inflatable life rafts, (great . Not sure if I will be incorporating these in my build ). Also included here are the pulleys for the refuelling tower on the starboard side of the island. This is very nice IMHO, making it possible to rig some fuel hoses in stowed position.



Some final shots showing more railings, and if you look closely you can see the way Mk.1 have added the cut-outs on some of the railings to aid bending to shape. I will have to wait until I use one of these parts to see if this is a help or an added weak spot during construction.

That is about all I can say about this set without actually wading in with a hobby knife and hold and fold to use the parts. It would appear to be a very comprehensive set, a very carefully designed set and a very well made set.
For the price I paid on E-bay I would consider this a bargain, (especially considering the fact that Dutch custom's missed getting their "pound of flesh" for import duties ). I haven't been able to compare it to WEM's set, I have no doubts that WEM's PE set will be equally attractive and well thought out.

I can proceed with the build at my usual pace now so you will be able to judge for yourselves if buying this set was worth the investment.
Cheers,
Julian

Thanks Alan, I'll be keeping an eye out for your Vosper build, ( will you be fitting the obligatory Elsan on this one as well? )
cheers,
Julian

Hi Kenny, thank you very much. Don't think so: even with internal lighting you are not going to see very much inside.
Cheers,
Julian

Morning' Julian, very nice review. I think I'll also go with this PE set, adding one of the seperate air wing sets from WEM to complement the additional aircraft set I ordered to fill my deck.