Models can come in all shapes and sizes. But for what I'm about to do in the not to distant future, I think I may have gone over my head on this one. Anyone ever hear of Project Habakkuk? No? Well, I'm one of the very few modelers that has successfully managed to make a decent representation of this beast in 1/700 scale.
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/misc/whatif/habakkuk-700-em/index.html

But wait, there's more! I have decided not to stop at 1/700 scale, but to surpass it and build an even bigger Habakkuk......in 1/350 scale no less! How large is that? In real life, Habakkuk was to be 2000 feet long x 300 feet wide x 200 feet high (Bottom of hull to flight deck level). In 1/350 scale, that approximates to 69 inches long x 10 1/2 inches wide x 7 inches high.

Right now, I'm only in the "research and planning" phase for this project. The first technical hurdle I need help with is the following. Any advice is appreciated.

When I originally built my 1/700 Habakkuk, I had read that there was supposed to be some type of “outer hull insulation” in the form of fibreboard/corkboard applied to the outer pykrete hull to help keep it cold and/or to protect it from melting. This information was also supported by an article which is titled “Habakkuk” by William J. Wallace.
http://www.fritzwagner.com/warship_tables/w5pg.html
Part of that article concerning the outer layer of hull insulation reads as follows:
"The outside hull would be insulated by a complex 9in thick composite material, made of plywood and insulation boards (masonite type) in 27 layers. This tough outer shell would dovetail together and be attached to the hull by 1ft 6in dowels embedded in the ice."
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/HMS%20Habakkuk%20model%20project/habsketch.jpg
So I have to wonder..........Should I add some type of "outer hull insulation layer" to the Habakkuk hull? If so, then what? Thin 1/16" thick sheet balsawood or something else? Or nothing at all? And if I do add some type of wood sheeting, then what glues would be sufficient to glue it to the main hull, which will be made of Evergreen plastic sheet.?

Eric,

First of all, my compliments on a creative model idea - your 1/700 Habakkuk is impressive... and a 1/350 version should be absolutely AWESOME!

In answer to your question, my opinion is that you would be best off not using wood in 1/350; you can simulate different materials with paint or perhaps distressing the surface with abrasives, but even the finest wood grain in a scale that small would appear overscale.

Good luck with it, and be sure to post pictures!

wha- am I lookin at ?? 2.2 million tons?!?

what a great subject ! wonderful model! thanks for posting.

Masonite has no wood texture, its perfectly smooth composite. if thats what they figured the outer surface would be, no texture would be required, aside from a scribed panel pattern. its possible masonite mills could produce up to 40' lengths, so a 4'x40' scribe line pattern would be reasonable.

Not sure what else to say about this project, other than it'll take me a long time to build. Maybe 5 or more years? But for now, I have to do a lot of research first and buy a lot of building materials. The only other things I can say are the following:
1. Paint scheme may be similar to my 1/700 Habakkuk.
2. Mixture of US and British aircraft, or just use US aircraft but have some in US markings and others in British markings.
3. Model will have to be split in half for ease of storage/transportability.
4. Superstructure may be similar to what I did for my 1/700 Habakkuk.
5. A small "cross section" will be built to give viewers a glimpse of what the interior is like.
6. May build another 1/350 ESSEX class or other carrier for scale comparison next to the Habakkuk.
7. Still have at least 4 aircraft elevators. 2 large and 2 small.
8. Same main hull configuration, but the "ends" will be different.
9. Armament will be mostly American such as 5"/38's, 40mm, and 20mm. Why American and not British armament? Long ago, I read somewhere that if a real Habakkuk had been made, it would've been built somewhere along the eastern Canadian coast. Why transport British armament across the Atlantic to the US/Canada to use on the Habakkuk when instead the US can just ship extra 40mm, 20mm, and other armaments up north from our manufacturing and warehouse facilities, etc.? Makes perfect logical sense to me.

Anybody else have any thoughts, tips, questions, etc., etc. about this project? Feel free to ask and I'll answer as best I can.