Some very nice work going on here, good to see the campaign is still alive!!

Gern, wonderful work on the Tone!

Tim, that is absolutely unbelievable what you're doing in this scale!!! Fantastic! Replacing masts and platforms that are smaller the the Oerlikon gun barrels in my scale...

Cheers,
Jan

Thanks Si and Jan for the nice comments. It was really fun to build and I actually got it done before the campaign ended. A first for me.

Hi Greg,
Great build on the Tone and impressive completion rate. It looks fantastic with your other ships of the fleet.

cheers

Michael

Great work on the Tone, Greg

& Tim, that's nano-modelling at its finest

Howdy Y'all
This is such a great build campaign and I've enjoyed watching and learning from everyone. I've been working on a SR-71 for the Recce AeroScale campaign and I'll get back to my light cruiser build soon, I hope.
Greg-Beautiful build, that's a nice Tone.
Tim-I remember wargaming when my friends and I were quite younger. It was fun building and painting our ships-I need to find my old ones, you've inspired me. How do cut the steel wire without the sharp angled point? Where do you get your steel wire? Keep up the good work. I just bought an optivisor, I'm sure my kids will tell me how "cool" I look.
Take care,
Don "Lakota"

Hi Don,
Glad to see I’m not the only one nuts for these little things! I’ve never wargamed, but Ive always liked those tiny 1/2400 scale ships (Superior, CinC, and especially GHQ).

As for the wire... my wife is into scrapbooking, so I often find myself at Michaels craft store; I bought all the different gauges of steel and brass wire there. The “beading wire” spools are inexpensive, and they seem to last me forever.

Getting clean cuts on the steel wire is pretty simple. First I pull a section taught with pliers and nip off the straightened piece. Then I roll the piece on a hard plexiglass surface under my xacto. After a few passes the wire cuts cleanly through leaving a neat tip.

Have fun with that optivisor. Your kids are gonna love it!

Great job with the masts Tim,

They look the business, blown away by the microscopic work.

Cheers

Si

Thanks Si. Those 26/28 gauge masts were definitely small. Here’s how she looks at the moment with the 34 gauge yardarms added.

Hi
Can I join this campaign with this simple kit from trumpeter ...


It looks like I have run out of time ...

Tom

Hi Tom,

I just joined the campaign myself this week; I say go for it!

Tim - Thanks for the tip for masts, I will definitely keep this one in mind for future builds. Great looking cruiser.
We were able to wargame with the tiny ships because a friend had a huge empty conference room that was carpeted. Later on we tried to game in his living room but it didn't work out well. Keep up the great work.
Don "Lakota"

Hi Tom,

You will be most welcome.

we have a couple of people a bit tight to the deadline. I am going to be asking Bill for a extension, couple of months sound ok?

Cheers

Si

Hi Tim,

Looking good with yard arms on

Cheers

Si

Long overdue update on the Indy, she's getting there.She is really close some small details and railings to do and float baskets. If anyone gets this kit it goes together like a dream. The wood deck lifted in a few areas after installing. The instructions are alot of back and forth between the etch instructions and the kit instructions. Have a system. Alot of small parts to the etch. Also during my move the etch catapult suffered a crushing blow but I think I can save it. More to come. She's about 85% done.

The Indy is looking good, Norman!

My own cruiser is proceeding as well. With Emden's masts/yardarms completed, I used the same 34 gauge brass wire to make sixteen davits to serve the ship’s eight boats. The parts were formed by bending the tops of the brass bits around a nail and then trimming them to size. Fabricating and fitting these micro-davits to the ship was a challenge, but they were so prominent on the real Emden I just couldn’t neglect them!

The new main gun barrels also went aboard. I had removed the molded-on barrels from the two forward and two aft gunhouses before painting the ship; these were now replaced with 28 gauge brass wire lengths and painted white.


I’ve also added mast stays made from ultrafine copper wire. Black on the real ship, on the model these stays were painted Model Master Engine Gray in hopes of making the contrast a little less stark in this tiny scale.

She's looking a little bare without any funnel stays fitted, though...

More work on the Indy. I installed the front gun tubs. The flag staffs too. The aft deck is installed and the catapult is installed. The catapult was saved but looks rough. Considering the damage it received during my mood though I'll live with the repairs. Still looks better than the kit part. I've also managed to the the life boat cranes and cradles done and installed. Needs painted still. Enough talking and on to the pictures.

Hi Guys,

Campaign has been extended for two months, to 1st October.

we should have a gallery up shortly too.

Si

Hi Norman,

Indy is coming really nicely, work on the aerials, directors and other gear is very tidy, The Cat looks great in place.

Cheers

Si

Hi Tim,

tiny splendour, are you building that under a microscope?

excellent work mate.

Cheers

Si

Thanks, Si! And well, maybe not a microscope, but I have been known to wear my Dollar Store reading glasses under my optivisor...!



To keep the build simple, the original plan had been to fit stays to the masts but not to the funnels (on the real ship the funnel stays were taken down during coaling anyway) ...but in the end I liked the busy look the braces give the smokestacks and decided to add them after all.

The stays were painted Model Master Gunship Gray (lighter than the Engine Gray used for the mast stays) to help further reduce the contrast for better scale effect – although in this tiny scale, they all still look black!

I also used the same Gunship Gray-painted copper wire to fit some simplified rigging.

Looking great Tim,

Hope the doubled up optical aids aren't making you too cross eyed.

Cheers

Si

Hi Guys,

Thanks to Bill, Gallery is now open.

Cheers

Si

Tim,

That is one of the most amazing builds that I have ever seen. I would never have the patients or dexterity to build at that scale. 1/350 is small enough for me, and 1/200 is looking better every day

Norman,

Indy is looking great. I have one in my "to be started soon" stash. Keep up the good work.

Tim,

that's - wow, just lacking words.... I've never seen something comparable! Absolutely fantastic!!

Great work!

Cheers,
Jan