Hello again everybody, the following will be a build log of Bluejacket Shipcrafter's 1/196 John C. Butler Class destroyer escort from World War II. I haven't exactly decided on which ship I'll be building, or how much scratch building I'll elect to attempt.
This is my first build in several years...college etc always gets in the way for a little but, but I'm glad to be back at the hobby. I recently moved to Colorado and left much of my model making supplies back at home on the east coast, so I'll be painting this model without the use of an airbrush. I'm viewing this as a challenge to improve my brush painting skills.
But enough babble, here are some pictures:

The box, safely packaged, arrived from Maine via UPS last Wednesday:

A very crude, unmeasured mockup for size of the ship:


Step one is the sanding and shaping of the hull. The kit comes with a set of contour plans to help you get the shape right. After working on the shape, I chiseled out what the directions call the "knuckle" which extends from the stern about 1/3 of the length of the ship. This is where the shafts go. Does anyone know if there is a correct term for these cutouts? At any rate, I slowly chiseled them away, purposefully removing too much wood with the intention of back-filling with putty to ensure a smoother shape.


Intentionally deep cutouts complete.


Sanding of the skeg for a perfect fit. This was undeniably satisfying.

I spread cheap automotive body filler over the hull to fill small imperfections, and began to rebuild certain parts of the bow which were misshapen during the carving process. I did the same later on around the edges of the deck in order to achieve a crisp 90 degree angle where the deck meets the side of the ship.


Round one of back-filling the propeller shaft cutouts.


Apologies for the poorly lit photo, but putty round two after a first round of sanding. Here I applied putty all around the edge of the deck in order to build up those crisp edges.


Happy modelling!
-Andrew

Just awesome Andy! Fantastic looking base kit and you look to have yourself well underway! Looking forward to seeing you move this along!

Great start Andy. Really looking forward to your continued progress. The stuff I build is much smaller scale. I didn't realize the ship would be that big. Following with interest.

Hi everyone, thank you for the interest. I promise an update in the next day or two. So far it's been putty, sand, prime, putty, sand, prime, nearly every other day for the past two weeks. At this point thought, the hull is nearly right where I want it.

I'm struggling though to find a reference that shows whether or not the propeller shafts are mounted vertically, or canted outwards a ways. Once I can find an answer, or make an educated decision, I can glue down the propeller bosses, form the bilge keels, and radar dome.

Unless someone can convince me otherwise, the photos of the USS Slater (a US DE, albeit not a Butler Class) show vertical shaft supports with auxiliary legs forming an nearly equilateral triangle. I may use these references to educate my decision.


Noone likes a post without pictures, so pictures soon to come. I promise!

Any update on the destroyer escort?

Wow!

this is one helluva kit to get back into the hobby after all these years Andy!

Watching with interest

Hello friends,

The kit is coming along well. I'm so sorry though, I broke my phone's camera, and now I have no way to take pictures for you. I've kept an eye on eBay and Craigslist for affordable digital cameras though. If I find a suitable camera, I'll be sure to post updates.

I'm sorry to disappoint.

Happy modelling, though!
-Andy

Hello friends, I am sorry for such a delay in posting updates. I finally got a new iPhone and thusly can take *decent* pictures again.

Here's the update:
Hull construction is complete, main super structures are complete. Detailing of the super structures are under way, a mix of kit-supplied parts and scratched details based off the plans, reference books, and models built by others seen online.

Enjoy!

















I've been using some PE sets from Tom's Modelworks (1/192 portholes, USN doors, railings, 3D railings, and DD/DE depth charge racks since the Bluejacket ones (while acceptable!) are a bit thick. I've also purchased for use a whole bunch of 3D printed pieces from Shapeways. I'll prime and post those for next time. All in all, I'm very much enjoying this kit. There is a whole 'nother level of satisfaction that comes from fabricating and finishing the pieces, rather than just assembling and painting a kit.

Anyways, happy modelling!
-Andrew

great to see this one receiving some love Andy!

She's looking very fine!

Hello friends, time for an update. Major construction is complete and now I am beginning to paint the hull and superstructure assemblies.

The first two photos show just primer, the rest have my mixture of 1944 USN 5-L Light Gray.

Yes, the photos show surface imperfections, but this is my first traditional wood kit, and I'm okay with them. Also not using an airbrush is making painting a but more difficult. I'm happy though.

At any rate, enjoy the pictures. They show many of my scratched details to busy up the sides of the superstructure, as well as the loudspeakers at all the 20 and 40mm gun platforms. I used Tom's Modelworks USN door set for all the doors, and used the letters from the fret to make the 'Eversole' name on the stern. I also scratched all the details in the open bridge.

Happy modelling,
Andrew

Superb!