Ok, so I'm a Nervous Nelly, but the Dreadnaught Campaign is approaching and we all know I'm a newbie when it comes to this naval stuff. I'm a bit worried about the painting aspect of these ships. Unlike the subs where I could, with some ease spray multiple colors. Yet, with the battleships, I have all those deck fittings to worry about. I guess what I'm asking is this:

1) Do you apply youir colors to the hull and superstructures first?
2) then mask off and apply the deck colors?
3) After the deck colors are applied, then do you go back through a hand paint the fittings?

I know this sounds....really amatuerish, but I wanted to run this by the "old hands" and see if this was a somwhat viable procedure.

Ahoy Steve

It's a fair question, here's my input:
Consider the hull and the main deck as one sub-assembly and treat it like that (build and paint):
Then all the other parts (guns, superstructures, uppers decks, catapults etc) also consider them severall sub-assemblyes that in the end will go together and then apply the necessary "paint touch here and there"
Finnaly raillings, previously painted will be applyed.

This is my way, but as you can read from the Mike Taylor (modelguy2) review on the Tamiya and WEM PE Set for the Bismark - he built everything and painted in the end . but then, he is a pro!!!!

Are you listening Mike? Can you give a little light in this issue?

Skipper

Steve I have been thinking the same things so don't feel bad. I was waiting till we got closer to ask. We both are total newbies when it comes to the naval side. I know I am going to have tons of questions myself.

I always kidded Garry that I was going to pester him. I am going to miss him during this build.

Do you suppose between the two of us, we can have Skipper chugging Mylanta by the end of the campaign? :-) :-) :-)

Skip,

I thought about the paint first and build, but I don't know, I seem to get glue where it shouldn't be and I always, no matter what I'm building need to go back and clean up. Maybe this would be a good time to start doing it that way and force myself to be more mindful of where I slap glue.

Naaahhh!!! :-) :-) :-)

We all are going to make this built FUN and we are ALL going to pester Mike Taylor - he's the guy!!

Perhaps I should use Mike's way on dreadnoughts... It is by far, a much more tricky model then "just a sub"

Skipper

As I build the "big" ships my technique may be slightly different. I usually paint the hull (I haven't done a cammo yet but that'll be slightly different) first. As with most everything is done as sub-assemblies which I airbrush unattached. To me the most dfficult part is trying to put the deck pieces on minimizing the seam lines. After I've had enough and finally have deck on I run some strips of painters tape along the edge to protect my hull paint job and airbrush the deck. Then go back and attach all the little goodies and spot paint all the molded details. With a cammo, that'll be the final step to make sure parts are in place. If I were doing a one piece deck, I would probably paint it before attaching it to the hull.

Thanks Everyone for the suggestions, I guess I'll try some experimentation with all of them and see which works best for me.

Skip,
trust me, if this goes the way I think it will, between me and Scott's constant questions, you'll be smoking a pack of those Marlboros per day..... :-) :-) :-)

Hi Steven
I find the main problem with the sub assemblies approach is that you have to make sure there will be no seams once you add them to the hull. If you do a lot of dry fitting to check this, then building sub assemblies is probably the easiest way, although you will need to do some touching up once you add them to the hull or main superstructure.

If you have a kit with a poor fit, there may be no choice but to build first and then paint, as filling the gaps will ruin your paintwork any way. If that is the case then it may be easier to leave off the smaller details and paint those separately before adding at a later date.

My general approach is (using an airbrush but hand painting would be the same), spray the base colour and any camouflage onto the hull, mask this off including deck fittings and spray the deck colour or for small ships I would hand paint the deck. If you use Tamiya masking tape this is very good for small details as it is so thin. However good your masking is you will have some errors, so you can go back over these and touch up. You can then add any sub assemblies and if you are using photo etch I always add these finer details last.

For a good idea of the techniques of ship modelling I would recommend either of Mike Ashey's books, one is called the Basics of Ship Modelling, can't remember the title of the other, but you can find them quite cheaply and they are invaluable.

Good luck with the modelling
Mike

Just another input

MikeM just remind me of that wonderfull book
"Scale Model Warships" by John Bowen
ISBN: 0 8317 7702 8
Edited by Mayflower Books

and
"Building Model Warships - of the Iron and Steel Eras", by Peter Beisheim
ISBN 1 86176 129 5
Edited by Chatham Publishing

This are great reads and yoou'll learn a lot, but my input wasn't the book reference, but to say that you should use the method that you feel more confortable - there's no real recipe for a winner (in the method!!). What counts is the final flawless result

And speacking of reference books on ship modeling:
The unexpensive Kalmbach books
"Basics of Ship Modeling" and "Building and Detailing Scale Model Ships" both by Mike Ashey

Skipper

Yeah Steven this is going to be fun. I think both Mike and Skipper had better stock up on Marlboros and Mylanta. I will ask my first question.
"The pointy part is the front of the ship right?"

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Yeah Steven this is going to be fun. I think both Mike and Skipper had better stock up on Marlboros and Mylanta. I will ask my first question.
"The pointy part is the front of the ship right?"

Not necessaraly - there are ships with the bow and stern pointy!! :-) :-) :-)

Skipper

LOL Now how do you counter that? :-) :-) :-) :-)

Hope you had a good Dia do combatente Skip!