Well, I just got far enough into my reading list that "Castles of Steel" is on top -- should have it done by Campaign start ....

Also spent some time with my entry, the Iron Shipwright's 1/350 resin kit of the BB-55 North Carolina, taking initial photos and you can see them in My Gallery, the Dreadnought Campaign album.

I got the kit from a friend who had done some initial work on filling/sanding the hull, that is why you see some filler. He was also not happy with some parts & Iron Shipwrights sent him replacements -- that is why you see a half-dozen or so 16" turrets among other things.

Instructions are super, you can't really go wrong.
I've included a few sample pages.

I'm not happy with the underside of the hull, and you can see a section of photos which show why. I will probably be doing all the hull filling & sanding before the Campaign starts, as I'd rather spend my campaign time "above decks". There are also a few problem spots on the decks that I'll have to work on.

Other than that, the parts are OK; there is some warpage & breakage but could very well be due to handling. Having a very heavy hull rattle around amidst palstic baggies isn't really good.

I have 3 ref "books" and some plans, and at least one more due-in. I also have to make a photo run, but that may be put off till July now.

At this time, I do not think I'll add any aftermarket. I am considering replacing the 20mm & 40mm tubs & a few other items with sheet brass to get even closer to scale thickness.

All-in-all, looks like work ....
Can't wait ....

Comments & suggestions are always welcome ....

John

I've just picked that book up as well. I haven't had a chance to read it though, but I am looking forward to reading it.....

Hopefully by the time the campaign starts I'll have "weaseled" enough money to get the Trumpeter version. I'ld sure like to see how it compares with a resin kit.

John,

Is that a solid resin cast or was it in sections?

It does look like a lot of work. In time, I'd like to get ahold of their Edmund Fitzgerald in 1/350th scale. I'll be curious to see how this build will go for you and how well you liked it. It might be what I could expect to encounter with the Fitz.

Good luck
Steve

Hi John!

You have a lot of work to make that lower hull correct!
Although the upper works deatil and cast is very good, from what I can tell from the pictures, it amazed me how they could deliver a resin part like that??

That is one situation that really bothers me:
If I'll pay a large amount of money for a resin model, the least that I expect is that the parts are well casted!

Back to your model
Appart from a good wash (you can tell that the model had been "laying around" for a while) it appears to be relatively straighforward job - details, and more details will make that an impressive North Carolina!!

I think that cleaning the model is allowed becfore the campaign

Skipper

Steve:

That hull is solid !!!! That had to be a complicated mold to include all the deck detail, but on close-up, you could see some of the upper deck problems I have to clean up.

While used to resin vehicles, which come in hundreds of pieces, this is my first resin ship & I was surprised about the amount of stuff on deck that was cast in, compared say, to many injection kits.

The biggest problem as I see it, is you have a big box, with 10-12 lbs of hull rattling around amongst that bags of tiny, tender, little pieces, with inevitable results.

Skipper:
Yeah, fortunately I only paid $200 for this, so the pain cost less -- I look at it this way, by the time I get finished, I'll have the cost under a dollar an hour.
And bad cast resin is my middle name, my last resin kit was the JMGT Rolls Royce Armoured Car -- see comments over in the Rivet Review ....
As you noted, I have to do all the washing of parts & all that. Thanks for letting me start ahead on the hull clean-up.

John, who at the end of this will have big muscles from holding & lifting the hull !!!!

Yeah, and the uninitiated thinks modeling is an exclusively sedentary activity!

Who knows, this could develop into one of those morning exercise shows!

Body by John!...Modeling for muscles....... :-)

Back to the ship... I would suspect then that this could be a problem with the Fitz as well. I tend to agree with Skipper, if you're going to drop a big chunk of change down for a kit like that, then you shouldn't need to spend hours on end sanding and correcting like that....and the least they could do is find a better way of shipping it so that the smaller parts remain undamaged.

See ya later Mr. Atlas
I'm looking forward to further installments.

Steve

Hi All Mates

Resin models can give you a lot of happiness - or not!!
In nautical models (ships and subs) there is always a big chunk of resin - usualy the hull - specially if we are talking about big scales!

These are two of my "adventures" in 1/35 Midget Submarine "land":

In my Caproni CB Midget Sub the Neandertalis club shaped hull weighted about 6 pounds and it needed a lot of cleanning and detailing and putty and sanding and in the middle of the process, I could no longer hold it "properly" because I had attached the diving planes in position!
Gymnastics + Yoga + Modeling

On the Ko-Hyoteki, the hull weighted less, but it was far longer!! Almost a baseball bat - it is 95cm long - and the challenge was to hold it in a way that I could make all the details needed in the bow area (and there are a lot of them) and see what I was doing... Legs where used, so that I could use my both hands in a secure (and still able to see) distance!

Lessons learned:
#1 Modeling can be almost as good as going to the Gym
#2 You will use your creativity to solve problems you thought you would ever encounter!!!
#3 Buy smaller models :-)

Skipper

Now what's the fun in that? Then you can't practice then ten basic ballet moves if you're working with something smaller. :-) :-) :-)


Steve

True true Steve!!

The one that I am looking forward to buy (one of these years) will be the Andrea Sub (the one that Matthew is building right now)!

It will be very time and streght consuming and if Alexandra (for those who don't know, she's Mrs Skipper) finds out the price, than I will "dance" for sure!!! :-) :-) :-)

Skipper

Yeah...I suspect sneaking that one into the house would be a bit difficult.

I avoid telling my wife how much I have invested in all my modeling...stuff. What she doesn't know can't kill me.

Although, she gave me the dreaded "raised eyebrow" when she found out I spent almost $50.00 at the hobby store in Kansas City and really didn't come out with much....

That's ok...she'll be buying a summer wardrobe...I can give her the eyebrow thing too!

Buy smaller models, hell .... I can barely see them now !!!!

Actually, I 've been at this a long time & I kind of enjoy the work & the challenge of correcting something.

I only build what I want to build (as a subject) & if my only option is to work hard to turn a sow's ear into a purse, well so be it. With very few exceptions, I research before I buy and so know what I am getting into (which leads to a whole other dissertation on "softball" reviews, with apologies to softball players).

Again, go to Rivet Review & see my Rolls Royce post -- I paid $150 for it, it has many problems, etc, but I got a Gold for it at AMPS & am reworking it to correct some mistakes I made & because of new information available. I'm hacked I spent that much money on it, I'm hacked I had to spend that much time on it, but I knuckled down & applied what I've learned to end up with a pretty good model. And I met a really knowledgeable guy in the process & the whole thing has made me a better modeler & gained me a friend.

I am not an assembler, and frankly, wouldn't know how to be one ....

Yeah, I'm a little steamed about the under hull on the NC, but I know how to fix it & I'll get over it -- soon I'll be able to brag about my work (I hope).

Decades ago, I was carving hulls out of balsa blocks and all sorts of other things, and I consider this the "Golden Age" and am just so glad I have so many things to choose from ....

John,
who considers his retirement to be the equivalent of graduation from anger management .... also numerous pints of Guinness help ...