This is my first time posting photos so I hope they come out. I'll try posting them to the campaign page. My first campaign will be the Flattops campaign and my entry is the 1/720 Italeri/Dragon USS NASSAU LHA-4. You can build the kit either full hull or waterline. I will be doing the waterline thing. (Ships just belong in the water!)

So far I have started the island and put the hull halves together with part of the well deck. The fit so far has been hit and miss. The hull halves were warped and do not go together easily. Dragon should have put some bulkheads in there to make glueing easier and to give some rigidity. My main complaint with the hull would have to be the gaps at the bow. There is a seperate piece that goes along the top edge the bow that will mount to the front edge of the flight deck. This piece is supposed to meet up with the exterior bulkheads that are behind the front 5" mounts. Instead, there is about an 1/8" gap on both sides that will need to be filled.

The island is going together pretty good allthough there are a couple of gaps that will need to be addressed. Especially on the starboard side roof of the auxillary hanger under the bridge.

I just got the Flagship models Photoetch set for this class and it will really dress the ship up. However, this is my first foray into the world of photo-etch.

Hi Bill

First of all - Welcome to Warship and to Armorama

Fitting problems are (unfortunatly) common in warships - either because the parts are big and warp becuase of it, or just because the mold is not so good - but that's part of the challenge of building a model

As for your built, it will be a good entry for sure, and please keep us updated on your progress and if you have any questions/problems/issues during built, this is the right place for you to get some help

PE Set - it this is your first, I would suggest taking your time (really) because naval pe sets are extremelly delicate and even a sneeze can bend it. Get a good cutter or PE sisors and a 11 blade, metal ruler or an (expensive) Etchmate for forming the complex structures... remember: Take your Time
This could be a Modeling Moto!!!!

For you to post pictures here in the forum, you need to upload them into your gallery (since you're a member, you have your gallery space), formated in size by 600x450 and then just copy the url link (showed bellow the picture when you are viewing it) and paste it here - it's that easy!
If further help is needed, please ask

Keep safe, Keep Modeling,
Skipper

Welcome to our little neck of the woods. You've chosen a challenging subject, but one that is as Rui says filled with common problems. Just ask questions and wait a day or less and someone (or 10 ) will have had a similar problem and can answer it by what he did to solve it. Me, I know 350 scale stuff built the early aterline in the 70's so I am not familiear with PE that small. I know how difficult it is on a 350 scale warship, and that is twice as big.

Willkommen Bill!

You've drifted into the right port. Yeppers, we've all been down this road of heartache, but if you take some of the advice given to you by these old salts...like the Ol' Skip to heart, you'll learn to love the "dark side".

Hope to see more of you and your work.

tschuss
Steve

Thanks for the replies! I'm having a heckofatime trying to get my pictures uploaded. I'll try again this weekend with some help from my 11 year old. She knows everything!

It isn't that hard, but it is very very slow. the first couple of times I tried it i gave up thinking I had done something wrong. Then I just sat there and waited and BINGO ! it worked.The trick when posting pictures to your response is to write your intro the hit the little button at the end that has IMG in the brackets. Open another armorama link page go to your picture packet, select the picture you want to post by clicking on it. After it comes up, at the bottom you will a button marked post or copy hit that then go back to your original link and click inside that IMG box then hit paste. The URL should show up...delete out the "put image here" message between the brackets. This should do it