Looks good Ed.

I believe I overstep my bounds by letting you into this campaign. There's no one to blame but me if we have to disallow your PT.

I apologize to you and all the other campaign entrants.

No problem Kenny. I'm new here and don't want to break rules. Just so I understand for the next campaign I might be interested in, you need to sign-up for the campaign before the start date but not start building until after the start date, is that right?
If that is right, the reason I'm excluded is not because I started building in Feb '07, but because I did not sign-up before Oct '06, right?
I didn't know about this site until a couple of weeks ago and I am glad I found it. This won't be my last ship.

Looks like I started my build too soon to be in Gunny's campaign. Talk about bad timing!
Ed

You hit the nail on the head. Sorry for the mix up.

Kenny

Ok. Thanks. Now I know.
Ed

Here I am VERY late to the party. I have told myself that I'm not joining any more campaigns until I actually start finishing some kits. Well guess what, I'm actually starting to finish some kits!

I just noticed that the Leyte Gulf campaign is going through Oct of 2007. One kit that I've had gathering dust is the 1/700 Aoshima Chokai that
Garry Beebe gave me before his very untimely death.I started it about two weeks ago, so I hope it is OK that I started it prior to joining the campaign, since it was started well after the campaign start date. I'm making it pure OOB. The kit is built, and mostly painted. About all I have to do is rig her and put her into a dio setting I have in mind. The plan is to show her recovering one aircraft.

Here are some in progress shots.

http://photos.kitmaker.net/showgallery.php/cat/19340





I hope to post more tomorrow.

Ahoy Mates!

Ed, Ken, lets look at this a little closer, my friends. . .there's absolutely nothing wrong with jumping on board a campaign after it's start date, heck, if you can build a model in less time, than go for it...BUT, that's just the real point here (and I like to keep things simple, mates )...the entire concept of any campaign is a bunch of guys building the same type or class of a model together, sharing their build successes and woes along the way, all working together towards a successful completion, building camaraderie, learning more about their subject, and individual model kits.
A campaign is announced weeks or months ahead of time, we all choose a subject, do lots of research, gathering reference shots and the like, and wait in anticipation for the start date to begin our builds together...

So basically, IMHO, coming on to a campaign after the start date is no problem at all, but entering a campaign with a partially built kit just isn't fair to all the others that started with an unbuilt kit...a technicality, most definitely yes, and if argued in a court, would probably be ruled against on as a technicality.

Ed has a beautiful boat model there, (and I would like to see it in the Military Small Craft Campaign as well! ), and he deserves kudos on the build for sure, and basically, with Gator as the campaign leader on this one, what he says, goes...it's entirely his decision to allow ANY alterations from the norm in, there is no debate one way or another.
We've got a great bunch of guys here at MSW, and I don't want to upset anyone over something that we ALL enjoy doing, mates, building models!

Cheers,
~Gunny

Thanks for the kudos. I'm not upset at the decision. I understand. I must admit that I am disappointed at not finding this site until I was doing research on finding a source for decals for the boat numbers and stars and found Gator's masks and that in turn led me here. (The masks work great, BTW. I strongly recommend them.).

I also now understand that my real problem was that I started the build before joining the Leyte Campaign. For Gunny's, I started before the campaign began.

I bought the kit on a pre-order basis and got it in Feb when it was released. Once I got it, I decided I wanted to build it as a fighting boat and that required a lot of research. I also had to learn how to make molds and cast additional guns, mounts, etc. There are no 1/35th After Market pieces for this kit, yet. I was able to use some armor pieces for the added 30 and 50 cal guns but had to scratch build their mounts.

I also had to research various squadrons and specific boats to find a subject that was compatable with the kit without having to make MAJOR structial changes.

In doing this I've met some PT vererns and their families. They have provided photos and action reports for the period between Oct and Late Nov '44. I've put togeter an album page which I will link to at the end of this post.

The best part was actually talking with a gunner on the 495 boat who took part in the Battle of Surigao Strait, was with the 493 boat when it sank after the battle and was involved in a night action on 19/20 Nov'44 when 17 of the 495's crew were wounded and one killed in an action in Ormac Bay that involved sinking a barge at 15 feet, friendly fire damage from the 489 boat, a near miss by a Japanese bomb and being rammed in the darkness by the 489 boat.

In a lot of ways, the research was the most fun part. My library has grown by 8 books and I have made new friends. Being my first boat, first molding/casting attempt and first serious scratch building (radom , mast and MG mounts) this has been a giggle. I'll post a photo when the boat is done in case anybody is interested.

This link is to a number of photos I have collected that are of the RON 33 boats. Many were given to me by the veterns or their families. The color photos are of the 493. i got them from the son of the boat's skipper. These probably date from mid-'44 when RON33 was serving in New Guinea and were the basis for a Brown/Green camo paint job on my boat before additional, late, research indicated that Green/Green was right for my model for the Battle.
http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?folder_id=1840703

I have forwarded the color photos to John Snyder, of Snyder and Short, the camo experts who sell the paint chips, etc. and to Al Ross, PT boat expert and historian, and they now feel that a Brown/Green pattern was used by some squadrons during this time period. Prior to these photos, Brown/Green was not commonly accepted so this has been an added bonus for me.

Gawd, I love this hobby!

Sorry for the long-winded post. It kind of got away from me. I guess I was geezing again.

Ed

Ahoy mates.

Here's how I see it. Gunny is the Campaign Administrator. I'm leading this campaign. I made a decision that went against to rules of a campaign by allowing someone to join with a partially started model.
So, it's cut and dried here folks according to the rules of a campaign. You have to sign up before starting the kit.

Sorry Rodger. We do look forward to seeing more of your build, but it was started before you signed up so it can't be in the campaign.

Kenny

Kenny, Gunny,
As I see it, you had to make the decisions you did to be fair to the others in the campaign. Had the timing worked out differently, I would have loved to be part of these campaigns. I'm sure there will be more. Now I have a "practace" boat under my belt.

I hope my earlier post about the boat and model didn't come off as complaiing. It was meant to to point out that i did, would have done and will do nothing different based upon being part of the campaign(s) or not. The campaign ribbon and being part of a group focusing on the same period of history as I am for my model would have been icing on the cake. Not being included does not change my enthusiasm one bit so I hope nobody looses any sleep over it.

Last but not least, I am impressed with the sense of fairness you both display. Nobody should be upset by somebody doing the right thing. I'm not.

Ed

No worries Kenny. I was thinking in terms of the kit not being started until after the campaign began, not about not being started until I joined the campaign. I still hope to be posting more pics later today, on a separate thread.

Please do Rodger. Sorry for the mix up.

Gator, I fall into the catgory of build started prior to joining, but after start date. Do I withdraw?

Unfortunately yes. Sorry about that.

There are some photos of current day Leyte Gulf on the Destroyer History website, taken during a recent cruise. Also some photos of Manila Bay, Ft Drum and Corregidor. Worth taking a look at . I found Ft Drum especially fascinating.

hi guys,

i'm one of those really slow builders and infrequent posters. here's a little update on my progress. this is my first attempt at GMM PE set. they are very finicky to handle for my modelling ability. the model is the tamiya fletcher. the funnel before and after 'enhancement' and a shot of the work i did on the deckhouse. i live in hope that i can finish by october...

Swingblower,

Looks pretty good to me. I too am a first time user of the GMM-PE parts. They are a bit small. I am not in this campaign sine the ship I'm working on is the USS Arizona and she didn't show up to the battle. I like to take building slow but as long as we enjoy what were doing and enjoy the results we get then all else is good.

Looking good Lim.

Ahoy mates! How are the builds going?

I haven't heard from this motley little crew in a while. So, how are y'all coming along with the builds.

Hi Kenny

I am still steaming along with IJN Isuzu.

I am building it and my E Boat at once. Broke my golden rule.

I will update you shortly on the IJN Isuzu its almost ready for paint.

Regards

Sean

Fordboy,

Can't wait to see some photo's of your project.

Eagerly awaiting the photos Sean.

Ahoy Kenny

Spent some time on IJN Isuzu yesterday.

Just more and more finishing.

Pre paint photos on there way shortly.

Grrr 1/700 is so tiny to work with after swapping from my 1/72 E Boat. LOL

Regards

Sean

Sounds good Sean. Can't wait to see some photos.

hi guys,
a very small update. gaining a bit of momentum with my build. i have decided to construct this fletcher class DD as USS Aulick. Kenny: I've put in an order for your masks, hope they come soon. the picture shows the mk 37 fire director I have just completed, I got it right on my 9th attempt. Phew!

Looking very good Lim. The masks are going in the mail today.