December 2024/January 2025 Ship Club Meeting

Thanks to everyone for attending today, both in person and online.  Here's a recap of today's meeting.

Here is the link to today's recording.  Zoom has fixed the trim function so I think this is edited  correctly so you don't have to listen to a lot of jibber jabber.  
Meeting recording

We started the meeting with an excellent presentation by Sam Bartlett on Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) A-Target "Midget" Submarines.

We then transitioned into our Pearl Harbor related models, starting with Rob Weilacher.  Rob built this 3D printed kit of an ST class tug boat.  The kit comes with two tugs and sells for about $20 plus shipping.  Rob said that it went together quickly once all the 3D supports are removed.  Here's the  LINKto this kit on eBay

Next Rob shared his Kraken 1/700 model of the USS Shaw.  Rob advised that sales have been so successful that they had to stop sales on their site until they get caught up.  Rob told us that this was an excellent and detailed kit that went together well.  Look for Kraken to to be back once they get their sales caught up.

Rob then shared his 1/700 L'Arsenal Catalina.  These are 3D printed resin.  Rob advised that these aircraft prints have lots of supports that take a long time to remove and clean up.  But at the end of the day it makes for an accurate model.  Rob advised that he prefers Tom's Modelworks aircraft as they are easier to work with.  

Next up with Roger's 1/700 Corsair Armada kit of the USS Vestal.  Roger shared a great deal of the history of the ship, her crew, and some interesting details about the ship at Pearl Harbor.  Roger advised that there was lots of confusion about the paint scheme of the Vestal.  The kit instructions suggest it was painted in Measure 1.  

We came back to an old favorite of the club which is the USS Arizona from Trumpeter in 1/200 scale.  Victor advised that he decided to go with the blue paint scheme as it would provide more detail.  Victor also painted the deck and used colored pencils provide different shades to the deck.  

David Angelo contributed to the Pearl Harbor theme, starting with the USS Neosho.  This was his prototype for the 

David's second contribution was the USS Tangiers (AV-8) which is also an older Loose Cannon models kit.  Rob advised that he's building this kit and will add the L'Arsenal Catalina to the flight deck at the stern.  We'll be looking forward to seeing that.  Excellent model and build from David.

I had a couple of contributions.  

First was the I-16 carrying a 1/700 A-Target "Midget" submarine to Pearl Harbor.  This is the Tamiya kit which includes the little submarine.  I added the Tom's Modelworks "Axis Submarine" photo etch set.  This includes railing on the sides as well.  The model was painted with Tamiya paints.  Both submarines were rigged with lycra rigging from Infini.  Originally I was going to mount the model to the base of this inexpensive Trumpeter display case.  I felt that it needed some more height so I cut a piece of foam and created a water base.  I used artist acrylics to paint the water and white ink to depict the white water.  At the end of the day I decided I didn't like the ink for white water as it tended to settle in the trophs instead of the water high points.  I'm not sure I'll use that technique again.

My next contribution was the Fine Molds 1/72 A-Target "Midget" submarine.  This was an excellent little kit that went together very well.  The kit has excellent weld lines on the hull that looked like weld lines.  Some details are missing such as rivets in the hull.  I opened up what few flood holes there were which are located in the coning tower.  Once I did that I needed to add some detail on the inside so I inserted some tubing to depict the crew tunnel and periscope mast.  

The base that comes with the kit are horrible and boring.  I'm working with a 3D designer to create a proper boat cradle.  I also got some 1/72 IJN figures.  I think this could make into a very nice display.

On to new projects.  As mentioned I'm working with a 3D designer.  I have a 1/35 PT boat project that has been on hold waiting for technology to catch up to where I could add proper turrets, cradles, and guns.  Not to mention some other parts that I would like to improve on the kit.  The technology is here now.  Here is the test print of the 1/35 Mk. 17 machine gun turrets.  More on these later...

Tool time!  I watched a video from China and they used Acupuncture Needles for applying very small amounts of CA and PVA glues.  I bought some and am amazed at how well they work.  I shared a bunch of these with the club.  But I have more if you need them.  Sam mentioned that they could also make great antennas.  And, if you're feeling some pain you can insert them in just the right spot to make you feel good again!  That's a joke!  Don't try that at home.  

You may be familiar with Sasa Drobac's designs on Shapeways under the name DiStefan.  Before that company went belly up Sasa started looking for alternatives.  Lately he found a printer in China and Canada that he's been working with.  These parts are in 1/144 scale.  The original parts I ordered came from China.  To make a long story short, Sasa sent me the same parts from his Canadian printer as well.  Team Canada wins!  

Here's the print from China.  As you can see the quality is not very good and not a whole lot better than Shapeways.  The ICM kit part this is meant to replace is actually better.

Here's the print from Canada.  These are much better than the China printer.  I do think that Sasa can improve the fidelity of these parts.  Although you can see that some of these guns printed better than others.  

Some good news in the paint world.  Colour Coats paints are back!  It may take a little while but Richard advises that he's put in a big order and expects to receive product soon.  

I guess everyone knows I like submarines.  Oto Gerza from RCSubs.cz continues to expand on his static model kits.  Now he's taking his passion, which is the type XXI submarine and making them available as 3D kits in 1/200, 1/350, and 1/400 scales.  AFV club makes an excellent model of this subject and offers a photo etch update set as well.  But this offering from Oto surpasses it.  This is a test sample but you can see that the model has open flood holes in the hull, which is unheard of in this scale.  These should be available in a couple of weeks.  When I have more information I will let you know.

ICM released four different Dreadnaughts in 1/700 scale over the past few years.  They are now releasing all four kits in a single package.  These are all full hull and build into nice models.  

Here's an example of the model built out of the box

Flyhawk produces a very nice detail set for the Konig.  Squadron has a couple left.  

3D Wild is releasing a model of the USS Wasp in 1/350 scale.  This looks like it will be a remarkable model.  It is produced in limited edition of only 50 copies.  Richard pointed out that the CAD drawings show the wrong type of railing.  If you decide to go down this route be sure to check with Richard at Tom's Modelworks for correct railings.  

Something I've never seen in an aircraft carrier kit of this period is the ceiling detail which includes the storage of aircraft and parts.  3D Wild has included that in this offering which includes the trolly for moving heavy parts around the hangar deck.  Check out 3D Wild for more details.

Trumpeter is back with a new tool, 1/350 kit of the USS Arizona.  Their sister company, Hobbyboss, released a 1/350 version of this model.  However this promises to be something new and more accurate.  More information when available.

UPDATE:  I heard from Brandon that he doesn't think this is real.  At least it's no longer on the radar.  If something changes I will be sure to let you know.

Trumpeter is also releasing a 1/350 Gerald R Ford.  

Brandon did a nice in box review of this kit which you can watch from this LINK

We took a look at some very nice models posted around the interwebs.  This is an Atlantic Models kit in 1/350 scale of the HMS Avon Vale which is a Hunt Class Type 2.  Rob took it to the next level by adding Micro Master guns to the kit.  Excellent finish of model and base.

A model from a model ship club out of Taiwan did an excellent job with this 1/350 USS Enterprise, CV6.  I like how they displayed the three aircraft types on the base.

Then we looked at the Big E made by Penghao Jing out of Qingdao, Shandong, China.  I think we all agreed this was an amazing accomplishment.  The hangar deck had some amazing detail and lighting.

The steam from the cat launch was well received by the group.  

The lighting of the bridge and hull number on the sides is amazing

The figures and handling equipment all looks very active and natural

The lighting and detail of the hangar bay was beyond belief.  

That's a wrap for our December/January meeting.  See you all in February!

November 2024 Ship Club Meeting Recap

 Hi all,

Thanks everyone for a great turnout and discussion Saturday.  Here's a recap of the meeting and yes, we have video!  

Here's the LINK for the video recording.  

We started the meeting discussing the new Yellow Pine decking on the USS Texas.  I think we all expected she would get a teak deck.  However after doing some research and confirmation from David Angelo, we find that pine is what she was originally fitted with.  She was last replanked in 1990.  In fact you can buy different wood items made from that 1990's decking.  Teak decking wasn't available until the time the Iowa's came around.  

Next month on our meeting date, the library will be holding their annual book sale.  They have reserved all their meeting rooms except the theatre, which we have reserved for that day.  We should be able to get our normal meeting in before the next group shows up.  If you're interested in buying some books, this could be your day!

L'Arsenal is back in business.  Melaine posted this back at the end of August?  I think they have a lot of back orders.  Hopefully they can resume normal operations now.

The last of the Pearl Harbor IJN attack crew passed away recently.  Here's a story about him and his luck in surviving the war.  What would he say? 

We followed up on Operation Sandy which was the USN launching a V-2 rocket off the deck of the USS Midway.  As Tim pointed out, in 1/350 scale this rocket is about 1.6 inches tall.  Unusual addition for your 1/350 USS Midway model!  It's available for pre-order for $37.59

We did a review of Deluxe's Photo Etch Glue.  This is a PVA glue but very thin.  It has a thin steel tube applicator.  The rod with the circle on the end is meant to be a cleaning tool.  They suggest that you keep it nose down in a cup filled with water and a sponge.  I found the metal cleaning tool pretty useless.  I think part of the problem is that when you slide the rod into the tube it creates pressure in the container and it doesn't want to go in.  Also you have to wet it to get it in there and it's difficult to remove.  Leaving it in a water filled glass and sponge is also not convenient.  It dries glossy and I don't see any advantage of using it over Gator's Grip.  This is a big yawn for me.

Another follow up, this time on the metal etching primer that I reported on a couple of weeks ago.  This time I used it on some of Tom's very fine photo etch parts.  I found that it clogged a lot of the areas and pretty much ruined the fret.  I picked up a hint on the next topic which is to try putting the Mr. Hobby Metal Primer in Mr. Surfacer.  I've ordered a replacement fret from Richard and will give that a try.  

I shared some interesting videos from Hobby Artisan which contained some interesting tips.  He has four videos out now.  Here are some of his ideas that I'm going to have to try...

Using Mr. Hobby Leveling Thinner to clean up around Mr. Hobby filler.  Sort of like you can do with water based fillers and water.  I’m going to give this a try.

Using a very fine cut file.  He recommends Mr. Hobby Creos MF06 file.  Yea, I ordered one today and will share with you when it arrives 

Mixing different CA viscosities to get the desired viscosity.   

Adding Mr. Metal Primer to Mr. Hobby Surfacer or Primer for priming gun barrels and other metal parts 

Using stretched sprue or acupuncture needles for applying CA glue.  I ordered some that I will share with the group.  They’re pretty cheap as it turns out. 

Techniques for using wood decks and securing them to the model. 

Pre-shading, focusing on darker areas 

Paint in layers.  Start with a base coat and then add several subsequent lighter shades of the base coat to create variation in color. 

In this photo he uses clay to mask his boats.  Martin pointed out that something like Panzer Putty might work well for this application.  White tack as well, but avoid the blue tack as it leaves an oily substance behind sometimes.

 

If you watch them I would suggest pausing the video and reading the text before proceeding as he's a fast talker.

We then looked at what everyone was working on.  Rob completed Hugh's USS Panay in 1/700 scale.  Rob reported it was a nice little kit.

Here's a photo of the actual boat.  If you have seen the movie The San Pebbles, or it's been a while, it's worth going back and looking at it again.  In the middle it even has an intermission!

Rob completed the Loose Cannon 1/700 ATO-28 USS Sunnadin sporting her camouflage pattern.

Rob is also using his USS Bogue in 1/700 scale.  The kit is from Tamiya and Rob is adding the FStar Models photo etch set.  Rob told us he uses 3M spray contact cement to secure the deck for the plastic.  I'm looking forward to seeing this one come together!

Rob also advised that Kraken Hobbies was shipping again.  He shared some kits he's recently received from Kraken.  First up is the USS Shaw in 1/700 scale.  These kits are all 3D printed and contain no photo etch.  So if you want to add railing you'll have to get some. 

The second Kraken kit Rob shared was the USS Patterson, also in 1/700 scale.  This is actually an upgrade, but you can buy a 3D printed hull separately.

David Angelo was able to give us a run down on his Victory project.  

I'm diverting from my other builds (and there are many) to focus on our December 7th, Pearl Harbor builds.  I'm working on a couple of things.  First up the 1/72 Fine Molds A-Target Mini Submarine.  I can't leave well enough alone.  I've printed some small resin turnbuckles that are needed for rigging.  Doing some research I've made some minor adjustments to the kit include 3D rivet decals, interior structure to the conning tower, and ceramic wire supports to the tail fins.

I'm thinking about scratch building a transport cradle to mount it to.  Then possibly including the famous painting of all those who died in these subs on the side of a wood base.  

I'm also doing a 1/700 Tamiya I-16 with mini sub.  It will have a water base.

Okay, so what are we seeing that's new on the market...

First up is Trumpeter's 1/200 Olympic in wartime configuration.  I don't think Victor is biting!  It has some nice detail and some photo etch improvements.  

What we noticed was that there was no wood decking pattern.  It's like they left it off anticipating a wood deck addition?  

AFV Club is finally releasing a much needed detail set for the Perry and Knox Class Frigates.  The kits can be done waterline or full hull.  They also are available in several different countries and configurations.  

Tetra Models has also released a photo etch update for the Independence Class kit from Dragon.  The LCS ships are the most controversial in the US Navy.  This would be worth a topic at one of our upcoming meetings.

Bunker Studios is doing a massive 3D printed upgrade for the Hobby Boss 1/700 Titanic

This kit, however has a wood deck pattern.  I'm not sure with the upgrades how an existing wood deck upgrade might work.

The last new kit I came across is from Starling Models in the UK.  They took an existing kit and upgraded the entire kit with 3D printed parts and hull.  Looks like an impressive model!

And finally, models of note that I sent a virtual challenge coin to.  This one is done by Kirk Brust which is a scratch built model of the Geo C. Howe.  No, I didn't forget to spell out "George".  It's Geo.  It's a beautiful model in a storm on Lake Superior.  Very nice work!

That's it for this month.  We'll see you in December!