March 2025 Ship Club Meeting

Thanks to everyone who attended our meeting this month.

Here's a LINK to the video recording.  

This month Brandon Lowe and Jeff Herne were able to join us.  Thanks for joining us and adding to the discussion, guys!

We started the meeting with an update on Squadron's new paint line.  Rob is the first in our group to get some after visiting a local show and picking up some bottles directly from Brandon.  Squadron is growing the line quickly so check it out.  Brandon advised that he expects to have a complete color chart out in the next couple of weeks.  

We then transitioned into an excellent presentation from Sam Bartlett on the color "Buff" or "Spar" that was common on ships starting in the early 1900's and common with the famous The Great White Fleet.  Sam's presentation was inspired from a discussion in our last meeting.  So how do we get a match for this color for our models?  

Sam discussed the problem trying to determine what this color was.

Sam pointed out the problems with period references.  

We then looked at some examples of photos, colorized photos, postcards, and paintings.  Here are some examples of those...

In this photo the Buff or Spar color looks very dark.

In this photo of the same subject at the same time you can see that the color looks much lighter.

In this photo we can see that this color has been added to the deck structures as well.  But still very dark.  

Now we get into colorized photos.  These are more helpful to modelers in understanding what the ships actually looked like.  The problem is that the colors are at the discretion of the person colorizing the photos.  Two different colorized photos with different results.

Then we have colorized postcards.  These are photographs that have been painted over and then printed.  As you can see the colors are not consistent.

Then we have paintings that are even more confusing.  Also resulting in different versions of this color.

Then we have models.  Sam liked this one and thinks it best represents the correct color.  It's an old model and extremely well executed.  

Sam shared that the people who take care of the museum ship Olympia believe that they matched the paint from somewhere that couldn't be determined.  It does look very close to the model above.

Then there are paints produced by various companies.  Floquil was famous for their model ship paints and produced their version of this color.  Sam was kind enough to provide the group with samples of this paint on a white card.  Again this looks very close to the two photos above.

Sam was able to find the reference for creating this color back in the day.  The only problem is that some of these materials may not be available today (white lead especially) or as they were back in the day.  Still Jeff Herne who joined us late and has been manufacturing model paints believes that it can be reverse engineered.  This would be a valuable color for anyone interested in modeling these subjects.  So maybe we can look forward to seeing this color from Squadron in the future?  That's our one and only request.... so far!  

I then proposed that we take a page from Hugh's playbook and have a group project.  I found this little 3D model file of a Bathurst Class Corvette, which is well done and public domain (it's free).  I printed some up to see if we could do this in 1/700 scale and it worked out really well.  The idea is that we make enough for anyone who is interested and let everyone do with it as you wish.  David Angelo took the file and removed the mast in case you want to do your own mast in brass.  Paint it how you want.  Put it in a water base.  Rig it.  Add railing.  Then we bring them all in together or have photos sent, and we share our creativity with the group.  The response was very positive and so we'll move forward.  Below shows how they are printed.  I'll remove all the supports so all you get is the ship itself.  

The ship yard...

Enough of all that!  Next we channeled our inner "Jerry".  You all know what I'm talking about.  It's tool time!  After listening to modelers around the world rave about this tool I decided to pick one up.  It contains a rechargeable battery.  It's small, about the size of an electric tooth brush.  It has three speeds and has 8 different sized heads.  They provide self adhesive sanding strips that are pre cut to match the different heads.  What I liked about this one was that it has a reasonable amount of power in three speeds.  It also has small heads that allow you to get into small areas.  Martin Sagara has one and reports that he's really enjoying it.  I'm hoping for the same experience.

Next up from Tool Time are GodHand sanding sponges.  I've been a big fan of sanding sponges and I was looking for an alternative now that Flory Models stopped producing theirs.  After looking at some reviews from various modelers I decided to pick up some of these to try out.  

If you would like to give these a try, you can buy a variety pack on Amazon for $11.95.  This is the 3mm thick sander and the set provide 5 different grits.  

But what I think I would recommend is this 10mm pack that has two of each grit for $9.70 from Amazon.  These are great for sanding complex curves such as ships hulls.  You'll be surprised how well the 2000 grit sands and how polished you can get with the 10000 grit.

Next we got into what we've been working on.

David Angelo shared another free 3D print file of the MN Bovet in 1/700 scale.  David embellished it with railing and other parts from the "spares box".  He did say that he had to do some extra work on the hull, but otherwise was an enjoyable build.  More information to follow...

John Widmar then shared his Trumpeter 1/700 Hornet with all the B-25's in place.

John shared his I💙Kit 1/700 USS North Carolina kit.  This is likely a Trumpeter kit, but I💙Kit has added all the goodies from photo etch to wood decks, etc.  John said it was a really nice kit with lots of extras.  If you'll want one you'll have to hunt around. They produced three different ships in this series (USS North Carolina, HMS Hood, and Bismark) and the only one left at Squadron is the Bismark.  It sells for about $75.

Rob stepped up with his Trumpeter USS West Virginia.  Rob embellished this one with the following parts...

Blue Ridge Models  20mm and 5”/38

Black Cat Models 50’s, radar, and directors

Photo Etch is Gold Medal Models and Tom’s Model Works

For Rob's next project we started with a little history lesson on its namesake...

Rob's next kit is the USS Patterson in 1/700 scale from Kraken Models.  Rob reported that the hull was warped and required heating to get it to conform back into shape.  

Another project Rob has in the works is the USS Tangiers from Loose Cannon in 1/700 scale.  No baking required!  We'll be anxious to see this one come together.  Rob is going to use Squadron paints on this kit.

My little nightmare project is building a cradle for my 1/72 Fine Molds Type A Target submarines.  These are the ones that attacked Pearl Harbor and Sydney Harbor in WWII.  The kit cradle was incredibly boring and I wanted to do something more prototypical.  I've been working with a gentleman in Romania and asked if he would like to assist me with designing a 3D printable cradle as shown in this photo.  

He agreed and I started by providing him with photos and a line drawing that I put together, capturing measurements of the sub's hull.  We started with a basic drawing to make sure that the concept would work.  Not very impressive, is it.  

Once we had the basic design down it was time to add in the details.  Now it's starting to look a little more interesting.  

My initial run through the printer was good with one problem.... Something called Peel Force.  So imagine this is printing and it's upside down from what you see here.  As the build plate rises over and over, there is some suction that pulls the ends of the cradle due to the long print cross section, which is the length of the middle part of the cradle.  While I had it angled and a ton of supports, this didn't stop the effect.  

The solution... print it vertically.  Less peel force due to the smaller layer cross section.  I'm happy to report that this did the trick.  When I got home from the meeting I took it out of the printer and it was perfect.

I finished by presenting some ideas for labeling the base for the model.  I got some great ideas from you and you'll see a slight difference from what I presented at the meeting.  I'm looking forward to sharing that with you all at the next meeting.

Unfortunately we exhausted all our time and had to make way for the next group who had reserved the room.  We'll pick it back up at the next meeting!

February 2025 Ship Club Meeting

Greetings,

Thanks to everyone who attended ship club Saturday, either in person or via Zoom.   

Here's a LINK to the recording of the meeting.

Before I get started, I did hear from John Widmar.  He's been occupied and unable to join us the last few months.

The following is a recap of what we covered during our meeting....

We missed Sam's discussion about his diorama of the Light Cruiser, USS Raleigh CL-7 and USS Sunnadin ATA-197 after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  The Raleigh had taken a torpedo hit and some additional strikes.  She is depicted tied up to the quay with ropes and supported by the Sunnadin, along with units used to re-float ships that have sunk.  Sam's base was created using aluminum foil and resin.  Sam provided an excellent discussion which you can review in the attached video recording.

The cat's out of the bag on the new paint from Squadron.  I was sworn to secrecy about this but last week Brandon had the big review and also just did a demonstration of using the paint.  Brandon acquired Scale Colors paints from Jeff Herne who started this business several years ago.  Jeff is now working for Squadron and Brandon's wife will be making the paints in Georgia.  They are still making all their initial colors and should be complete in a week or two.  Brandon is open to expanding the color line and offerings supporting this line of pain.

A little about the paint.  This is a water based paint.  Jeff formulated this paint to be less toxic, and user friendly.  The paint is formulated to be sprayed directly from the bottle using an airbrush.  It is not formulated to be brush painted, although you can do minor touchups with it.  You can use their thinner, or a mix of water and IPA.  I can tell you I cleaned my airbrush with a formula of 50% Windex with Formula D, and 50% IPA and it cleans magnificently.  I would also say that the colors are well matched to recognized references.  

Here's a sample of their color range and some references to paints that are in progress.  Check Squadron for updates on their color range.

Speaking of paint.  Colourcoats (enamel based paint) should be back soon.  Richard advised that the new owner suffered a minor stroke, but is doing well and should be back on track soon.

I shared with the group the Dspiae chopper that I won from the Model Geeks Podcast.  That one is no longer available, but it has been replaced with this one.  Advantages of these choppers are...

• Precision angeles.
• Robust stop block
• Carbon steel cutting blades made in Germany so less likely to wobble or move when making a slice.

I shared some information about rigging wire I learned about from William Adair who is scratch building this 1/144 WWI aircraft.  

It can be bought on Amazon in a variety of sizes for much less than some hobby resellers provide.  

Rob Weilacher shared his Tug-In-A-Day project.  This tug has just a few parts.  The railings are 3D printed.  It can be bought in three different scales.  

Rob also showed us his Loose Cannon 1/700 Victory Ship.  

We showed progress on Rob's Bogue class carrier from Tamiya.  If you'll remember Rob added a photo etch flight deck that he thought really improved the quality of the build.

Another completed ship today was Rob's 1/700 Loose Cannon USS Midway.  Rob also gave this kit positive reviews.

Rob's last ship is the Loose Cannon USS Okanoga, APA 220.  Also positive reviews.  There's a lot going on with this kit!

And how about some wingy things!  Rob shared his aircraft from Tom's Modelworks.  These were older prints in gray.  Most of what Richard is doing is clear, but check with him to confirm materials.

David Angelo's HMS Victory journey continues...

David scratch built his ship's boats.

Here is David's masterpiece nearly complete.  David is working on a nice case to protect his excellent work.

Roger Schafer gave us a great talk on the British S Class Destroyer from Aoshima.  This kit included another ship which was HMS Cornwall.  

My contribution this month was the second of my 1/72 Type A "Midget" submarines from Fine Molds.  I found this one more enjoyable than the Pearl Harbor version.  I'm now working towards some bases for these two models.  More to come...

I received a kit we talked about a few months back.  This is the HMS Victory with in 1/700 scale with full interior detail.  The question is should it be built with the hull buttoned up or displayed open?  Hmmm....

New models that we've seen...

Doggy Industries will be releasing a French Navy Destroyer of the Cassard Class.  

I found a build in progress of the USS Alaska by a builder that goes by SQ Model Maker.  I've seen a lot of his work before and it's quite good.  

He's going all the way with the following...

• Trumpeter 1/700 kit of the USS Alaska
• Ship Yard Works detail upgrade set.  
• Hull bottom upgrade (found on eBay and sold by Ace Model) 
• 3D resin parts from Mini Model Studio (seems like everyone's getting into 3D ship parts!)

You can follow his work on Facebook by the same name.  Lots of good tips for working with photo etch parts!

Our friend, Oto Gerza, has done something I didn't think I would ever see.  He's releasing his passion for the type XXI U-Boat in 1/700 scale.  It consists of three pieces.  The bow section, the stern section, and a guide for joining the two sections together.  They should be available in a week or two.  I'll check to see if anyone is interested in this kit when ready.  

Starling Models is working on a new kit of HMS Venus in 1/700 scale.  This is an Emergency Class Destroyer and the second in this series.

There's a new USS Arizona on the horizon coming out of China.  This kit will likely be sold through 3D-Wild.  This manufacturer normally produces resin kits that break 90 degrees to the centerline.  However this is their first venture into injected molding.  

Trumpeter is releasing a kit of the modern French helicopter carrier, Jean Di Arc.  (Joan of Arc to you and me).  This kit seems to be following Trumpeter trend of adding more photo etch.

Eduard is expanding their naval offerings with some 3D printed detail sets in 1/350 scale.

3D Wild is also partnering with a gentleman in Brazil who's company goes by the name Blandy Maquetes Navis.

They focus on Brazilian subjects.  Their ships mostly came from the US and Great Britain.  Here are some examples of his scratch build/3D printed models...

You'll recognize this boat as a US WWII Sub Chaser.

This boat is US PC class sub chaser.  Those railings are 3D printed, although they are exploring photo etch for their kit offerings.

Here are the models that he has made so far.  Very nice and award winning models!  I sent him our virtual challenge coin.

So who is this gentleman?  Meet Rafael Purgly who is developing his line of model ship kits.  We'll be looking forward to seeing his kits come to 3D-Wild.

Finally we showcased the work of Joseph Lavendar and his amazing scratch build 1/1500 models.  This is the model of the RMS Carpathia.  It's a whopping 4 1/2 inches long!