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1/700 USS Maryland


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Rick/Mark: I'm going to sand down one or two launches and add them, if I have time. I also have two tiny tugs from my Pennsylvania that I never used... Hm...


Yeah. Flag lines. They were awful. Thankfully, the foremast decided that it too hated them and chose suicide over keeping them as is. Effectively, the whole thing fell and bent the scaffolding pretty badly. I spent most of the afternoon pulling apart the PE and fixing it as best I could.


New Caenis was attached with much frustration. Seriously. I almost threw this one out.


Anyway. Bridge and fighting top windows have been painted the same color as what is the base in my water. I figure that the window would mostly reflect that color and would look more natural. I've added Eduard figures that like to lean. I'm slowly getting them to stand up straight, though. Small victories.


My two last big projects are the main mast (still many painting errors, rigging, attachment) and whatever other rigging items I decide to attach. I'll have to scratch two flag poles as they kit doesn't really come with anything worth using.


I've left one of the motor launches off to show off the PE boat housing. I've also used the smallest sand ballast from a local store I could find to build a little bit of a beach and on the harbor blocks.


Advice: I want to build up some light wave action around the blocks. What should I use, elmers or my thin Liquitex?


Here's where I am. I've done some pre washes on the hull and will blend it all together once I have a layer of Future on it to protect the base coat. I'm going to leave her relatively clean as I (a) like the contrast and ( B) feel she'd be well taken care of in peacetime.


Photos:

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Turret tops ARE shiny. This will be addressed with the dullcoat, of course.


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I've actually been mildly successful pitting the hull with SUPER TINY bits of grey. I think it'll look really cool once I get all the weathering done.


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Boats!


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You can see me trying to form the lighter water around the blocks here. You can also see the ballast rocks. I love how they came out.


Tomorrow: Planes, rigging, and main mast. I'll stain the base as well.


Opinions welcome as always.


Mark: Took your advice and sanded down the bracings. The main mast STILL has a lot to go, though.

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Minus some last minute touch up, a dull coat and flags, the ship is effectively done. I'm going to work on the two Kingfishers tomorrow, attach them to the ship, dull coat, then glue her down to the base. After that, I'll run some anchor chain to the water and mooring lines to the harbor blocks.


I may add some figures to the blocks. Unsure.


I thoroughly enjoyed this build and highly recommend the kit and aftermarket items used.


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I've done some weathering, but don't want to overdo it. This is peacetime and pictures don't show her highly weathered at all.

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Hi, Chris,

 

If you are still looking for a product to make the waves around the blocks, try the Woodland Scenics Water Effects product. This stuff is a stiff gel that stays where you put it and dries clear. For the whitish look, you can tint the gel with acrylic white before you apply it to the top of your existing water surface.

 

Your ship looks very impressive.

 

Ed

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Edward: I actually have the stuff. It works pretty well in 350 but has to be diluted a wee bit to keep from looking overscale in 700. I may use a tad around the blocks, time permitting. Thanks!

 

Mark: I don't know about "masterpiece," but I am enjoying this! I love "Standard Type" American BBs. I don't know where we got the bright idea that cage masts were a good thing, but lord do they look cool.

 

Small update. I've put a tad bit of paint along all the rigging. Most are grey, but certain cables were highlighted with white (flag lines) or black (wireless and/or communication cables.) I also finished both Kingfishers, which were little SOB kits in of themselves. The main pontoon didn't fit right, and the stiff, clear plastic was resistant to even sanding. Still, they're done. I need to get an even SMALLER brush for the next build so I can paint the canopy frame itself.

What can I say, I like realism.

 

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Bow view. You can sort of see the different tints I used in the rigging. I love the little crewmen... breaks up the color. I'll be adding flags today.

 

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Midships. I went with a very minimal amount of weathering and rust. This build shows the Maryland pre war when the crew had time to clean and paint any trouble spots. The only thing I wish I had done was paint each of the port holes to give them some "pop." I may still go over them with a pencil lead or something.

 

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Blurry bridge. Heh. I can't believe this is 700 scale. I'm proud of myself for the detail added. I LOVE the 50 cal machine guns on the bridge... awesome PE set.

 

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Aft view. Ignore the seam. It'll be gone shortly. Note that the Kingfishers are NOT the Trumpeter recommended colors. These were a light grey/blue grey in '41. The US symbol is also wrong, but I didn't have any correct ones in the stash. Still, minor detail. Again, I think some pencil lead in the port holes would really help the ship.

 

All for now. I'm going to put down a layer of Future after some minor work with Elmer's on last minute seams. I'll also use a clear filler to ensure that the boat looks mated completely to the base. Once that's dry, the water will get a Future bath. I'm going to attack some "ropes" from her bollards to the harbor blocks, then cover up any shiny glue that may result.

 

....flags and cleanup and she's ready for Saturday. Next week, I'll focus on reviews and possibly start my Graf Zeppelin and Oklahoma. We'll see.

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That is a really cool ship. The lines are sleek.

 

For what it's worth take a look at your Kingfisher on the turret, it looks a little off kilter... pitching up, maybe it's just the photo.

 

You did the build a great job.

 

Bill

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