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1/350 USS San Francisco, 1942


Guest PetrolGator

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Guest PetrolGator

I've started a Trumpeter 1/350 USS San Francisco with a number of bells and whistles:
- GMM PE set
- AMW Genetic PE
- Paper Craft 1.1" guns (took FOREVER to find)
- Master Model 20 mm guns
- Five Star Models USN crew in working positions
- Master Model 8" gun barrels
- Veteran Models 5"/25 guns
- Master Model 5" gun barrels

Needless to say, I plan to spend a LOT of time on this ship, as she's one of my favorites and another member of my Savo collection.

Question, does anyone have a good resource on the ship? I've Googled for photos of her 1942 configuration, grabbed what is on navsource, her dedication page, and .mil sites. I know squadron released a book, but it's nearly 60 bucks to buy a copy at this point.

Current progress is at the dry fit and small assembly stage to check for gaps (lots) and misalignment. (Trumpeter kit.)

 

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These things cost almost as much as the dang kit.

 

Progress is going to be SLOW on this ship. There's a lot of clean up work and PE to add.

 

 

 

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Guest PetrolGator
Thanks man. I actually got more done this weekend than I thought possible.


I've been using the book to add detail as best as I can find it as well as adding wires, etc where I feel that bulkheads were bereft of any detail (and/or needed more).


The dry fit model is actually looking like a cruiser after adding barrels and filling seams.


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This appears to be some sort of large mushroom vent and pictures suggest some supports, so I added them along with some surplus lockers from my DML spares box.


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Also: PE and some styrene strip to suggest wiring, fire stations, and other details.


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Bridge superstructure will be a bear to totally enhance. I'm not 100% sure how far I'm gonna go with the main bridge.... few buts of styrene make the paravines far interesting.


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All for now. I fully intent on adding as much detail as I can before even thinking about painting.

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Seeing the bits and bobs you're adding out of sheet/spru/rod/whatever stock, make me think. Awhile back Gil Hodges put out a photo etch sheet of generic instrument bezels, control panels, levers, wheels, etc. to use in "imagineering" additional cockpit detail. This would be a great idea to swipe for ships. Include doors, panels, wiring harnesses, portholes, grids for stack caps and whatever else you could think of that a ship modeler might use to jazz up a build. Just an idea.

 

Your's is looking very good, by the way.

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Guest PetrolGator

I've often mulled creating a generic PE sheet with those sort of items (and even silly things like racks for brooms, mops, etc.)

 

Sadly, PE manufacturing is chemically intense and I don't really have a place to do it safety in the house.

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They were open. I just put a PE frame on them so that they didn't look so crappy. I will be filling some of the bow portholes that were eliminated after the USN realized that glassed over holes in the hull were convenient egress points for water....

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Chris: if you can draw up the plans for the parts, Fred Hultberg of Fotocut can manufacturer them. It would be up to you to contact him to see what his needs are these days, and also what his prices run. I haven't seen him in years and haven't done the Hodgepodge stuff in a couple of decades, but as far as I know he's still in business and caters to guys with small pe runs of their own stuff. It's just a matter of money!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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  • 1 month later...
Guest PetrolGator

Gil: Thanks. I'm actually about to start back to work on this. My Kearsarge was badly broken and I just don't have the heart to fix it right now. It IS fixable but it'll never see a show. Honestly depressed me.

 

I spent last night sanding off the faux detail on the funnels and drilling out the hawse holes. I plan to do some corrective work on the hull and make a final decision on whether she'll be waterlined or full hull.

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For the first time in a while, there has been progress. Between scouring this website (and taskforce88's San Fran,) my warship profiles book, and the Internet, I think I've found a good compromise between accuracy and time involved.


Bridge:


Top level of the bridge was too short as shown by taskforce88's build. I decided to modify the part as opposed to a total scratch. My skills are just not there. I've added some hatches and will add wiring and other goodies tomorrow.


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I've also added detail to various levels of the bridge including some uh, tie off points to the flag bags.


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Lost a port hole here. I'll put another one on tomorrow.


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I also sanded off the funnel detail and added something a little more correct. The plastic band represents some thicker welding that the tie offs for the funnel were attached to. I'll sand it down a bit to put it more in scale. Also note that I've installed one funnel grill, though some filling will be required along the edge. The platforms and whatnot will be added tomorrow.


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Finally, I drilled out the anchor hawses and filled portholes that were covered at this stage of the war. I may cover them with PE plates.


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All for now. I'll be focusing on finishing up the main bridge structure and funnels this week, moving aft as I'm satisfied.

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I'm working on this big beastie relatively slowly. I want to do things right, neat, and correct. Plus, it's almost more fun this way.


I've drilled out the two "eyelets" at the bow and rounded/softened them with a good sanding. I'll continue to use Mr. Surfacer to continue filling seams up here, along the deck, and at the stern until I'm satisfied with its appearance. I've also used some jeweler's chain to replace the kit chain and filled portholes that were covered by '42. I have plates in PE for these and my use them.


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I've added the aft funnel platform, using some AMW PE angular supports underneath it to give it some support. The funnel fell previous to this picture and the grill came off a bit. Easy fix. Any remaining issues with the fit can be addressed with CA and Mr Surfacer 500.


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I also built one of the small 5"/24's from Veterans. These are surprisingly easy to throw together owing to Veteran's excellent product.


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I plan to try to shape the GMM gun tubs this evening. If I'm satisfied with my effort, I'll shave off the plastic parts, rescribe, and use them.


IMO, the Warship Pictorial book I found has been invaluable in the construction of this model.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest PetrolGator

Still working slow. I've added a lot of small details that Trumpeter missed and I'm now deciding what's worth scratching and what's not. This kit isn't well detailed OOB at all.


I also textured the blast bags and will clean up the barrels where some of the Mr Surfacer got on them tomorrow.


I've since primed the ship since taking these pictures which revealed a number of sanding flaws and seams. I'm now working to minimize/disguise/remove these issues so that I can move forward with painting. San Francisco sported the relatively boring Ms 21 at Guadalcanal, though I hope to weather it up a bit. I plan to show her as she arrived, before even the Beatty smashed into her aft superstructure.



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Auxiliary control. Primed, this looked OK. I still had some work to do to remove any seams. Hanger needed some work as well.



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Note the new supports. The "fuzz" was annoying remains of Q-tips. Removed before priming.



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Turrets are complete here. Post priming, the blast bags look appropriately textured for 1/350 scale.



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Here you can see the "plating" I did. I've got another technique I'll be trying with my next ship for even better results.



All for now. I'll post primed pictures tonight.


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Thanks, Robert. I'm debating adding some of the control details to the cranes. My next IPMS show, I think, is in March so I have PLENTY of time to work on this (and possibly another cruiser.) Right now, I'm just trying to get this ship right. Trumpeter makes that difficult.

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In your references, did you see any detail of the bridge wings? I'm wondering if the wings were reduced by the fall of 1942. The Trumpeter kit, of course, shows them full-sized. When I did my Vincennes (CA-44) I discovered too late that I should have cut down the wings.

Tremendous work overall, on one of my favorite cruisers. I'll be following along!

MW

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Chris,

 

Nice work here! Not really a ship guy but I like looking at all good models.

 

Question.....you mention "jeweler's chain". What is it (I know, dumb question) and where can it be found? I build military vehicles and this chain might come in handy.

 

Mark

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Thank ya. San Francisco is sort of a leisurely build where I see what I can produce. Time has been taken up by Thanksgiving prep and gym (and Montana) so work is fairly slow. I'm also waiting on a wood deck.


I build the weird hoops around the range finders with wire and added the ladders. I plan to cover the tops due to (a) lack of detail and (b) fact that they were, in fact, covered, outside of combat.


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Note also the forward funnel baffle doesn't sit right. I'll correct that with some sprue tomorrow. It's a minor problem. Note that all the Veterans guns are assembled and most of the model is primed. I've got a little more sanding to do, but am overall ready for paint.


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1.1's were build with the GMM PE and DML's guns. Results were good.


Here's the next step, outside of the funnel. I have twelve to build, which will be rather not fun.


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Paint!


...and wood deck. I'm "okay" with the color, though the uniformity looks odd to my eyes. I've been experimenting with the extra material for a good stain and have had mixed results I'll play some more and apply it to the ship once I'm happy. I'll also start weathering the hull with oils and do some light dry brushing to help add some more disunity to the paint. It looks VERY toy like at this point.


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I've done some trial washes on the aft range finder... still lots to do.


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...and these fun things...


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All for now. I'll be working on the main hull and working my way up with weathering, deck painting, etc.

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Guest PetrolGator

Thanks.

 

The more I look at the wood deck, the less I like it. I'm going to have to REALLY make a nice wash or it's gonna end up in the bin.

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Guest PetrolGator

Chris,

 

Nice work here! Not really a ship guy but I like looking at all good models.

 

Question.....you mention "jeweler's chain". What is it (I know, dumb question) and where can it be found? I build military vehicles and this chain might come in handy.

 

Mark

 

Just saw this. I get it at my LHS. I'll post a picture of the label when I find it.

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Was that an acrylic paint you used? If so, if the wooden deck wasn't factory sealed, the water in the paint probably raised the grain of the wood. In the photos, it looks a lot "rougher" than it should. Also, since it's a different textured surface, the paint looks a different shade. Before you "bin" it, try some fine sandpaper lightly rubbed over the surface just to knock down the grain. You're not removing the color, just the raised grain. Probably tedious work in tight spaces, but better than throwing it out. Some of those fine sanding sticks might work, but they'll clog and you will have to keep cutting them down to get a clean surface to work with. It will probably look pretty crappy after this, but the first coat of paint should have sealed the wood, so the next coat should go on smoother. Remember, you're not removing the paint, just knocking down the grain.

 

Or maybe I've got it wrong. Just a thought.

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