calcmandan Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hi folks, Just joined this forum yesterday. Was poking around looking for modelling forums and, here it is. So, my experience has been spotty with modelling. Starting at 10, I build a 747 because I loved the plane. The thing was never painted and eventually ended up in the swimming pool as a toy. Later, I did a F14 and F18 during my high school years. Did a few Star Trek models like the Enterprise and, after the Challenger exploded, did a shuttle (I think it found its way into the pool too). During my Navy years, I thought it would be silly to build a Carl Vinson model while stationed on the ship. It was a long westpac cruise and, frankly, I grew tired of the gym and library. Heavy seas made completion of the model impossible. I got it together but it never got painted. Try painting a model on a rocking ship. So, now that I'm back with plenty of leisure time after work, I got back into the frame of mind. Picked up a coast guard cutter. Link to the model is below. http://www.ehobbies.com/acy14102.html Not a well build model, sort of janky. It requires some real work to get the seams together and appearing like effort is put into it. I'll post pictures when I feel ready to show progress. Since I suck at painting, I'm painting first, then gluing (except the hull). I may ask for painting tips later, but at this point the key to success seems to involve doing a piece at a time, wait for drying, and continue on. Last night I managed to get the nerve to glue the main deck to the hull. Clamped it together to cure over night since it seems the hull was made as an afterthought. I just hope it holds after removing the clamp. When I went to the hobby store (a big one), I was surprised to see a limited selection of models. It was mostly cars and such. Yeah, I suppose if my interests lie in doing a 68 mustang, I'd be a happy camper. After this project, I'd like to do a tugboat like the ones I used to watch when I was in the Navy. Notably, getting that weathered and worn look on the model is a keen interest of mine. The link of the model in question is below: http://www.ehobbies.com/lnd77221.html or http://www.ehobbies.com/lnd77225.html That's all for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumterIII Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 (edited) Welcome aboard, nice to see another ship builder here. The limited selection of ship models at the LHS is the norm. I prefer to go online where the selection is much better. You can find almost anything on the WWW. I like the subject you are working on, the guys in my club can tell you I tend to go for the off the wall stuff. Do you have a local IPMS club? There may be others there that are willing to help you with your builds. I would recommend that you pick up a few books/CD to help as well. Rusty White at Flagship Models has some good stuff you may find helpful. Another book I like is Ship Models From Kits: Basic and Advanced Techniques for Small Scales by David Griffith Don't forget to post your work here as well. You can post in the Members Gallery without overloading the picture limits on the forum. Good luck and happy modeling. Edited March 7, 2012 by sumterIII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcmandan Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 (edited) Thanks for the welcome and the information. No I haven't even looked for a local club yet. Honestly, I need to see if I'll keep my interests on this. I took a picture of the model before doing anything to it last night. Made some progress since. The superstructure is FAR more complicated than it has to be. The link below Pic1HullDeckTurret.jpg Shows the superstructure after I got started with it. Combined, the piece behind the turret is composed of 8 pieces. The piece I started last night sits behind and on top of the first piece. It, too, is about 8 pieces. But it has more coloring to it. It will keep building until I got the bridge on and then the masts. As I said, it's a poorly built model. Everything is slightly off. The pegs, for instance, are too fat or wide. Takes a blade to shave them so they'll fit. Made a mistake in the earlier link. Here's the model I'm working on: http://www.revell.com/model-kits/ships/85-3015.html Edited March 9, 2012 by calcmandan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumterIII Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 I normally start from the hull and build up, and I paint as I go along. When building the superstructure I building in sections, finishing each as much as possible before advancing to the next. Then assemble starting from the bottom, similar to a ship yard building the real thing. Mast and rigging is the very last thing I do because they are so easily damaged when handling. But that’s just how I do it. As you get more into building you’ll find what works for you. Looks like an interesting subject, keep posting your progress, we all learn from each other that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcmandan Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Yeah it appears I'm doing the same thing. Though, I just happen to be following the directions. But... Perhaps you can tell me what you would do in my situation in question. The superstructure is broken out into several sections which are each composed of multiple pieces. The direction calls for most pieces on the ones I've done so far to be flat white, with the decks a light grey, then any attached pieces (such as a turret) are white. My impulse is to paint the deck gray before gluing, but my concern is that the area where the turret attaches won't bond well since the paint is there. How do you work this out? Do you glue first, then paint delacately? Or do I paint MOST of the deck, then touch up the rest after the turret's attached? I'll attach a photo tonight after work. From the image you can tell what I'm doing. Gluing the superstructure sections together while sitting it on the main deck (not gluing but ensuring that the pegs line up properly). Once the glue has dried and cured a bit, I detach it so I can paint. I normally start from the hull and build up, and I paint as I go along. When building the superstructure I building in sections, finishing each as much as possible before advancing to the next. Then assemble starting from the bottom, similar to a ship yard building the real thing. Mast and rigging is the very last thing I do because they are so easily damaged when handling. But that’s just how I do it. As you get more into building you’ll find what works for you. Looks like an interesting subject, keep posting your progress, we all learn from each other that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumterIII Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 (edited) My impulse is to paint the deck gray before gluing, but my concern is that the area where the turret attaches won't bond well since the paint is there. How do you work this out? Do you glue first, then paint delacately? Or do I paint MOST of the deck, then touch up the rest after the turret's attached? I'll attach a photo tonight after work. From the image you can tell what I'm doing. Gluing the superstructure sections together while sitting it on the main deck (not gluing but ensuring that the pegs line up properly). Once the glue has dried and cured a bit, I detach it so I can paint. Paint first, then at the point the plastic meet, scrape a little off and apply liquid glue, or you can use super glue and not deal with plastic cement. Where the superstructure meets with the deck is tricky, glue running out on the deck will ruin the paint or worse damage the plastic. You might try this, glue on the inside if possible, don’t worry so much about gaps on the outside just yet. After its dry use white Elmers glue to fill the gap to the deck. Before the white glue dries run a moist Q-Tip along the edge to remove excess and push the glue into the gap. Allow to dry and reapply if you need to. Now you can paint over the seam with white paint if needed. Notice in the pictures from http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/taney_wpg37_photos.asp how the deck and superstructure meet. Edited March 13, 2012 by sumterIII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanson Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 If you don't have a local hobby store, there are plenty of online shops that provide great naval subjects. Squadron, of course, but lately I've been frequenting Free Time Hobbies as well (they specialize in ships, so I've been spending way too much lately!). Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcmandan Posted March 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Thanks for the link. I actually did check them out because i was curious what sort of ship it was and its history. It had to be something memorable if a model was made for it, right? Well I made some progress last night as alot of my questions were answered regarding the superstructure. I am finally seeing structure on the superstructure, and needing to work a bit backwards to fit everything snugly. I never thought of using superglue because I'm afraid my error may ruin the work. Here are images from last night. http://dl.dropbox.co...rStructure1.jpg Superstructure glued together not on model yet. http://dl.dropbox.co...rStructure3.jpg Superstructure main deck with construct. Not glued, just holing together. http://dl.dropbox.co...insuperdeck.jpg Superstructure main deck on model, glued post painting so pegs will line up when secured to ship. http://dl.dropbox.co...nsuperdeck1.jpg Same thing, another angle. http://dl.dropbox.co...SuperPropUp.jpg Superstructure piece from above propped up on deck to see how it fits together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schmitz Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 I never thought of using superglue because I'm afraid my error may ruin the work. Here are images from last night. A good hobby store should have super-glue debonder in case you have to take things apart (its not perfect, but lets you recover from disasters). You can also find (relatively) slow-setting super-glue there that can be combined with "kicker" that will make it harden instantly. This is good for attaching small parts: apply the glue, get the part in the right spot, then spray the joint with "kicker" and its "stuck". Using kicker doesn't give super strong joints, but sometimes its all you need. You can also use it to tack big assemblies together, then go back with liquid glue or regular CA to make the joints solid. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcmandan Posted March 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Since i'm a noob, would any paint thinner work with this model paint I have? I mean, these bitty little jars are cute and everything, but I could simply go to Lowe's and get a good paint thinner that'll last a LONG time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcmandan Posted March 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 I never thought of using superglue because I'm afraid my error may ruin the work. Here are images from last night. A good hobby store should have super-glue debonder in case you have to take things apart (its not perfect, but lets you recover from disasters). You can also find (relatively) slow-setting super-glue there that can be combined with "kicker" that will make it harden instantly. This is good for attaching small parts: apply the glue, get the part in the right spot, then spray the joint with "kicker" and its "stuck". Using kicker doesn't give super strong joints, but sometimes its all you need. You can also use it to tack big assemblies together, then go back with liquid glue or regular CA to make the joints solid. Don Hmm, a debonder. Well, we'll see how it goes. Is this super glue stuff expensive? Or can I just grab a dollar store variety and it works? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumterIII Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 What kind of paint are you using? I use the normal super glue unless I absolutely need the better stuff. Like for PE (Photo-etch) parts. Caution for future builds, never use debonder on resin parts. It melts the resin, trust me I know. Also never use super glue on clear parts, it will frost over and ruin the part. Do you plan to keep the kit rails or remove them and use PE rails? Nice work keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty White Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 Welcome to the forum! I think you'll find a wealth of information here from our group. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I am sure someone will help you out. As moderator, just sort of lurk in the background. So have a good time. There is no such thing as too many ship guys on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcmandan Posted March 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 What kind of paint are you using? I use the normal super glue unless I absolutely need the better stuff. Like for PE (Photo-etch) parts. Caution for future builds, never use debonder on resin parts. It melts the resin, trust me I know. Also never use super glue on clear parts, it will frost over and ruin the part. Do you plan to keep the kit rails or remove them and use PE rails? Nice work keep it up! I join forums to learn from others, so thanks a million for the tips. I never heard of photo-etch parts, but it sounds nice. Just ordered this: https://www.freetimehobbies.com/acy14106.aspx And since it's littered with rails, I may just stick with them since they look nice with that paint color. So, would I chuck the rails this model comes with and purchase some nicer ones and hope they fit? There must be a big aftermarket on alternate parts then. i'm a noob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumterIII Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 Here is a link that you might like if you find you would like to try working with PE in the future. http://www.modelshipbuilding.com/photoetch.htm I would stick to building as is for now. Get some experiance before making the jump. JMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcmandan Posted March 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 Here is a link that you might like if you find you would like to try working with PE in the future. http://www.modelship...m/photoetch.htm I would stick to building as is for now. Get some experiance before making the jump. JMHO Thanks for the link. Quite interesting that the model I'm working on is a front page example. It's nice to see these kits. Looks like really advanced work for really talented model artists. Do you actually cut the hull's existing rails and replace them with the photo etched ones? Almost done gluing the ship together. I need to decide how to paint the hull. I'd like to paint the black waterline strip, but there's no line guide to work with so it's going to be tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumterIII Posted March 12, 2012 Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 (edited) For the hull waterline you can use a black automotive pinstripe. You can find them at most auto supply stores. Paint your antifoul red using masking then lay your pinstripe down at the demarcation line. Edited March 12, 2012 by sumterIII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcmandan Posted March 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 For the hull waterline you can use a black automotive pinstripe. You can find them at most auto supply stores. Paint your antifoul red using masking then lay your pinstripe down at the demarcation line. Hmm okay. Let me get this right. Lay the pinstripe down at the line, paint below it for the antifoul red, above it for the dark grey. Then pull the strip off and paint that area black. Right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumterIII Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 (edited) No use the pinstripe for the black waterline. Paint the gray, then use masking tape to mark off the red. Then where the two meet lay down the pinstripe for a clean black waterline. Edited March 13, 2012 by sumterIII Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcmandan Posted March 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 No use the pinstripe for the black waterline. Paint the gray, then use masking tape to mark off the red. Then where the two meet lay down the pinstripe for a clean black waterline. Something like this? http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?R=BK_7354623_0282507493 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumterIII Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 Yep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcmandan Posted March 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2012 Yep Well I don't know how to thank you. What a help you have been so far. The model is done for now. I still have to paint the hull. I believe an investment into a spray system is in order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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