The USS New York (ACR 2)

[taylormade]

Hello everyone. I'm a newbie to the site and thought I'd post the saga of a scratch building project I'm starting - a large scale model of the cruiser New York (1893). If I’m going over topics and methods that have been discussed before, I apologize; some of my brilliant solutions are probably old hat to many of you.

My main interest has always been turn of the century warships, especially American, British and French, and the New York seemed like a good first project as the sides of the hull are pretty straight and she doesn’t exhibit the pronounced tumblehome of some of the French ships of the period.

A word of caution to all purists out there: my models are about 90 percent paper. Because they are so large, I use some wood for framework and brass for gun barrels. I build them to look like they were constructed around the turn of the century, with slightly exaggerated features and graphics.

The model below was my first attempt. It represents no particular ship as I was going for a generic warship of the period just to see if I could actually build something worth looking at. I designed and printed all the ships parts on heavy Bristol board and glued everything together with contact cement and white glue.

I grabbed some design elements from photos and plans I had and called her Illinois, after my home state. She is 38 inches long.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/longshotboat1copy.jpg


http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/boat1smallcopy.jpg


http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/bowfromabovecopy.jpg

I learned a lot making this model and now I plan to use the experience to make a similar, more detailed model of an actual ship - the New York. I have the deck and hull sides almost finished and I'll begin with pictures and descriptions of her construction in the next installment.
RT

[birder]

That looks cool, like a sculpture/artwork

[B-Manic]

Very nice. Really captures the feel of the period. Reminds me of some of the antique models at kartonmodell-forum.org.

Thanks for sharing.
~Douglas

BTW - love the waves so much I may have to steal the idea.

[John Bowden]

Now that is just too cool! What are the waves made from??......... they look like the things (wooden braces) you use to put up corrigated fiberglass panels on a roof.

This model reminds me of the "tin" boats that were a little before my time......... um.... "tin" robots and jet airplanes were my time.......... in case anyone was wondering.... :)

john

[redhorse]

Yep, that is really cool. And what everyone else said here too! It does look like a tin toy, and I love those things!

Thanks for sharing you're photos.

[B-Manic]

I knew it reminded me of something, this Currier & Ives print. Most Excellent. I like the tin toy idea. I think you may have discovered a popular modelling niche.

[taylormade]

The waves are wood that I cut with a bandsaw, then painted with an airbrush. Here is a closer look.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/frontsidecopy.jpg

I love the look of the old illustrations, and that is what I was going for with this model.

[Don Boose]

It's truly a beautiful model that captures the period and the essence of the Great White Fleet ships. I look forward to seeing your version of the New York.

Don

[John Bowden]

No cigar............. but I was close :) Again you really did a nice job on building and displaying your model. Kudos!

john

[taylormade]

I just wanted everyone to know I haven't deserted the thread. I'm just finishing up revisions to the deck art and the hull sides and will be posting some photos in the next few days.
RT

[taylormade]

Progress on New York. I finished the artwork and printed out the deck today - all 38 inches of it. I have a printer that can print banner paper and I cut smooth bristol board into 81/2 by 40 inch strips and run it through. The drawings are done on Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild004.jpg

A close look at the scale decking.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild003.jpg

The next step is to laminate the deck onto a cardboard base.
RT

[redhorse]

Looks good, I like the banner paper idea.

[taylormade]

Continuing on the New York build. I laminated the Bristol board artwork onto cardboard, then laminated both layers onto a plywood base. The cardboard provides a smooth surface as I've found laminating directly onto wood can be a problem if there are surface blemishes in the wood. More work, but a better result. I then cut out the deck with my band saw and trimmed any rough edges with my circular sander.

This is the result. The anchor bays are a real pain on this model! Next I’ll cut a bottom piece of plywood for the waterline and start on the hull sides. Getting the anchor bays to line up with my hull depression should be interesting.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild2001.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild2007.jpg

Thanks for looking,
RT

[taylormade]

The new deck. This one looks a lot more like wood and has some texture and variation.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild2011.jpg

Compare the closeup with the old deck in a pervious post.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild2008.jpg

The light planks look a bit lighter in the photo than they actually are. Out to the bandsaw as soon as the contact cement is fully cured.
RT

[taylormade]

Test fitting the hull sides. This is a low resolution test on plain paper. It gives some idea how the hull will look. It's just leaning there at the moment.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild3005.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild3006.jpg

I'll start on the anchor bays tomorrow.
RT

[taylormade]

Anchor bays constructed and the first two sections of the hull side applied. This is one big model to handle at 1/120th scale.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild4006.jpg

Pretty smooth at the moment - before I start on the many sponsons along the hull.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild4003.jpg

The anchor bays were a pain but I was pretty happy with the result. Of course, the anchors will cover most of this work.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild4004.jpg

I plan to add the rear hull section tomorrow after I work out how I'm going to approach the captain's walk at the stern - lots of compound curves back there.
RT

[Don Boose]

It's really beautiful!

I love those magnificent white-hulled ships of the American Steel Navy! And you are truly doing them justice in a way that conjures up the period.

Don

[taylormade]

Some progress - work on the bow. Shield (eagle on the top to come later, it's too easy to knock off!), bow trim and surround for torpedo tube.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/DSC01925.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/DSC01924.jpg

Just another 38 inches of detail to go!
RT

[barrel roll]

this model is awsome!!!!!!. i LOVE the detail, just looking at the waves makes me sea sick,;). this model is sick'n sweeeeeet!

[barrel roll]

KEEP IT UP!:):cool::D

[Stev0]

That looks cool, like a sculpture/artwork

It sure does! I love it. It's more artwork than a model. =)

[B-Manic]

Very nice. Its like a 'mo betta' version of the a paper model published as a supplement to the Pittsburg Dispatch in 1896. I really your version, very artistic. Attached are clips from that model. I have a scan of the model, if you are interested drop me a PM. I think it is safe to assume it is in the Public Domain after 112 years.

~ cheers

[taylormade]

Thanks Douglas - I have an original also that I bought on Ebay years ago. I was trained in graphic arts before I sold out to video production. Designing and drawing these boats is really relaxing and a lot of fun. I do have to do a lot of redesign and redrawing since I'm doing most of this in Photoshop. I usually design the part by cutting and fitting, then drawing in details, scanning that and redoing it in Photoshop.

[taylormade]

After an illness in the family and the Thanksgiving Day festivities, I'm back to work on the New York. The basic hull is finished and I'm working on the side gun turrets (sponsons?) - there are a lot of them! I just added the side armor and have the shape of the rear walkway roughed in. More details this weekend.
RT

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild5002.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild5003.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild5008.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild5012.jpg

[Don Boose]

This is going to be a magnificent model.

Don

[taylormade]

I've finished the most complicated of the hull-side turrets and will glue them on once they dry. The little armored sections behind the projecting turrets were a real pain! The rest are just a basic cylinder with no projections - should be simple after these little devils. Click the top bar on the photo for a better view of the details.
RT

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild6001copy.jpg

[ARMORMAN]

Looks very nice!

[Yu Gyokubun]

As Steve0 already mentioned, this is an superb artwork and clean build!!!
I wish I could build the model like this so that my wife will be pleased instead of complaining my spending time for model building. Once I tried clean build by washing my hands every thirty minutes hoping it results in clean build but it ends up in vain

Cheers,

[ARMORMAN]

Yu,

To quote the famous Harry Mudd:

"Behind every great man is a woman...urging him on, and so it was with my Stella, she urged me on into outer space... ah, not that she meant to...but with her continual, eternal, confounded naaging!

Well, I think of her constantly, and every time I do; I go further out into space."

- Star Trek - TOS, "I, Mudd"

[Yu Gyokubun]

So, it”s like “Good comes out of evil”
I must thank my wife for giving me a chance to be a great man:D

[Yu Gyokubun]

So, it”s like “Good comes out of evil”
I must thank my wife for giving me a chance to be a great man:D

While I was having breakfast this morning I was aware that I might have made huge grammatical mistake.
What I was going to write was not above but "I must thank my wife for giving me a chance that someday I might become a great man"

Sorry to disturb but I couldn't find out how to edit the message

[lee4752]

Yu, I see no grammatical mistake. The only greatness that matters is that which we and our loved ones see in ourselves.

[taylormade]

More progress on the New York. Side sponsons added and front deck area roughed in.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild7001.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild7004.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild7008.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild7009.jpg

[taylormade]

Work continues on the New York. This ship seems to have more sponsons on the side of the hull than any warship ever built! I'm almost done - six small ones to go. all the large sponsons are completed and the two small bow assemblies are built and attached. The artwork takes a lot longer to produce than the actual building process.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild8002.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild8005.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild8004.jpg


http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild8010.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/taylormadefilms/NewYorkBuild8009.jpg

I plan to finish the rest of the sponsons this weekend - the artwork is finished - then tackle the anchor bay supports and the rear Admiral's walk.
RT

[Jürgen]

Fantastic, gratulation. I wish I can made it myselv so fabolous

[Jürgen]

fantastic, in a scale from 0 to 10 you become 30 hahaha