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Old 05-31-2015, 08:20 AM
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rockpaperscissor rockpaperscissor is offline
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1/700 USS Arizona

I think it was 5 years ago that my older daughter took a vacation to Hawaii. One of the places she visited was Pear Harbor, and at the Arizona Memorial gift shop she bought me this paper model of the famous battleship published by Wilhelmshavener. I'm finally getting around to assembling it.

This is my first experience with a ship model, so hopefully I won't embarrass myself with this build thread. Over the years I've purchased at least a half dozen ship models by several publishers, but I've always been intimidated by the huge parts count and they've just sat in my pile. This 1/700 kit has a reasonable number of parts, and all the techniques unique to card ship building will come into play, so I think it'll make a good introductory model for me.

To keep the hull nice and flat during construction, I lightly tacked the bottom plate it to a pane of glass. Next came the center spar and all the slotted crosspieces that make up the eggcrate style supporting framework. The center spar and eggcrate sections have no glue tabs, so everything was edged glued to the bottom plate - surprisingly sturdy.

This completes instruction step 1.
Attached Thumbnails
1/700 USS Arizona-arizona-cover.jpg   1/700 USS Arizona-step1bottom.jpg   1/700 USS Arizona-step1top.jpg  
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I don't always build models, but when I do... I prefer paper. Keep your scissors sharp, my friends.
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Old 06-01-2015, 08:03 AM
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I was unaware of this model. 1:700 scale is VERY small for a battleship model with many complex curves in the hull around the secondary gun casements (plated over after WWI) at the bow and stern. And then you have the tripod masts, and rolling 12 main guns without inconsistencies...

Just take your time and closely examine reference photos of the actual ship (or larger models). Best wishes on this project!

David T. Okamura
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  #3  
Old 06-01-2015, 09:35 AM
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rockpaperscissor rockpaperscissor is offline
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Thank you for your interest, David. It IS pretty small, measuring only a little over 10 inches from bow to stern. A negative of the small size is a set of construction problems that probably wouldn't exist with a larger model, but on the plus side I'm likely to actually finish this one due to the minimal part count.

The addition of the decking completes step 2. I applied a thin bead of glue along all the top edges of the eggcrate substructure and gently layed each deck section on top, pressing only very lightly to avoid bowing these panels in the hollows. I succeeded for the most part. The cardstock that the model is printed on is fairly lightweight. I regularly use 110 lb stock, and this paper is much flimsier than what I'm used to.

With the diminutive size comes a corresponding loss of detail. In the closeup shot, you can see how the smaller guns are just pictured in overhead 2D. Not very convincing. I'm thinking of this model as just a simple introduction to ship building, so the lack of detail is acceptable - barely.

More to come.
Attached Thumbnails
1/700 USS Arizona-step2overall.jpg   1/700 USS Arizona-step2closeup.jpg  
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I don't always build models, but when I do... I prefer paper. Keep your scissors sharp, my friends.
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Old 06-01-2015, 05:50 PM
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1/700 is my favourite scale in surface ships. You just need to paint the white borders and be sure don't loose anything.

Yours is looking good!

And about the lack of details... make them!
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Old 06-01-2015, 07:42 PM
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Great project, Don. It's fun to see you turn your attention to a ship model. And it looks like a very nice little model, 2CD AA armament not withstanding.

Speaking of small scale for ships, David - Aren't you the man who once built the Digital Navy Admirable-class minesweeper in 1/1200?

Don, too
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Old 06-01-2015, 10:00 PM
dto dto is offline
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Don -- yes, and I also built that Digital Navy USS Caravan in 1:250 (original scale), 1:400 and 1:700... but never again. Unfortunately I don't have the time for such intricate work anymore.

David T. Okamura
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Old 06-02-2015, 12:00 AM
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love ship models but would not attempt anything at this scale.good luck
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  #8  
Old 06-02-2015, 12:16 AM
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Have thought about building a ship model, but just not brave enought to attempt one, just look too hard to do. Like the idea of mounting on glass.
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Old 06-02-2015, 08:54 AM
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rockpaperscissor rockpaperscissor is offline
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Many thanks for your comments, fellas. Step 3 is complete and then some. After gluing on the hull sides, I used a single edged razor to free the ship from the pane of glass, and mounted it on a piece of foamcore topped with an ocean texture. Then I used a product called "Snow Accent" by Duncan to create a wake at the bow and stern. This thick and heavily textured paint is ideal for this purpose. I think a little more is needed, but I have to be careful not to overdue it.

Besides the hull sides, Step 3 also included the rings for main gun turrets 1 and 2, and the center superstructure walls and top surface. There are many more 2D guns printed on this top surface along with the Wilhelmshavener logo. I hate it when publishers prominently advertise like this . I'm pretty sure the Arizona didn't sport this logo, and it shouldn't be smack dab in the middle of the model either.

I think I'm probably just going to build this one "box stock". It's tempting to detail it with scratchbuilt 3D guns, etc, but I have to remember that for me, its purpose was to serve as an introductory ship model. I have at least a half dozen 1:250 ships that I can go crazy on with railings, full rigging, etc.
Attached Thumbnails
1/700 USS Arizona-step3overall.jpg   1/700 USS Arizona-step3bow.jpg   1/700 USS Arizona-step3amidship.jpg   1/700 USS Arizona-step3stern.jpg  
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Regards, Don
I don't always build models, but when I do... I prefer paper. Keep your scissors sharp, my friends.

Last edited by rockpaperscissor; 06-02-2015 at 09:16 AM.
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  #10  
Old 06-02-2015, 11:17 AM
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Don Boose Don Boose is offline
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This looks REALLY good, Don. You are going to have a fine little model when you are done, and I can't wait to see you dig into your next ship model.

I find this thread and Swampfox's recent disquisition on the fabrication of a B-17 landing gear housing to be really energizing.

Don
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