Oriel 1/200 Mikasa

**Robert Woolley** · #1 01-01-2014, 04:48 AM

Happy new year,
I got the Oriel 1/200 scale Mikasa, kit no. 157 for Christmas. I did a quick overview of it in the kit review section.
I started it yesterday, and here is where I am up to. The frame parts were laminated onto roughly 1mm card. I think it is a little less. I used two different sheets and they were slightly different thicknesses. The keel part was laminated again to make 2mm.
The fit of the parts is excellent so far. When dry fit everything fit perfectly and locked together into a fairly solid structure. I used white glue which swelled the joints slightly here and there so I had to do some fine tuning. But it has come out straight so I am very happy.
Next I am going to glue on the deck and put some cardboard strips between the formers to support the skin. This is the first time I have done a ships bottom so I have a bit of trepidation about what is to come. But after that, everything looks straight forward.

**treadhead1952** · #2 01-01-2014, 11:37 AM

So far, so good as they say. Don't let the bottom of the hull worry you, it is pretty straight forward. If you have any doubts, try adding a few stringers across the individual spaces to give you more room to bond the strips to. Looking forward to more.

**Robert Woolley** · #3 01-03-2014, 04:12 AM

the deck is on and looks pretty good. It is a mm or so wider than the frames at some points and exact at others. I don't think it will affect the placement of the hull sides.

**Robert Woolley** · #4 01-03-2014, 04:24 AM

I decided to make the bottom as a shell. This is so I can press the parts together without them sinking around the frames. I have seen this done on several builds on these pages. I rolled the individual parts and they fit very well. It took time but was not too difficult. I used red craft paper from my daughters craft stash for joining tabs.
I am happy with the results so far. I will fix the front and rear panels directly to the hull.
The bottom parts were printed on two sheets making four pages. One sheet was slightly paler than the other. The hull gets paler towards the back. My wife said they probably opened a new can of red paint to finish painting the ship, so I will go with that story.

**Robert Woolley** · #5 01-03-2014, 04:27 AM

I am putting these little blocks along the side to provide a gluing surface for the bottom and the hull sides. I will give them a little sand before I attach the parts.

**marco1971** · #6 01-03-2014, 05:18 AM

Hello Hikokibert,

It's looking very nice! For me a full hull is very difficult!

Marco

**Michael Mash** · #7 01-03-2014, 11:29 AM

Hello Robert,
I saw your first build of the Mikasa at 1:400 scale.
It looked good, but I think this one looks better.
Mike

p.s. I envy you . . . where you live its summer.

**treadhead1952** · #8 01-03-2014, 11:49 AM

Looks like you conquered that hull problem with ease Robert. A nice solution to the situation. These older dreadnaught ships had a classic look of elegance for their time, something lost as a turn to the more business like approach of later vessels.

**Robert Woolley** · #9 01-05-2014, 05:41 AM

Thanks for all your comments. Yes Michael, it is summer here, and a very nice day today, but on the day I read your comments, it was a very hot day, and winter your weather sounded nice. Marco, after being astounded by your work on the Tegetthoff in 1/400 scale, I am sure a hull would be a piece of cake for you. And Jay, these pre dreadnoughts sure have style that was to disappear as battleships developed. I read somewhere, probably on these pages, that styling was important at this stage, as countries showed off to each other.
I finished putting pieces in to glue the hull to. They really made it easy in the end, but it did take a while. I was going to put some strips on like Michael did with the Massena, just as insurance, but got impatient in the end. I now wish I had put some at the front near the ram as I got a little scalloping there on one side.

**Robert Woolley** · #10 01-05-2014, 05:46 AM

And the hull. Over all I am very happy. There a re a couple of blemishes, especially at the back, but I think some will be covered by the propeller shafts, and the others I can live with. Once again the fit was very good, and any issues were all a result of my inexperience. The hull bottom is only glued around the top. It is not glued at all to the ribs or the bottom. I still managed to get a little scalloping at the front on the left. But only a little.