USS Arkansas

[Royaloakmin]

Looks good, Robert. Can't see much of the casemate guns anyway.

[Michael Mash]

Very sharp work Robert. I Hope this project continues.
Mike

[Wyvern]

Fascinating ship; will watch your build with interest.

Wyvern

[Robert Woolley]

Well I have returned to working on this monitor, now with a bit more enthusiasm. Except that now it will be the USS Wyoming. This is simply because I have been able to find much more detailed pictures of the Wyoming.There are minor differences between each of the four ships in the class, and it is a bit of a puzzle deciding which photo is of which ship, as the pictures are not always labeled correctly.
I have rebuilt the ship from the deck up. I figured out how to make a simple planked deck using Gimp and a floorboard template I found on the internet. I couldn't get the colour right, at least what I think the colour should be. What looks ok on the monitor is not always what prints out. But I think it looks better than before. I am painting the buff coloured parts. Inside the upper deck I need to go over it again in white. I printed on the back of another model I decided I wouldn't make, not thinking that I would want the other side to be white at the time. Not much can be seen when the top deck is in place. The little pilot house is a bit red for my liking. It was buff in the original but I re-coloured it to brown. I will work on that later. I just made this one up quickly to see how it would look.
I have hit a snag with the ventilators, They just don't seem to make up properly. I will replace them with some from a different kit.
Anyhow here are a couple of pictures of where I am up to.

Robert

[Don Boose]

Somehow I missed the beginning of this most interesting thread.

A fascinating example of transitional naval architecture and a very fine model.

Don

[Michael Mash]

Hello Robert,
Good choice with the color.
I have had a similar experience as you.
The color I see on my monitor always varies slightly from what comes out of the printer.
Mike

[SengleaPoint]

I am new to this forum. I have been building model ships in card for many years. I use card from empty cereal packets. Never had the experience to build a so called paper ship kit. I would like to ask.
Are these paper kits strong enough to hold in your hands while gluing parts or painting? I cannot under stand why certain deck or superstructure fittings like doors or hatches are just drawn while they can easily be made from the material provided with the kit.
regards
SengleaPoint from Malta

[Robert Woolley]

Hi SengleaPoint. The card used in most kits is thinner than from a cereal box but thicker than paper. I find most models are strong enough to handle, as long as you take care and avoid weak spots, such as the underside of a hull between formers.
I also find painting is fine if the card is good quality. Softer grainier card can be a problem. I also paint on dry days. The card sometimes sags but when dry becomes tight. But if I paint on a humid day, it will dry ok but the next humid day it will sag again.
Many kits have doors and hatches and deck fittings as optional parts. They add a nice 3D effect. But to me a well printed door looks just as good on a finished model. On this model I have painted some card to cut out the doors from and add later. There are also a lot of coal grates and bollards that need to be added to the deck which will add interest.
Except for JSC kits, which I really enjoy, I have been disappointed in most Polish kits I have bought and ended up doing a lot of scratch building. This one in particular will be mostly scratch built by the time I am finished. I must admit I haven't tried many companies kits though.
However I get a lot of satisfaction from scratch building. And if you do to, I think you would enjoy taking a kit and transfoming it into something special. Edit:I looked at the Star Perseus that you made. You did an incredible job on it. You must post more pictures of your work.

Robert

[SengleaPoint]

Hi Rob,
Thanks for your replay. Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. For me paper kits were a wonder. Scratch building is always very important for me. I am not bound with what a commercial manufacturer offers on the market, feel free to be original in my model choices. But that is only my idea.
Scratch building is a continuas challenge. Card or paper cannot give all the effects needed for a model. So you have to think and think to solve problems while building. When I solve a problem oh how happy I be. Again these are my ideas.
Yes I will continue to publish my models. Secretly I am very proud of them. Once I was even invited on a program on our national television station. Could not walk in the streets were I live.
Thanks
SengleaPoint.

[Paperwarrior]

Very interesting subject to build. Your work is excellent. I look forward to seeing more of this come together.

Jeff