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  #21  
Old 04-15-2021, 12:03 PM
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Lex Lex is offline
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Thank you Joe and Mike for your input into this discussion. Each of our views might be different, but we can all agree that good craftsmanship is a necessity, even for personal expression: one can not achieve a good weathered effect if they can not make a pristine model well

I've been away visiting a group of cardmodelling friends in central China, so not much to present for now. Meanwhile back home I readied the photo-etch drawing to be sent for production. Most of it are catapults, seaplane, crane and steam launch detailing, things that are either too large to be replaced by 350 scale parts, or too few in number to warrant buying an entire universal PE sheet for. First time doing PE, let's hope it works out.

On the other hand, a good model deserves a good cover art. I've been wanting to paint these for a long time, here is a first attempt at depicting what it would have looked like if Ibuki was at sea.
Attached Thumbnails
Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-ibuki2.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-x81fi-4-7-p-14-olvt8k.jpg  
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  #22  
Old 04-16-2021, 05:36 AM
PAPER FAN PAPER FAN is offline
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Lex,

missed this build for the last few posts. I'm in awe of how well your funnel has been built. This is a beautiful build, especially at this scale. Keep up the great work. Really like the art work you created as well.

Joe:-)
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  #23  
Old 04-16-2021, 06:50 AM
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Michael Mash Michael Mash is offline
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Hello Lex,
Regarding your artwork . . . your depiction of the ship is lovely. Is it created with watercolors? Or something else?

Regarding your photo etch drawing . . . I have never used photo etch, but I do have some experience with laser cut parts.
What made you decide to use “photo etch” for these parts, instead of laser cut? I am guessing the photo-etch would be more expensive than laser cut.

Mike

p.s. I almost forgot to ask: what kind of paper crafting do your friends in central China do?

Last edited by Michael Mash; 04-16-2021 at 06:55 AM. Reason: Add question
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  #24  
Old 04-17-2021, 01:28 AM
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Thank you Mike and Joe, The painting is a digital one. I'm not trained in art... and my dream to be an illustrator right now remains a dream.

I use PE instead of laser at this scale mostly due to the resolution. Laser parts have a resolution of around 0.3mm, cutting below this resolution is possible but requires fine tuning the cutting path. To put it another way, one needs a laser cutter by their side to iterate the design. Meanwhile PE effortlessly achieve a 0.1mm resolution without special assistance, and this resolution is necessary at 1:400 scale. Details on laser parts are just too 'thick' for this purpose. A number of my friends tried laser parts for JSC and other models at this scale, but none was satisfied with the result.

Another reason is strength, paper details this thin lacks the strength for handling, and I am not taking chances here. Even brass PE can be too soft, the shop owner told me that the PE handrail poles were switched to stainless steel after complaints that the brass version bends too easily.

Price-wise, laser is normally charged per piece, but PE is better suited for large volume production. The piece of A6-sized custom PE was charged about 150CNY (~30USD?) for initial photosensitive mask and then 24CNY (~5USD) per copy. Totally manageable. If the model do get published, then the PE accessory would be shipped with the model.

For the off-topic items,

I visited Chongqing deep in central China, on the banks on the Yangtze river and surrounded by mountains. It is a gateway to the Sichuan (Szechuan) basin, but even with high speed railway it takes about half a day from coastal cities, so I flew my way in. This port city served was the wartime capital of the Rep. of China after the fall of Nanking, and Japanese bombers regularly visited the skies over the city during the war. Down below on the ground, ROC secret police and the underground CCP resistance fought out countless stories of espionage, betrayals, heroism and sacrifices.

Now, Chongqing is modern but maintains its own character. Life here proceeds at a leisurely pace and the city regularly tops lifestyle satisfaction pools in China. The renowned spicy Sichuan cuisine in this region is more of a necessity to fend of the hot and humid climate. The roads and monorail system winding through high hills and across rivers makes a very cyberpunk cityscape. In all, very worth the time to visit.
Attached Thumbnails
Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210330_222957.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210331_213324.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210402_133252.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210402_143940.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210331_222430.jpg  

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  #25  
Old 04-17-2021, 01:40 AM
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Of course, I was there for the models. This friend we visited works on the smallest scales. He found paper to be the easiest to work with, and wouldn't mind finding replacement materials if the situation requires. His work included the HMV harbour diorama. A German rail station diorama, featuring an overhauled Bf109 and a K5E railway artillery being transported, as well a few Allied special force operatives for the sharp-eyed viewer. He also works on a series of 1:87 civilian and construction vehicles, and a large project to depict his memories of his early life in Chongqing. The philosophy here is storytelling, and of course one needs exquisite skills to back it up.
Attached Thumbnails
Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_160438.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_160510.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_153900.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_154744.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_153912.jpg  

Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_161336.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_161342.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_153921.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_160922.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_170031.jpg  

Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_155800.jpg  
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  #26  
Old 04-17-2021, 01:48 AM
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Work from other local modelers included a 1:600 diorama of the Kiji against a USN submarine. Full lasercut Sopwith Camel with internal frames. The Soviet B-4 artillery (weathered using actual iron dust). A Halinski Mig-29 crafted in the most orthodox cardmodelling manner. I am tempted to say these explorations should represent the state of art in the Chinese community, and will try to find respective links for these builds on Chinese forums for those interested.
Attached Thumbnails
Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_215427.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_210011.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_210046.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_171719.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_171714.jpg  

Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_210053.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_210134.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_210018.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210401_210035.jpg  
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  #27  
Old 04-17-2021, 01:58 AM
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Back on topic. The model comes with a pair of N1K Kyofu seaplane fighter. The seaplane was mediocre at best as a fighter, and were of no match for proper carrier-launched fighters. But as the development of new fighters in the navy hit a wall, Kawanishi engineers realised the immense potential for upgrades in the Kyofu airframe and made fame with the land-based derivative Shiden, which lived on to be a prominent late-war fighter. In reality, Ibuki was unlikely to have carried any N1K for its limited benefits over the more traditional seaplanes.

The propeller and canopy on the plane awaits the custom photo-etch components. And yes, the designer left out the hinomaru and other markings, so I had them hand-painted. They would be present on the final model.
Attached Thumbnails
Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210323_230846.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210323_230854.jpg   Japanese Heavy Cruiser Ibuki 1945 [1:400]-img_20210323_230941.jpg  
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  #28  
Old 04-17-2021, 05:21 AM
Hazooka Hazooka is offline
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Hi Lex.

Great job designing this model.
I’m hoping more designs like this will sow up in time.
It’s a huge work to design the model but done with passion and non profit can be a real gem. Money is always a spoiler.

As for the design.
There is a common misconception about one detail. It's repeating in every Japanese ship build, design and 3D reconstructions I have seen by far.

Take a look at the decks, the linoleum, on both sides, it’s reaching the gutter bar while it should not. There should be a distance between the edge of linoleum and the bar. In some cases the linoleum ends before the railing posts when the bar is behind them.
It’s well visible in the few pictures.
It is a small but quite significant detail I think.
It would be nice to have it done the proper way some day.

Best,
Witold.
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  #29  
Old 04-17-2021, 08:25 AM
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Michael Mash Michael Mash is offline
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Thank You Lex for the discussion about “Photo-Etch” and “Laser-Cut” . . . very interesting.

All the photos of your friends’ paper crafting work are excellent. The diorama work is particularly detailed. The first two images showing what looks like an office or apartment scene are quite unusual and highly detailed. Very nice to see.

Mike

Last edited by Michael Mash; 04-17-2021 at 08:42 AM. Reason: Spelling correction
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  #30  
Old 08-20-2021, 02:06 AM
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I'm baaaaack. There have been a lot of progress and I'll post these along the way.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hazooka View Post
Hi Lex.

Great job designing this model.
I’m hoping more designs like this will sow up in time.
It’s a huge work to design the model but done with passion and non profit can be a real gem. Money is always a spoiler.

As for the design.
There is a common misconception about one detail. It's repeating in every Japanese ship build, design and 3D reconstructions I have seen by far.

Take a look at the decks, the linoleum, on both sides, it’s reaching the gutter bar while it should not. There should be a distance between the edge of linoleum and the bar. In some cases the linoleum ends before the railing posts when the bar is behind them.
It’s well visible in the few pictures.
It is a small but quite significant detail I think.
It would be nice to have it done the proper way some day.

Best,
Witold.
Yes, you are correct! I also have reference material reflecting this, and have raised this issue to the designer. Thing is, it's difficult to make out this detail at this scale.
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