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CL-52 update
Hi All;
The four sections of the base plate and central keel are now complete with tabs and thirty three bulkheads are drawn. All parts are set out of the building board, but nothing gets glued until everything is measured out and dry fitted. The weather deck is drawn, but will not be cut until the previous parts are glued and tested. No doubt some of the bulkheads will require adjustment before the weather deck can be fitted. The curvature along the deck edge is going to present a problem and will necessitate some adjustment before that deck can be glued. In small scales the issue can be avoided, but at 1/192 it cannot be avoided. The Atlanta class design is an anomaly in American cruiser design because there is a pronounced knuckle in the forward sides of the hull. It is familiar on British ships, but unique to American vessels. Chances are that the designers anticipated a problem with sea keeping in heavy weather and a high center of gravity. Hence the knuckle to help shedding water. Once World War II was in progress and anti aircraft armament increased, top heaviness became a universal problem.
For those of you who may be new to card construction, taking care to score all folds and cutting out all slots or openings before you cut out the part will keep you out of a lot of trouble. The same goes for dry fitting everything before gluing. The principal is, accuracy is more important than speed. If you glue too quickly, you will lose any time saved when you have to repair the mistake. This is all preliminary work, but it is critical for saving redesign and repair as you get further into the project. The usual procedure is to build a rough mock up of the model to insure clearance and proportion of major structures before settling down to detailed design. There is immense frustration in taking the trouble to design a rotating turret that won't work because it collides with a deck house. Once the skeletal structure is accurate and complete the side plates will come next. There are several ways to deal with deck edge and chances are that test sections of each will be built before deciding which method will actually be used.
Regards, rjccjr
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