USS Juneau CL-52

[rjccjr]

Hi All;

Over the course of research for CL-52, I've looked at every source that I could find. Some have been very useful, others not so much. The varity of models,plans and illustrations is incredible. IMHOP, probably the best designed commercial kit to date is the Very Fire 1/350 issue, although it's a bit inclusive of parts, which I couldn't verify from photographic evidence. That said, they could very well have worked from sources, which are not readily available to an average modeler. The tremors backed off during the afternoons this week, so a number of small assemblies got designed, cut and assembled. Photo 1r shows all of the assemblies laid out on a sheet of folded paper towel, to make them more visible and easier to access. There are more parts than have been used to date. Photo 2r shows the rear fire director area before addition of details. Photo 3r shows four sets of binoculars and bulwark around the area. Photo 4r is a side view showing installation and added two para-vanes forward. Some parts remain to be added. In the background is the USS Kearny which happens to be in the same scale, but looks a bit smaller because of the depth of field of the camera. The last shot is a separate view of Kearny, which was scratch built from wood and styrene sheet, long before the tremors got worse.

Regards rjccjr

[Michael Mash]

Based on some of the models you showed us in your "Old Stuff" thread, you have built models from many different types of materials.
What motivated you to build in card/paper?
Mike

[rjccjr]

Hi Mike;

Actually there's a story to that question. When I was 7, in 1944, my Dad came home from work one day with a "Build your own navy" card model set. He had lost several fingers and part of a thumb in an industrial accident, but it was amazing what he could do. We spent the evening putting it together. When he came home the next day, I showed him how to do the battleship correctly. Even at that age, it bothered me that the battleship didn't look like the real thing. It wasn't long before we were building stick and paper aircraft. From there came balsa kits, then Testors, Monogram and Strombecker kits. The first plastic kit that came along was a twenty mule team borax wagon, then came a Revell English stage coach. By high school there were Airfix bagged kits for 39 cents. Although they were much more accurate for the time, they still lacked something. Then came Aurora kits. They never seemed to get a plane or ship right. Then came the Revell USS Missouri, which was better, but still no cigar. Back to the Airfix kits, they could be modified. From modifications it was an easy step to scratch building. Then came college, the military and a teaching career. My folks were proud beyond reckoning when their kid was the first on either side of the family to get a commission, a teaching certificate and a degree on the same weekend. The first scratch built ship was The USS Indianapolis in 1976, then USS Helena and USS Lexington around 1980. The idea struck me, that my tool box weighed around 50 pounds, air brushing was toxic, and paint mixing to color chips was very time consuming. What if I tried the same thing in card? The age of the home computer brought an explosion of good information. Except for a good computer system, everything necessary to build a card model would fit in a cigar box and if I messed up a something, it was no problem printing a new part, or if a color scheme was messed up, just change it. There is more challenge to designing a kit, than building one, and research is half the fun. So, almost 80 years ago it all started with a card model. Card models are home.

Regards, rjccjr

[rjccjr]

Hi All;

Well, it has been several steps forward and several steps back lately. Snow and rain storms have actually slowed down production. Spending a couple of hours shoveling when you're my age, drains the system and more activity is out of the question, because the tremors prevent it. I took CL-52 to a local club meeting. Since there isn't a dust cover or case it's to be expected that small parts are going to come adrift. They did. I should know better, but it's just a good reminder of the human condition. Time was spent replacing the starboard depth charge rack, smoke generators and a few bitts. but there has been some new construction. Photo 1r shows the travel damage. Photo 2r shows the replacements. The dark patches are water color daubs to darken the white location locating marks, which were an error from months ago. These are corrected on the current drawings. Photo 3r shows the five inch practice loaders now added beneath the quad machine gun tub. Photo 4r shows the angled plates on the fire director deck, which protect the assorted crew members from flying splinters. Photo 5r is a different angle of the same area. The gap is to allow access to the base of the director. Shortly there will be a door added to the director base. The last photo is an overhead shot of the model. Thought is now being given to an ocean and rigging. There are still a few details to be added.

Regards, rjccjr

[Michael Mash]

It was nice to read the story about the times you and your father spent together building models. Eventually leading to card modeling.

That last overhead photo of Juneau is a good one.

[rjccjr]

Hi All;

Applying tiny assemblies was getting very tiresome, so the ocean was started. After looking at many photos of the ship under different conditions, it hasn't been decided just what speed and sea state would be most effective. Calm sheltered waters and slower speeds are easier to do. Doing a fully textured ocean these days, is a bit of a reach, so a simpler painted base was chosen. The basic tools for this are an old frozen dinner tray, a wide flat brush, a pointed brush and several tubes of acrylic paint.

The first step is to mix a good size batch of blue, green and a little black paint in the tray. Paint the four edges of the base first, then start the surface. The surface is started with the flat brush from the hull outward. That avoids making a mess at the waterline. Then you can work your way out to the edge. Oceans are never consistent, so a nice even surface isn't required. Varying degrees of color density are. So, if one area is greener, bluer, darker or lighter that's just fine.

Artists acrylics have several advantages. They are plastic, can be used to fill and texture and they dry fast. While working they thin with water, but once cured they are waterproof. Since the ship is in motion there will be propeller wash from the stern, so that can be started even while the base coat is wet. The model was left to dry over night. Clean up is easier because the tray can be discarded and a new one can be used next session. Photo 1r shows the basic tools. Photo 2r shows the texture even though the paint is still wet. Photo 3r shows the differing color densities, but no prop wash. Photo 4r shows the start of the prop wash, still not defined. There is no attempt yet, to deal with waves, swells or froth.

Generally speaking, a ship at low speed creates a small or no bow wave. At most, the propeller wash fans out to roughly twice the width of the beam and pretty much stays that way out to some distance. At high speed there is a pronounced bow wave, a midships wave and a pronounced stern wash. In combat, speeds are higher, but most of the time ships travel much slower because of fuel consumption. Compared to a battleship or carrier, CL-52 had only two thirds the draft and only had two propellers, as opposed to four on the larger vessels. On a calm sea, with a clean hull and even distribution of displacement, the best CL-52 could manage, would be about 32.5 knots. Approaching an anchorage at slow speed, the fuel consumption could be as little as a quarter of the high speed consumption. That is why consideration of waves, swells and ocean state are on hold for the moment.

Photo 5r shows the start of the propeller wash and varied patches of color along the length of the hull. Photo 6r shows hardly any bow wave at the moment. The last photo shows that the bow action is the same on both sides. At the moment the thinking is to show CL-52 at fairly low speed in a generally calm sea, such as it would appear in a bay, or near an anchorage.

Regards, rjccjr

[shipbuild]

I have really enjoyed your construction comments and also the nostalgic story concerning your father. I had a somewhat similar experience. Although I am not a big warship fan I am very impressed with your paper fabrication skills.

[rjccjr]

Hi All;

This week is one of those, "Just when you think you've got a handle on the situation, the door falls off." weeks. During the last session, the basic ocean was painted on the base. Only the prop wash was started. This time more detail has been added. Acrylic artists paints dry very quickly, if you want to keep them somewhat workable, wet a paper towel and drape it over the paint tray. The paint will start to dry over night, but it will still be workable in the morning.

If you look at an aerial photo of CL-52 going at high speed, you can clearly see a large bow wave, froth along the entire hull, a distinct midship wave and heavy prop wash. At low speed there is a small bow wave, hardly above the boot topping, slight intermittent froth along the hull and relatively mild prop wash. The option for the model was for low speed in a calm sea.

Photo 1 23 24 2r shows an attempt to create mild wave action by simply mixing a little black to the original paint. The sea around Guadalcanal varied in depth, but averaged around 2,000 feet. Consequently the color was fairly dark. The wave action is at an angle to the hull. Photo 1 23 24 6r shows moderate stern wash and the irregular patches of wave action, nothing along the hull, just yet. Photo 1 24 24 4r shows small patches of froth along the hull. They are not white, because a slight bit of ocean color is mixed in. Photo 1 24 24 5r shows a small bow wave. Photo 1 25 24 25 is a side profile with low speed wash. Photo 1 28 24 4r show that light reflectance plays havoc with the camera. Part of the prop was is in shade and you can see the contrast, while the bright light washes it out. The last two photos were taken with a flash and that make the contrast closer to what the eye sees.

I would like to tint and feather the wash from the hull, then create a little more shading to the wave angles. Over the last several weeks the tremors have become worse, particularly in he left hand and arm. Went out to breakfast this morning and had to resort to using a straw. I wouldn't dare make an attempt to do the painting, or try any rigging in this state. Maybe tremors will back off. Perhaps not. Time will tell.

Regards, rjccjr

[shipbuild]

Thanks for sharing your ocean creation techniques.

[rjccjr]

Hi All;

Most of the time since the last entry has been spent drawing a rigging plan, both side and plan views. While doing so, I noticed that the masts on the prototype were out if line as shown in photo r1. It was bad enough to make the rigging cockeyed, even if the tremors subsided enough to make an attempt. The masts are sunk so deeply into the superstructure that the model would probably need to be torn down to the weather deck and replaced. That's not going to happen. The closest solution would be to get the masts to line up at the top. That would allow the rig to be closer. The culprit was the main mast, which was several degrees off center. The rear stack assembly, including the mast and boat crane, was gently removed from the base, then shimmed underneath and reattached to the model. That helped as shown in photo 2r. Close, but no cigar. The foremast was not as secure as anticipated. It was twisted away from its base and removed. The bottom of the mast where it went down into the base was cropped at one deck level and then glued back into position. Bingo! The last two photos show them nicely in line. The last illustration is a profile view of the rigging. The signal lines tie off to the rail behind the flag bags. Just how much rigging to attempt remains to be decided. The drawing for the plan view is going to take some time to finish. The question of the tremors still remains.

Regards rjccjr