USS Juneau CL-52 - Page 5

**Douglas Urantia** · #41 10-01-2022, 06:56 PM

What fantastic and beautiful model.

**rjccjr** · #42 10-02-2022, 09:40 AM

Hi All;
The remaining five inch turrets are now in place. All four 1.1 tubs, and several 20MM are also. The two wing 1.1 tubs had to be relocated and are now in the right location. Several 20MM shields have to be redrawn, but the ship is starting to look like what it is supposed to be. Once the stacks and masts are completed, then located properly, it will be time to remove the mock up and start the prototype in detail.
Regards, rjccjr.

**georgerutherford1861** · #43 10-03-2022, 01:48 PM

So many 5 inch guns!

Doug

**Desertrat77** · #44 10-07-2022, 12:31 PM

Is this just a personal project or are you planning on releasing it publicly, Cause I would love to build a large scale Atlanta class.

**Douglas Urantia** · #45 10-08-2022, 06:09 PM

I made a friendly post to this thread but it disappeared. Why???

**rjccjr** · #46 10-09-2022, 01:10 PM

Hi All;
The mock up stage always seems one step forward, then two backward. When it came time to fit the rear superstructure twenty mm gun shields it was discovered that the deck configuration was wrong. Not only that the area of the rear flag bags was wrong as well. So, the whole structure was removed and redesigned. The first photo shows the new superstructure with the flag bags in place and the new deck for the gun shields. There is a trick to assembling the gun shields. Each one has two pieces, an inside piece and an outer piece. The inside of the curve is always slightly shorter than the outer. So, when the parts are drawn and cut, the inner piece is curved in one direction and the outer is curved the other way. Both are test fitted and glued together, then the ends are trimmed. The result gives a shield that is the same color on both sides yet has sufficient thickness to adhere to the deck well, but avoids looking way too thick. The actual tubs are very thin, only thick enough to protect against splinters. They should not look thick enough to repel an armor piercing shell. The rest of the photos show all the gun shields in place. Having gotten that far, now the deck where the 1.1" gun directors are located is wrong. So that deck has to be redrawn as well. Oh well, that's what mock up's are for. Believe it or not, this actually saves time because getting the mock-up right avoids wasting time redrawing the details involved in the various modules and guarantees the clearances between parts. It's a good thing that there was no rush to get to the stack bases because it would have meant redrawing those areas to get the clearance correct.

PS: For what it's worth, this project is likely to take several years, before a usable prototype is complete. Honestly, I'm not even sure that I'll live long enough to complete it. The estimated time of completion is 2026 and I'm just about eighty five right now. Judging from the experience with previous models, it takes a very advanced modeler to build one and he'd better have a steady hand. Several copies were given away, but I've never seen one built. This project was undertaken from a "Can it be done?" point of view. There is little point in being mercenary. Never give up the day job, because you'd sell six and go bankrupt. Besides, one would have to number all the parts, and even worse, write a set of directions. That would add on another year. Right now, one has to have a sense of humor just to get up in the morning.
Regards rjccjr

**Michael Mash** · #47 10-09-2022, 06:49 PM

Hello Rjccjr,
If I recall, my quickest project required about 18 months. But most of them are closer to two years. Yours is an ambitious undertaking.
I noticed, just off the starboard stern (first image) one can barely make out the outline of another ship in the darkness. Is it a card model?

**rjccjr** · #48 10-10-2022, 09:48 AM

Hi Michael;
What you were seeing back there is a scratch built multimedia model of the USS Kearny DD-432. My workshop is a room of controlled chaos. Here is a picture of the entire wall and a photo of Kearny. Most of these are in cases and they raise havoc when you try to take a picture. The shop has models of just about everything, made out of everything. Some of the other models are posted as "old stuff."
Regards, rjccjr

**Michael Mash** · #49 10-10-2022, 10:48 AM

Thanks for the excellent view of your workshop. That big sidewheeler on the floor looks impressive. One can see you reliably protect your projects from dust. Good idea.

**Douglas Urantia** · #50 10-10-2022, 11:32 AM

I posted a very nice comment on this thread and it never appeared. What happened???