USS "Missouri" / Unbekannter Verlag / 1:200

  • Hi all


    Well here is the first bit of the build just to bring those who have not seen this on cardmodels.net upto speed on what has been done!!


    Remember pillows at the ready as mightly bored you will be =)


    When I first got the kit I jumped for joy as anyone will tell you I love big models and this is big.
    After cutting out the formers and setting a few in place I had this thought that the gaps between each former was just a little big :rolleyes:


    If you look at the photo that is a 45cm rule lined up with the bow going aft, the lack of formers would cause sagging in the decks and hull plates. I still went ahead with the kit as designed.


    Once I had some of the hull plates and deck on I found it did not have the strength to hold the shape of the plates ;(


    Next

  • This next photo shows the aft hull plates in position.


    If you look at the top you can see the plates have formed straight lines and not the curves they should be??


    To cut a long story short I ended up ripping of all the hull plates and deck and adding twice the number of formers to the model. Also some extra struts between the formers as well just to be shure I would not have to rip it all off again :rolleyes:


    Next

  • After sortting out the formers and the hull this is the stage it got to before it dawned on something was missing from the design ?(


    If you look at this photo you might note that the superstructure does not have enough portholes in the right places and not a single hatch 8o
    I should have noticed this before I got this far =)


    Also at this stage I was starting to have thoughts about the colour of the decks, are they right or wrong???
    Well after some checking I came up with, they are wrong. As far as I and a few others I checked with the decks should be a light teak colour???


    Next

  • Well I got to this stage of the build and was not happy with the result at all.
    Each time I tried to go further with the build I found more bits that did not fit or totaly out of sacle.
    Here is a very good example of the out of scale parts in the kit.


    Looking at the photo the paper gun in the kit and a wooden one in 1/200 do not even come close to being the same size.
    The wooden one is the correct size 8o


    The quality of the gun casement is also not very good, well I think so :rolleyes:



    Next

  • Right before I post anymore on this I do have to say that when the kit was originaly done it was an outstanding kit.
    Another big plus for this kit is, as FAR AS I KNOW no other card publisher has come up with a model of Missouri on this scale??


    This next photo shows how the same gun casement turned out with a little paint and a cut here and there =)

  • At this stage with the decks and hull I tought I could not do anymore damage to what I think to that date is a bad build.


    So I had a go at changing the decks using the superstructure as test bed. I tried a few deck designs and bounced my ideas off Jim K who also loves this ship and kit.
    Between us we came up with this??

  • Well thats it for now, you can all get your heads of your pillows =) :P


    If anyone has any ideas on how I can improve this kit in anyway please let me know??
    All ideas will be thought out and tried to see what happens.
    Sometimes the daft ideas turn out to be the best that work well!!


    Even with this kits problems its still fun to build and I have learned a lot to get it this far, don't let some of its problems put you off building it if you have it.


    More very soon as the cutting board is already out :rolleyes:


    Take care all


    Rob

  • Rob, this is not only a big ship, but a great big save of what - as you say - could have been a disaster. What a remarkable difference between the first photos and the last. Good for you and Jim!


    Leif

    Dankbar für die Gelegenheit auf Englisch schreiben zu dürfen, kann aber Antworten problemlos auf Deutsch lesen.

  • Hi, Rob! :)


    My, but she is a great sight for old eyes!


    Leif, my meager part in this was to suggest the run of the planks, as most kits incorrectly line up the ends too close to each other in a line...there has to be at least 3 planks between the joints, the more the better. Of course Rob made the most realistic planking grain I have ever seen, as good as if not better than the planking I see in the Shipyard brand of kits. Rob is a very talented artist and is making a build that takes the original far beyond it's original design.


    I'm glad you're back at her, Rob, and look forward to seeing more of her as you go along!


    Cheers!


    Jim

  • Hi all


    Jim its good to be back into building the Big Mo :)


    You know you did a little bit more than you say, for shure!!


    Last night and tonight I started marking out the psitions for the stern deck fittings and also mounted the catapults. I think these need a major re-think


    You will also note that the stern has not been closed over, the reason for this is I have not worked out what crane to use. The one supplied in the kit can not be used as the parts don't even match (this I will show tomorrow)
    If I go for the card/metal one I have re-designed the stern will need to have more formers fitted to take the weight of a plane hangging from it.
    Also fitted the aft gun tubs, another reason for the stern not being closed off.


    Next

  • One of the big problems with building ships/models of this size is getting a photo of the whole thing.
    I only have a cheap digital camera, never got round to up grading it :rolleyes:


    This photo shows the aft superstructure, the white showing is the area to be worked on next.
    After this it will be a case of filling out the decks and fiting the rails and small parts that will be hard to do at a later date!!


    Next

  • Hi Rob


    looks great at least you succeeded in geting the full picture never could get it with Hood.


    My twopence worth do the catapults again otherwise they will be out of step with the great mods you made.


    Look forward to the next steps


    pic looks like a Vosper MTB


    regards

    Edited once, last by barry ().

  • I agree with Bazzer, some sort of PT boat, but I'm not sure what version. Nice lines, though...always though it would be neat to get my hands on one of those old hulls, until I remembered they were pretty much made of plywood laminates and probably have suffered over time.


    Great work on Mo! She's a beautiful little giant. ;)
    Were the original catapaults made up of lattice sections? Would be a bit involved but well worth it and, as Barry said, in keeping with the rest of the excellent build.


    Cheers!


    Jim

  • Hi all


    Sorry for the delay in the up date but I did slip with a large steel beam at work and did a little damage to my hand.
    The finger that was cut and bent is the one I use to put the pressure on my cutting knife, oh and I bent it a little bit :)


    The worst part, it put a stop to card cutting for a bit ;(


    I now have it to the stage that I can do light cutting without it giving to much bother :)


    So on to the important stuff the up date on the crane!!


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  • Right


    This first photo shows the original Missouri kit parts for the crane.
    If you look at a quick glance you think, not to bad, Wrong the parts don't fit and are not the right size!!


    The main jib boom is not a mirror image, also the spaces between the main girders don't match up.


    The next photo will show this up.

  • This next photo shows the old parts next to the new re-designed parts


    If you look at the old parts you can see if you folded them together there is no chance that they will match. Compare this to the new parts and it stands out!!
    A not so important point is that the steel for the frame work is way to thick.


    For now I will use the new parts even though they still need a lot more work to get them anything like the crane should be.
    As soon as I can hold a soldering iron again I will do the metal one and see which is best.


    Next

  • Hi, Rob! :)


    Yeow! That picture of your finger had me cringing a bit...too many memories of the abuse I subjected my knuckles and fingers to over the years. 8o


    I can't wait until you start up with the crane...just looking at the two pictures I can see the finer lines, correct color, etc., your re-draw provides. This is going to be a super build, I just know it!


    Glad you're back, mate.


    Oh, and more photos when you can, please. ;)


    Cheers!


    Jim

  • The next stage with the crane is to do the same with the base and the winch side of it all.
    This I will do tomorrow, it took me two hours to cut ot the parts so far.


    Now as for the answer to the off topic bit =)


    Its the Pro-Model Vosper 72


    Got to say for such a small model its been fun doing it and it all fits very well. I will be looking to build more of there kits in the future :)
    first one of Pro-Models I have done


    Well more tomorrow if the hand holds up


    Take care all


    Rob

  • Hi Rob


    Glad to se you back again with finger still attached I think you need a new tool "a labourer" and use that finger to point where you want him to place the damn thing.


    Looking great as ever definately a silk purse out of a sows ear that one.


    More hen you can


    regards

  • Hi Bazzer


    If I did that I would not have lost the 3 stone in weight I have since July 1st =) =)


    Not a bad idea though :P


    Thanks mate


    Rob

  • Hi all


    Well the hand is getting better and I can now use it a bit more :rolleyes:


    After cutting out the frame work for the jib I covered it in super glue to give it some strength, then glued the four parts together with normal PVA glue.
    Sorry for the bad photos I dropped my camera while having a go at taking some photos, I have borrowed one to do this!!


    The crane only has a base coat of paint on it now as I can't hold my hand steady enough yet to finnish it :rolleyes:


    It has a few pully wheels left to be added, another thig thats not in the original kit and the base needs more detail.
    As soon as I can I will build the metal crane to replace this one but it will do for now. Even more so when you think the original could not be built at all!!


    More tomorrow with ant luck =)


    Take care all


    Rob

  • Wotcher, Rob! :)


    Really nice looking crane...I don't mind the photos at all, everything looks like that to me after a long day at work. :D Good thing I'm not a surgeon. 8o


    I like the idea of soaking the card in CA to harden it up. I saw someone use an acrylic floor polish to get a similar effect, which I think has less harmful fumes. That's one of the things I don't like about CA. Way back when I was working on wood models I tended to use CA a lot, not knowing better, and I ended up with asthma as a result. The fumes do a real bad thing to your lungs if you don't watch it, so very good ventilation is a must! But it probably is one of the best things to use to harden up card like that to enable you to make such nice, clean and close cuts...and you did a masterful job of cutting out all those little triangles for this crane. If you put a coat of paint on it I bet it's just as strong as one made of photoetching.


    Glad your finger is healing and getting better so we can be treated to more of this superb build!


    Looking forward to more, mate!


    Cheers!


    Jim

  • Hi, Rob,


    You are a First Class Kartonist who shows heroical efforts even with a serious injury.


    Congratulation for your performance with the Missouri Kit, go on, I will continue to look for your progress.


    All the best


    Harrier (René)

    ....es ist 5 vor 33

    Demokratie ist alternativlos!

    "sei a Mensch"

  • Wow Rob! =D>
    You are doing an amazing job with this kit. All of the extra work that you have devoted to the build really shows, and all of the modifications that you have made to the original design look great. I can't wait to see more of your progress on this giant of a model.


    Also, I hope your finger has healed well. I can't think of anything worse than a break from cardmodelling. =)


    Best Regards,
    Dustin Basler