Hello all
I am in the beggining of a long time project to build a harbor diorama in 1/350 scale. Any advice as to how to complete this priject will be greatly appreciated. So far my concept skeetch is for an 8’ by 8’ with 15 ships covering a period of 1941 to 1945 on one side transitioning to a modern 1990’s to 2005 on the other with and emphiss on pivotal historic ships. The Doolittle raid the Battle of Midway and the surrender of Japan being represented and flowing into the ships that were named for some of the historic vessels or reactivated and modernized in the 80’s. I am currently stationed in Spain for the US Air Force and finding kits with out having to pay a fortune in shipping is difficult. if anyone has the following kits i would be happy to purchase them at a fair price.
Submarines: WWII any type
Los Angles class Attack
Ohio class ballistic missle
Destroyer: WWII Class
Arligh Burke class
Battleship: USS Missorri (Tamyia) X2
USS New Jersey (Tamiya)
Aircraft Carrier: CV-6 enterprise
CV-8 Hornet
CVN-68 Nimmitz
1/350 scale Aircraft: F-14 x36
F/A-18 x36
S-3 x6
E-2C x12
UH-60 x6
B-25 x20
F-4U x24
F6F x24
SBD x24
TBM x24
Photo etch detailing for all kits
I’m pretty new to the whole world of ship kits… I came from the Sci-Fi forum, but I do have a photo-etch Fletcher under my belt, and I want to start a Tamyia Missouri.
Anyway, I would suggest two things. 1) For your WWII destroyer, I would pick the Tamiya Fletcher. You can buy conversion kits for it, to make it a late-war version. That is what I did and it came out great. 2) I see you picked doing the Enterprise and Hornet. Since they are sister ships, maybe make one the Trumpeter Essex? Or if you wanted to do the Doolittle Raid as well as the Big E, throw in a late-war Jeep or Light Carrier, for kind of a bridge to the Nimitz. But other than that, it looks like you will be working on that for a long time! I can’t wait to see the results!! Good luck!
Update for everyone I have manage to slowly 9 of the ships i want to build
CV-8 Hornet and CV-13 Franklin that will become the Yorktown CV-10
BB62 NJ modern(x2) CG 52 adn CG-64 BB-63WWII(x2) CVN-68 plus numerous AC for all next i will have to save my pennies for photo etched and wait till i return to the US for my last assignment with the womderful AF before i start building I hope as i work on this and my son grows he will come to enjoy the hobby my design has shrunk to a 4’x8’ size and i was doing the math to make the dioram contain real water for the ships to be docked against 4’x8’x3" deep equated to 65gallons of water weighing 450+ pounds had to rethink that ven knocking of 1" of depth would only remove 140 pounds roughly so my next challenge will be figuring out how to display full hull ships as if they are floating in a calm harbor
Wouldn’t it be easier to waterline them and sit them in gel medium? It’ll certainly not weigh in at 450 pounds. Not to mention, you won’t have problems with the water going stagnant.
Jeff