Bill, hank you ,I got them & was the little building on the rear deck like Revells or round like a built model I saw?
My rear of the ship is just regular Connie . I didm’t want to try to build a United States rear on it.I am putting the top (Spar?) deck guns on now. I have all the gundeck done & will go on deck details next.
The Alabama is sitting there saying “finish me” Makes me nervous when a ship talks to me.
Dave, Thank you, these Imai decks take a real nice finish on the plastic. Are you using a wood deck on your Cutty Sark? What are you doing now on the ship?
Gene,
The problem with building any model of the United States is that there is little real information available. I have never seen or been able to find plans or reliable references. All we can state with reasonable certainty is that neither the Revell quarter galleries or transom look like any of the drawings or paintings done by contemporary artists. I’ll look deeper to see if I can find anything.
Bill
Gene,
All your talk about how nice this kit is makes me wish I had one. I have built, or currently in the process of building, the Revell kits, which in my opinion, lack in surface detail and a getting long in the tooth for fit.
I once got to look inside the Monogram kit at the hobby shop a few decades ago and my impression was that is was a really nice, simple looking kit.
I do have an Imai 1/150 Amerigo Vespucci in the stash, but its a Heller mold and very bleak in details.
I have built the small 1/196ish United States and the Cutty Sark by Monogram and they were a lot of fun.
Scott
One thing, Scott. In my limited experience with Imai reboxes of Heller kits, Imai redesigns the instructions and they are a whole lot clearer.
I remember my kit “had” a very nice instruction booklet and rigging plan, which I somehow misplaced. I last remember the instruction booklet hanging on a bulletin board next to my workbench in an apartment I was living in 1989.
And the kit has a gazillion parts all colorfully molded in clear, white, orange, brown and black.
I put some feelers out on locating another set of instructions.
I assume the United States instructions are similar Gene?
I hate that when it happens. I do it all the time with decal sheets.
Scottrc, What ship kit are you looking for plans for? I missed what you said, unless you meant the Heller Amerigo.
Or better, the Imai set.
If anyone ever builds the Heller victory, I’ve been handing out the Imai set for years.
I for one , very much appreciated it too bill .
I just took some new pictures of my progress on the United States. It is coming along nice & clean. A joy to build. I just got my newest Imai/ Monogram Susquehanna in the mail today, another beauty.
More next post.
Now to deck details & then masts. The sails are beautiful & I think will make a beautiful model. The only trouble I have had has been my fault. I had to tie the deck guns 3 times ??? I jus couldn’t get them right & also had bad thread the first time. I think I have tied hundreds of guns & a lot better too.
She’s looking Great! That glass tabletop makes me that your model would look great on water.
Gene,
I love it! I’m amazed about how fast you build these ships while still doing a wonderful job! I really like what you did with the roundhouse!
Bill
Thank you Bill. Was there a little structure , house, on the rear deck? Revell’s kits in a way have better detail, but no kit fits better, has nicer castings, or has less flash than Imai kits of any make, Ertl, or Monogram. They are just a joy to build.
My little pea brain got it in my mind that the deck guns had a long rigging tie rope & I did them all that way & looked at a real picture of the Connies guns & redid them twice more. I had to drill out each eyebolt to get the glue out. Heaven forbid & really tie a knot & not glue.
My deck does look super on this one. I painted the deck with Tamiya wooden deck Tan & pencil lined the grooves with my real sharp pencils. Then I put a raw umber wash , & then used a very, thin black wash. Then I did part of the planks with a heavier raw umber. I am going to send you and Jim more of my earlier RR layout pictures. I am real proud of them. They are about 1/2 scratch built.
Very well done Gene.
The poop deck really looks odd on such a well balanced design for a ship, no wonder captains complained about it.
Scott
Bill, this is the nicest to build ship model I have ever done. Everything fits well. Of course all kits with the imai name on the mold fit well. This one seems even better. This afternoon I sanded,filed & put together all 3 masts & bow sprit.
I built the little house or skylite for the rear deck. I built it too tall first & had to cut it bown to look right. I don’t know what was on there but who does. You are the only one that seems to have found pictures. I likes the Scaledeck add pictures. I seem to still be pretty good at building & painting. I don’t go crazy till I start rigging. Thats why I figure out ways to make it easy. It works.
Gene, you truly are a model building machine ! As always my friend it looks fantastic. Looking forward to seeing it up close and personal soon.
Have you or anyone else here ever tried rigging as much of the mast you can before mounting them to the hull ? Dale
Dale, I put as much as I can on a mast or spar before I put them on. Makes it a lot easier. If I am going to use sails I will sew them on the spar before I put them on, & also I put any rigging I can on too.
Hi Gene,
As always, I’m watching intently. I know my limitations so I’ve not had anything to add to your awe-inspiring United States construction thread. However, I had come across a very detailed Belaying Pin plan of the Constitution in my files today. It was from an old post on Model Ship World. I cannot not post it from my files so I re-searched for it online to post it through the MSW link. I hope it will help with your rigging of the USF United States. Perhaps some members can assist you with any differences between the two sister ships.
Jim (Nino)
