I got the starboard side draft marks and hull number decals applied today. I also took care of a small but nagging issue–the flight deck bow cap was 1mm too long, and it was causing the elevator rails for #2 and #3 elevators to stick too far out on the aft end and too far forward (under the flight deck) on the forward end. I very carefully marked and razor sawed off the 1mm, and then re-shaped the bow cap. I think it’s looking pretty good now, but once it’s glued to the superstructure (still a ways off at this point), I’ll probably do some final shaping to get it even more flush. This project is teaching me patience and I think it will make me a better modeler overall, since rushing anything here can have severe consequences down the road!
Looking real good Anthony! Definitely shows your passion for the build.
I pinwashed the details on the hull the other day. I used artists’ oils–2 parts Payne’s Grey and 1 part raw umber. I think it’s just the right amount of pop, and now I’ll seal everything with a semi-flat finish. I have painted the shafts, props and struts, but will only mount those right before I’m ready to attach the hull to the base. That will actually happen fairly soon, since I need to secure all the LED wiring for the hangar bay lights, after which point all fitting out will occur on the actual base, though I’ll probably cover it over to prevent damage while I continue with the fitting out process. I also received my anchors from Model Monkey–they’re beauties, but I will need to widen the hawsepipes slightly to accommodate them.
I’m starting to think about painting the flight deck. Given that it was wood, the color appears to me more like a stain than a pure deck gray over non-skid. This photo is my best reference. I think the final color will be up to my interpretation, as I don’t think there’s a reliable consensus on what gray translates well to a wooden flight deck in 1:350 scale. Note that the bow cap is the same color as the hull, superstructure and island, which gives me a point of delineation when settling on a color. My current thinking is Mr. Color 603 for the main flight deck and 601 for the landing area, which looks ever so slightly darker. These are listed as IJN Colors, Maizuru and Kure respectively. My Colourcoats Deck Gray and Flight Deck Gray are both far too dark for this application, and I’m a big fan of Mr. Color combined with Mr. Leveling thinner.
Propulsion and steering enabled! I got the shafts, struts, props and rudder installed today. I really like how the bronze shafts turned out using Mr. Color Bronze and how the props turned out using Alclad Titanium Gold. Also, the hull has the final semi-flat coat on it. These ships had a sheen to them and the Hornet was well-maintained, so I like the look. Next up, the hull gets mounted to the final base, wiring is run into the hull for the LEDs, then the hangar deck, superstructure and hangar interior bulkheads.
I had not printed anything on the 3D printer in a while, and while researching flight deck equipment, I found a couple of great pictures from the cruise book showing the tow bar and how it was used for the S2Fs. The bar and chocks were easy enough to make, so I printed a batch today. Flight deck crew are next to them, along with a toothpick, for scale. I also put one of my MD-1 tractors in there for reference:
just to let you know that the prop shafts were made from steel so would be painted the same as the rest of the lower hull, red. props leave as is as made from a bronze alloy or something similar.
Back with an update after a couple weeks’ worth of planning and executing on some major home redecorating by order of the Admiral…coming back, I started looking at the MD-1 tractors that I found as a free STL download, and realized:
- They represent a later mod than the ones on Hornet,
- They were not super well-executed (what do you expect for free!)
So, I took a stab at making my own. I think they are much better in shape and detail and at 1:350 scale, they are barely a centimeter long. They are also compatible with the S2F tow bars I made a couple of weeks ago. I now have a fleet of tractors at my disposal!
Side view of my version and the original from the 1959 cruise book:
in the bottom photo of the real tractor, it appears that the front wheel fenders tapers til it meets the front side of the hood. now what color are they going to be?
School bus yellow, or close to that shade.
I mounted the Model Monkey anchors and the URR-13 antennas that I designed and printed for the bow. It was a bit tedious getting them attached, but super glue and accelerator are my friends. I will hit both of them with some epoxy as well to strengthen the bond. Soon, it will be time to mount the hull to the base, run the LED wiring and install the hangar deck and interior.
We’re getting down to the brass tacks phase of the project, where I have to mount the hull to the final display panel, install the LED wiring and start building out the superstructure. Once the hull is mounted, my mobility during assembly will be quite limited, so I want to try and make sure all the big mobility items are taken care of to the best of my ability. And, since it’s my goal to donate the finished model to the USS Hornet museum, I want to make sure everything is right, so, thank you @ffg7 for your comments on the shafts. I did a bit more research to confirm the colors and they are indeed hull red. So, today I carefully masked and painted them to match the hull. I also included a better shot of the bow with the URR-13 antennae and the Model Monkey anchors, which are outstanding. I also did some test fitting (again) of all the superstructure parts and found that the forward gun deck did not follow the contour of my new flight deck, so I re-printed that and confirmed the fit. The after port sponson that supports the angled deck also stuck out too far at the aft end, so I’m in the process of printing a test piece to confirm the correct dimensions, at which point I’ll proceed to add the sponson itself and the associated details. This project would be overwhelming without the 3D printer, for sure!
