BluesModeller Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 (edited) Hi Folks, as promised in my introduction in the New Members section here is my build progress on the Revell 1:400 Titanic. The kit is this one: Comes with some nice extras such as postcards, photos as well as some basic paints and glue. When I first inspected the kit three years ago I noticed a large gap at the stern section. For whatever reason it had shrunk to just a couple of mm after a few years on top of a wardrobe and didn't present much of a hassle when gluing together. First things first, the hull (In black plastic, everything else white) and the stand where glued together and details such as the propellers, rudder and anchors were added: Stern by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Stern by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Stern by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Although not visible in any of my photos, I added some sprue to strengthen the inside of the hull. Probably not needed but...... Edited July 21, 2017 by BluesModeller 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted July 21, 2017 Author Share Posted July 21, 2017 Next step was the first deck. It was immediately clear I was going to have fit problems and so began the tedious task of lightly sanding, test fitting, sanding, fitting... Got there in the end though! 20170521_214705 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Same issue with the bow and stern sections. Both needed shaping to fit correctly. Stern by MikeGBlues, on Flickr I continued building the model into seperate modules giving me: Stand Hull Deck 1 Bow Stern Deck 2 and it's extension Deck 3 20170616_020341 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Quite a few of the parts had some flash and where an absolute pain to cut from the sprues. Couple of small parts such as railings were damaged but I was able to fix them Biggest issue was the 3rd funnel which wound up being 4mm shorter than the others. I have no idea how as I followed the instructions and numbered all the parts so I didn't go wrong. Except, clearly I did! Worse still, I had been following a mantra of dry fitting before gluing and yet I only noticed this after gluing the funnel. Arghhh! Had to break it off and use some sprue bits to raise it roughly level then improvise 'items' at the base to hide the partly filled gap. How, how did I mess that up?! Next... time to begin painting and a dry fit of most of the sections: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted July 21, 2017 Author Share Posted July 21, 2017 Started with the Anti Fouling paint which was Revell Purple Red. Easy enough as the line is marked out providing you don't go overboard (Excuse the pun) with the primer (Which was Tamiya gray). Started painting the upper part with Revell White Silky Matt but didn't like what I was seeing so used some spray paint in the end: Stern by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Stern by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Test fit of all the main parts: 20170616_170417 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr 20170616_170202 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Cat shaped iceberg, dead ahead! 20170616_170424 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Next I hit the hull with some Halford Matt Black spray. Good paint! Stern by MikeGBlues, on Flickr 20170621_230003 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Painted the props with Revells Brass Metallic: 20170712_233753 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Later would come the gold / yellow stripe. Still having nightmares about that.... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted July 21, 2017 Author Share Posted July 21, 2017 (edited) With the hull done for now I moved onto painting the bow, stern and decks. I immediately wished I'd painted some of the parts whilst seperate. I didn't make it impossible but certainly more difficult! 20170712_233845 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr 20170712_233918 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr 20170716_052649 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr I started to paint the decks in Ochre as the manual instructed but hated what I was seeing. In the end I mixed a 1:1 ratio of Tamiya deck tan and wood deck to get a colour I was satisfied with (Although darker than the real titanic decks). Stern Section by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Next, it was time to get back to that stripe!!! Edited July 21, 2017 by BluesModeller 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted July 21, 2017 Author Share Posted July 21, 2017 The stripe... Ahhh... I started off with the decal stripe which was a dull gold colour. I used Humbrol DecalFix and it went badly. I soaked the decal in the solution as instructed and even after a few minutes it wasn't ready to slide off. Eventually it did but it was beyond fragile and became damged beyond salvation. I now use decal fix only under and over the decal when applied. I soak the decals in water for a minute as normal and it works fine. I started off masking the line and spraying with humbrol yellow. Not bad, but a few areas needed touching up and it wasn't as even as i'd like. Then I wound up touching up the touch ups and an ok line went south! Pretty much started agin and used the humbrol yellow paint instead. Not perfect but good enough I think! The rivet counters won't be happy with the grossly out of scale line but I actually prefer it overscaled. Besides, it took days so I wan't people to see it!!! 20170712_173854 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Stern by MikeGBlues, on Flickr 20170716_052200 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr 20170716_052232 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Decals sorted: 20170716_052309 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr 20170716_052346 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted July 21, 2017 Author Share Posted July 21, 2017 So after two months or so that's where i'm up to. I'm painting the upper deck and funnels and then it all needs a coat of Vallejo Matt Varnish. Once that's done I can begin final assembly and rigging. Another months work I think. Will keep you updated! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 Nice work - and an entertaining read as well. 😀👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted July 24, 2017 Author Share Posted July 24, 2017 (edited) One thing has been bugging me about the Revell kit... Some details are either glaringly wrong or missing! I'm not at the ultra perfectonist rivet counter stage yet - and I won't be with this build, but some things were getting on my nerves. I always thought the forecastle deck looked a bit bare, even just looking at the instruction manual before really starting. I decided not to add any extra details and just proceed straight out of the box. This has been fine up until a few days ago when I noticed a model on the internet that was dripping with detail! Not only was my model missing some important details but others where wrong enough that it would bug me if I didn't fix it. As most of these issues seemed to be with the forecastle deck I decided to take a nervous trip down scratch-build lane... First thing is the missing anchor well, catwalks and anchor from the tip of the forecastle deck. Quite a significant detail to miss I think. So. I cut out a section from the front and then glued some shaped Plasticard underneath to create a makeshift well. 20170723_171141(0) by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Next I had to create a mini wall. Easy enough. 20170723_183555 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Then, of course, the anchor out of some stretched and bent sprue: 20170723_182410 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr The well will get a coat or 3 with flat white and the anchor the same dark grey as some of the other items. I'll add catwalk detail after i've varnished. Now I had a taste for scratchbuilding I decided to add some other parts. A cable drum made from an electric guitar brass ball end and some Plasticard (I'll wind some cotton thread onto it when painted), a small skylight and some 'metal plating'. Not sure what it is... Something to strengthen the deck perhaps? Either way, it's there in all the good models so I thought i'd add it! 20170724_184338 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr I also cannibalised one of my Girlfriend's old necklaces (with permission) for use as anchor chain: 20170724_194418 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Finally. I reshaped the square cargo hatch to have a more rounded top. I'll repaint the sides wood brown at some point. 20170724_184352 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr I'll add some ropes made from cotton thread another day and that'll be it. I could spend months scratchbuilding some of the other finer details but given that this is - or will be my first completed model (I tried the titanic when I was a kid and failed), I'll stay sensible and keep it relatively simple. If you think there's something that really, really needs adding or changing let me know. Edited July 24, 2017 by BluesModeller 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted August 14, 2017 Author Share Posted August 14, 2017 Done all the painting of the main sections now. Will post some pics later. That boat deck was a nightmare to paint. Really should have done more painting before assembly. Still, you live and learn. Had to scratchbuild the forecastle crane. For some odd reason neither the plastic cement or superglue would re-attach it. I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out so far. Accuracy has gone out the window to an extent. This is more about something I'd be proud to display. Only other update is that I'm making some brass masts. Slow going but I've managed to get something vaguely mast shaped. Still don't know how to attach it. I have to get a 10 degree rake roughly and make sure it fully secured. The poly masts had a key that fitted into the edge of the well decks below but I can't re-create that. Should I epoxy them in place? Anyway I'll post some update pics later. Feels like the end is in sight for my first build. Good practice for... My latest score, the Revell Queen Mary 2 in 1/400! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted August 14, 2017 Author Share Posted August 14, 2017 As promised here are some photos of the build so far, starting with the Forecastle: Titanic by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Titanic by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Completely redesigned central hatch which was made to look more like the real one although it's still not exact, but better. Hopefully! Also added a smaller hatch, some extra deck fittings, a cable reel, chain, the anchor and anchor well right at the front and a scratchbuilt crane - if only because I broke the kit supplied one. The hull is complete with the gold in some of the windows (So it's not just a featureless black mass) and some painted railings: Titanic by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Titanic by MikeGBlues, on Flickr And the rest of the deckwork. Boat deck took a while simply because of how much detail was on there. Should have done some things seperate whilst still on the sprue. Still, I got there and i'm happy enough with it although there's a couple of details I wanted to add but became near impossible because of other parts in the way. Titanic by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Titanic by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Titanic by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Titanic by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Titanic by MikeGBlues, on Flickr 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted August 17, 2017 Author Share Posted August 17, 2017 Quick update... Managed to form a couple of brass masts from some 4mm rod. Took a while using a drill, sandpaper, files and elbow grease but not too shabby. Little more shaping as they're still a bit chubby but nearly there! Was hoping to get out in the garden and give everything a clear coat but it wasn't to be. Weather looks poor for the rest of the week too. Brass Masts by MikeGBlues, on Flickr I'm thing of using epoxy to glue the masts in. Any other suggestions / advice would be appreciated. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted September 1, 2017 Author Share Posted September 1, 2017 Just a little update... most of of the decks are in place except the final boat deck. The middle, pretty much hidden deck proved quite a challenge to fit correctly but I got there. Not before I broke a couple of small parts and chipped some paint, grrr! Thought I'd be finished by now but the rigging has proved to be a tedious labour of love. Closing in on the finishing line though. I'll post my final WIP photos tomorrow and then that's it until the final reveal in a week or so. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted September 6, 2017 Author Share Posted September 6, 2017 (edited) So.. I promised a photo update last Saturday but I took a number of steps backwards. A Posca paint pen that decided to dump a load of white paint down the side of the hull, broken cranes, snapped rigging, rigging that wouldn't glue, blah, blah. Extremely frustrating few days but I've finally started moving forwards again. All I have left to do is glue the masts in and attach the rigging to said masts. Bit of rigging on the cranes and lifeboats too and some touching up of the clear coat. Hoping to be finished by the end of the week or early into next week, but we shall see. Here's the final WIP photos: 20170906_211156 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr 20170906_194047 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr 20170906_194126 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Bit of a gap on the lower part of the bridge panel but filling it neatly would be a pain so i'm probably going to leave it. Shockingly bad fit on some of the parts it has to be said! 20170906_194241 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr 20170906_194220 by MikeGBlues, on Flickr Hopefully my next post will be in the finished works section! Edited September 6, 2017 by BluesModeller 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted September 7, 2017 Share Posted September 7, 2017 Just caught up with our build. I think it looks great. What are you rigging with? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted September 7, 2017 Author Share Posted September 7, 2017 7 hours ago, Romeo Alpha Yankee said: Just caught up with our build. I think it looks great. What are you rigging with? Thanks Romeo! the rigging is a combination of Uni-Thread 6/0 in black for the main shrouds and the grey 8/0 for everything else. It's cheap, strong and available in a lot of colours on Amazon and eBay. I did snap a couple of the 8/0 threads but that's more because I snagged them on some sharp edges. Thread size is pretty much to scale and was recommended on the Titanic research and modelling site although I may have gone up a size had I realised just how fine they are. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted September 7, 2017 Author Share Posted September 7, 2017 One last WIP post, mainly so I can test a new tool to easily grab the code off Flickr using an iPad. The masts have been glued in using epoxy. No issues, nice and straight with the correct amount of lean. Just hope the final few steps are as easy as the masts! it won't be finished by the end of the weekend as I have the central heating to sort out. No last gasp for summer then! Generated from my Apple iPad using tools.rackonly.com Generated from my Apple iPad using tools.rackonly.com 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted September 28, 2017 Author Share Posted September 28, 2017 I haven’t given up on this... Had some major issues with the railings on the poop deck... Despite trying to tease into shape in hot water and then clamping whilst it cooled it kept flicking back to it’s original shape. Thought “sod this” and glued it on only to have it crumble. Cue lots of glue to hold it together and.... Melted some of the detail at the rear! Arghhh! Managed to rebuild the detail, salvage the railing and my sanity, so, lessons learned. Most of the rigging is done. Not difficult, just tedious. Currently working on the Marconi Array and then it’s just a few final touch ups. Dare I say it’ll be completed by the weekend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted September 28, 2017 Share Posted September 28, 2017 4 hours ago, BluesModeller said: ..... Dare I say it’ll be completed by the weekend? Can we hold you to this? Seriously though, I will be happy to see it finished when you can. I know I have had a few projects where I expected to finish in short time and I ended up botching something dragging the finish out. No doubt you will get there! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted September 29, 2017 Author Share Posted September 29, 2017 15 hours ago, Romeo Alpha Yankee said: Can we hold you to this? Seriously though, I will be happy to see it finished when you can. I know I have had a few projects where I expected to finish in short time and I ended up botching something dragging the finish out. No doubt you will get there! I think so ( Ducks for cover! ) The Marconi wires are a bit fiddly but i’m getting there. I’ll feel more relaxed when It’s in some kind of display case. Had a look online but the custom made ones are expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesModeller Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 So my prediction was out by 24 hours... Those Marconi wires proved to be a challenge, but it is done, done, done! Will grab some photos and try and get an RFI post up tonight. Neeexxxttt!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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