LHA1 Tarawa in progress,slow isn't the word

[mollythedog]

About 2 months ago I was toying with the idea of buying a negative scanner. I'd seen one advertised at the local Lidl,but wasn't sure if I could really justify another gizmo. I thought I'd look through my photos and negs and see if they were worth saving. I imagine there are many others with box(es) of 35mm prints and negs of long forgotten air shows,models shows,port visits and Navy Days etc.

Anyway,one of the photos I came across was of a master model of a Tarawa class LHA, a sort of large aircraft carrier/assault carrier/amphibious attack thingy-huge by UK standards,as any photo of one near one of our puny (and being scrapped) CVLs will show.

I could date the photo roughly only because I knew the decor in the background,and thus,which house it was taken in. It had to be 25 years,certainly more than 23,the age of our son. The model had been worked on,off more than on,for all those years,and never been completed. It had been used as a test bed for casting,both originally in resin,and later in metal,several times over.

Forgetting the photos and negs, I got the latest incarnation out of its box,where it had laid for about 5 years,along with several sisters-hull was cast and primed,bridge assembly built,using an earlyish attempt at photo etch draughting. I thought I'd better finish it,finally. A few days later, a mate in the US sent me an evocative photo,quite by coincidence,showing LHA 4 Nassau, a later sister,being towed out of Norfolk Va. on the way to either a SINKEX or lay up in Philadelphia,minus masts and looking in a sorry state. A class of ships had come and gone and I hadn't managed to finish one,tiny 1/1250 scale model....

Thought I'd better make a restart-posting it on here might make me finish it......at this stage,I still didn't have deck gear nor an airgroup,so had to make CH53s,AV8s etc.along with a few other bits.

And the other side-

[Shar2]

I'm always amazed at the level of detail you manage to get in such a very small scale. She looks amazing. Just a side note, when I was on HMS Invincible we sailed with the Tarawas sister ship USS Saipan in the Med in 1990, (nearest ship in this picture).

[mollythedog]

A nice picture,thanks for sharing,well illustrates what I meant. Big boxes,typically American and functional.

Now with some paint,but lots still to do...the model itself is a snapshot of stuff I was doing 10-15 years ago,and was,as I said,more a test bed than anything. Don't think of it as small scale,just modelling. I marvel at the bigger stuff,and would like to have the luxury of the room to show it off and the skill to make it.

and the other side-

[daz greenwood]

Superb work so far

[mollythedog]

The bridge painted. Still a few bits to add.

The other side. There are some strange gubbins,atop the flyco and starboard bridge wing-I assume some sort of comms equipment.I have since hacked off these parts and remade them,as they were much too crude.

[daz greenwood]

That's superb detail and painting.

[mollythedog]

One of the joys of not working in a box scale,I have to make it all myself. I could never get around to making the aircraft for this project,but it would look pretty empty without,so I had to in the end.

Here are some master parts of deck tractors,prior to casting/painting-

and one of the CH53D cast and painted-

I don't know if both colours operated off the deck at the same time,but USMC equipped ships seem a bit more mix and match than the regular USN,from the little I have seen.

mtd

[daz greenwood]

Very nice Micro vehicles and choppers there.

Looking forward to the next update.

[crookedmouth]

I don't think you got the weathering quite right on those choppers.

Consider my gob well and truly smacked. Any chance of a little more detail on how you built those helos?

[mollythedog]

I agree that the colours of the helos look a bit garish-this is the first time I used Vallejo colours for these things,but wanted something less drab than Olive Drab,which at such a small size would look too ....drab,for want of a better word. They don't look quite so loud when viewed at normal size and distance.

As for the construction of the models,they are all made with plastic card,Milliput and Green Stuff,plus Liquid Poly. Each will have their own preferred brands or types,these are mine. Slaters seem to make the best Plastic card,and Evergreen are the best for profiles. The CH53D master shown was made from a length of 100 thou x 80 thou I think,carved/shaped and with bits glued on. Working "clean" and square are the major requirements,and the material costs minimal-just patience and time. Make several if you need them by doing them all at the same time. Sorry, I have the bad habit of using my thumb as a palette,looks awful.

Where others can be seen leaving SMW with kits the size of teachests,I walk out with a couple of bundles of Evergreen.....each to his own!

This is the LCAC,complete with vehicles (LAV 25,6 x 6 Truck and Hummer) that I made several years ago to go with the LHA.

mtd

[Dads203]

Fine work ...I bet you have good eyesight !

[jimbuna]

Fantastic detail on such a small scale.

[crookedmouth]

Ive seen a lot of astounding work here on BM, but I think that this is probably the best. In my opinion, it ranks up there with the Lego aircraft carrier and that Dutch bloke who's building a Noah's Ark in his back garden (and by the way, I was kidding about the weathering on the helos)

Edited May 12, 2011 by crookedmouth

[mollythedog]

I have managed to add some aircraft,and the boat stowage and crane,as well as the stowed LCMs are on. The model is largely based on a series of photos published in "World Super Carriers" by Tony Holmes and Jean Pierre Montazet (ISBN 0-85045-848-x) an Osprey soft back photo book. It represents the ship quite early on,with AV8C,and no CIWS nor updatede electronic gear.t Her later appearance was a bit different,and the aircraft were more modern too of course.

And the other view-

Thanks for the comments. I think there are some superb models on this site,this is just one of my own efforts and nothing special. As I said at the beginning,it is a way of getting my backside in gear to finish it before I croak.

Still more a/c,deck vehicles,weapons and possibly FD crew to add.....

[daz greenwood]

Fantastic work on that LCAC and Helo's

[mollythedog]

Slowly getting there....

6 single 20mm mounts in place now,all etched.Some FD crew,extra vehicles and the AV8s,but it is getting a little cramped and difficult to handle. The model weighs about 1 pound (450g) which might not sound a lot,but is compared to the average 1/700th kit,but it is cast metal as opposed to plastic of course.

A wider view-

Still got to add paint to a few things,but they show up better in brass!

mtd

[jimbuna]

Amazing work.

[crookedmouth]

What he said

[mollythedog]

I did finally manage to "finish" this thing a little while ago,but a trip to Berlin got in the way and I forgot to post the final shots. To be honest,I'll probably never really finish this,adding bits as and when I get the chance.Still,after more than 20 years I have something to show for the work,and my collection of 1/1250 models.

I took the model with me on my trip,and it has now 3500 kms on the clock,without any damage,apart from me dinging the "comb" array on top of the mainmast.

Thanks for your interest. On to the next project....

mtd

[Silver Fox]

words fail me. I can't begining to describe how I feel about this amazing piece of work.

[jimbuna]

Truly amazing!!

[Guest raiderhall]

i really like your build sir.

[Chris Hewitt]

just blown away with the detail WOW ,GREAT BUILD

[crookedmouth]

That is truly insane. You have my deepest respect.

[bruce3371]

Lovely job, I wish I had eyesight as good as that lol