Zoran Srb

Coming along nicely, keep at it.

Thanks, but let's not exaggerate, I'm OK, but nothing special... BTW USS Atlanta is on a workbench, as promised...

I'm sorry, I completely forgot that you were building this one!! I mean, WOW, just WOW!!! Please don't get me wrong, Falcon is excellent, but the backdrop is PHENOMENAL !!! Since I know that is completely schrech build, sheer imagination (and execution) is mindboggling!! Once again, CONGRATS, you definitely have a winner!!!

Once again into the breach my friends... After somewhat of a long stint from shipbuilding (although I wasn't idle, there are quite a few AC and AFVs in the display cabinet) time has come to get serious again... Anyhow, Very Fire's USS Atlanta DX pack... If there's ever been a ship model that can be built OOB, Very Fire DX series (I'm guessing Cleveland, and Des Moines too), this is it. I only found a "need" to replace 28mm AA and perhaps launches with 3D printed ones (although my laziness might have something to do with that). As usual, I start with the hull. Glued nuts with the help of CA and baking soda. Also added some sprue to help with a torque of the nuts when screwing bolts. The only "issue" that I found so far, are anti-slip walkaways... They are on the thick side, when decals would do much better, but one has to work with what he has. I sanded them down to thickness of masking tape Some preshading on deck and hull... Lower hull painted Deck painted.. And the upper hull... Word of caution.. Decals have an extremely strong adhesive, so be careful. I strongly recommend not using any solvents, just water. Apply a lot of it, manouver the decal in to position, and gradually remove water, whilst manoeuvering the decal in place. Only when decal is 100% in position, only then press the decal... The upper hull is stained and weathered.. More to follow.. Cheers

I disagree. It's not so much that Pontos decks are too pale, it's more, that regardless of manufacturer, all of them are made from a single piece of wood, and that is visible. I just have one step prior to your method. I dilute Humbrol sands and lt.browns, to a very thin mixture,(usually two sands, and two browns), and "stain" individual planks randomly. If thinned properly, it will change the color of the planks slightly (it's important not to overdo it). Then I seal it with varnish-acrylic based (I use Future floor polish), leave it to dry for a few days, and apply oil-based dark grayish-brown (dirty) wash- black wash is too dark for me. In principle I don't use pure black, or pure white on my models, somehow they seem to be out of scale Here's Artwork deck for Graf Spee, just stained in different colors.

Exellent job Sir. I prefer WWII warships, but if I ever come to build a modern warship, she'll be the one... ( and perhaps one of Udaloys... )

She's a beaut. Hope you'll build many more. I have a soft spot for IJN warships, so far Yamashiro, Takao, Kagero, and I-58 are in a display cabinet, with quite a few more to come.

She is very fine indeed. She looks nice, in '42 scheme, I've built mine in '43 color scheme, it's interesting how they differ... If you choose, you can check it out...

Having built two ships with Flyhawk sets (Takao and Yamashiro), I know that they can be a little intimidating, but you can be proud of your effort, especially since this is your second ship. Well done, hope you will make many more. PS. When you use any kind of wash, make sure that you use different bases (acrylic/oil), so you'll be able to remove as much as you wish. I prefer acrylic varnish with an oil-based wash over it, but each to his own. PPS. I understand your disclaimer about swastikas, but as you pointed out, that is about historical accuracy, not about ideology, and I believe that all of us here think the same.

Well done Sir, she's a beaut!!! I especially like the colors and the overall look. I pondered acquiring her, but some time ago, Flyhawk announced her in 350th scale... So I'm waiting....

Very nice indeed. Hope you'll finish her as well as you started. Btw, did you know that the Chinese company SSmodel makes her in 350th scale as a 3D printed model?

Pontos PE is little bit thicker than Fujimi ones (and Flyhawks), so you'll (in most cases) have a second chance... Most forgiving of them all (so far) is Eduard..

Thats correct for white metal ones (steel). For brass, there is no need. If you are trying to make a curve, find something (tool handle, etc) with slightly smaller diameter then curve needed, bend around, and part will straitghen a bit, so it will fit....

If I may... If you use (any kind of) needle, CA tends to slide off, so you have to make a bigger droplet, which by itself might not be suitable. Toothpicks on the other hand soak CA. By trial, I found that stretched sprue works the best. CA doesn't slide, and by stretching sprue in various diameters, you can have different sizes of droplets, as needed. As soon as the sprue gets messed up, cut off that bit, and continue...

Regarding paints and scheme.... According to some sources last dry-dock overhaul (and painting ie http://www.combinedfleet.com/kongo.htm) of Kongo was in Sasebo, whilst the last overhaul of Fuso was in Kure. According to Model master and Tamiya (less so), there is a difference between these two grays (Kure shades are on the right). So beside paint difference, you also have a possibility of aging/ weathering them differently to avoid monotony... But generally, yes, making several IJN warships not to look monotonous, since they (in 95% of cases) are painted the same, do present a challenge....