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Took a boat trip out to the George Bush and harbour tour, the rain thankfully held off. IMGP7284 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr IMGP7283 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr IMGP7279 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr _IMG0232_1 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr _IMG0185_1 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr _IMG0184_1 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr _IMG0180_1 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr _IMG0179_1 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr _IMG0138_1 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr _IMG0106_1 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr _IMG0090_1 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr _IMG0083_1 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr _IMG0218_1 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr The USS Donald Cook (outboard) and USS Phillipine Sea (Inboard) IMGP7291 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr HNoMS Helge Ingstad IMGP7296 by Phillip Wilmshurst, on Flickr Just a small selection of the pictures I took around the George Bush, hope you like Willy

So this is me waay out of my comfort zone...building a ship! I'd say the last one I built was an Airfix 1/600 small ship back in the 70's.. Have gone with this one after reading good things about them. Plus the low price from Creative Models was too good to ignore Really impressed how Hobby Boss pack their kits, with lots of protection for the parts Test fitting is good.. Etch too! Long way from the comfort zone now... Thanks for looking and wish me luck! Cheers, Dermot

Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer - DDG - US Navy. This is DDG-112 USS Michael Murphy. The Michael Murphy is the 62nd Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer and is named after US Navy Seal and Medal Of Honour Recipient Lt Michael P. Murphy. Photos thanks to Mike Costello.

Having just built a 50-year old kit I've embarked on a really good modern kit - Trumpeter's Arleigh Burke-class USS Hopper DDG-70, to be built with minimal extras. Looks like a REALLY good kit. Trumpeter have a "reputation" shall we say, but this kit looks like their high water mark (groan! ;D ) The two builds I've been doing really show up the difference between a good modern kit and an, ahem, older vintage one. Comprehensive instructions, big colour paint chart, nicely bagged and presented parts. Kit comes with waterline option, but the fit to the full hull is outstanding. Seriously good moulded details. This is top quality stuff. They even give you a full sheet of photoetch for all the railings and flight deck nets. Decals are good quality, but unfortunately the numbers are only presented in hi-viz: But you do get the awards and E markings, which is a nice touch. Luckily I have these for the hull numbers: Hawk Graphics lo-vis USN numbers. Despite the high quality of the kit parts, I'm a detail freak, so will add these parts from Veteran Models, they are stunningly good pieces. Started the build easily, it is such a great kit. Falls together from the start. First the waterline plate - perfect fit. Then the main deck - just a bit of tape to keep the seams tight: And at the other end, flight deck and rear bulkhead fits very nicely too. Great details on the bulkhead surfaces, the rest of the kit looks that good too. Another great feature of the kit is that practically every detail is separate, which makes painting a lot easier. And now to the obligatory change of plan...!! Originally I was going to make the USS Hopper straight from the Trumpeter box. But during research for the USS Decatur (DD-936) I kept coming back to its modern day counterpart the Decatur DDG-73. As this is a sister ship of the Hopper (same yard, same flight, same batch) I have decided to build my DDG as the Decatur as well! The only parts of the kit so far that needed filler: Modular construction - just like the real thing! Painting made easy by the fact that all the deck parts are separate from the superstructure parts. Clear windshield parts are coated with a iridescent film to look "cool" Uptakes and exhausts made from two halves per vent - very good fit requiring no filler at all: Main superstructure parts again fit together perfectly: These are all just glued together, no filler required at all! The complete aft funnel assembly - the horizontal sections are not glued, just dry-fitted: This is a fantastic kit! Every now and again Trumpeter really can do a great job, and this is one of those times. Al