Pappy Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 (edited) G'day people, Well, I am still in a nautical mood so this will be the next one I will be working on. The kit has been re-boxed by Italeri but it is the Dragon/DML kit which has been superceded by the Trumpeter offering, but the kit can still be built into a respectable replica from the box, and with a little extra help can still be made into something nice. Dragon released several boxings of the Ticonderoga class ships, representing various versions of both early and later variants. The USS Gettysburg represents a later version with the Vertical Launcher System (VLS) replacing the missile launchers fore and aft of the earlier ships. If you want to make the moist recent versions of the class however, you will need to do some research as there have been several additions and changes to the ship's weapons and sensor suite. The kit however is known to suffer from fit issues and the fit can vary between to okay and it fits where it touches. I have made a start by assembling the hull halves. The fit was not too bad along the centre but there were several sink marks along the top of the bow and above the sonar dome. I spent some time smoothing this area in with putty. The lower rear hull area needed a little more attention I do not like the prop shaft detail, it is a little soft and my parts were a little warped. I will probably replace these with some plastic or ally tube. Coming to the stern, I managed to sand off the detail here trying to eliminate the join seam. The white plastic lump in the corner is the start of the SLQ-25 "Nixie" torpedo decoy system, cheers, Pappy Edited July 12, 2014 by Pappy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 G'day people, A little more progress today. Continuing on with the hull, I have chopped out the warped pop shafts and replaced them with some plastic rod Result! The stern also received some attention with the addition of some styrene bits to represent the SPQ-19 towed array to replace the detail I sanded off during assembly I will drill a hole once the glue has had a chance to dry properly. Putting the hull, to one side, I now spent some time assembling the main superstructure section. My parts were pretty warped whilst on the sprue, especially around the mid section, but I just took my time and glued the two halves about a centimeter at a time. I also added a honking great lump of u-section styrene at the front end to ensure the buts stayed square! I have also added various decks and fittings. I am really only using the instructions as a location guide as I am jumping around the assembly sequence. This is partly because I want to keep progressing the build while some bits are drying but I am also thinking about the painting sequence. Ships are challenging to paint because of all the little nooks and crannies which will be hard to get to later once railings and other assemblies have been attached. Some of the decks don't seem to fit well, as they have quite noticeable steps between the two adjoining areas. The decks themselves also have varying thicknesses with looks a little odd to say the least. The are two exhaust structures, here is the aft unit It lives here The hole is there to allow me to push down on the helicopter hangar to ensure a good fit. I opted not to fit the hangar as per the instructions as this means ai can keep working on the rest of the ship and detail the hangar separately, inserting it afterwards. The other exhaust lives on the uppermost deck of the mid section cheers, Pappy 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jockster Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Quick work already Pappy, lookin forward to watching this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted July 15, 2014 Author Share Posted July 15, 2014 G'day Jockster, I will no doubt bog down when I get to the finer details a little later on. Meanwhile, progress continues! I have assembled the bridge superstructure and installed the main decking The fit was surprisingly good. I say surprisingly because a lot of other builds seem to have fit issues at this point. I did need a little filler to fair in the bridge superstructure into the hull sides, but it did not seem excessive. I also added this spacer to the deck. I needed it as it will push out the side of the aft superstructure section which tends to pull in without some form of support. I now turned my attention to the two mast structures. The aft mast in particular had heavy flash and took along time to clean up. I ended up replacing the upper support arms with some plastic rod, mainly because I hate cleaning up mould lines on round sections, but it is also slightly finer than the kit parts. I decided to scratch the support frame for the foremast as I really did not wish to repeat the laborious task of cleaning up all the mould seams again. Apart from seeming to be an easier method, it also afforded an excellent opportunity to clean up the join seam on the triangular structure at the base. cheers, Pappy 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Looks good so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Oh for fit that good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 (edited) Looks good so far. Oh for fit that good! Thanks fellas, A little bit more progress today. The two masts have received a coat of paint, The masts have been put aside for now, so I started doing the fun bits - the stuff that goes whoosh bang! First up, the two Vertical Launcher Systems (VLS) I didn't realise until afterwards that the two systems are slightly different, the forward unit is inclined up at the rear. I assume this was done so that it sits level on the up swept foredeck? Close In Weapon Systems (CIWIS) I added two tiny ammo feed chutes (one to the front and back of each unit) using some scrap plastic and lead foil. The Harpoon ant-ship launchers I have also worked on the 5"/54 Cal gun turrets. I decided I wanted to have an access door open on each one so I cut out the door and scratched up an interior. I did use a couple of reference pics as a guide, but in this scale adding details is closer to microsurgery than modelling so the gun interiors are more 'representative' than factual! I still need to add the access doors. I made these up from some scrap brass, but i need to add a little detail to the inner doors before they can be painted. cheers, Pappy Edited July 21, 2014 by Pappy 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Nice progress Pappy, When painting the parts you have already completed did you spray the grey? The colour you used for the 'windows' on those parts looks effective, what colour was it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Vale Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 I am intrigued by the ant-ship launchers - must be a small scale thing Very nice work all round. I like the Ticonderoga class - they look modern and purposeful but were early enough to not be slab-sided full stealth designs. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 (edited) Nice progress Pappy, When painting the parts you have already completed did you spray the grey? The colour you used for the 'windows' on those parts looks effective, what colour was it? G'day Ray! I am not sure i understand your question ref spraying the grey? I have sprayed all the grey bits so far. The windows were painted in light green (Vallejo yellow+blue to my taste) then I applied a dark green pin wash. I am intrigued by the ant-ship launchers - must be a small scale thing Very nice work all round. I like the Ticonderoga class - they look modern and purposeful but were early enough to not be slab-sided full stealth designs. Will G'day Will, Thanks. The Harpoon launchers are okay, but the moulds have slipped a little and some of the smaller parts need a lot of sanding to get them looking good. Veteran Models make lots of nice goodies, but I want to see how the kit parts come out before heading down the AM rabbit hole. I like the Tico's as well, but the Spruance look cleaner, cheers, Pappy Edited July 22, 2014 by Pappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Thanks Pappy, you did answer my Q, some brush paint the little bits and pieces, I think spraying looks better. I think the Aus Navy should have got Ticonderogas instead of those Spanish jobbies, would look good with an Aus flag flying from the pointy bits (non nautical term). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob 1 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Looking good, nice paintwork so far. Just a thought with the 20mm Phalanx mounts, the barrel cluster looks so chubby, is it worth snipping it off and replacing with some thinner wire or plastic rod barrels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted July 26, 2014 Author Share Posted July 26, 2014 (edited) Looking good, nice paintwork so far. Just a thought with the 20mm Phalanx mounts, the barrel cluster looks so chubby, is it worth snipping it off and replacing with some thinner wire or plastic rod barrels? G'day Rob I tend to agree, I will see what i can manage. If I had seen the replacement 20mm Phalanx resin items that Veteran Models produce before I started I would have used them instead but I will stick with the kit items on this build. G'day folks, I have managed to finish the 5" guns with the addition of the access doors. I realised that I had painted the barrels the wrong colour and fixed that up as well. The aft exhaust stack is almost done, it just needs the antenna attached. I will add these small details at the end to avoid breakages. The hangar bay door s are now done Plenty of fun masking off the vertical stripes! I also added a little more interest to the SPG-62 missile director antennas. The feed horn and receiver were just a thick finger of plastic. Working from pics, I made a new receiver arm using some laminated strips of plastic. The receiver was built up using PVA wood glue and some copper wire added for interest. And now with paint, cheers, Pappy Edited July 26, 2014 by Pappy 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RNoAF Aerobatic Team Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 Outstanding work on the details! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted July 27, 2014 Author Share Posted July 27, 2014 Outstanding work on the details! Thanks, A little more progress today. I have sprayed some matt white onto the helo deck and the fore/ aft vertical replenishment areas (VRA's). The kit does not provide decals for these markings but instead provides a raised outline on the deck areas. I thought about sanding these off and just masking the details, and whilst this would be simple enough for the VRA's, I don't fancy my luck with the helo deck markings, so for consistency I will retain the raised details. Once I had masked off the deck markings, the deck colour was applied. I have heard that Gunship Grey (FS36118) is a good match but I prefer to use Tamiya German Grey (XF-63) as it closer approximates what i see in my references. I then went over the deck colour with a lighter version to add a subtle mottle to the surfaces as the large areas of grey can end up looking too stark and boring, cheers, Pappy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper_city Posted July 27, 2014 Share Posted July 27, 2014 Great job so far. Looking forward to the end result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Great job so far. Looking forward to the end result. Thanks very much. I have moved on a little. The tedious task of masking the horizontal sections of the main superstructure was carried out over an evening and the hull grey was applied the following day. The masking was removed once the paint had thoroughly dried, and some of the small details have been picked out with a fine brush The rear of the hangar superstructure masking was also de-masked Test fitting revealed that the front section fits well. It clicks into a recessed area aft of the bridge superstructure However, a gap begins to appear the further aft you go until the rear of the deck is well clear of the main deck The hangar superstructure port side should join seamlessly to the hull. This one is going to need a little work! Thanks for looking, cheers, Pappy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 G'day people, Here are some more pics of the supestructure before I attached it to the deck Meanwhile I have been playing around with the ship's boat This does not look like the current ships's boats that I have seen in my reference pics, I think they must have replaced it at some point. I am still deciding which time period and config state I want my Tico to be at. I know Veteran Models make a resin RHIB/ship's boat set so I may end up using these yet, cheers, Pappy 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Love the attention to detail ,highlighting is excellent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Nice work indeed Pappy, I do like the three little radar dishes and the turret detail. Thanks for sharing your build pics. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 Good effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 (edited) G'day people, This will be the last update for a little while as I will be busy with work commitments in the next few weeks. I wanted to leave one of the hangar doors open to give a glimpse of a busy hangar bay with one helo inside all folded up undergoing maintenance. I had some reference pics which showed glimpses of the hangar bay interior but nothing exhaustive, so my detailing efforts were simplistic and mostly fictitious, so please do not assume the details are correct - I havn't! The kit supplies a hangar bay comprised of four flat sections that feature chunky rib details. I have added some random cabling,conduits and pipework as well as some hangar roof sheetwork using sections of styrene strip and rod. I chopped up some sections of thin styrene strip and attached these to the roof stringers to represent hangar lighting. Finally, a 'mezzanine' balcony was added to the interior hangar bulkhead. Some PE watertight doors, PEfire hoses and a balcony railing added a final touch. After a quick blast of semi-gloss white, some of the details were picked out and a pin wash was applied. I added the large flag to give a more candid appearance as it seems common practice to see displays of patriotic pride in my reference pics, and it also makes it harder to see exactly how sparsley detailed the hangar bay actually is! cheers, Pappy Edited August 1, 2014 by Pappy 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share Posted August 26, 2014 (edited) G'day people, Well, I am finally back at the bench and I have made a little progress. The seam between the hangar superstructure and the hull sides has been filled and sanded Now that that has been cleaned up, the major assembly work has come to an end, but not before the rudders were added as it is now the hull's turn to visit the paint shop cheers, Pappy Edited August 26, 2014 by Pappy 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Lovely jubbly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted August 27, 2014 Author Share Posted August 27, 2014 Lovely jubbly! Thanks, and hopefully your speech impediment will clear up soon! Only a small amount of progress today. I built up the small antenna platform that lives on top of the bridge The lattice work was full of mould flash and it was a pain to clean up. It was also moulded in two halves which are split along the top of the platform base. Every time I tried to sand the seam it would break apart. The end cross pieces were very chunky so I ended replacing these with styrene rod. The top of the platform received a styrene disc which helped the thing stay together as well as eliminating the seam. Next up, the SPS-49 radar antenna was assembled. It consists of just four parts (and a strip of styrene!) but looks ridiculously better than the kit item, included here for comparison purposes thanks for looking, Pappy 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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