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Queen Mary 2 1/400 by Revell w/LED's


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Queen Mary 2 1/400 by Revell - Attempt number 4

 

 

 

 

Yes, you read the title correctly, attempt #4!

I first built this kit, successfully back in 2005, but it got lost/destroyed during my separation from my wife. I built it again circa 2007, but to be honest I don't recall what happened to that one. My life went through a period of upheaval around that time. I tried again a few years ago, 2012/13 I think, but due to having a settled but busy life, lost interest/had other projects on the go/etc.

 

All of those were built OOB, and I did think about trying this again last year but found that the kit had been discontinued by Revell and was very hard to get hold of, certainly at a reasonable price anyway. Then, quite by accident, I stumbled across on on Ebay they other day, for pretty much a standard retail price, so I grabbed it!

Ebay Listing here, though it may not show up as the listing has ended, obviously as I bought it lol

 

I knew I wasn't going to be doing this anytime soon as I have an F-14D on the go at the moment, plus, well something else lined up for afterwards which is literally a big project. So I thought about lighting. I've lit a cruise ship before, my Aida Luna here, and have seen others light the QMII and she looks really good. When I built the Aida, LED's were still quite pricey (either that or I didn't shop hard enough) and it cost me twice the cost of the kit just for the LED's. Over 120 in all.


Again, I found a decent listing on Ebay for LED's, so I bought:

50 White 0805

50 Orange 0805

10 Green 0402

20 Warm White 0402

10 Blue 0402

10 Red 0402
150 Resistors

12v AC-DC power supply complete with female socket

A switch ~ of course lol

10 Meters of red and black cable
10 Meters of 0.25mm Fibre Optics

Some heatshrink tubing.

All the above is ordered and paid for, and on it's way.

I still need to order the Artwox Wood deck from BNA Model World, here, and the Gold Medal Models PE set, from here.

 

I'll add some photo's once everything has arrived, been bought. Obviously this won't get under way just yet but leaving this here for any discussions/suggestions/experiences in the mean time.



Thanks


D

 

Edited by dominic_2005
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I’m looking forward to starting mine, although that may not be until next year once I get a couple of aircraft out the way.  

 

I hope #5 is successful and a keeper!

 

I have the Haynes manual for this, although I haven’t read it yet.  Very useful but it doesn’t cover the most recent refit.  I’m in two minds as to whether to go OOB or attempt to build her as she is now.  That may be beyond my still very limited skills.

 

Looking forward to watching you build her!

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1 minute ago, BluesModeller said:

I’m looking forward to starting mine, although that may not be until next year once I get a couple of aircraft out the way.  

 

I hope #5 is successful and a keeper!

 

I have the Haynes manual for this, although I haven’t read it yet.  Very useful but it doesn’t cover the most recent refit.  I’m in two minds as to whether to go OOB or attempt to build her as she is now.  That may be beyond my still very limited skills.

 

Looking forward to watching you build her!

Hiya. I am the same, won't be until well into next year before I get started.

 

Even OOB, this is still an impressive model. The parts are very crisp and well molded, even if some of the railings are out of scale. Only thing I'd say to watch out for is the clear parts. There are a lot of them, and they WILL snap.

And I hope #4 will be successful, as I don't want to buy this again! LOL

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10 minutes ago, dominic_2005 said:

Hiya. I am the same, won't be until well into next year before I get started.

 

Even OOB, this is still an impressive model. The parts are very crisp and well molded, even if some of the railings are out of scale. Only thing I'd say to watch out for is the clear parts. There are a lot of them, and they WILL snap.

And I hope #4 will be successful, as I don't want to buy this again! LOL

#4...  Where did I get 5 from?!  :( 

 

Very pleased with how crisp the kit is.  Hardly and flash or other nasties.  Should make life easier.  The Titanic had flash on many of the parts and similarly out of scale railings.  Hated doing them.

 

I think i’ll Get a few easy to build kits that I can turn to when someof the building gets tedious.

 

Can you remember how long it took you to build the last time?

Edited by BluesModeller
My eyes are going...
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1 hour ago, BluesModeller said:

Can you remember how long it took you to build the last time?

Which one haha!

 

It wasn't a long build the last one I made, few months at most I think. But then, I had 2 kits worth of experience lol

This one can get tedious for sure, especially when it comes to marking the clear railings. Sharpie comes in very handy for that part ;) I think the worst part for repetition is painting the cabin decks. Masking/spraying isn't really an option as I think that would take longer to mask than to just brush paint it. Although if you could get some spare wooden deck sheets....hmm, got me thinking now lol

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2 hours ago, dominic_2005 said:

Which one haha!

 

It wasn't a long build the last one I made, few months at most I think. But then, I had 2 kits worth of experience lol

This one can get tedious for sure, especially when it comes to marking the clear railings. Sharpie comes in very handy for that part ;) I think the worst part for repetition is painting the cabin decks. Masking/spraying isn't really an option as I think that would take longer to mask than to just brush paint it. Although if you could get some spare wooden deck sheets....hmm, got me thinking now lol

I’m thinking it’s going to be one i’m working on -on and off - right through the year.  I found with my Titanic I tried to rush the final few steps as I was getting a bit bored and just wanted it finished.  Not sure I could do that again anytime soon,  certainly not four times.  But if the QM2 goes well I might get hold of another and do a light up version...  Your WIP is going to come in very handy!

 

 

Edited by BluesModeller
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2 hours ago, dominic_2005 said:

 Although if you could get some spare wooden deck sheets....hmm, got me thinking now lol

Sure I've seen one of the manufacturers with generic 1:400 'plain' deck sheeting? (First search result on ebay attached, item#112413436704)

 

ps Remember to use the off cuts and centre cut out pieces from the deck kit ...

 

pps He's had more ships than Cunard:-)

 

 

 s-l1600.jpg

 

Edited by clipper
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Thanks Clipper. I've had a look at the deck sheet and think there will just about be enough spare to do all the cabin balconies.

I have added this to my shopping list though:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/263153457809

 

Frosted clear acrylic sheets. I will use these to act as glazing for the windows and double up as both a diffuser and to hide the wiring inside. I may even use them on the pools...will see how they look.


Thanks

D

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I've just found a couple of pics left over from my last attempt at this, appears I've tried lighting it before too, which I don't recall but clearly I did lol

So this will be the kind of look I am going for, with some changes and improvements...

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Needless to say, gap filling is high on my list of things to improve on this time lol.

 

 

 

D

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Done things like that myself Dominic ie wrong colour, wrong scale, and on one occasion the wrong outline altogether. May not all be lost Dominic, depending on the size of the sm leds you should be able to shift them on. Vehicle modellers use them for headlights / brake lights, also for light bars on emergency vehicles. Wearing my other hat I use them on N scale American locos, as well as in buildings. So you can build a vehicle, a diorama, or set up an HO or N scale railroad. Failing that,pop them on fleabay in the relevant places and get something back.

 

Peter

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They are a mix of of 0402 and 0805's. To be honest I will probably keep hold of them, I am sure I can find a use for them for something. They may even still play a part in this build, if my hands are steady enough to solder them lol



Thanks

D

Edited by dominic_2005
Silly space bar
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The biggest issue with the kit itself is the hull potholes aren't holes. They are molded dents in the plastic.

 

Luckily I found a solution to this on my previous attempt, and using a dremmel and being very gentle, it is possible to sand the inside of the hull to open up those dents without affecting the surrounding hull, thanks to the thickness of the plastic.

 

It's a precarious operation. One slip and the entire section can be ruined. Not to mention it stinks to high heaven. And has to be done slowly with breaks to ensure the plastic doesn't heat up too much and melt.

 

As for not lighting up every window, I plan to use frosted acrylic which I have already and then some thick black card or even plasticard sprayed black to "black out" Windows I don't want lit.

 

Thanks

 

 

D

Edited by dominic_2005
posting on a phone isn't easy
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Well I think I have finalised my plans for this, and my rather large shopping list :huh: (Strike through are items I already have.)

 

The kit:

  • Revell 1/400 Queen Mary 2 £69.99

 

Detail sets:

  • Artwok Wooden Deck £43.76
  • Gold Medal Models PE set £48.99

Paints:

  • Ak Interactive White Primer x2 £10.50
  • Ak Interactive Grey Primer x2 £10.50
  • Ak Interactive Gloss Varnish x1 £5.25
  • Ak Interactive Matt Varnish x1 £5.25
  • Ak Interactive Satin Varnish x1 £5.25
  • Ak Interactive White x5 £10.00
  • Ak Interactive Old Rust x2 £4.00 - Anti Foul Paint
  • Ak Interactive Dunkelgrau Shadow x2 £4.00 - Hull
  • Ak Interactive Satin Black x1 £2.00 - Smoke Stack
  • Ak Interactive Intense Red x1 £2.07 - Smoke Stack diffuser
  • Ak Interactive Dust x1 £2.00 - Rear pool deck/Possibly Cabin Balconies if my other plan fails
  • Ak Interactive Medium Rust x1 £2.00 - Lifeboats/Auxiliary craft
  • Ak Interactive Cockpit Turquoise x1 £2.07 - Swimming pool walls/floors
  • Ak Interactive Brown Leather Camoflage x1 £2.07 - Hand rails
  • Tamiya Smoke Acrylic x1 £1.75 - Most of the clear windows/rails

 

Swimming Pools:

  • Ak Interactive Still Water resin. £9.89 - Swimming pools

 

Lighting:

  • 60 x 3mm Warm White £13.47 - Internal Lighting
  • 5 x 3mm Red flat tops £1.49 - Navigation lamps driving LED
  • 5 x 3mm Green flat tops £1.49 - Navigation lamps driving LED
  • 20 x 3mm Blue £4.49 - Swimming pool lights driving LED
  • 40 x 2mm White flat tops £15.98 - Internal/External lighting
  • 40 x 0402 1mm SMD's White pre-wired £9.98 - External lighting/Misc
  • 10m 0.25mm Fibre Optic £2.75 - Various
  • 10m 0.50mm Fibre Optic £3.50 - Various
  • 10m 0.75mm Fibre Optic £1.80 - Various
  • 10m 1.00mm Fibre Optic £2.60 - Various
  • 5m 2.00mm Fibre Optic £9.99 - Various
  • 12v DC power supply + female socket + switch £6.56
  • Red/Black cable £9.40
  • Adjustable Temp soldering iron £18.90
  • 60-40 solder £3.95
  • LED Tester - £2.99
  • Resistors £2.82
  • Clear Frosted Acrylic £3.99
  • Black Card - £4.25
  • Styrene Tube 5mm x 3mm(Int) £3.10 - Fibre Optic driving LED holders
  • Heat Shrink Tubing 1.6mm £0.99
  • Heat Shrink Tubing 2.4mm £0.99
  • Heat Shrink Tubing 3.2mm £1.09
  • Heat Shrink Tubing 4.8mm £1.09
  • Heat Shrink Tubing 6.4mm £1.19
  • Heat Shrink Tubing 9.5mm £1.19
  • 7mm x 2mm Strips £11.55 - Supports
  • 9mm x 2mm Strips £13.20 - Supports

 

I think that is just about everything....I'll edit this if I think of things I need.

I think this is more for my own benefit lol, gives me a convenient place to store my requirements.


Thanks

D

 

Edited by dominic_2005
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Hello.

I'm still working on the planning for this build, as can be seen in my post above, and I am gradually getting through ordering the various components.

In the mean time, I have been drafting out how I plan on lighting her, and rough positions for the various LED's and Fibre Optics. So far I've come up with 4 plans, each one a "layer" of lighting/optics. There are a number of things I've excluded at this time, and will approach them later or when I am actually building the model.

Sooo...

Layer #1 - This is the lowest layer in the hull, and the LED's in this section are just for the windows in the lower hull, and at the stern.

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Layer #2 - The LED's in this layer roughly correspond with the beginning of the white section of the hull, and below the lifeboat deck.

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Layer #3 - This is level with the lifeboat deck, and is mainly driving LED's for the fibre optic "lamps" which will run the length of that deck, along with a single LED for the section at the stern. (Mixed in here somewhere will be blue driving LED's for the swimming pool). The "squares" you can see along each side of the hull are for the main, spotlights I guess you could call them, which run just below this deck. I plan on using pre-wired SMD's for those.

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Layer 4 - This is for 90% of the cabin lighting, along with LED-driven fibre optics for the balcony lamps. Random windows will be blacked out with plasticard, and some that are lit won't have the balcony lamp on, and vice versa. Hopefully this will add a little randomness and life to the lighting.

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Count so far:

Warm White: 54

Bright White: 33
Bright White SMD's: 25

Green: 1 (lol)



Planning continues....



Thanks


D

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The kit itself finally arrived today, which was a relief as it was a private listing and I was starting to have concerns.

The box was a bit battered, but the listing did mention that. Not to worry, I am not building a box lol. As is always the case with this kit, it was well packed. Nothing looks like it had ever been opened so will have been fairly well preserved, aside from the obligatory broken stairs on the main deck piece. Don't think any of the kits I've had of this ship have been intact, usually something is damaged. Clean break so simple fix though.

I know you guys have probably seen pics of the contents a thousand times before, but well, here they are again.

Thanks


D

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y4m17BRBU-36Z35kBwXqqE-P2K19SmJMcihrEjeC

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10 minutes ago, Murdo said:

That looks like a fairly big and seriously complex kit even before your add ons!   Wow!

Yep...  I thought “Oh Boy!” When I opened mine up!

 

I have a clear part that’s broken in my kit... If I remember since I inspected it I think it’s off the sprue, so should be ok.

 

Dominic, what is your method for gluing such a large hull?

 

Do / did you run some all around the edge and then clamp, do it in sections or wick some thin cement into the already clamped joint?

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7 hours ago, BluesModeller said:

Yep...  I thought “Oh Boy!” When I opened mine up!

 

I have a clear part that’s broken in my kit... If I remember since I inspected it I think it’s off the sprue, so should be ok.

 

Dominic, what is your method for gluing such a large hull?

 

Do / did you run some all around the edge and then clamp, do it in sections or wick some thin cement into the already clamped joint?

I've tried both. To be honest clamp and wick I find the better method. With applying then clamping, on such a long hull, I usually end up having to redo the half I did first as the glue starts to cure before I get chance to get the two halves together, then there is positioning time...with clamp and wick I can get everything lined up first.


D

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