Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted June 21, 2018 Share Posted June 21, 2018 11 minutes ago, Chewbacca said: Happy to help 😁 though my speciality is to take aged Airfix 1/600 and try to turn them into something half decent,; I'm not really into modern kits. That said, I was given the Atlantic models 1/350 ARROW and NEWCASTLE for Fathers Day to be built as two of my former ships, ALACRITY and GLASGOW. In fairness, the thing that has also put me off talking to AMW about doing some builds for them is the photography requirement. Though I can build the models, write the words and take a decent model photo, I've never quite managed to get that seamless white or blue background that they seem to want. The challenge I find with this or any other elastic rigging line is that the tension is so much that they bend brass yard arms or mastheads which is why these days I tend to revert back to extended sprue. Any tips you've got as to how to get the rigging line in place without bending the mast the minute you let go of the free end would be appreciated. It sounds like you're actually stretching the stuff. The Infini Model line I use can be roughly doubled in length from simply drawing any sag out of it (which is where you want to be) versus pulling it tight. I expect Uschi line is similar in behaviour. The latter bends masts and yard arms - the former doesn't and also is virtually indestructable. A key to getting the tension right - and by that I mean minimal - is to work from the reel. I attach one end first leaving a tail and once that's secure, I reel out enough to reach the other attachment, apply the glue dot then straighten the line and lay it into the glue. Once dried I trim the tails off by pulling those taught and sawing against the yard with a fresh scalpel blade. If you try working with loose bits (if that's what you're doing?) you'll really struggle with tension HTH? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted June 21, 2018 Author Share Posted June 21, 2018 (edited) Must admit to a certain affection for the old Airfix kits, I keep meaning to get hold of the original Scharnhorst and detailing the heck out of it...I like the look of the original bow shape along with fond memories of building the thing back in the sixties as an overly excitable schoolboy. For now though and even though it has the later Atlantic bow, I'll 'make do' with the old 1/700th Tamiya kit that I managed to pick up for a fiver recently and the Flyhawk sets and MK1 wooden deck. I feel a dramatic dio coming on! Look forward to seeing what you do with the Atlantic Models. The photography is pretty straightforward really. Of course, there's an initial outlay for the gear but it's already more than paid for itself with the magazine work, to be honest. I had acquired the camera well beforehand and of course, you can buy cheaper gear but this set up works for me. I use a Nikon D7200 with a 60mm Nikon AF-S ED and 40mm AF-S DX (both macros) and a Nikon 50mm 1.2G prime. For lighting, a couple of 360-watt studio strobes slaved to the camera via remote triggers fired through softboxes with reflector brollies. The background card is just standard A1 Ice White and Electric Blue photo card. I know this setup isn't cheap but it's well worth the outlay if you want to do this sort of work, (I use it for many other subjects as well). Jamie's right, work from the reel, I attach one end to a piece of plastic card on the bench top using a piece of Tamiya tape and then feed out the line to a few cms longer than I need and cut. The Uschi rigging line is extremely fine, in the case of the 'superfine' it's almost hair thin and very elastic. There's hardly any tension involved really and unless the yardarm isn't attached properly (and yes, this has happened) everything 'should' be OK. You really need three hands but I hold the line with one set of tweezers and stretch it slightly beyond the point where you want it fixed, apply a tiny drop of CA to a point on the yardarm, (never directly to the line, or it will 'fizzle', even the fumes can cause this so it's a good idea to blow over it gently first), lay the stretched line over it then carefully pull the end a bit further and cut with microscissors...it will automatically spring back into the CA on the yardarm leaving no excess hanging off. Sounds more complicated than it is to perform. It's OK until friends or family see you sat there with head loupe magnifier on, 3X magnification saucer eyes, LED lights blasting, daylight lamp blazing, hands waving everywhere, cursing and looking for all the world like a demonic Doc Emmet Brown from Back to the Future... Edited June 22, 2018 by general melchett 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 I'm doing basically what both of you suggest, but to be fair I am using EZ line which to get it to the right thickness has to be stretched to about 5/6 times its original length so perhaps that's the problem. I will get some Uschi or Infini before I do my next batch of rigging and give that a go. Thanks for your help. My camera eqpt is not dissimilar to you General M (Canon rather than Nikon) but what I don't have is the lighting rig and hence I get deep shadows from the flash or discolouration from the not quite so natural lighting if I shoot without flash. How do you set up the background card so that you get a seamless join from the horizontal to the vertical? The only time I tried to introduce a natural roll to length of white card to eliminate a harsh angle, the tension in the card nearly threw the model onto the floor! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAAMAN Posted July 8, 2018 Share Posted July 8, 2018 Superb Dido class build, exceptional finish, very well done indeed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted July 8, 2018 Author Share Posted July 8, 2018 Sorry for the late reply Chewy, been a bit busy with things. Two white cards are used, the 'background' one is just curved gently upwards from the desktop to vertical, against a wall. The top end of a second card is then placed over the bottom of the background one, (to eliminate a seam from a low angle) and the front of this card drooped down over the front of the photographic table. The strobes totally eliminate any shadows as they are all synchronized to fire simultaneously via remotes. Hope this helps a bit. Sounds a lot more complicated than it really is! Thanks FAAMAN, appreciated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamwalker Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 No such thing as Eastern Approaches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted July 10, 2018 Author Share Posted July 10, 2018 True Graham, I was only listing Lifecolor's paint set as supplied, (though it's actually labelled as 'Eastern Approach, Early War, Set 1' for some reason). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtickWarspite Posted July 11, 2018 Share Posted July 11, 2018 Absolutely spectacular! Something so detailed in such a small scale begs to be admired. Really looking forward to seeing the article! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 On 08/07/2018 at 21:52, general melchett said: Sorry for the late reply Chewy, been a bit busy with things. Two white cards are used, the 'background' one is just curved gently upwards from the desktop to vertical, against a wall. The top end of a second card is then placed over the bottom of the background one, (to eliminate a seam from a low angle) and the front of this card drooped down over the front of the photographic table. The strobes totally eliminate any shadows as they are all synchronized to fire simultaneously via remotes. Hope this helps a bit. Sounds a lot more complicated than it really is! Thanks, I think I follow that. Will need to invest in some better flash equipment I think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 On 6/15/2018 at 4:00 PM, general melchett said: Thanks chaps, appreciated, Only courtesy of Specsavers! (well OK, an LED Head Loupe and a 3X lens). Superb stuff, but it's not really cricket,,, the classic Mk.1 Eyeball should be the kit! Al 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 (edited) Quote Will need to invest in some better flash equipment I think Chewy, there are plenty of decent units online. Just flick through a few reviews to see what's available. I actually got mine via Ebay four years ago and except for changing a couple of modelling bulbs, they work perfectly. Quote but it's not really cricket,,, the classic Mk.1 Eyeball should be the kit! Thanks Al, it used to be...when carrots were in favour and driving the family jalopy not a constant avoidance tactic, but sadly, time, the odd pink gin and PC monitors have all taken their ugly toll...on a good day I can sometimes see the benchtop! Edited July 12, 2018 by general melchett 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 On 12/07/2018 at 23:12, general melchett said: Chewy, there are plenty of decent units online. Just flick through a few reviews to see what's available. I actually got mine via Ebay four years ago and except for changing a couple of modelling bulbs, they work perfectly. Will do some research - thanks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 On 7/12/2018 at 11:12 PM, general melchett said: ...the odd pink gin and PC monitors have all taken their ugly toll...on a good day I can sometimes see the benchtop! It's the new technology I have difficulty with...the laser headband illuminated magnifying loop apparatus. I've tried. Al 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 excellent work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 That is incredible General (Admiral?) Such beautiful and delicate work, a real joy to look at. Cheers John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted July 18, 2018 Author Share Posted July 18, 2018 Thanks chaps, very kind of you. Quote It's the new technology I have difficulty with...the laser headband illuminated magnifying loop apparatus. I've tried. Yes, Al, I had a lot of problems with the infernal combustion engine when it was first introduced to our part of the world...last year, kept running over the chap with the red flag! The first laser headband illuminated magnifying loop apparatus I bought from the US Army was a somewhat cumbersome affair...these later johnnies are a lot more 'user-friendly' and don't require a two-man team, diesel generator and tractor unit. John, thanks, there are quite a few more on the bench. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoscar Posted July 18, 2018 Share Posted July 18, 2018 Bonjour It is superb precision and finesse. Marc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 What a splendid and superbly executed example of small scale ship modelling. Like that very much. Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 What a little beauty Andy,.... I loved it in the magazine and I have a soft spot for this class anyway, they were a godsend in the Med on the Malta runs! I read about HMS Naiad`s demise last year while on a cruise and sailing off the coast of Crete,... which was quite sobering! Once again the Army owed a massive debt to the Senior Service for rescuing so many troops from Crete. Cheers Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 Thanks chaps, Tony, you're quite right mate, the Didos played a vital role in the Med with the Malta convoys and Crete ops, a tough little class, sadly sunk. like so many by a marauding U-boat. The smaller classes are often overshadowed by the bigger battlewagons but these had to work hard for their keep, massive respect to all those who sailed and paid the ultimate price in them, heroes to a man. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgizlu Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 Hugely impressive - well done Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted July 27, 2018 Author Share Posted July 27, 2018 Thanks Rob, appreciated. Can't sing Flyhawks praises high enough, just hope they continue the good work and provide us with more RN cruisers and destroyers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 Beautiful work, Andy, and (as others have said) all the more so when you realise how small she is. @Chewbacca, I’m loving my Atlantic 1/350 Dido (Ikara Leander Dido, that is, not WW2 cruiser), so you won’t regret that Father’s Day present. Delighted to hear that AMW are going to do more ships, too. There is a limit (though, apparently not) to the number of “usual suspect” builds that can retain interest... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted August 21, 2018 Author Share Posted August 21, 2018 Thanks Crisp, appreciated, look forward to seeing your Dido finished, I've heard great things about the Atlantic kits. Apols for not commenting on your build sooner but I've been 'up ter 'ere' with stuff and only just about started to catch up with myself (often running past in the other direction!)...I'll pop over for a gander. Quote Delighted to hear that AMW are going to do more ships, too. There is a limit (though, apparently not) to the number of “usual suspect” builds that can retain interest... Luckily the editors share our enthusiasm for things nautical, the aim is to have more content in the future, I've taken on the mantle of getting some in (actually, I have a 1/700th Hasegawa IJN Furataka in this months issue). I'd like to shake things around a bit, mixing new and old subjects to keep things fresh. Although I particularly like the small stuff there are also a few big, complex projects underway at the moment that will hopefully be of interest to some. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndM Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 Most impressive build with all these details "squeezed" into this little scale. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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