180,000 mules for sister Sara

[general melchett]

 

Hi all, this is Tamiya's lovely little 1/700th USS Saratoga, circa 1945. I built this one for Airfix Model World four years ago and it was the first ship I'd built for over 25 years, what a great little kit it is. Quite a few extras were added including additional Hellcats and Avengers for the Air Wing, using the Trumpeter packs, as Tamiya only supplied four of each type. The packs certainly came in handy but each aircraft had to be modified to include the starboard wing mounted night radar radomes, (F6F-5N and TBM-3D). Gold Medals PE was used for the aircraft and Toms Modelworks for the carrier's superstructure along with many scratch built parts, using the excellent David Doyle USS Saratoga Squadron at Sea book for reference. The excellent Five-Star USN radar set FS700029 was used to replace the clunky kit parts. Uschi Van der Rosten supplied the rigging line. 

 

Painted using Lifecolor acrylics and WEM enamels and weathered with Abteilung Oils, and AK products and the deck markings were all stencilled and airbrushed on.

 

All in all a lot of fun and certainly whetted my appetite to build more maritime subjects. The sea base was also my first attempt and as much fun as the kit to be honest. Plenty more to come.

 

Hope you like it

 

Cheers 

 

Melchie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[stevehnz]

Lovely job there General, I recall it in the mag & was impressed then. Still am, the seascape is especially nice, it catches that clear blue shimmering Pacific Ocean look to a T.

Steve.

[keefr22]

Cracking model again Andy, and I completely agree with Steve about the seascape, it looks wonderful!

 

Keith

[Dave Swindell]

That's an excellent result Andy, especially so for a first attempt at a seascape.

If you're going to attempt another, may I 'umbly suggest looking at the wake patterns and checking out the link in my recent post to Bandsaw Steve in his excellent Carpathia build as per below

 

[Martian]

Very tasty your Generalship and much better looking than the floater I had been anticipating.

 

Relieved of Mars 👽

[general melchett]

Thanks guys, very much appreciated, glad you like it,

Quote

 

That's an excellent result Andy, especially so for a first attempt at a seascape.

If you're going to attempt another, may I 'umbly suggest looking at the wake patterns and checking out the link in my recent post to Bandsaw Steve in his excellent Carpathia build as per below

 

Cheers Dave and thanks for the link, funnily enough, I read that article a while back and it made a lot of sense, really interesting stuff. I've finished a few of these now and hopefully improved with each one. This one was more about playing around with the materials really and helped to get a handle on using them, looking forward to experimenting further, after all, that's the fun of this old hobby.

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Very tasty your Generalship and much better looking than the floater I had been anticipating.

Ha, thanks Martian, glad it wasn't quite what you thought...

[Bandsaw Steve]

3 minutes ago, general melchett said:

 

Cheers Dave and thanks for the link, funnily enough, I read that article a while back and it made a lot of sense, really interesting stuff. I've finished a few of these now and hopefully improved with each one. This one was more about playing around with the materials really and helped to get a handle on using them, looking forward to experimenting further, 

Good day Sir,

 

Am impressed with the finish you have achieved with that sea-scape. I would be very interested to see / read about the methods and materials you used. Perhaps next time you could get one of your staff officers to write a WIP thread? I’m sure the entire outfit would benefit from such a training manual.

 

I remain Sir, your most obedient servant

 

Steve,

Bandsaw,

Royal Regiment of West Australian Miniaturists

 

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday General, not bad - for a soldier 😀. Seriously I think it is very good, from anybody's point of view. And you've got others on the slipway or drawing board? I'm looking forward to seeing them. Regards, Jeff.

[perdu]

Good water Melchett old man, a sharp session of desalination and I could consider it with a dram

 

At a pinch...

 

 

 

 

And the ship, a tour de force mon brave

 

And ah yes this reminds me not to be surprised, you General m'man are a fabulously good Modeller

 

More of this genre if you would be so kind

[general melchett]

Thanks guys, that's very kind of you all. 

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I would be very interested to see / read about the methods and materials you used. Perhaps next time you could get one of your staff officers to write a WIP thread? I’m sure the entire outfit would benefit from such a training manual.

Steve, I wrote an article on creating waterscapes when I built the Aoshima Nagato a couple of years ago, I'll dig out and post a list of materials and methods I found useful, (a few extras to what was used here on the Sara). Jim Bauman and Chris Flodberg, both amazingly talented maritime modellers are great inspirations, every ship modeller should look at their styles, their seascapes have to be seen to be believed. Great work on the Carpathia BTW, can't wait to see that one finished. I'm so busy at the moment that I don't get enough time to look through everything I'd like to here on BM but I'll happily give you any input you feel you might need.

 

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And you've got others on the slipway or drawing board? I'm looking forward to seeing them. 

Thanks Jeff, I have eight on the slips at the moment, mostly battleships/battlecruisers (WW1 and II) in both 1/700th and 1/350th but also a couple of unusual merchant subjects. There just aren't enough maritime models in magazines these days and I'm doing my level best to address that.

 

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Good water Melchett old man, a sharp session of desalination and I could consider it with a dram

At a pinch...More of this genre if you would be so kind

 

Ha, thank ye kindly Bill, I certainly will (suitable remuneration in the post).....but I'm not sure I'd care to mix Liquitex, texture paste, CA, tissue paper and cotton with yer tot unless you wanted to invent a sure-fire cure for chronic constipation.....it'll bind you up something rotten. 

 

 

[Rob 1]

I agree with many comments above; very nice subtle finishing on the ship and the sea, and just a very high standard all round, particularly considering this is in 1:700.

[Chewbacca]

Looks just as good on the screen as it did in the magazine Andy.

 

I know that Stu is trying to get some more maritime subjects in AMW which is a really good thing so you certainly have my full support.  I did wonder about replying to his plea in the last issue for some more maritime modellers to join the fray but its the photography that puts me off and I know we've had a conversation about that in the past.  I can take half decent photographs but not with the no flash, natural light, blue or white monotone backgrounds that are required, at least not without slowing down my already slow progress!

[Bill.B]

Fantastic model, and you must have the patience of a saint to do all those tiny aircraft! 

[stevej60]

Outstanding work as we've come to expect Melchie,beautiful seascape too.

[general melchett]

Thanks chaps, very much appreciated.

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I know that Stu is trying to get some more maritime subjects in AMW which is a really good thing so you certainly have my full support.  I did wonder about replying to his plea in the last issue for some more maritime modellers to join the fray but its the photography that puts me off and I know we've had a conversation about that in the past.  I can take half decent photographs but not with the no flash, natural light, blue or white monotone backgrounds that are required, at least not without slowing down my already slow progress!

 

 

Thanks Chewy, you're right, he is. I've got my hands full with enough ship projects for the mag to start a navy at the moment as well as the new Airfix aircraft releases and some more unusual topics...but there are only so many hours in the day and if I want to stay out of the divorce courts I have to spend my time wisely! Saying that you really should reply to him and see what he suggests. I'm more than happy to give you tips on the photography and editorial writing side of things if need be. Studio strobes aren't terribly expensive and once you start having a few articles published it doesn't take long to pay them off. 

 

Bill...once you've rigged a few 1/700th battleships and cruisers, aircraft seem pretty reasonable, (though tedious). It's when I get onto rigging cutters and schooners that my vows might slip!

 

Thanks Steve, plenty more to come...

Edited April 3, 2019 by general melchett

[magpie1832]

Very nice General the sea Scape is awesome. Would love for my Next one to turn out this good. I don't have the knowledge or skill to do a sea base so will stick to a pedestal. 

 

Chris

[AndyPG]

Incredible water.

Very nice.

 

Andy.

[general melchett]

Thanks fellas, that's very kind of you. 

 

With regard to the water, Steve asked,

 

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I would be very interested to see / read about the methods and materials you used. Perhaps next time you could get one of your staff officers to write a WIP thread? I’m sure the entire outfit would benefit from such a training manual.

So I hope this helps. The technique I used for the Sara was essentially the same as this, although as styles and knowledge evolve I decided to try out other materials as here with the 1/700th Aoshima Nagato, built a few months after the Saratoga (ironic that they both ended up being used in the Crossroads atomic tests at Bikini after the war). I've included images from my article in AMW, which I hope is of some use. 

 

 

Basic materials...for the base, a strip of scrap wooden laminate flooring was cut to length, appropriate for the length of the model and sanded smooth to remove the satin finish.  The 'water' itself is a piece of stock textured watercolour paper, in this case, Bockingford Rough (300gsm) obtained from a local Art supplier which featured a medium rippled effect that would simulate disturbed water, appropriate to this scale. 

 

 

The first step was to draw around the base of the hull which was placed in an ideal position on the card. The silhouette was then cut out carefully using a sharp scalpel and the ship's intended direction of travel marked out on the base. Angled looks good but in this case, I wanted the model to run the length of the diorama base.

 

 

 

 

As this was to be a sea with a fairly heavy swell the larger waves needed to be replicated. One way to do this was by using cocktail sticks placed in lines running diagonally across the water at measured intervals. These were stuck to the baseboard using PVA glue and the ends cut squarely to ensure that the edge of the water. Once dry the paper was fitted onto the board and glued into place using the same PVA glue and weighted down being careful not to put any undue pressure on the crests of the waves which would leave creased edges, the waves needed to have a smooth rolling look to them. The next stage was to test fit the hull base to ensure a snug fit. With the wave effect rolling down the length of the hull, portions of the red antifouling paint line would be exposed.

 

 

 

The next stage was to seal the paper ready for painting and to do this liquid CA was poured over the piece and using an old paintbrush quickly worked over the entire surface, obviously the glue dried quickly so work had to be done as quickly as possible. 

Once dry the exposed gaps on the edges of the board needed to be treated and for this automotive filler, in this case, Isopon P.38 was worked into these areas and smoothed off. The advantage of this particular filler was that it could be easily sanded soon after application, remember to continue wearing a mask and safety goggles as the fumes of the CA and filler could still be active. 

 

 

 

 

With the hull clear of the base the painting of the piece could commence. Colours varied from ocean to ocean and as this was to depict a Pacific scene the accent needed to be more on the blue end of the spectrum. The first job was to airbrush a pre-shade of dark blue-grey into the troughs between the main waves to add depth, in this case, Mr Hobby Aqueous  H-54 Navy Blue was used. Bow and mid-hull waves along with representations of the seething mass of water at the stern were created with Daler-Rowney 128 250 017 Texture Paste. A topcoat of heavily thinned Tamiya XF-17 Sea Blue was then airbrushed over the entire diorama, with highlights of XF-83 MSG and XF-42 IJN Grey added to the uppermost rolls of the waves. 

 

 

 

 

To replicate the underwater air bubble wake pattern, sections of tissue paper were torn into thin strips and laid along the outer edges of the hull cutout. The placement of the trips was such that they fanned out slightly, from bow to stern. It was important to note that the torpedo bulges altered the smooth flow around the hull. Initially, it looked quite stark but this would change once the gel and Liquitex gloss medium were added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the flow patterns were determined the strips were fixed using Klear, Windsor & Newton Flow Improver and water thinned PVA glue. A light-toned mix was created using Vallejo Model Air 71.008 Pale Blue and 71.053 DSG, lightened with 71.001 White. Once thoroughly soaked the paper could be moved into position using a 1/2" Pro Arte Polar White nylon brush. It was also possible to bunch the paper up into small wavelets.

 

 

 

 

 

Vallejo's excellent 26.201 Transparent Water Effects textured gel was used to give the impression of moving water, the best way to achieve this is by pulling the gel up abruptly with the brush.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The gel appears white on application but soon dries to crystal clear. Its effect is two-fold, first, it gives the impression of movement and structure and second, it adds depth to the base colours and wake effect. Thanks to its slow setting time the gel can be worked and retouched to refine the surface or correct mistakes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At speed, large ships can produce a significant wake where water is churned up immediately aft of the screws. Daler-Rowney 128 250 017 texture paste was used to replicate this as it could be easily worked using a cheap brush, cotton buds and cocktail sticks. It's always best to use reference images of your subject and here several photographs of Nagato at sea, m(and other similar class battleships) were used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fine cotton wool, (preferably rayon as it's a lot finer) is an old trick for replicating spray/foam. It needs to be teased into lengths and applied to the diorama base using a high gloss medium, in this case, Liquitex 5016 Gloss Medium and Varnish. The heavier the application the darker the cotton becomes so various effects can be achieved simply by varying the amount applied. It's important to exercise restraint when applying this and the adage 'a little goes a long way' really applies here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once applied Liquitex 126604 High Gloss varnish was applied as it sealed the surface textures, added good depth and provided a realistic amount of reflectivity to the water surface. Four coats were applied in this case. Once dry Titanium oil paint was applied to some of the white caps to add more interest.

 

 

 

 

Well, I hope this helped some of you. Obviously, there are many ways of approaching seascapes, this is just one method I found fun to practice. I've used a few other techniques since these models were built,  to see what other effects can be had but they'll feature in future AMW articles, so can't be posted just yet. Of course, it can be improved, as with all modelling techniques, it's something that evolves all the time, and that's the fun of it.

 

 

 

This was the effect with the Nagato, I hope it gives you some idea of what can be done and maybe inspire a few of you to have a go... its a lot of FUN (the single most important thing about this daft hobby of ours!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next thing I'm looking into will be LED lighting combined with rayon wool smoke, mainly for heavy battleship gun blasts and damage so hopefully, that should prove interesting...

 

 

Cheers all 

 

 

Melchie RN (Right Nana)

 

 

 

[Courageous]

A good explanation into your sea base making, thanks.

 

Stuart

[Ray S]

What a reference Mr General Sir! Thank you for taking the time to show this, it was very educational.

 

All the best,

 

Ray

[Bandsaw Steve]

Excellent Sir!

 

Thanks very much for posting that - lots of ideas to pirate from that. I can see much more work of this type in Carpathia’s immediate future. 

 

Steve 

[general melchett]

Thanks, chaps, hope it proves useful.

 

Steve, no problem...only too glad to be of some help, when all's said and done, it's what we're here for.