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1/72 HMS Brave Borderer


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While I'm waiting to get my basement modelling area back, I decided to look at making decals for BB's hull draught marks.  There are three series of draught marks on each side of the hull, as shown in the following photo;

 

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Using a side view line drawing of BB, I made decals for the draught marks using Photoshop.  Fairly straight forward ... or so I thought.  :fraidnot:   I cut out printouts of the marks and test fit them on the Perkasa model's hull using the molded (red) model's waterline as a guide.  As luck would have it, two of the three sets of draught marks fit, but the marks for the bow were too short.  BB's waterline was different than Perkasa's :doh:.  I used a laser level to compare the two waterlines, as shown below;

 

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I'm really glad I didn't paint the hull assuming the waterlines for both BB & Perkasa were the same.

 

 Once I laid out the correct BB waterline, I revised the draught mark decals.  They fit! 👍  The black draught numbers are printed on clear decal paper, & the white numbers (with black borders) are printed on white decal paper.

 

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Now I have to add the waterline to the long list of differences between Brave Borderer & Perkasa.

 

John

 

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I'm continually amazed at your ability to rebuild one model into another!

 

I'll also have to remember that laser level. It certainly beats my old school pencil and block.

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6 hours ago, Courageous said:

... Can I ask, what make of decal paper you use as the stuff I have seems to be a little thick? ...

Hi Stuart;

 

I use Testors Decal Paper.  Like you, I've found other brands too thick.  To minimize the decal thickness, I use a thin coat of clear matte lacquer spray to bond the printed images to the decal paper.  The clear matte coat appears to dry thinner than the recommended gloss Decal Bonder spray.  I just have to be careful not to let the decals sit too long in water & try to use as little decal setting solution as possible, as the Testors decals can be easily damaged  (You can see in my decal photos I print out a number of copies for that reason).

 

John

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5 hours ago, robgizlu said:

Envious of your Photoshop/decal production skills John

Taking orders?

Rob

Sorry Rob.  I have trouble finding the time to make my own decals, let alone make decals for others. :)   

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  • 2 weeks later...

More hull details! :doh:  Seems I'm spending more time researching & less time building, resulting in another short update. :wacko:

 

I've relocated the Perkasa model's bow towing eyes & added spray rails to both sides of the hull, as per Brave Borderer drawings.  I've also added a round outlet on the port side shown in BB photos.

 

48948892951_b444c7d359_c.jpg

 

Next, I've added the few items to the transom - ladder steps made from copper wire, reinforcement strips & gusset plates cut from plastic sheet, and two additional 'U' shaped items (I don't know what they're called, or their function) using stretched plastic sprue, as shown below.

 

48948896081_a15c8f319e_c.jpg

 

I think the hull is finally ready for a coat of primer :nodding:.  I still need to finish building the stern exhaust flaps and additional details for the stern shelf & trim control flap, but I'll add these after the hull is painted.

 

Next up, I'll be completing the deck vents applying the decals (described earlier) & a coat of clear lacquer.

 

As always, thanks for looking.

 

John

 

 

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7 hours ago, robgizlu said:

... Love the busy transom ...

It's funny, on each build I subconsciously seem to pick unique parts of the model where my eyes always go, e.g. the twin turrets on the Fairmile D, the bridge on the BPB MTB, etc.  I tend to try to add as much detail as possible to these parts for the build.  On Brave Borderer it's the transom.

 

John

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Hello, again!

 

The deck vents are finally finished. :yahoo:

 

After painting the vents, the decals were applied.  Since the vents & decals are so small, after the decals had dried I applied two thin coats of clear matte lacquer to seal the decals to the vents to prevent them peeling in the future.  Applying the decals was a wee bit of a pain, & I was really glad I printed out a number of copies to correct my mistakes, e.g. decal location & alignment.  Also, I learned something about inkjet printed decals.  As per instructions, I've aways applied spray lacquer as a decal bonder to the decal sheets after the ink is allowed to dry.  I usually apply two thin coats of the lacquer.  When I was applying the decals to the vents the first time, I found that after the decals were removed from the waterslide paper they curled & were extremely difficult flatten out on the surface of the vent parts.  To correct the problem I reprinted the decals, allowed them to dry, & then applied two very light coats of lacquer.  This time the decals kept their shape when removed from the waterslide paper.  The lesson learned - don't apply too thick a coat of lacquer as a bonder on the printed decals.  I guess I've just been lucky 'til now not having the curling problem. 

 

Here's a photo showing the actual vents and the completed model parts;

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And a photo showing the size of the vents relative to the model's hull;

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Next up, I'll prime the hull & clean up any problems the primer uncovers.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

John

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51 minutes ago, JohnWS said:

I learned something about inkjet printed decals.  As per instructions, I've aways applied spray lacquer as a decal bonder to the decal sheets after the ink is allowed to dry.  I usually apply two thin coats of the lacquer.  When I was applying the decals to the vents the first time, I found that after the decals were removed from the waterslide paper they curled & were extremely difficult flatten out on the surface of the vent parts.  To correct the problem I reprinted the decals, allowed them to dry, & then applied two very light coats of lacquer.  This time the decals kept their shape when removed from the waterslide paper.  The lesson learned - don't apply too thick a coat of lacquer as a bonder on the printed decals.  I guess I've just been lucky 'til now not having the curling problem

Thank you for pointing this out! 

 

I've have mixed success with curling, seemingly better earlier on than later. I will pay close attention to this!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Another short status update.

 

The hull has been primed & sanded, and ready for a coat of finish paint. 

 

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The step was a bit of a modelling adventure.  I've always used a generic spray can of grey primer to apply two light coats prior to the first coat of final paint.  This time, my spray can decided to be a splotch can, spitting out splotches of paint. :wall:  Once dry, the splotches needed to be carefully sanded down to blend them in for a smooth finish.  It was a new can of primer, too. :crying: Oh well, luckily everything worked out okay & she's ready for paint.  Whew! 

 

On this Remembrance Day, 2019, please remember our veterans and their families, past & present, for their service & sacrifice.  Lest we forget!  

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Edited by JohnWS
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11 hours ago, Courageous said:

Looking very nice and sleek.

 

Stuart

As per Stuart

John - I'm always surprised when I hear people using spray cans to apply Primer - always seems a gamble in terms of thickness of layer and splatter.  have you tried the Mig ammo One Shot?  Gets my :thumbsup:

Rob

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27 minutes ago, robgizlu said:

... I'm always surprised when I hear people using spray cans to apply Primer - always seems a gamble in terms of thickness of layer and splatter.  have you tried the Mig ammo One Shot? ...

Rob.

 

I agree that there's not much control using rattle cans, compared to an airbrush.   I'm not sure if any of the local hobby stores here carry Mig products.  Although, it's available on the Canadian Amazon site.  I'll order bottle & try it out.  Thanks for the suggestion.

 

John

 

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Notice anything different?

 

49071323682_abeeaff9fb_c.jpg

 

The hull has finally received it's final coat of paint. :yahoo:

 

Next up, I'll be focusing on the transom ... again ... adding a dark grey coat of paint & start assembling the scratch built detail parts.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

John

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