The Ship Model Forum

Hello Mike, thank you so much! Your kit was a good starting point for my build, so you´ve got your part in how it appears, too.

Wow, Vlad, that is seriously impressive! Your work and modifications have taken it light years beyond the basic kit. The etch you made is beautiful too. Your Chicago is truly a work of art to be proud of. Thanks for sharing the hi-res photos and build log.

Mike

Thank you very much for your kind words! I´m really enjoying my "five minutes of fame" :big_grin: :big_grin: :big_grin: ! Will have to last for a while before I finish something new :)

[quote="pascalemod"]Apologies doe 5-S and 5-N mix up, I should have known better![/quote]
Not at all, the difference is less obvious than I thought originally, and it changes with lighting conditions etc. See here - to the front is Canberra in 5-N, then Chicago in 5-S and then Quincy´s bottom areas in 5-N again. All Lifecolor paints plus some weathering, photo taken in daylight. The difference is a bit larger to a naked eye, 5-S appearing more blue than 5-N. To me, the most striking difference is between 5-N on Canberra and Quincy - same manufacturer same paint, the only difference is weathering - and context.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2juNtgM][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50209043151_6b64f92852_b.jpg[/img][/url]

In my opinion the decal work, the finishing and the rigging are especially worthy of mention.

Overall, a wonderful presentation. :nod_1:

Simply beautiful.

Congrats on finishing the ships and this one’s just as beautiful as the orher. Apologies doe 5-S and 5-N mix up, I should have known better!

Excellent work. Congrats on another fantastic build.

Another really impressive built! :thumbs_up_1:

Hello everyone, I´m glad to announce that I completed my build in time for the 78th anniversary of the Battle of Savo Island!

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jtE52Q][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50196087578_5e747cc103_b.jpg[/img][/url]

[b][size=150]Chicago was the temporary flagship of the Allied Southern Force in the early hours of August 9, 1942, though she was sailing second behind HMAS Canberra. She combed several torpedoes fired from Chokai, Aoba and Furutaka at the beginning of the engagement and she was hit by two torpedoes from Kako – one hit far on the bow without too much damage and the second one abreast the starboard engine room but it most fortunately did not explode and went unnoticed. She was also hit on her foremast by a shell from heavy cruiser Kinugasa receiving minor damage. She turned to port, away from the anchorage and disengaged from the battle, without firing a shot from her main battery and her only contribution being a 5in hit on the Tenryu. The crucial failure however was that she did not alert the Northern Force thus allowing for its destruction in the next few minutes. [/size][/b]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jtGTq1][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50196637196_15d987d3dc_b.jpg[/img][/url]

My model shows the Chicago at a leisurely pace in the 2nd state of readiness moments before she was alerted by the first shots of the Battle of Savo Island – starshells fired by USS Patterson – and Japanese aerial flares, followed by an avalanche of shells aimed at HMAS Canberra sailing only few hundred meters in front of her. It is based on the Corsair Armada 1/700 USS Houston resin kit and takes advantage of many modifications and aftermarket parts as outlined below (most importantly my custom PE set and aftermarket parts from Micro Master, 3dmodelparts, Shelf Oddity and others).

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jtE4XS][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50196087348_3d6b5d4444_b.jpg[/img][/url]

[b]Summary of major modifications:[/b]
[list][*]Main and aft bridges/masts replaced with my custom designed PE parts and soldered brass rods
[*]Degaussing cable removed and hull plating sanded down to appear thinner
[*]Two lower levels of portholes sealed fore and aft (still faintly visible), portholes replaced with custom PE
[*]5in ammo boxes - removed and replaced with custom PE
[*]Deck mushroom vents - large aft scratchbuilt, Rainbow brass parts used for smaller
[*]Drilled out funnels, added internal separators, funnel grills and funnel hood on #1
[*]Deckhouses under tubs for 1.1 aft of #2 funnel lowered according to photos
[*]Cut-outs for catapults engraved to the deck aft of funnel #1
[*]Added approx 1mm height to catapult towers, custom PE windows and brims
[*]Added aviation fuel line to starboard (0.2mm wire)
[*]Added internal mechanism & piping to GMM PE catapults
[*]Splinter shields shape amended fore and aft on the upper 5in gun platform
[*]Scratchbuilt spotting glass for Secondary Conn & Aft Spotting Station
[*]Scratchbuilt new aft 1.1in tubs - smaller diameter
[*]Custom made decals for the ship´s name and non-skid panels[/list]

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jtGSU6][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50196635461_8765466baa.jpg[/img][/url] [url=https://flic.kr/p/2jtE4N3][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50196086778_88787aef28.jpg[/img][/url]

[b]Aftermarket parts used:[/b]
[list][*]Micro Master USN 8"/55 Triple Gun Mounts
[*]3dmodelparts 5in/25 secondary guns (added custom PE railings), Quadruple 1.1" 28-mm Cannons, 5-inch-25 Guns, Mk 19 Gun Directors and 1/700 Naval Figures (from various sets)
[*]Shelf Oddity 20mm Oerlikon Single Machine Gun, 20mm ammunition boxes, USN Searchlights, Deck winch, Life rafts (Carley floats) and 0.06mm Rigging Metal Wire
[*]Trumpeter SOC-3 Seagull floatplanes (modified, custom PE added)
[*]Gold Medal Models USN Cruiser/Destroyer set (catapults, radars, cranes, railings…) plus individual PE details from various sets by LionRoar, Flyhawk and Eduard [/list]

I used Lifecolor paints (most importantly 5-S Sea Blue as discussed above, 20-B Deck Blue and Matt Black for the boot-top) and weathered them using artistic oil paints for filters, pin wash and dry brush.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jtGT3s][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50196635946_8e01ae301d_b.jpg[/img][/url]

[b]References:[/b]
[list][*]Modelwarships.com: http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=34865 Calling all USS Northampton class (CA) fans
[*]Profile Morskie USS Chicago 1942 1/350 Plan Large (pdf)
[*]Pre-war and wartime photography from various online sources, especially https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography.html Naval History and Heritage Command and http://www.navsource.org/ Navsource.org[/list]

[b]Special thanks to:[/b]
[list][*]Brent Jones for providing me with photos from his excellent collection that helped with pinpointing many details on the ship
[*]Michael Brown for advice and information on Chicago´s paint and a Garden Island Chicago Blue paint sample, also to Randy Short and mates from the Facebook Warship Camouflage Research Group for sharing their views
[*]Lars Scharff for sharing details about his build
[*]Mike Czibovic for sharing his opinion and advice about his kit[/list]

Please see https://www.flickr.com/photos/vladi_k/albums/72157715388249627 for more hi-res photos. Thanks for watching!

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2jtJdrg][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50196896297_8055b038fb_b.jpg[/img][/url]

Thank you, Abram and Chris!

Actually, I painted her 5-S not 5-N as I explained on [url=http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167692&p=818312#p818312]previous pages[/url], but you are right she is looking quite dark after weathering, actually similar (just more blueish) to my Canberra, that was actually painted 5-N. In the end she is quite similar (but less blue) to the Chicago Blue paint chip (late war) I was kindly provided by Michel Brown. That only demonstrates how elusive capturing the right colour on a model is. I was considering adding another light blue filter but then I decided to leave it as it is. Noone can be really sure how did the colour she carried into the battle really look like after two weeks of sailing in the end - it´s just clear it was pretty worn out from the b&w photos.

youve captured the worn paint of 5N very nicely, especially along the waterline. Very beautiful and measured in application. This effect is a reason why I want to build one day a US navy warship with that uniform navy blue paint.

Wow! Very nice Vladi!

Getting there :woo_hoo: !

Crew added and rigging finally done, matt varnish coat and seabase are still due. Also I just realized I´ve lost the port anchor, so need to make a new one, too. Just three close-up photos as a sneak peak before the final photo session ;)

Thank you :)

@Lars: You are right, one always feels a bit pity when new information comes up that was not available at the time of his build, c'est la vie. Thanks a lot, your group project was the big inspiration for my growing Battle of Savo Island collection. :thumbs_up_1:

@Martin: Yes, I am really happy how the hull plating came out. Not much invisible, but it is there - I think it will be just visible on close-up photos, exactly as intended. Glad I´ve tried it.

She's looking good. The hull plating looks more subdued now.

Really impressive - when I remember how few information I had found about Chicago at Savo when I had built the ship and what kind of details you could add now!

Thanks, Abram, I am glad you like it!

Added most details in the meantime and a some first crew members into the well deck area, as well as floatplane no. 5. The two other floatplanes will be placed on catapults when I´m done with crew and rigging around. I think she´s coming out nicely (overseeing kindly the minor issues here and there ;) ).

Beautiful work Vladi! Looking forward to seeing more.

That´s very kind of you, Abram, thanks!

The floatplanes are now painted with decals applied. Aircraft nos. 1, 4 and 5 wait for their final touches, a matt coat and then deployment on catapults and in the well deck. No. 3 with wings folded already sits in the port hangar. It was not really easy to fit it in, I should have done it before installing the hangar roof (and I knew it indeed ;) ) but after a bit of struggle similar to building a ship in a bottle it is there. The last photo shows that even the spare wing can be seen hanging on the side of the hangar (this one was there in time).

The last two photos suggest that I have progressed with assembling the ship in the meantime, too - watch this space for the next post ;)

They look very good Vladi