The Ship Model Forum

Nice work as usual

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Eberhard

Former chairman Arbeitskreis historischer Schiffbau e.V. (German Association for Shipbuilding History)

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Thank you very much, Eberhard.
I'm particularly pleased to receive praise from someone with your expertise.
After a short break, I’m continuing.
The lower bridge houses are finished weathering and can be put on the deck for a test run.



Now I have to think about the most logical way to proceed.



I think the rear bridge house is not glued to the deck yet.



Because directly behind it the steam pinasses come onto their cradles.



It’s probably better to have a little more room for my fat fingers.



For the armored control center, I lined the entrance with a profile. It was clearly too thin.



And there isn’t much space in front of the bridge houses up to the tower.
So I’ve already fitted the lower parts of the tower into their barbettes and made them move freely. They were practically impossible to move.
And I’ve also prepared the lower ladders that belong on the mast.

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Greetings from Germany.
Jörg

Yep, working out the sequence of assembly of such complex project is not so easy. The sequence may need to be different compared to the prototype.

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Eberhard

Former chairman Arbeitskreis historischer Schiffbau e.V. (German Association for Shipbuilding History)

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How true, Eberhard, this model demands everything from me. Building the Bismarck, in comparison, was like putting Lego bricks together. Simple geometric segments, a little brass, thread, and paint, and that's it.
But the Mikasa, everything so intricately and delicately held together, that ship really drives me crazy.
I'm curious to see if I'll be able to complete this build without a catastrophe.

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Greetings from Germany.
Jörg

Just another small update that I had to do before moving further toward the bow.
I was still missing the bollards and other small items that would go directly in front of the bridge houses.



These are now also attached to the deck.



This had to be done so that I could install the companionways that lead to the main deck.



This means the inner area is almost complete.



And so the bridgehouse was glued in front of the steam pinnaces towards the stern. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to install the companionways behind the pinnaces.



Now I can start with the anchor area at the bow and have cut everything I need out of the boards.

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Greetings from Germany.
Jörg

Really nice work. Love the weathering.

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Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

Brilliant.

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Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby

looks alive!

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- @Shipific on IG
my gallery

That superstructure look really great! Excellent paintwork Jölle!

Thanks guys for the great comments.
At first, I wasn't sure how much I should age the skin and was worried I'd done too much. But apparently, I'm on the right track if you say you like the weathering.

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Greetings from Germany.
Jörg

Today we’ll continue without much ado.
I had time over the long weekend to finish the anchor section.



That was fiddly.



In this area, the Pontos set was used exclusively. KA failed to score points here.



Of course, double-link chains had to be purchased again.
It’s disappointing that two very expensive aftermarket kits like KA and Pontos don’t consider it necessary to include proper chains.

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Greetings from Germany.
Jörg

Good idea to get the double link chains anyway. They look fantastic!

I love that bow section!

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http://www.3xblackcats.wordpress.com

Thanks a lot, guys.
Yes, these chains do make a difference.

Let’s continue unspectacularly.
We’re still missing skylights, handwheels, and a winch on the main deck at the stern.
First, another small collection in my printed organizer.



Nothing complicated, so straight to the result.



The deck continues to fill, both front and back.



The small stuff on deck is now roughly completed.



I would like to show you this wonderfully detailed skylight a la Pontos again in a close-up.



That’s what sets these kits apart. Molded plastic can’t replicate that.

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Greetings from Germany.
Jörg

And immediately, I have the next nerve-wracking construction phase ahead of me.
But I was particularly looking forward to this part. I’m starting to incorporate a miniature marvel of 3D printing technology into my model.
The 50-foot steam pinnace.
But first, I have to get it into the cradles and onto the struts.
I made a jig for that.



One each for the starboard and port sides. The stripes aren’t exactly evenly spaced on the two sides, and I have to take that into account.



I now glue the cradles onto the gauge and can then align and change them easily without damaging the now quite delicate Mikasa.



For example, the distance to the access to the higher deck is important, as the pinnace’s rudder extends quite far out. And toward the bow, I have to pay attention to the funnel rigging.



I have the same problem with the cradles as I did with the cutter amidships.
They don’t fit where they were originally printed. And besides, only three were planned. But the pinnace rests on four struts, so I need one more cradle. It’s nice that four boats will be hanging from the davits at the stern later, so I can repurpose the cradles.
Then I took out the profiles and adjusted them. It’s better.



And so the first pinnace could be placed in its cradles and placed on the deck for testing. You can see a faulty print in the hull. This has already been claimed, and I’m getting a new one.

In front of the boat, you can see a thin round rod. This is supposed to simulate the funnel rigging. You really have to think of everything. At least you should try to, so you don’t end up on your backside in the next step.

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Greetings from Germany.
Jörg