1/400 MN B�arn

[StevenVD]

The hull is now weathered with the Lifecolor Liquid Pigment set using salt streaking and green growth. A rusty wash was done with Humbrol orange and some acrylic chipping followed. Tamiya black wash went into the portholes. I found out that the middle elevator doors had to be lifted a bit.





















To rig the mast, I attached some PE roundels to copper wire. I hope this yardarm will last, it's only glued with CA.

[StevenVD]

The rigging for this period is shown in the book.





There was at least 1cage aerial visible behind the island.





Also the boat supports were rigged, visible on many pictures.



This would be made easier with eyelets.



These were driven in the hull. Actually I had to move these ones for the whale boats lower.



I did some painting of the eyelets and then started to pass each thread through to the supports. This is tediously slow work and it took me a full day to fix 30 threads.









Only the arrestor cables were still missing.



On older pictures the cables are lifted by many beads. Later I only counted 8.



Even with knots for the beads it seems a bit oversized.



The rigging thread is knotted to the sewing yarn and the ends are glued to make them thicker.



The rigging is connected to the pulleys and the thread is pulled taut.





No landings will take place because of the open elevator.

[FFG-7]

you posted in the wrong thread as should be in your Bearn thread not your USS Columbia and ABSD-1 thread.

[StevenVD]

How bizar, I hope it can be corrected. Must have been drowsiness...

[StevenVD]

Thanks to Timmy for the move.

[JIM BAUMANN]

very good stevenD

-- as usual ....you are very dedicated -==> I like the arrestor cables !!

Bravo

JIm B

[StevenVD]

So many roundels were still needed, I decided to print these myself.



I printed them at 2mm en 3.5mm diameters. The Loire-Nieuport roundels needed the navy anchor on them, seen on the few pictures on B�arn. The Voughts and the biplanes needed the normal ones.



Microscale decal film liquid was passed over them in one swipe. Even then some red managed to seep in.



This product dries fast, and the white film decals could be cut out. For 2mm this could be done with a tool.



I thought these small decals would disintegrate under the hammering.



But they worked well. The cowlings are painted Vallejo chrome. Notice the incorrect prop placement on top of the cones, that are cast together with the fuselage. Compare that to the last image.



The Voughts needed part of their canopies plated over, so I taped that off and painted it.



The 3.5mm roundels had to be cut with scissors.



The overscale roundel on the biplanes' lower wings was sheared off with a lancet. My 3,5mm roundels are an improvement on the 5mm L'Ars�nal ones.



Even more tricolore had to be endured.



All crates were gloss-coated.



Tamiya's brown wash was applied and washed into the panel lines on the wings and the metallic parts.



The Loire-Nieuports got the props removed, the nose cones clipped and then they were re-propped. I sanded new cones from an Evergreen rod. The Dewoitines were treated likewise, though these retained their original resin cones. The entire airwing is now ready to be coated matt.

[StevenVD]

I still had to fix the memorabilia to the showcase. The ribbon would go around the base frame. It would not pass far enough around the corners to clamp it and the glass case only allowed for a few millimeters. This required some ingenuity.



A thick piece of sprue was milled out for the width of the ribbon. You recognise the linearity of the Proxxon tool.



A hole was drilled in the bottom of the base, fitting for the sprue. In the front was cut a slot for the ribbon.



Just behind the slot the sprue would be introduced.



The ribbon is inserted with some help from a ruler. Then, rotating the axle winds up the ribbon. This is repeated at the right side of the base.



The model name is now featured in the middle of the base. The sprues are cut short.



The seahorse pin was stuck on a brass pipe that was drilled into the plank through the cardboard top. I had roughened the pipe end and used it like like a drill bit.



The only thing to do was mounting the planes on deck. I had to buy a new flacon of Micro Crystal Klear, after 15 years it had coagulated. Some last-minute changes will be visible on these pictures. Placing the ring antenna, I noticed that the picture of the 13.2mm guns could only be rebuilt if I removed the rear telemeters and threw out half of the gun units. At this moment I have to concede that I used 25mm guns to build these. It were also Hotchkiss-based guns, but I suppose these will now be slightly overscale. I think it's still better than nothing at all. I spray-painted a French flag and stuck it to the smoke-stack rigging. The Vought planes got a wire antenna and the least complete of them, lacking a tail wheel and propeller, was placed in the centre elevator. All was sprayed matt and then the canopies were glossed over again. Now the Crystal Klear would work in the island windscreens. Sticking the ship on the brass supports proved to be cumbersome, but now the B�arn is ready to follow in the wake of the Dunkerques.

[SG1]

O U T S T A N D I N G in every respect! Titanic work. Excellent idea for the showcase too. Bravo!

[marijn van gils]

In a few weeks it could be finished, Marijn. No doubt, the ship will make it to Plastic and Steel in october, but you didn't tell if you would go there too.

You were not lying Steven! Congratulations!

Probably I won't be able to make it there. I have to play a gig the same weekend, and the weekend after is SMC already...

[Dan K]

A ship I know nothing about, but that's a lot of great detail work. Well done.