Postwar navy.

[Mastercaster]

Is that actually you slaying the pumpkin? Those are some big ass pumpkins!!!!

[Sauragnmon]

Yes, that picture is actually me, standing just short of six feet, slaying the pumpkin. The one I am carving in that picture, I could Barely lift on my own - ever after we had cleaned out the two others, I still could not lift them on my own to any sufficient height - it took my uncle and I both together to lift them into the truck for disposal. Each of them were at least 80 pounds, the two larger we figure at least a hundred. The one on the step took blue ribbon for size at a local fair not long before that. The shells turned out to be about 6" thick, and after using the 10" carving knife out of the kitchen to carve the first one, we figured the power saw was more effective.

[NukeMM]

Nektarios,

Are those Nanuchkas a Russian / Soviet vessel? I'm not familiar with them. Very nice, none the less!

And they do look delicious, like candy.

I thought that I'd share different pics of my USS Josephus Daniels, here on one of my most favorite message thread.....

[Neptune]

Nanuchkas are indeed a sort of small Russian frigate/Corvette. There are the Nanuchka I, II and III classes (and a Nanuchka IV test boat too).

Excellent work again Carl, the ship is very detailed, but the sea effect is really overwhelming! Always a pleasure to look at your work!

[NukeMM]

Nanuchkas are indeed a sort of small Russian frigate/Corvette. There are the Nanuchka I, II and III classes (and a Nanuchka IV test boat too).

Excellent work again Carl, the ship is very detailed, but the sea effect is really overwhelming! Always a pleasure to look at your work!

Thanks, Neptune!

I see you're from Belgium. One of my favorite port calls when I was in the USN. My sub, USS James Monroe SSBN-622, pulled into Zebrugge. (about 1988) My first topless beaches. Hmmm.

I visited a NATO dentist in Brussels at that time, too. Chipped tooth while underway.

[NukeMM]

Nektarios said he likes the black and white pics.

[Neptune]

Wow SSBNs in Zeebrugge, that's something I never heard. Well yes, of course I was hardly aware of my own existence, let alone the existence of something like an SSBN at that time! Your subjects are very nice, it's a big hole in my warship knowledge, US ships have gone from Gearings to Burkes, all in between is kind of a black hole for me. Your models have increased my interest into that subject. Always thought USN only made ugly things like Sprucecans and Tico's. The designs you are building do look a lot better!

[NukeMM]

Wow SSBNs in Zeebrugge, that's something I never heard. Well yes, of course I was hardly aware of my own existence, let alone the existence of something like an SSBN at that time! Your subjects are very nice, it's a big hole in my warship knowledge, US ships have gone from Gearings to Burkes, all in between is kind of a black hole for me. Your models have increased my interest into that subject. Always thought USN only made ugly things like Sprucecans and Tico's. The designs you are building do look a lot better!

Up to two years ago, I didn't know a whole lot about the different classes of USN Post WWII surface combatants, but Navsource.org has been my text book for my current knowledge.

Only two SSBNs pulled into Zeebrugge. We were the first but, the second one's crew was a little too, rowdy and annoyed some of the Locals. So, that idea was scrapped for future port calls by the Boomers out of Holy Loch, Scotland. So, I feel lucky to have been able to visit Zeebrugge, Brugge, and Brussels. Some shipmates took trains to Amsterdam and to Paris, from there.

[nick]

Spectacular as always Carl! I'm intersted to know why you changed your seamaking methods, still, it looks great!



Nick

[NukeMM]

Spectacular as always Carl! I'm intersted to know why you changed your seamaking methods, still, it looks great!



Nick

Hello and Thanks, Nick!

I always knew that I was going to have to jump to the next step in water bases. I kind of gathered that my TAMIYA Ocean Effect Plate method was a little novice / amature like and not as realistic as it should/could be. On top of that I think that the Tamiya product has been discontinued and will keep getting more and more hard to find.

I've been experimenting with the Liquitex acrylic gel method and the Josephus Daniels and the Garcia are my first real applications of it.

I even bought some watercolor painting paper in order to experiment with Jim Baumann's favorite method but, I have started any experiments with that, yet.

[Nektarios]

Nektarios said he likes the black and white pics.

Cool pics Carl

[NukeMM]

A few more doodads added to my USS Brooke FFG-1. I re-did the area below the bridge windows.

[Neptune]

Well that pretty much makes one thing obvious. All those designs, Knox, Brooke and Perrys have the same structure below the bridgewings. That plate with the curve cut out.

Dave Wooley's book on scratchbuilding has a number of large, very nice pictures of these Cold War USN designs too, I'm looking at them right now.
Another nice model in the making, how long do you approximately build on one of these models???

[NukeMM]

Well that pretty much makes one thing obvious. All those designs, Knox, Brooke and Perrys have the same structure below the bridgewings. That plate with the curve cut out.

Dave Wooley's book on scratchbuilding has a number of large, very nice pictures of these Cold War USN designs too, I'm looking at them right now.
Another nice model in the making, how long do you approximately build on one of these models???

Neptune,

The 1/700 USS Josephus Daniels CG-27 was an intense kit and took me about one month working steadily in the evenings and throughout the weekends. I may taken a total of eight days off and did nothing on it.

The USS Garcia DE-140 was completed over about two months but, I wasn't concentrating my whole attention to it. I worked on the Josephus Daniels and the Garcia at the same time.

This new one, USS Brooke, was started about four days ago and if my enthusiasm keeps up, it should be done by the end of this weekend. So, about a week to a week and a half.

On average, I'd say a basic 1/700 model might take me two weeks.

[NukeMM]

With the MACK completed, I have applied a coat of the finish color Model Master Acrylic Neutral Gray. I've dry fitted the MACK and weapons for the photo shoot.

Now it is time to hand brush the decks.....first the Grimy Black which will be the non-skid color, secondly Engine Gray after masking off the non-skid patterns. (Most decks will remain the Grimy Black i.e. Helo and VERTREP areas; with areas of the Engine Gray here and there.)

I'll also paint the top of the mast and MACK with the Grimy Black. A clear coat should darken this up a little.

[gtbred]

America were are you?

Here she is gtb

how's that comming along?

[nick]

Wow Carl! Excellent as always!!



Nick

[NukeMM]

Wow Carl! Excellent as always!!



Nick

Thank you very, much Nick!

Work continues on the USS Brooke conversion.....





I've been working on painting the decks by hand. I'm using Polly S Grimy Black and Model Masters Acrylic Engine Gray, this time. I painted all of the decks that'll have non-skid with the Grimy Black and then taped off the non-skid patterns and painted the Engine Gray.

I have weathered/dulled the decks with dark pastel chalk colors of a olive drab and black. I have some touch up painting to do and then I'll spray it all with a gloss clear coat which will darken the decks a little. Then I'll add the warning circle, helo, and VERTREP deck decals, added a black wash to highlight the details and fill the bridge windows, and then weather the decals the same way and then add a flat clear coat.

[Nektarios]

How's that comming along?

It is not coming along yet gtb. I hope to start it in my summer vacations when i will have more time.

[gtbred]

that's cool Nektarios. John's Midway coming along so well that Coral Sea is on the blocks.