Model Ships I've Built

This is a gallery of some of the models I've built over the past decade. All of these have been sold or given away. As you can see Aircraft Carriers and Destroyers are a favorite category along with sailing ships. Most of these models are 1/700 scale. The USS Fletcher DD445 and the USS Ward DD 139 are 1/350 scale. The USS Constitution is an IMAI kit in 1/120 scale.

Finishing Touches

A flag comes with the decal sheet but, in this case, it was the wrong color and a bit too small to use. A Dutch flag is pretty easy to make so I made one out of paper and mounted it on a flagstaff of styrene rod. A last check for shinny spots from the super glue and touch ups with some clear flat acrylic and I called her done. This was a fun model to build. I found quit a few photos on the Internet to use for painting and detailing guides. Also learned a bit about ro-ros' and container ships.

Building Containers

Although the model looks great it still looks too much like a tanker with the large expanse of open deck. I decided to try my hand at scratch building cargo containers. After calculating the dimensions to make it in scale I found a rectangular piece of balsa wood that was the correct size. To fill the porosity of the balsa so I could glue onto it, I painted it with a few coats of varnish. I next cut 5 pieces of .020 sheet styrene to cover it and glued them on with white glue. After the glue dried I filled the seams with squadron green putty and sanded them smooth. Using a straight edge and a pencil I laid out the container shapes on the styrene. Tamyia tape was then used to randomly mask off containers for painting. Since the majority of containers seem to be a dark red color, I used Hull Red acrylic to paint the block. When the paint had dried overnight I remasked the randomly masked areas and painted them different colors. A Black Sharpie Marker and a straight edge was used to draw the lines which would identify each container. As a final touch, I used prizma color pencils to simulate some of the markings seen on containers. The whole thing was cemented to the deck with 5 min. epoxy.

Mounting the Model

I used a plain piece of oak for a mounting base with 3/8 inch basswood cut into short lengths for keel blocks. After gluing the keel blocks in place I drilled a hole through one for the mounting screw. Some oak stain and a few coats of varnish and the ship is ready to mount. Since orange seems to be a signature color for this ship line, I painted some sheet styrene orange and applied the kit supplied decal for a name plate.

Installing the Photo Etched Details

I usually start the photo etched details by installing the stairs and ladders. I used the box art as a guide. This will establish where the breaks in the railings will be. The railings I install with white glue and start from the center of the model and work outboard. This keeps the installed railings safe from damage while I continue to install the outer railings. I left a break in the railings on the starboard side for the accommodation ladder. The Arizona pe set I used for this model has 3 accommodation ladders included, but all 3 are too short. I cemented the three together to make one long enough for this model. Stretched spru was used for the guide wires at the bow and for the ramp rigging. I painted the inside of the pool light blue and filled it with 5 min. epoxy.