Mighty Mo, BB-63 Finished

[Rhino]

It was "Wow" like "Mongo impressed". Not "Wow" like "I cain't believe you did this."
Do you have a set of green, non-magnetic. round-ended tweezers? Those are a big help with P/E.

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/american-hakko-products-inc/2A-SA/8346231

Well, Mine are green.

 

[Greg Kimsey]

It was "Wow" like "Mongo impressed". Not "Wow" like "I cain't believe you did this."
Do you have a set of green, non-magnetic. round-ended tweezers? Those are a big help with P/E.

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/american-hakko-products-inc/2A-SA/8346231

Well, Mine are green.

Ok, let's see if they help!

 

[moon puppy]

under 9 bucks, cheaper than the junk I got from a vendor at the last show.

 

[Greg Kimsey]

Ok, I have a few more pieces done to add. I feel like I see light at the end of the tunnel. I gave gloss where the decals go. I am anxious to start on the anchor chains

I added a winch and cable to the highline tower.

This dang antennna thing may be the most difficult thing I have ever made!

The post for this little antenna was broken on the sprue so I had to use music wire with metal tube as parts dividers.

The PE radar turned out OK I think

And I mentioned putting the hydraulic pistons on the davits

I have been using fly tying thread to make the ropes to go on the davit rings, tying knots about every 2mm. I have decals coming for the little boats and new tweezers coming in time for the railing. Moving along..

 

[Greg Kimsey]

I got a few decals put on. Still not good at that yet...

I also have the propellers on, along with a decal or two. I did the props last week.

Here is the tower so far

So, when I was putting some decals on I had to turn the model a little on its side. The high angle gun turrets fell right off. There is only a little nub for them to sit on

And I don't want to glue them down, so my solution was to add a long plastic rod to the turret, cut off the nub, and drill a hole for the rod so it can turn but you nearly have to turn the model upside down for them to fall off...

I hope there was nuttin wrong with doing that!

 

[Paulw]

Hey guys, I have a question I cannot find an answer to. In the photo of a boat being lowered I have circled in red a section of ropes with knots tied at intervals. Are those roped left attached at the top and secured at the bottom when not in use, or are the taken down and put up as needed?
View attachment 169533View attachment 169534

The monkey lines are tied to the boom, and are rolled up in a coil with a piece of belfast and either left to the elements or secured in a bag and left attached to the boom/davit when secured.

 

[moon puppy]

 

[Rhino]

The monkey lines are tied to the boom, and are rolled up in a coil with a piece of belfast and either left to the elements or secured in a bag and left attached to the boom/davit when secured.

So that's what those are called!

 

[Greg Kimsey]

I figure to get some chuckles or AYFKM's for this, but I opened the windshield and side door windows on the Seahawk helicopter. The windshield bars are made from the smallest styrene I have, scraped down to about half width. I don't mind trying to make them smaller if anyone has a suggestion. I wondered (just now) about fly tying wire...

Once the cement dries if I don't switch to wire II will clean it up and paint it. Once that is dry I will make windows with elmers glue like I did on the personnel carrier boat. I will probably use Vallejo transparent blue on the windscreen.

It sits a bit on its tail so I will add two wheels made from punched .01" styrene to the back post so it sits more level

Next up in the "are you frikken kidding me" department, I also made some capstans for the follower chains.

I made three of these. I used .08" styrene rod secured in my Dremel chuck, spun slowly and shaped with a Testors mini round file. I rounded the top with a tri grit sanding stick. I cut the bottom as squarely as I could with an Xacto #11 and flattened with a fine file, then drilled a small hole in the bottom for a .025 styrene rod to serve as a holder pin, as well as drilled holes in the deck for said pins. The anchor chains are painted. I am waiting for the cement to dry on the capstan pins befor painting. I had scraped off the molded chains way early in the program.

That is all.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

If you want something smaller try stretched sprue.

 

[Rhino]

.008 Tichy Trains phosphor copper wire is the teeniest ridged thing I know of.

 

[moon puppy]

How would you even see that stuff!

I was working with .1mm nickel rod today and lost it.

 

[Greg Kimsey]

The front is coming together. Anchor chains aweigh!

And Julio-Kopter looks better with the teeniest sprue I could make. I started with .2 styrene and streched it hair thin!

My good friend Chris Rhiner sent me some teeeeeenie decals, so I will put US Navy on her side. Question, I have seen photos of these with various colored tails. Should I do that? I have seen black, red, combos with red and blue, and a combo with blue then yellow then red. That one's my favorit8e of course, but how "wrong" would it be?

Nuther question concerning decals. For the boats and Mr Kopter, how do I find what number/letter combo was on the Mo?

 

[moon puppy]

Really nice touch!

 

[Rhino]

What do the instructions say?
In 1981 it would likely have been a SH-60B Seahawk. Without a hangar provision, It's hard to say how many Seahawks the detachment of helicopters might have been.

 

[Greg Kimsey]

What do the instructions say?
In 1981 it would likely have been a SH-60B Seahawk. Without a hangar provision, It's hard to say how many Seahawks the detachment of helicopters might have been.

Good thinking. I missed the paragragh that said the Missouri did not carry any helicopters, that any helicopter displayed would either be from a base or another ship. I guess I can make the markings to match whatever I like. I had planned on making the Seahawk as if stowed and with fences up. I have gone to the troubke of modding the helicopter so I want to use it, but will have the fences down

 

[Greg Kimsey]

I finally got to use my new DSPIAE circle cutter. Once I figured out how to use it it worked great! I made circles for the "spinning" Seahawk blades.

 

[Greg Kimsey]

Ok, I think the helo is done. I will show the paint job, then I have a question for whomever might know the answer.
First, ready for my close up:

Next comes the question but I'll set it up first. Notice the little clear stand. It is curved with a magnet glued to the top. There is a magmet in the bottom of the Seahawk. I can mount the helo in one of three ways; which is most realistic?
Tilted back? As if it might be landing?

Tilted forward as if it is taking off?

Or tilted sideways as if it is taking off and about to haul ass at the same time?

Thanks fellas!

 

[Rhino]

Tilted! Hustling off to feed a sneeggy Red Boat a mk. 46!

 

[Greg Kimsey]

Tilted! Hustling off to feed a sneeggy Red Boat a mk. 46!

That is, of course, the way I want to do it