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Hello fellow modelers!
Well, I am here with a scratchbuild. An Escort Carrier, only in 1/96
scale this time. I was commissioned by the survivors assn. of the
ship to do the model and I agreed. I was honored, by the way, that
they asked me. I was given a one year time limit on the model so
things have been pretty busy here. I hope construction to be
completely finished by May of this year, if all goes as well as it
has. I have been invited to attend the ships Survivor Reunion in Las
Vegas, Nev. in May. I plan to take slide photos of the model and
make a presentation to the members, rather than bring the model due
to logistical concerns. Vegas is a long way from Michigan!! Steve
Nuttal and I will be working on another artwork of this ship and if
all goes well I will present an 11 x 14 poster to each of the
members. That's about 80 copies!! I am awaiting cost estimates. The
final resting place for the model is at the Naval Air Museum in
Pensacole, Fla. I am excited about this to say the least, as
you can imagine! Lets take a look at things so far. I will not
detail all aspects of the construction of the model here, as I have
already done with her sister ship, the USS Gambier Bay in 1/72
scale.
Starboard side view of the ship. Note the
dazzle camo pattern. Measure 32/15a or 33/10a. Both are
nearly identical. I mixed my own colors here. Paints are
Floquil RR colors. I started with the bottom, then added the
boot topping, then the various colors of the pattern were
masked off and painted one color at a time, one side at a
time as both are different. Paint job took about 20 hours.
The model is a little over five feet in length, so I am
standing a bit away from it to take this shot. The paint
work is typical of the six Escort Carriers involved in the
Battle of Samar, one of which was the Kalinin Bay |
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Port side view of the
stern. Note that no deck fittings have been added as of yet,
or the propellers. |
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A shot of the bow area. In this photo the
gallery deck is finished and I have begun to make all the
gun tubs and related platforms, etc. on the stb. side. You
can see the first two 40 mm platforms roughed in. Anchors
from HR Products, cast metal fittings. The bracing under the
flightdeck has not yet been constructed. |
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Stb. side view from
fwd. Here you can see I have added the gun tubs and related
platforms, etc. Note the elevator openings. Fwd. one will be
down about half-way, while aft will be full up position. |
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Stb. side again from aft. Again note the
gun tubs and platforms. All fabricated from styrene for the
most part. |
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Stb. side view of the
bridge location. Large beams under solid deck of Island
platform have not yet been added. Note the fwd. funnel or
"uptake" as they were called. Inclined ladders and railings
are from Plastruct Co. Goldfish looking areas are perforated
brass to represent catwalk areas. |
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Stb. side bow view. Again note no bracing
beneath as yet. I will complete all gun tubs and platforms,
etc. on both sides of the ship then tackle the bracing
structures. |
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Stb. side fwd. looking
aft. Note I have added the sponsons to the sides of the
hull. Fabricated from balsa blocks. Bilge keels have also
been added. Anything you see white is styrene plastic
fabricated. |
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Here is a shot of the 20 mm gun tubs
located on stb. side between the funnels. Reinforcements
made from styrene rod and telephone wire. Funnels are formed
balsa also, and dressed up with styrene rod and telephone
wire too. |
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Another stb. side view
of the bow area looking slightly underneath again. |
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Here is a prototype of one of the FM-2
(F4F-2) Wildcat fighter a/c. These are small resin kits from
John Haynes Products of England. There are 11 pieces to each
kit and they come with instructions and decals, both of
which are not really needed. They are $40.00 a pop! I
thought they were a nice little kit but was disappointed
they did not come with clear canopies. An expensive little
item but the only ones available in 1/96. Therefore you bite
the bullet so to speak. |
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Another stb. side view
of the bow. Notice here I have started the under deck
bracing. Compare this photo with # 10. All bracing assys.
fabricated with strip styrene. Again note perforated brass
catwalks. This material is in 7 x 10 inch sheets available
at Special Shapes.com. They have many other cool brass items
that are great for shipbuilding. |
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Couple more pics of the bow area. Here
you can see again the under deck bracing in progress. |
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Here we have the
forecastle deck. Note I have begun to add fittings here.
Anchor winch from Sirmar Products from England. Paravanes
are John Haynes products. Other items are from HR Products
in the US. Note the bulwark bracing and anchor chains. A few
more items to add yet. |
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The aft 5/38 gun mount. The gun itself is
another John Haynes product and consists of 12 individual
parts made from resin and cast metal. Again, a nice little
kit but as all things from overseas, pricey, about $30.00.
Gun tub is scratchbuild and does not come with the kit. |
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In this photo the
flightdeck is flipped up-side down so you can see the start
of the bracing. There are many individual pieces here and
continues this way along the entire length of the flightdeck.
I estimate 60 hrs. to complete all this and over 1100
individual pieces. The sad thing is, when the model is on
actual display, none of this is really that visible unless
you crouch down and look beneath! Why do it??? Cause it has
to be there. |
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A little further along here. These are a
couple of the 20 mm gun tubs viewed from beneath. Perforated
catwalks are clearly visible here. Note the small" boxes"
that hang beneath the gun tubs and catwalks. These are the
ladder wells that lead into compartments of the Gallery
decks. Escort Carrier modelers take note: This is the
correct configuration I have this from 1st hand memory of a
man who was on the real ship. His name is Henry Sawicki and
was a sailor aboard the Kalinin Bay. He has an almost
photographic memory of the layout of the ship. He went on
after the war to become an engineer/draftsman and has sent
me numerous drawings of certain areas of the ship of which
there are no photos. He has been of great assistance to me.
Nice to have someone like him to assist. A walking
encyclopedia if you will. He is now in his late 70's. |
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Yet another shot of stb
side bow area with the bracing in progress. Note how this
adds interest to the model. |
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Port side fwd. looking aft. Here you can
see all gun tubs, catwalks and platforms have been
fabricated and installed on the ship on both sides. Bridge
assy is roughed in and is visible. |
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Here is one of the TBM Avenger a/c. These
are made by John Haynes of England and are a resin and cast
metal kit. They are somewhat tricky to put together as there
are some alignment problems with the landing gear and the
horiz. stab. Some adjustments must be made so the planes
"sit " correctly on the flightdeck. I put the kit together
first, making the necessary adjustments before paint and
decal work. I was a little disappointed that the kit does
not come with a separate clear canopy. All bracing here is
hand painted. Very time consuming. With a little tlc, these
come out pretty good. A little on the expensive side, too.
$37.00 ea. There will be six of these on deck when the ship
is completed. |
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Here are a couple shots
of the stern deck. Note all the fittings have been added
except for the draped fire hoses and plugs. Railings are p/e
brass and are from Scalelink of England. Other fittings are
either cast metal or resin. Note I have added the
propellers. I used rigging thread on the cable reels. 5" gun
is another Haynes product. Again, cast metal and resin
parts. |
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Here we have the "tower" assy. This is a
rather complicated structure to build as there are many
levels. All the radar's are scratchbuilt except for the
middle "SG" antenna. Large square one is the SK search radar
while the very top one is the YE antenna. Note wind
indicator on the outside of the yardarm. I have not added
the 24" searchlights yet as I just got them. A couple other
small things to add, but otherwise this is completed.
Rigging will come last. |
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Another view of the
tower assy. looking overhead. Note lookout chairs just fwd.
of the 24" searchlight platform. These lookouts replaced an
optical range finder that was originally installed on the
ship. you can see the pelorus' have been added also. The
large SK radar is made from galvanized steel mesh, bridal
veil, p/e brass mesh and styrene rod. It is not motorized. |
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Starboard side view of the bridge. Note
the a/c and cargo booms have been added along with all the
various winches, etc. All the sponson details have been
added, too. |
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Starboard side view aft
looking fwd. Now that the bridge / tower assy. is nearing
completion it really adds to the overall look of the model. |
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A couple of views of the fwd. elevator
area. I have added the walls of the shaft along with some
other small details. It is about halfway down to the hanger
deck. I'll finish off the opening after I plank the
flightdeck. There will be an aircraft added here too with
the wings folded. |
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Forward view of the
aircraft handling boom. Boom is made from wood dowel with
cast metal details added. The boom will be displayed as you
see it here in the stowed position. It rests on a cradle
mounted on the front of the 20 mm gun tub. Again note winch
assys. |
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Another stb. side view. Rigging will be
one of the last things I do to the model. |
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The propulsion end of
the ship. Props are from Rivabo and are solid brass and are
scale. Rudder is carved balsa as are the prop shaft
housings. |
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An underneath view of the stb aft 40 mm
gun tubs. Note all the bracing here. This is done with strip
styrene and is typical of the bracing that runs the entire
length of the ship. All platforms are done in this matter.
Note the catwalk, perforated brass and the safety netting
which is bridal veil. Stairways are ABS plastic from
Plastruct Co. |
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Here is a close up of
the wells that go into the sides of the Gallery deck. You
can see the catwalk and safety netting a little better here.
25 man life rafts will be added soon and they hang from the
edges of the safety net. This configuration is typical along
the entire length of the flightdeck. |
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The stb. side aft 40 mm gun director
location. There are four of these on the ship, two fwd. and
two aft. |
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Aft view looking fwd.
Awaiting AA guns!! Flightdeck planking to begin soon as well
as all the guns and other stuff! |
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Two more views of the ship from stb.
side. Note things are coming together. It won't be long,
now!!! |
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Click on the images to enlarge! |
Well, that's it!. Hope you all
enjoyed the photos. There are many parts to an Aircraft
Carrier as you can well imagine. Many thanks to Loyalhanna Dockyard
for assistance in obtaining hard to get fittings from the US and
Europe. This model would not be possible without their kind
assistance and great service. Stay Tuned.
Bill Waldorf
This model is awarded with the Aircraft Carrier Builders - Excellence Award. Please feel free to discuss about this Excellence Award winner model in the Forum!
Click here
read and add comments!
Photos and text © 2006 by
Bill Waldorf
January 22, 2006
www.carrierbuilders.net
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