IJN Kongo, 1/1800

[joe100]

Greetings!

 

Recently I decided I wanted to build IJN Kongo in a smaller scale than usual, 1/1800. Mostly just for fun to see how detailed I could go. I started with tinythingamajigs gorgeous 3d printed Kongo; in the high def black. I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. It does hog a bit but I used a piece of stainless steel bar stock, wired it down flush, and heated it with steam, then cooled it quickly. Flattened right out. The new high-def plastics Shapeways is using will hog on longer ships but I knew this going into it, the hassle is well worth the detail.

 

I wanted to preserve as much of the artists detail as possible. It's a fantastically made thing and I didn't want to go chopping it up. Removing only the thickest and most out of scale details, I left most of the structure intact. Cutting off major sections of the ship would have meant altering so much that I should have just scratch built the whole thing. That really went against what I was trying to do.

 

I scratch built the lower hull using styrene and brass. Screws and rudders are there, bilge keels, armor belt. 

 

Railings are photo etched brass and I added as much as possible. Awning supports are photo etched stainless steel and the awning wire and all rigging is Modelkasten tungsten wire. The rest of the details are photoetched odds and ends. The Mitsubishi f1m is photo etched stainless steel from Steel Golem. These photo etched aircraft are impossible to find, so once I found a fret, I guard it like it was made of gold. 

 

Once it was all done, I primed and airbrushed. Some weathering and a wash or two and here she is:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DSiemens]

Very impressive.  Where do you learn to paint like that?  I've often seen models that apear to be painted in layers like this one and they have so much more depth to them.   

[joe100]

Thanks!

I always start with a black or very dark grey primer, airbrushed on. Then I layer the paint lightly with the airbrush. Feather each coat on.

[DSiemens]

So dark to light.  I will keep that in mind.  It I'd different since my ships are wood and a lot of the wood still shows.  I wonder though if painting wood colors over wood would change things.  There's a difference in looking at wood far away as opposed to close up.  I do think know.  Something to experiment with.  

[joe100]

Yeah okay with it. Even on white hulls or superstructure I start with black primer, or at least dry dark grey. I also never use true black or white, always shakes of grey. Take a white hulled US Navy 19th century warship. I'd use a very light grey. For black funnel caps, I use a dark German grey. You get the idea.

Edited January 16, 2017 by joe100

[joe100]

Added a few tiny details, mostly stuff I'd just been too busy to do. The bow crysanthymum, rudder position signals on the mainmast, and the aft position lights on the starboard side. Also the ship's name plate is also done. 

That about wraps it all up. Nothing left to do on this one.

[Chasseur]

Excellent workmanship and modelling.

[joe100]

Thanks!