Well, i started the biggie. Monogram was rather difficult for me, being the much smaller scale. 1/225. And the pre-assembled hull gave all kinds of problems. So, I shelved it.
I started the huge constitution. The size was intimidating at first. But so much easier to work with.
The decks come in three pieces. It was a little problematic getting them glued together. With time and plenty of fittings, and cussing they finally came together. I braced them with strips of styrene. Used tube and super glue to attach them. They are no guides or pins to help line up the parts. The middle pieces were a little warped, so I put them in hot water about 10 minutes (not boiling) and put weights on them for about an hour.
It is almost impossible to fill the seams without removing the detail, which is very fine and intriquette. The gun deck was still not totally even, and left large gaps in deck. I puttied them with white putty, let dry about half an hour, then used a q-tip dipped in 100% acetone and wiped the putty away. Rinsing with water right after.
I liked the results.
I then did Tamiya white primer, letting that dry over night. I then applied flat white with airbrush. Let that dry
Next I apply a light coat of pale yellow artist oil paints, thinned very little. This help hide the blemishes in the deck. I let that dry two or three days minimum.
Then I apply burnt umbar oil paint rather thick let that stand about 15 minutes and wipe off in the same direction. This loosens the pale yellow and gives a good used deck look.
I am adding cloth flags and brass cannons. I will make monkey's from wood pieces or styrene, and use appropriate sized bb's for cannon balls.
The cannons will be rigged with thread.
I have to remind myself that the constitution was a ship of war. Very lttle was stored on the top deck. No barrels, etc. There was plenty of ropes.
I started the huge constitution. The size was intimidating at first. But so much easier to work with.
The decks come in three pieces. It was a little problematic getting them glued together. With time and plenty of fittings, and cussing they finally came together. I braced them with strips of styrene. Used tube and super glue to attach them. They are no guides or pins to help line up the parts. The middle pieces were a little warped, so I put them in hot water about 10 minutes (not boiling) and put weights on them for about an hour.
It is almost impossible to fill the seams without removing the detail, which is very fine and intriquette. The gun deck was still not totally even, and left large gaps in deck. I puttied them with white putty, let dry about half an hour, then used a q-tip dipped in 100% acetone and wiped the putty away. Rinsing with water right after.
I liked the results.
I then did Tamiya white primer, letting that dry over night. I then applied flat white with airbrush. Let that dry
Next I apply a light coat of pale yellow artist oil paints, thinned very little. This help hide the blemishes in the deck. I let that dry two or three days minimum.
Then I apply burnt umbar oil paint rather thick let that stand about 15 minutes and wipe off in the same direction. This loosens the pale yellow and gives a good used deck look.
I am adding cloth flags and brass cannons. I will make monkey's from wood pieces or styrene, and use appropriate sized bb's for cannon balls.
The cannons will be rigged with thread.
I have to remind myself that the constitution was a ship of war. Very lttle was stored on the top deck. No barrels, etc. There was plenty of ropes.
letter of the Washington Ship Model Society featured my article on Fresco in its March 2016 issue.) My Ironsides model sits majestically in a case I made in the early 1980s (before I could afford electric tools!) of solid mahogany and quarter-inch-thick plexiglass. (I added museum-style overhead lighting years later.) (Three years prior to completing the Constitution, I tackled my first large model, Revell's similar-scale Cutty Sark, which took me nine months to complete.) Over the decades, this model has experienced several damaging events including from my curious cats, wind blowing through my bedroom window, overly exuberant dusting and cleaning, and a devastating mishap when attempting to hang the model up-side-down to facilitate furbishing the hull's copper paint. These events necessitated several extensive rehabilitations of masts, yardarms, and bowsprits, hence these components are not as true and straight as they once were. I built the all-plexiglass case for the Cutty Sark in the early 1990s.
