Trumpeter 1/200 Missouri build [COMPLETED BUILD]

HI Jim,
I didn't know that plastic could look that good. Thanks for sharing.
:handgestures-thumbup :banana-dance: :music-rockout: :handgestures-salute: :text-woo:
 
I'd like to thank Joe, Sgtmik, and Donnie for all the praise and encouragement during this project. I really enjoyed the build, but working in 1/200 scale was definitely a challenge. Again, thanks to all. Jim
 
My experience with Photo Etch is limited to the work I have done on the Bismarck and the Missouri. I jumped in with both feet and apparently, landed OK
I looked at a photo etch bender, but believe me, if you and I are thinking the same thing, it's way too big for the parts on these 1/200 ships.

Here is what I did use.
1) for separating the pieces from the photo etch sheet, I used a #16 blade. The cutting angle is better than a #11. To remove the small flash, I used a fine metal file.
2) To bend the pieces, I used two pliers
a) A Surgeons Splinter Forceps, MicroMark #60720. These are also great for holding the small pieces as they come to real nice point and are serated on the inside
b) for longer pieces, I used a Tamiya Bending Pliers with 2" jaws. These are available through Amazon

Anything else I can do, just ask

Jim
 
As far as the PE, all of the etched parts are attached to the sheet with very small tabs placed strategically around the piece, the bigger the piece, the more attachments. See Page 3 of this post to get an idea. I just measured a sheet, it's roughly 7"X5" and only 0.18mm thick. For any of the pieces that have to be bent or folded, the manufacturer has prescribed the fold lines bu further etching the are of the fold. So now you are down to 0.10 (roughly). In terms of excessive fiddling when you bend this stuff, you are only gonna get one chance (note well ONE CHANCE). If you try to bend it back in the other direction, it's gonna break. A good pair of magnifying glasses and careful planning saves a lot of frustration (I can attest to this).
Talk soon
Jim
P.S. The Missouri is finished and in a display case. No further updates will be posted.
 
Re: Ship Kit Manufactures

<t>Hi all. New to this forum but not new to online forums or model building. Normal forum etiquette is to ensure you post questions in the proper thread (or start a new one if appropriate) and try to ensure it's not a duplicate that's been answered elsewhere. I've spent a few hours reading posts and build logs but I've not really seen this specifically asked so I figured I'd start here and get direction from the members...<br/>
<br/>
I had been looking at the Trumpeter 1:200 Missouri kit for well over a year but because of a large stockpile of high end models in the storeroom I couldn't justify the cost. But then Micro Mark put the kit on sale for a price I couldn't refuse. When I got online to buy it I realized they also offered the MK detail kit for a similarly amazing price so I bought both without much thought. I'm pleased with the quality of both and have no regrets. However... it occurred to me that the MK kit didn't have brass props and I was sure I had seen that somewhere, so I started looking around. Soon I realized there were a plethora of details kits from MK *and* Pontos and it was in one of the 'smaller' Pontos kits where the props were offered. I also saw in one of the build logs a discussion over the PE armor for the top of the main turrets and immediately decided I wanted it. Unfortunately it is not something included in the MK kit I got or the Pontos kit that has the props. OK, that's the background...<br/>
<br/>
After I looked through the 22 sheets of PE parts in the MK kit I got the feeling that it is unlikely I would ever use ALL of them, and I'm about as anal over detail as anyone. It simply includes things that are likely just not practical to add with an acceptable level of success or, as my good friend from my Pocher model work would say, the juice isn't worth the squeeze. But with that said, I REALLY want to use brass props (but not the G-Factor ones as I've read lots of horrible things about them). Similarly, I'm not sure where I stand on the accuracy of the PE armor for the turret tops (discussions about whether the bolts are raised or flat) but I really want to add them regardless. Sooo.. the question is (finally) -- what is the deal with all of these various detail/PE kits available for this model and what's the best way, given the investment I already made with the MK kit, to get the props and the turret armor without investing another $3-400 in detail kits to get more insanely fine parts that I likely won't use?<br/>
<br/>
Sorry that was so long winded. If this is being discussed elsewhere please advise - I just couldn't find it. Thanks much.</t>
 
Re: Ship Kit Manufactures

<t>Amazon carries this model.<br/>
Plus the detail parts. At least they did when I checked. Things can change overnight.<br/>
<br/>
Dave<br/>
Seattle</t>
 
Re: Ship Kit Manufactures

<t>Dave,<br/>
<br/>
Amazon does but that doesn't really solve my dilemma. The kit from Pontos that contains the brass screws is 21002F1. This kit seems to be out of stock on every site I've checked. Kit 22002F1 is the full detail set (without decking) which most closely matches the MK1 detail set I got, but there are significant differences. For example, as mentioned in my OP, the top turret armor. And while this kit is available from several sites, I really am not looking to pay over $200 to turret armor. That's why I'd like to figure out what else the Pontos kit gets you that the MK1 set does not. That's why I was wondering if anyone here is experienced with both Pontos and MK1. I'd also like to know whether the Pontos brass screws are better than the G-Factor. That particular detail kit also includes glass lens for the search lights, resin versions of the lights (not sure if they are any better than the plastic ones that come with the model), etc., so I'd be OK buying this kit if the screws are good - and if I could find it in stock anywhere.</t>
 
Re: Ship Kit Manufactures

<t>Hi frankg<br/>
Let me add my 2cents to this post, which is probably only going to muck up the water rather than resolve anything. After building a number of wooden ships, I had had enough of the sawdust. I saw the Bismarck on the MicroMark site and said I had to have it, along with the MK kit that they offered. When it came to the screws, I sprayed and sprayed them till I was comfortable, mounted them, case closed. Let me explain something. I am a builder, not a purist. Bolts up, bolts down, it doesn't matter to me, no one will ever know. When it came to all the PE brass, none of the brass was going to be painted. It's totally unrealistic, but the brass looks a lot nicer as brass (to me). The real fun of the Bismarck was the cameo stripes, for someone that learnt airbrushing with that kit, I was pleased with the results. <br/>
Now along comes the Missouri. While researching the ship, I came across the Pontos add-on, and believe it or not, I was more impressed with the instructions of the Pontos than the MK. They were clearer, more detailed. I bought the Pontus add-on, including the brass screws and built away. Again, I was pleased with the result. It's not going into a museum, it's in my house, and I like it, I did it. <br/>
One further thing. I tried comparing the PE from MK and Pontos from the pics on-line from various vendors. Impossible to do. They are different. Which one is more pure, more realistic, I don't know. And buying one over the other because the instructions looked better is not right either, but it worked for me.<br/>
All of my builds are in the forum, including a few shots of the screws on the Bismarck in that post.<br/>
Hope this helps<br/>
Jim Lauser</t>
 
Re: Ship Kit Manufactures

<t>Thanks Jim, and yes, that did help. I've already read through your Missouri build log once and will likely read through it several more times before all is said and done. I suspect you are nailing it on the head when you say these PE sets are different, they are both very good with their pro's and con's, but to invest hundreds of dollars more in additional sets just to pick up a detail such as the brass screws or turret armor just isn't work it. I cleaned up the plastic screws that came with the kit (nice casting, actually) and I suspect with a good coating of bronze paint they will serve just fine.<br/>
<br/>
BTW, I love your Missouri. You did a fantastic job. It's amazing how easily a photograph can expose mistakes in one's work, so to take as many detailed shots as you did and not have any glaring errors show is testament to the quality of your work.</t>
 
Re: Ship Kit Manufactures

<t>Hi Frank<br/>
There is one other thing that makes the Pontos kit stand out above the MK kit, i. e. Pontus provides you with drilling templates for every set of ladder rungs that are going to be added to the plastic. The instructions tell you what template goes where, you cut it off the PE sheet, line it up on the plastic, scotch tape it in place, and all the holes are all their proper place waiting for you to drill into the plastic. Sounds trivial, it's not.<br/>
I'll make one more point here about these holes. If all you need is a 1/64" deep hole, you only need 1/64" of the drill bit protruding out of the pin vise, or dremel, or whatever. You don't know how many bits I broke before the light went on. And when it did, I used a broken drill bit in a dremel. Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz, bzzz and I had 4 holes. <br/>
Happy modeling<br/>
Jim</t>
 
Re: Ship Kit Manufactures

<t>Thanks Jim. I just noticed Edwards PE sheets for 1:200 rungs and they have the drill guides as well. Not at all trivial. If the rungs aren't perfectly aligned they would wind up looking like poo. Since I don't want to invest another $2-300 on the Pontos set and have mostly duplicate PE parts just to get the guides, I'm thinking perhaps getting the Edwards sheet might suffice. For e.g., Edwards PE 53125 (part 9) has 28 different drill guides. That doesn't seem like it would be sufficient for the entire ship but since I can get this sheet for approx $20, it's a start. Thoughts?</t>
 
At some point in time, I am going to try one of these 1/200 models.

Donnie
 
Hi Jim,

Perhaps you or one of the thread followers can answer a question. The PONTOS detail up kit 23003F1 has etches both in stainless steel and brass for parts of the aircraft launchers and the tops of the main turrets. I can not find any reference in the instructions nor on the net. I see you used the brass parts. Is the stainless steel parts for another version of the Missouri?

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Iran Ausley
 
Hi Iran
I do not know of any other version of the Missouri. As you can see, the only place I used the stainless steel is the turret roofs.
Hope this helps.
Jim
 
Hi Jim

That is some nice build and detail.

I was thinking about getting the HMS Hood or HMS Nelson.


Denis.
 
I see where Trumpeter has two kits of the Missouri, one being several dollars more than the other. Anyone know the difference between the two? So I says to myslef, Self why don't you look it up yoself? So I did and it's amazing how off the mark I can be. NOT Trumpeter and NOT the Missouri. This model is the 1:200 scale model and it's the best one you can get for details. Most expensive too as the retail for this model is $479.95 but doing a through search will get it for you at about a hundred bucks less. Meantime the model that I was referring to is the Tamiya Yamato at 1:350. They offer a kit at $146 retail and one at $453 retail. Hope I've clarified this for you. I suppose the big price difference is in the details. Apparently the PE details runs the price up pretty fast. Then you paint them and nobody except a sailor that was on the ship will ever notice them but if you leave them unpainted the modle will not look prototypical. What to do,what to do?
 
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Jim Lauser said:
Hi Iran
I do not know of any other version of the Missouri. As you can see, the only place I used the stainless steel is the turret roofs.
Hope this helps.
Jim
Click to expand...
If you search for "Trumpeter Ship Models" you will find about ten variations of this model. The ship itself is the same but the amount of extra detail varies. The more details you want the more you have to pay and some of this stuff is pretty pricey. The Missouri shown on this thread is the most detaied kit available. The rest are smaller scale.
 
Absolutely terrific work Jim. A very beautiful model indeed. There is so much PE work there that looks great. WE have never had the detail available for building models like we have now. What a difference the PE makes. Congratulations on a job well done. Pete
 
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