Here I am starting the basing process:
- Card
- Ships out of packet
- Filed
- Washed
- Under-coated black (good old Games Workshop Chaos Black as it covers well)
- Scalpel/spatula to create wavy patterns
- Rather old (see later) packet of DIY flexible filler for the sea carving with the scalpel/spatula.
Note the broken Buzz Lightyear toy forlornly waits for attention in the background (I've tried several time bit his gripping hands don't take well to the super glue)
I dries overnight. Urk, sometimes it does not work as intended :(
With said scalpel I had spread the flexible filler creating a nice wave pattern (or at least uneven texture to the surface) just I had done many times before, however not a good result as it looked like a cracked Arizona desert floor, baked in the sun.
Yes, too many cracks and it's all flaky, peeling off the card. Did I apply too much filler (it did go on thicker than before)or is the DIY filler stuff getting too old (or even was the heating/temperature too hot in the room, as its winter now)? Who knows, give the filler a good squeeze/mix and apply a fresh (thinner) coat.
Better but not perfect. In fact I give it a touch up layers before I undercoat the sea. Again not perfect but it's on with the painting which covers up most of my concerns and seems pulls it together.
Several paint applications later ...
Next stop Iron Bottom sound!
As I was doing this I found a useful reference web-site for my up and coming US Battleship, CV and Cruiser painting spree scheduled for the winter:
WWII US Navy Paint Scheme Website
For 1/3000 I may give most of the details a miss, but I might at most be inventive/follow the colour of the US Navy decks.
The nights are drawing in but there are plenty of ships to do :)
Good Job !
ReplyDeleteWhich colour do you use for the deck ?
I have the same ship to paint (North Carolina).
PS : I have just finished my last Heavy Cruisers..
Well done with the cruisers they look sweet
ReplyDeleteThe US decks were causing me grief as I literally could not decide which colour to use. For some reason I thought they should be blue but all the photos I saw on the web (1/350 and 1/700 models) had them down as a light tan
Hence I scrambled around to see what was to hand to use:
Layers of
11044 Coffee colour (Anita's Acrylic)
Then a repeat touch-up
Mix in a bit of Games Workshop Desert Yellow (just because I am trying to use it up before it dries up)
Then add a tad of Games Workshop Skull White (again use the gel before it completely dries up) for some highlights
Any paints would do IMHO and all I wanted was a look good six view look from across the table-top, that holds when you get a little closer
Good job. I think in wartime they were painted blue. When I did mine I decided to do all the battleships with tan decks because it looks a lot better. And I did all my CA's down with blue decks. I found vallejo 898 Dark Sea Blue as a perfect deck colour. I once painted the entire US, Australian and Japanese fleets at Coral Sea. Every single ship in 1/3000. Once you start it becomes hard to stop.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Vallejo 898 Dark Sea Blue tip :)
ReplyDeleteAs you say, once you start it is hard to stop. For me at least it seems more personal painting a ship with a unique quantifiable history than an example of a 'tank'. A 'plane' is slightly more unique, but relatively speaking there were not that many ships in WWII. Thousands, not hundreds of thousands :)
Hey stop the tank bashing!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Geordie, seeing the scale references in the photos helps me visualize the size better.
Well done.
lol
ReplyDeleteTank shave their place in my heart (or rather collection too)
I suppose the Maus was literally one out of two ;)
These figures still make me smile
ReplyDeleteI liked doing them :)