great effort so far 
May I suggest to drill open the bridge´s portholes and fill them later with Kristal Klear. Will look much more realistic later 
1 Like
great effort so far
Good idea. I was going to paint them black and add a drop of gloss clear, but your way sounds better!
Looks terrific Tim… That PE is great. I think in all seriousness if you build one of these 1/350 ships you have to immerse yourself in going down the PE and aftermarket route to do them justice… OOB is ok… But side by side, the PE version builds win every time …
1 Like
Looks terrific Tim… That PE is great. I think in all seriousness if you build one of these 1/350 ships you have to immerse yourself in going down the PE and aftermarket route to do them justice… OOB is ok… But side by side, the PE version builds win every time …
I completely agree! I also like that aftermarket upgrades add a lot without drawing you down the rabbit-hole of scratchbuilding…!
Final details for the bridge top include two signalman’s platforms and some rails.
The rails are simple direct fits, and the signalman’s platforms come as single parts; just roll their rails around a suitably sized drill bit, fold the platforms up, and they’re good to go!
11 Likes
The kit funnels come with nice plastic top screens that are even molded open, though they are still too heavy. A small wind baffle between the uptakes of funnel No. 1 is provided as a separate etched steel part.
The Infini upgrade brass screen parts, though tiny and challenging to precisely shape and attach, are huge improvements. The uptakes inside the funnels even come complete with multiple directional baffles. Cool.
Footrails are also provided to fit over the shallow representations that come molded on the funnel sides. The delicate brass parts are fussy to attach and are actually a bit overscale… but the fineness and complexity they add to the model are worth it!
12 Likes
The small curved cowl vents that go in front of the main funnel are nicely done by Tamiya, but like all the kit vents, they come with their faces molded solid. Opening them up with a small round Dremel burr was simple, although their round faces will be hard to see once they are in place between the funnel behind the bridge structure.
I also opened up the oval faces of the vertical steam discharge pipes mounted at the front and rear of the funnel.
The Infini set comes with a nice etched replacement AA platform, but I’ve decided to use the kit part. Although Infini platform is thinner, its tread pattern just doesn’t match Tamiya’s molded tread patterns on the rest of the ship’s decks.
You can see the mismatched tread pattern between the kit decks and the Infini searchlight platform behind the stack. I hope the discrepancy won’t be so obvious once the railing is on and there is a big searchlight in the middle of it…!
9 Likes
The Infini set includes some beautiful etched replacements for Kagero’s gantry cranes (used to handle reload torpedoes).
The support towers for the cranes are clear improvements over the kit parts, although assembling the delicate brass origami can be a challenge.
The horizontal overhead gantry cranes themselves were a similar folding puzzle, but, much to my annoyance, I screwed up the first one beyond repair! The kit parts were still pretty good, though, so I salvaged some of the Infini gantry details and used them to dress up the plastic cranes.
12 Likes
Really coming to life now with all the extra PE goodies… nice neat work Tim.
1 Like
Tim,
This build is really coming together. The brass details are popping.
John
1 Like
Really coming to life now with all the extra PE goodies… nice neat work Tim.
Tim,
This build is really coming together. The brass details are popping.
John
Thanks guys!
Etch, etch, and more etch!
The forward facing edge of the kit’s torpedo stowage on the aft superstructure is blank; the Infini brass details busy things up here neatly.
The superstructure comes with nicely rendered door and handhold detail, but the Infini brass makes it even better.
10 Likes
Hi Tim,
great work! Absolutely enjoy following your build!
So that is “relaxing from a complicated build by doing something simple (almost) OOB - the Tim style”… 
Cheers
Jan
1 Like
My thoughts exactly- so much for the quick simple build plan … Lol
2 Likes
Hi Tim,great work! Absolutely enjoy following your build!
So that is “relaxing from a complicated build by doing something simple (almost) OOB - the Tim style”…
Cheers
Jan
My thoughts exactly- so much for the quick simple build plan … Lol
Jan and Richard, thanks… you may have a point! 
It did start simple… but I blame Infini for their breathtakingly comprehensive upgrade set. Faced with that, what’s a modeler to do?
At least I haven’t done any scratchbuilding! 
1 Like
Super neat PE work as always, your stuff always looks amazing.
2 Likes
Super neat PE work as always, your stuff always looks amazing.
Thanks Rory.
Now, on to the weapons!
The type 92 quadruple torpedo launchers as provided in the kit are quite nice with accurate shapes and the numerous surface details credibly represented.
Good as they look built right out of the box, the delicate Infini brass details add a sharpness and three-dimensionality to these mounts that really makes them pop!
11 Likes
they sure do !!
2 Likes
Wow this is becoming a work of art!! Lovely PE work.
I am thinking of starting my first ship soon! Trumpeter USS England built as the USS Underhill! I am in awe of your great work on small delicate PE assemblies. Any tips for an eager ship builder?
2 Likes
Mead93
Wow this is becoming a work of art!! Lovely PE work.I am thinking of starting my first ship soon! Trumpeter USS England built as the USS Underhill! I am in awe of your great work on small delicate PE assemblies. Any tips for an eager ship builder?
Congratulations on entering the best (my favorite, at any rate) arena of plastic modeling!
Since you opened with a compliment, how can I refuse you advice?
I see your interest in USS Underhill as that ship has an interesting history as one of the few victims of a human torpedo, and Trumpeter’s USS England can be built as Underhill without significant modification, which is good. There is also excellent aftermarket etch for this kit available (I can recommend Gold Medal Models’ BUCKLEY/ENGLAND set). Still, if you aren’t committed to that particular subject, I would advise you to start instead with something like Tamiya’s 1/350 Fletcher as a first ship model. That kit is much better engineered than the Trumpeter England and is a far more pleasant building experience. Also, if you want to add etch, the GMM WORLD WAR 2 FLETCHER-CLASS DESTROYER is a beautiful custom set designed especially to fit that kit.
Anyway, my best general advice for a first time ship builder would be to start with:
- a subject that intrigues you
- a well designed model kit that you won’t have to fight with
- aftermarket goodies like brass etch (if you want more detail)
- good references… although you can drive yourself crazy with these!
Post your progress here and you can get thoughtful guidance as you go from some of the best ship modelers around. Best of luck with your first ship!
3 Likes
Thanks appreciate it! I already bought the GMM set for the Buckley! As well as some 3D printed gun details as well. I also have the Trumpeter Graf Spee.
The subject that interests me the most is the USS Texas. Super interesting history, neat looking ship, and until it went to refit was 50 miles or so from me! Though I think something like the Texas would be a big jump for my first ship.
I’ll continue following this thread! She’s looking great already
2 Likes
…yet. 
2 Likes