Next part of my Enterprise upgrades have come in. Just waiting on an order from BNA to arrive and I will have everything I need to get started on CVN-65
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Ooo, another blog to look forward to 
Nice haul Rory 
Hi Russ,
I guarantee you will enjoy Staffordās The Big E - I read it a few years ago and he is quite an engaging writer. I admire your discipline in waiting seven months to dig into itā¦!
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Thanks Tim 
it was part of the condition that I wait until Christmas to actually āreceiveā it
Starting to notice that most of my ālibraryā is now Seaforth or Naval institute Press releases 
The last of the bits and pieces I need for my USS Enterprise CVN-65 and my Gulf War era USS Wisconsin have arrived.
Just need to get some of my campaign commitments done and then the hard part of choosing which one to start will be upon me.
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Luxury problems, Rory 
It really is. The biggest issue I have is they are both big ships. Enterprise is at just over a meter long and when I measured my Missouri she was at 30 inches. I donāt have a lot of build space and I take a long time to build these so once I commit, I cant really work on another capital ship till its done. So I need to choose wisely.
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The tide washed up a couple of battleships here in Central New York: the USS Texas and the RN Vittorio Veneto.
I have the Tomās Model Works PE for the Texas, and the plan is to get the WEM set for the Vittorio Veneto, maybe the Aber barrels, too. Havenāt decided.
Jim
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Hey all,
Another member of the Kido Butai has finally arrived
The IJN Aircraft Carrier Hiryu now joins her sisters in the stash
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I have the 1/350 version in my stash. Looking forward to seeing how the 2 scales compare.
Well, Iām guessing mine will be smaller.
But seriously, Iām having a heck of a time locating paint for these builds. I donāt have an airbrush, so that limits what I can use. The colors that I need donāt seem to be available in rattle cans, and I really donāt want to brush paint the hulls.
Jim
Maybe it is time to invest in an airbrush set-up?
A cheap airbrush and a noisy garage type compressor doesnāt cost that much.
I looked up "Badger airbrushes: on Google. Hereās a place selling a compressor and 3 airbrushes for < $100!
Airbrushes and compressor
Thatās a pretty good deal. Might just have to pull the trigger on that one. Good thing i have a birthday coming up! 
Jim
DONāT.
The airbrush is ok but the compressor isnāt. It will deliver air and a lot of noise so it isnāt worse in that respect than other cheap compressors.
The issue is the absence of a tank. A tank will significantly reduce or even completely eliminate the pulsing in the airflow caused by the construction of the compressor. It is basically a one cylinder engine without fuel inlet and a spark plug pulled around by an electric motor. The PUT-PUT-PUT sound it gives off will be visible when you try to do anything else than large area coverage at high pressure.
One option is to add a tank between the pressure regulator and the airbrush (15 to 20 feet of garden hose should do the job).
Another option is to get a compressor with a tank.
El Cheapo from Walmart (donāt know how durable it is):
https://www.walmart.com/ip/HyperTough-3-Gallon-Oil-Free-Portable-Air-Compressor-100PSI-Red/168857942
Something like this, also Walmart, would be a better buy:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/California-Air-Tools-1P1060S-Light-Quiet-Air-Compressor/539050176
Consider these as examples for what you should be looking for. Your local area might provide other options for smallish DIY / garage compressors.
Stand alone tank that you could add to the tankless compressor (even though it is a bit of a thankless job).
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-7-Gallon-Portable-Air-Tank-Max-140PSI-Red/287044014
Cut it in between the compressor and the pressure regulator
Pressure regulator is circled in red:
Youāll need some fittings (compressor to hose, hose to T-coupling, T-coupling to tank, pressure regulator is connected to the third opening on the T-coupling) a hose.
All of this adds up so buying a compressor with a factory mounted tank is probably the easiest and cheapest way.
On the other hand: 7 gallons is a LOT of pressurised air for airbrushing so you could fill the tank and then connect the pressure regulator and airbrush in nearly total silence = bliss. I have a refrigerator type compressor, really silent, but the PSSCciih-WROOM when it starts after being totally silent could scare the living daylights out of me when I was totally concentrated on the airbrushing.
Iāve used one of these for the last 6 years with no issues. Your mileage may vary but so far so good for meā¦
I absolutely do not recommend the cheapo airbrushes, especially if you are a new user. Go for a cheap iwata or badger. Hobby Lobby often runs specials on iwatas.
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How many 1/350 ships reside in the stash now, Rory?
My wife would say too many. I say nowhere near enough. Currently have 25 sitting in the stash.
10 battleships
2 carriers
1 LPD
2 heavy cruisers
And a mishmash of modern and ww2 subs/frigates/destroyers and corvettes.
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25 hey?
At my glacier racing pace, that would take me about 125 years 
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A respectable fleet you have there. It let me counting what is mooring within my harbor. I just started some years ago with ships but there are 33 vessels already 
1 carrier
5 battleships
2 battlecruiser
5 cruisers
1 destroyer
1 frigate
2 patrolboats
1 monitor
1 seaplane tender
1 submarine tender
1 LST
1 submarine salvage ship
1 arctic research vessel
1 Titanic 1:200
10 submarines in 1:72 and 1:350 scale
Quite a mix eh? 
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