The ACW Naval building project 2015 - 2016. The final posting.

It's done.

I've completed the assembly and painting of all the ACW naval models in my collection. If took more than half a year, but it's done.  The last two models - USS Kearsarge and USS Minnesota were stubborn. The standing rigging on Minnesota took the better part of a month. I don't want to think about how many feet of wire are on the model.

Port beam of the Minnesota from Bay Area Yards. Stripped down for combat with her boats lowered away. 

 Bow quarter view of the model. The steel wire really helps stiffen and support the masts - just like the real standing rigging! 

USS Kearsarge from Thoroughbred Models. Ready for action! 

Now I can do two things - reorganize the painting table for the next project and start playing some games using these models!

ACW Naval update - week 23

I know, you're asking yourself, "what happened to week 22?" Well, it sorta got swallowed up with a bunch of activities around Memorial Day weekend.  I spent a weekend in Houston doing assorted things.

This young man build a set of Brotherhood of Steel power armor out of cardboard and duck tape. The helmet started life as a Clone Trooper. Nice representation of a laser rifle too!

And the Fallout references continue with this absolutely sick 1:1 model of Mr. Handy.

What's this? The entrance to a Vault-TecVault? Nope! It's a armored door onboard USS Texas, a battleship commissioned in 1914.

Are you sure it's not a Vault? Yes! This is a connecting passagway on the second deck (under the main deck).

Casemate battery on the main deck. These 5" mounts represent gunnery 55 years after the Civil War. While the optics and recoil mechanisms have improved and the gunports are huge, it's still gives you the feel of what the gun deck on a casemate ironclad must have been like.

Work continues - rigging on the Minnesota is almost done. While I missed the end of May deadline, Minnesota shall be complete before mid-June.

Work is focused on the mizzen mast standing rigging. That and a few load bearing lines for the mizen boom and spar and it'll be completed!

The addition of the standing rigging really transforms the size of the model.

While I've been procrastinating with the Minnesota's rigging, I've made progress with prepping and decaling a Shapeways 1/144 model - a little seen Fokker D VI. It's a composite of the engine and fuselage of the Dr. I and the wing design from the D. VII. It was a produced in small numbers serving in both the German and Austro-Hungarian air services. 

 Slow progress here. Need to repaint the engine cowling.

Still need to decal the stabilzers and control surfaces.

It's very glossy right now as it's still under construction. Once decaled, the last thing it gets is a matte finish to dull down the shine.

ACW Naval update - week 21

No update last week for multiple reasons. This week has some good progress.

USS Kearsarge has the rigging installed.

Last task here is to paint the rigging and call it a day...


USS Minnesota - work continues on the rigging. As indicated earlier, this thing is a beast. About 2/3 done with a little bit of the main mast and the the mizzen mast rigging remaining.

Trying to finish this in the next two weeks.

ACW Naval status update - week 19

Work continues on the USS Minnesota and USS Kearsarge models. The Kearsarge had the duffel bags along the railings painted and the stays and back stays for the foremast are installed.

Work continues on rigging the foremast of USS Minnesota.

Port quarter view of USS Kearsarge

Kearsarge, again

USS Minnesota from the starboard beam. The stays are installed for the foremast working on the back stays.

The lower back stays are installed. Still need the middle and upper back stays.

It's eating up a lot of wire!

This is hard, fiddly work. The glue won't always keep the wire in place. During a game it may start shedding wire on the table.

ACW Naval - status update week 18

Making good - but slow - progress on the remaining ships in the queue.

Basically down to rigging the last few models. This is going to take a couple of weeks and may require additional wire. The Minnesota is going to require several feet of wire for the stays and back stays. But the end is in sight!

Before starting the rigging, I googled "USS Minnesota rigging". Which gave no results for the Minnesota, but did return a nice schematic of USS Constitution. That schematic - when printed - accidentally scales out well with the Minnesota model and became a good guide for the stays and backstays. Pat David posted the original which you can find here.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/patdavid/4409524942

The Bay Area Yards model of the USS Minnesota before starting on the rigging, but basically done with painting.

Added the stays for the foremast. Lots of work to do here!

This is a LOT of wire!

Added the first back stay on the starboard side of the foremast.

The assembly on Kearsarge is complete. I was going to complain about how the instructions should tell you to install the guns before adding the railing. It turns out the instructions do say that, I'd just forgotten or not read that section. My bad.

Before adding the guns.

The Thoroughbred Figures model of USS Kearsarge.

After the guns are installed and the stays for the foremast are installed.

These pictures do help. Just realized I have to paint the bedding rolls on the railings.

Here's a secret - the broadside guns are from Bay Area Yards. It's because I screwed up and didn't mount the TB guns before putting the top of the railings in. The BAY guns are small enough to fit in the hole.

ACW Naval status update - week 16

Week 16?  Seriously?

This plan is seriously working. Much progress was made this week. So much so that the end of the project can be visualized. But enough of that, get to the models!

What's done! 

CSS McRae and USS Miami are done and join, the fleet!

USS Miami

USS Miami quarter view. Fine model from Bay Area Yards.

But, wait, there's more!  USS Lackawanna and her sister are completed as well!

Beam shot of USS Lackawanna

Lackawanna, again.

What's in progress? 

So what's in progress? Basically what is left in the queue - USS Susquehanna, USS Kearsarge and USS Minnesota. Susquehanna is close to complete needing just a little touch up on the paint.

Nice beam view of Susquehanna.

So much wire...

Seriously, that's a lot of wire. Several feet at least.

Overhead view of Susquehanna.

 

USS Kearsarge.

USS Minnesota with  the early 1862 armament. (Plus the full gun deck under the spar deck.)

10" pivot forward with 8" guns on the spar deck. Guns are mostly from Bay Area Yards, but there are four Thoroughbred guns mixed in on deck.

What's Next? 
Get cracking on finishing this project up! Install the last of the guns, touch up the paint and get busy installing the rigging for Minnesota and Kearsarge!