ACW Naval Week 14 status report

The first week of the second quarter sees the ACW naval project moving into the end game phase. All ships assembled and mostly painted. The single largest remaining task is rig the ship models, paint the rigging and touch up the paint post-rigging.  As usual, here's the update on what was done since the last report, what is planned for the next week and what the challenges to overcome.

All this weeks models are from Bay Area Yards. Most of these are still available for purchase. So if you like what you see - go get one!  

What's almost done?
USS Miami is almost ready to join the fleet. The rigging is installed and just needs a coat of black paint. This is an easy objective for the week! 

Late war armament with two 24# mounted aft in place of the 80# pivot.

This angle shows off the rigging to better effect.

CSS Teaser had another gun mounted aft and a little touch up paint. Ready to join the James River Squadron!

What's in progress? 
Most of the models are stuck in the rigging phase. There is a LOT to do here. The plan is to tackle it in blocks of work where each ship gets a wire added and then is left for the glue to set. It's tedious, but with good timing, 2-3 wires can be added to each model a day. Even so, this task will take at least the next two weeks to complete.

CSS McRae about a third done!  Bay Area Yards model.

USS Lackawanna. Foremast is almost rigged.

USS Susquehanna with masts mounted.

Trying a different way of attaching the standing rigging to the bowsprit. It was easier to attach, but will wait for painting to see how it turns out.

What's next?
Slowly working on the last few models in the queue. No progress on USS Kearsarge this week. Instead, the focus was on painting USS Minnesota. The horizontal white stripe on the hull is done. Next step is likely painting and mounting the spar deck guns and then move on to rigging.

Needs a little touch up on the stripe. This thing is going to eat a LOT of wire for the rigging!

What are the challenges?
Challenges are non-technical. The house suffered a small siding loss in the storm Saturday, so that needs to take priority over painting. Plus there are external meetings and games for which to prepare. Progress on all the above models is expected, though few with the exception of USS Miami are likely to be completed in the next week.

ACW Naval status update - week 12

A quick post for this week. Good progress was made this week. Several models moved through the painting queue fairly rapidly. Rigging continues for USS Pawnee and a new unit joins the fleet!

What's completed
 One new model joined the squadron ready for action - USS Eastport. This model, from Brown Water Navy Miniatures, is a 3D printed model available via Shapeways.com.
 

Overhead view of the Eastport, base is styrene covered in Woodland Scenics Flexpaste and painted.

In this image you can see the deck planks that are printed into the model. A bit large for 1/600, but a nice effect.

More of a broadside shot. There are two gunports in the starboard broadside under the pilot house. The paint scheme used on this model is an effort to capture the Western Gunboat Flottila regulations for all upper works to be painted white. The muddy brown river is an attempt to model the Mississippi and the Red River waters - the typical environment in which Eastport operated.

 
What's in Progress
 Lot's of items in progress. Nothing left to assemble, so the work is either  painting or modelling rigging (which could count as assembly, but it feels more like finishing details.)

Painting of the Bay Area Yards model of USS Calhoun is underway.

Overview of CSS Calhoun. In hindsight, the cabin walls should have been painted before assembly. Thinking that the hogging beam needs to be repainted in a darker color.

USS Kearsarge is getting a little bit of paint. The interior walls need a second coat of white.

The twins are getting painted. Both are Bay Area Yards models of Lackawanna and her sister should be done in a week or two.

Another model from Bay Area Yards. CSS McRae is moving along. A little touch up work, then it's mount the guns and rig the masts. McRae sees service with the Mississippi River Defense Fleet at New Orleans and Head of Passes.

USS Pawnee is sucking in the wire. When done, there will be close to three feet of wire in the rigging.

This really shows off the wire rigging.

USS Pawnee is one of the many models of Union warships available from Bay Area Yards.

After languishing for years (yeah, that's right - years) USS Susquehanna is advancing toward completion.

The mizzen mast needs to be mounted in place.

USS Miami (Go Miami!) Getting her paint on. the paddle wheels may get a coat of red to celebrate the colors of her namesake university.

The model shows off the space reserved for the bow and stern semi-pivots. Most images of the Miami only depict the single mast forward. It looks a little odd, but steamboats in combat mostly relied on the steam engine for propulsion.

What's New? 
Not much - what's new with you? At this pace, the naval project may be finished by the end of April. The good news is there are two more big projects in the backlog - 25-28mm Anglo-Sikh War and the 15mm Sci-Fi / Traveller. It's a toss up as to which is next in priority. Leaning toward Sikh War if only to support a game for the fall convention season.

ACW Naval Week Five Status Report

okay, it's been a busy, hectic week for a number of reasons, so this week's update is moe of a photo montage of what's been going on. Progress is being made, some models are nearing completion while a couple of new ones made it out of the box and onto the construction table. So without futher ado...

What's almost done...

The Yazoo Monster is done. Based up and ready for gaming. To be honest, I'm having doubts about the base coloration.

CSS Patrick Henry is almost done! Just need to work on the guns and get the rigging done. (groan...rigging.)

CSS Selma based up and just needing a flag to be finished.

Sassacus salvage project almost done. Just a little rigging and a flag and I'll call it done.

What's getting there...

CSS Florida from Bay Area Yards. This one's been sitting for years. It's stuck at the stage of needing it's rigging completed. So that's the task at hand. The foremast has most of the rigging installed. Then it's work aft to the end.

Close up of the rigging. I think the stacks need to be painted a darker color, but the raiders often went 'low visibility'.

Another model from the Bay Area Yards stable - USS Varuna. Got the masts installed and the formast has it's standing rigging in place.

What's new to the queue...

I pulled out the model for CSS McRae this week. A Confederate gunboat that fought at New Orleans,  it's model that has only been available from Bay Area Yards. It's been in the box for about 18 months since it came home with me from a trip to California.

Sorting out the parts, the masts got a bit bent in transit coming home.

The masts were pretty easy to straighten out.

It's a relatively small model compared to many other ships.

The hull with the bowsprit installed.

Overhead view of the hull.

Another new project to reach the table is USS Lackawanna. It's a near sister to USS Hartford (in the middle). The Bay Area Yards model has more of a fighting rig for the masts.

Here's an overhead view of the Lackawanna hull. These screw sloops saw extensive service on both the coasts and the Mississippi River campaigns.

USS Kearsarge is in the process of being assembled. This is a Thoroughbred Figures model that's been in the box since - ahem - 2007. Assembly has gone well so far. The outstanding items are the chain armor boxes and the bedding rolls along the tops of the gunwales.