Monday, May 23, 2011

Working on a warship

You can call me an amatuer model builder. I do not build models of celebrities, nor for toy companies, or props for movies. I build my owm models of aeroplanes and hang them on my bedroom ceiling. The kit comes in a box with plastic grids on which the peices are. These you cut out and glue together, and then paint.


(Work in progress)


So far I have built two of my own model aeroplanes (these can be seen in an earlier blog post), as well as helped build two of my brothers' ones. That is all, and that is why I am only an amatuer.


Just a few weeks ago, I bought a model warship. The name of it is the USS San Francisco CA-38. It was launched in 1933, and commisioned in February 1934. In october the next year she was taken in for a refit at Pearl Harbour Naval Yard. Two months later, when the Japanese attack came, she was still under repair. Hastily repaired, she joined a task force to relieve wake Island, but was too late in arriving. In August 1942, the criuser covered for carrier in thhe Guadalcanal offensive. In Novenber, she came upon a superior enemy force, suffering major damage and losing 83 crewmen. After being decomissionedin 1947, she was awarded 17 Battle Stars, making her the most decorated ship in USN history.


It took me six days to complete construction on the ship, making my record, which previously a week. It is up on a shelf in my room. It came with an option of a full hull, or a waterline plate, which is just a plate in the cutaway shape of the hull, so that the ship could look like it is in the water. It comes with three main cannons, each with three barrles. In the middle of the ship, on the sides, are three smaller single-barreled guns. At the back and on the forward tower section are two quadruple-barreled guns each, making four of these. To top it all off, there are twelve Bren guns over the ship. These Brens are between 1.7 and 2 metres in length in real life, but on the model ship are a minute 6mm! These are rather hard to glue and paint. Also, the ship comes with two masts, two gantries, a searchlight tower, and two seaplanes.


It is fun to build models, and I am hoping to build up an air fleet. My brother Daniel wants to build a 1700's ship called the HMS Constitutioner.


I hope you like the photos.

2 comments:

  1. Very cool, Nathan! I once tried to build a model with of an airplane with Carl, but although I had lots of fun - I think model-building isn't my strength. ;-)

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  2. Looks great! Our family also enjoys model-building. :)
    God bless

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