USS Hornet (CV-8)

[Fishwelding]

As I get older I am increasingly interested in ship models. While I’d rather work in larger scales, I’ve acquired a stash of 1/700 scale ships and occasionally break one of these out.

This is Tamiya’s Hornet. The Almighty Internet has proclaimed this kit underscale, probably something closer to 1/720th. In spite of this, it still makes to my mind a passable replica of the famous CV-8. I’ve never added photoetch to these kits, though someday I might. But for now this is an out-of-the-box build, another that’s geared mainly toward being able to still say I’m a modeler despite my limited spare time.

The kit includes a set of B-25s, complete with decals, to depict the ship on its way to the daring Doolittle raid on Japan. I’ve built the kit before in this configuration so this time the B-25s are headed to spares department, while an airwing of Fujimi and possibly Dragon 1/700 aircraft will join the ship in depicting Hornet on her final voyage, to the Battle of Santa Cruz in Fall of 1942.

[gb_madcat_sl]

Here's a little motivation for ya!

Mark

[Fishwelding]

Here's a little motivation for ya!

Mark

Hey, that's sharp! I especially like the water!

[Greenghost]

Great little kit. I'm getting interested in ships too. Could you please share how do you model the water??

Thanks

S.

[Fishwelding]

Great little kit. I'm getting interested in ships too. Could you please share how do you model the water??

Thanks

S.

I've used both "Acrylic matte medium," an artist's product procured at an art store, as well as thick artists' acrylics by themselves, but with indifferent results. I'm experimenting on this project, likely with "Acrylic Gel Medium" this time around. We'll see how it goes.

[Skyking]

Hey Fish I tip my hat to you. I fumbled around with Sara in 350th, I couldn't imagine even attempting 700th. I'll be watching this one.

Cheers

Mike

[volzj]

Hmmm, this one's buried in my stash somewhere.

Maybe you'll motivate my to build it.

[Fishwelding]

Sadly, this build is on hold for a least a week, due to a curious setback. I airbrushed the deck with Tamiya's gloss white. After waiting about a week, I masked the two white lines on the flight deck, and airbrushed it with Polly Scale Deck Blue. After about an hour, the paint somehow reacted poorly. The blue split in curious cracking pattern, generally 'athwartships,' and shrank as it dried, exposing white particularly around the raised lines on the deck and the masking tape. My first reaction was the obligatory freak out: "AAAAAAHHHHWhatthe$&*#%isgoingonwithmymodel!?!?" But after a moment's reflection, it occurred to me that there were two likely possibly culprits.

One was bad paint reaction. But I've painted Polly Scale and Tamiya over each other for years without adverse results. In fact, I use Tamiya's thinner in Polly Scale paint with excellent results. Further, I painted the hanger deck in the same fashion, with no problems whatsoever.

It might instead be due to my holding the deck at one end while I airbrushed; the deck was flexing as I painting it. I suspect acrylic paints, and perhaps paints in general will not tolerate such shenanigans. But the plus of this is that if I let the paint thoroughly cure for a few days, I might be able to airbrush over it with more blue with no trouble. To be safe, I'll thin the Polly Scale with distilled water. (something I discovered again recently).

Worse comes to worse, I must strip the deck, but that won't be a difficult job.

[Skyking]

Sadly, this build is on hold for a least a week, due to a curious setback. I airbrushed the deck with Tamiya's gloss white. After waiting about a week, I masked the two white lines on the flight deck, and airbrushed it with Polly Scale Deck Blue.

Question Fish, was the Tamiya also acrylic, or was it lacquer or enamel? What you may have experienced is disimilar paints shrinking at different rates, and the fact that the white is a gloss, didn't give your blue enough "tooth" to have something to hang onto, therefore the cracks.

Personally if it was mine, I'd strip it and redo it, and make sure I used the same type of paint for the white and the blue, and use a flat for both. Give the white a few days to fully cure, then go over it with the blue, but lightly mist the first coat of blue, then go over it with a heavier coat for coverage. That should minimize any chance of it happening again.

A setback for sure, but a minor one.

Cheers

Mike

[Fishwelding]

Question Fish, was the Tamiya also acrylic, or was it lacquer or enamel? What you may have experienced is disimilar paints shrinking at different rates, and the fact that the white is a gloss, didn't give your blue enough "tooth" to have something to hang onto, therefore the cracks.

Personally if it was mine, I'd strip it and redo it, and make sure I used the same type of paint for the white and the blue, and use a flat for both. Give the white a few days to fully cure, then go over it with the blue, but lightly mist the first coat of blue, then go over it with a heavier coat for coverage. That should minimize any chance of it happening again.

A setback for sure, but a minor one.

Cheers

Mike

All paints were acrylic. Yea, I'm coming around to thinking I might take it all back off and refinish it, because I must mask over the blue after it's on, so if there's any problems with it's proper adhesion, I'm only going to compound the problem. This time I'll use Polly Scale Reefer White for the undercoat/stripes. I have good luck with that stuff anyway; I was just using the Tamiya stuff because it's all I had on hand and I was too cheap to go get a bottle of the PS!