spejic Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 DDG 175 Myōkō (みょうこう) is the third of four Kongō-class destroyers. It was commissioned in 1996. All the parts are on one sprue. No options and nothing left over. No helicopter. The decals are crisp, but don't include walkways. I think this was the last Pit Road release before they started including decal walkways. The kit came out a few years before the JMSDF switched from the yellow and red helicopter landing lines to the current white. I have the Hawk Graphics decals for the walkways - they are a little wide for most JMSDF ships, but they should work on this. I chose the DDG 175 because it has a simple walkway scheme. The kit mast won't do because it is way too thick and is missing the front section, so I got the Pit-Road photoetch set for the kit. I also have a bunch of generic Gold Medal Models photo etch for rails and ladders and so forth. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 I epoxied a pine car weight to the bottom plate. This is traditional for some reason. I guess it makes it harder to tip over. I made a pencil tracing of the walkway ridges because I plan to shave them off and replace them with decals and I wanted to keep a record of what they looked like. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
White Wolf Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Looking forward to seeing it finished! I want to build a JMSDF ship someday too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted July 3, 2014 Author Share Posted July 3, 2014 Looking forward to seeing it finished! Me too. I've never finished a ship yet. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 I attached the bottom plate to the hull. This has to be done carefully a small part at a time. I found out the hard way that doing this in one go can sometimes impart a curve to the hull. I biased the plate towards the front to reduce overhangs - it's a simple task to put a piece of plastic at the stern to make up the difference. But I've never come across a ship kit that didn't need a lot of putty for the bottom plate. I put together some of the island parts and puttied the gaps, which are small but noticeable. This kit needs lots of dry fitting and carful sanding. I drilled out the exhausts to make them look like they lead to the bowels of the ship and I painted the parts under the exhausts black to make it look bowelly. If you plan on making this kit, part B8 which goes at the back of the aft island is too narrow. I placed it flush towards the port side and put some 0.010' plastic card on the other side to make up the difference. I also installed the foredeck. This part needs lots and lots of dry fitting and sanding to make sure it fits before it is installed - otherwise the resulting steps and gaps are impossible to fix. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
swbailey Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 "Bowelly." I like that word. Looking forward to seeing how this one comes together, as I hope do one one of these days... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 I removed the raised walkway lines with an old #17 X-Acto blade (old ones are better - new ones carve into the deck much more). It took repeated puttying and careful sanding to get a smooth surface. When that was done I installed the final face plates for the forward island which would have gotten in the way during the walkway removal. I also removed the location bumps for the flag masts at both ends of the ship. The gap between the hull and the bottom plate has been smoothed. Lots of careful sanding with jewelers files and then sanding sticks to make sure the squareness and sharp angles are preserved. Installing the bridge top leaves a gap all the way around it under the windows. It's impossible to putty, so I instead stuffed a thread of stretched sprue in the gap and while softened with cement I smoothed it with a toothpick. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RKic Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Wow, modern destroyers are so funky looking. That thing wouldn't look out of place in a scifi setting. Good luck with the railings. Those are usually what derail (ha!) my ship projects Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share Posted July 24, 2014 Both of the aft facing platforms on the aft superstructure need fixing. The small lower platform doesn't have the sticking out part where the fire fighting nozzle is placed. I added a rounded bit to match that. The higher large platform should blend into the stucture, so I added plastic behind it on either side. I put in all the vent pieces. They are smaller than the depressions they go into, so all needed putty around them. Lots more puttying and sanding around the foredeck. It's very tricky to get that part smooth without destroying the details around the edge. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted July 24, 2014 Author Share Posted July 24, 2014 Oh, and I also sanded down the helicopter landing area. The texture there was way overdone - it was close to 1/1 scale. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 I modified the shapes of the stacks. The parts didn't have the correct depression, and what detail is there is lost when you fill and sand the join, so I used the following technique: Here is one stack done and the other sanded into shape. I removed the molded-on stairs on either side of the forward stack. I also filled in the holes meant for the kit radar mast behind the bridge. The photo etch mast doesn't need them. Note that the aft superstructure is not glued in yet. I have a lot of sanding and detail work to do before that step. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 I have not yet glued down the aft superstructure because I needed the freedom to do work on that area of the ship. For example, I removed the blocks where the Harpoon launchers are placed and I've thinned down the shields for the torpedo launchers. There is a lot of play between the aft superstructure and the positioning bars on the ship hull so it is hard to get it on straight. I glued in some 0.10' by 0.40' plastic card on all four walls and now it fits perfectly. I worked on the main turret. The kit part has a large hole in the rear bottom and it doesn't quite have the right shape. Here is an image of the actual turret: And here is what I did to the part. I filled in the hole, cut the bottom overhang so it has a steeper angle, and cut out a section so I could put in a rounded bit of plastic card to serve as the ring. It still needs some more shaping, but I wanted to show the work done on it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted August 8, 2014 Author Share Posted August 8, 2014 What it looks like now: Besides lots of little things, I did lots and lots of puttying and sanding to make sure everything is smooth. I put the photo etch on before painting, so I don't get a chance to check out the seams under paint. Next step is working on the mast. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bdt13 Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 (edited) I'll need to write down some of these tips and tricks so I can use them on future ship builds. This is coming out very nice! Edited August 10, 2014 by bdt13 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lodni_k Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Wow! I have an Aoshima 1/700 Murasame that I want to build after I finish my HSS-1. It has been a very long time since I built a ship, and I have never built a modern destroyer in 1/700. I will be watching this thread with interest! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 I've been having a little trouble with the photo-etch mast, so progress is slow. Here are some of the small parts I have been working on. Very, very small. I removed the molded on details for the radars and added in finer details. The trick I used was to remove the point from a toothpick, create a 1mm circle of sandpaper, glue it on the blunt end of the toothpick and sand the dish interior with that. I also scratchbuilt a lattice stand for the helicopter landing light. I also did some detail work on the hull (anchors and so forth). I guess I should start working on the photo etch hand rails. I keep putting it off because it is so difficult, but it's time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
White Wolf Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Wow, I don't think I'd be able to scratchbuild that stand in 1/700. Everything is looking great so far! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bdt13 Posted September 6, 2014 Share Posted September 6, 2014 I'm sure this will look fantastic when all is said and done. Very nice! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share Posted September 12, 2014 In my continued attempt to put off doing the photo etch, I rebuilt the Phalanx guns. Here are the two I did for the ship, and an original one from another kit to show what it looked like before. It was tough to light the photo - the parts were literally millimeters from the lens. I don't know if I will add the Phalanx barrel bracing structure because it's tiny. And even if I did, the Myōkō had different types at different times so I'd have to figure out what time frame I'm building first. I also modified the Harpoon launchers, but I didn't take a picture of them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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