1/350 scale USS Solace LHD Amphibious Hospital Ship

[Captain Canada]

Cut away ! Just plan the cut according to where bulkheads would be so you can have a big open space.

[seadude]

On Page 5 of this thread, there was talk of making 20' medical shipping containers to put on the model. I did some Googling and found a company that actually makes such medical containers.
http://www.clinicinacan.org/
They shouldn't be too hard to make. A real 20' x 8' x 8' container would be approx. 3/4" inches long x 1/4" high x 1/4" wide using Evergreen strip. So I'll probably put a bunch on the LCU's, LCAC's, and a few on the flight deck.

I'm also buying a lot of accessories to use with this hospital/humanitarian relief ship. Things such as:
1x  1/350 Veteran Models Modern US Navy Rigid Hull & Personnel Boats  (Might buy more later)
3x  1/350 Niko Model Cargo Wooden Boxes Large  (Might buy more later)
2x  1/350 Niko Model Cargo Wooden Boxes Small  (Might buy more later)
2x  1/350 Gallery Models USMC Armor Vehicles (2 ea of 8 different vehicles) for USS Wasp / Iwo Jima Kit  (I only need the Humvees and cargo trucks from this set. The tanks and armored vehicles I'll save for something else.)
2x  1/700 Niko Model Cargo Wooden Boxes
1x  L'Arsenal 1/350 Accessory AC350-129  85 gallon Oil / Fuel Drums (50 pcs)

Gotta have lots of cargo/supplies for a humanitarian/relief mission. 

I've already got enough helicopters and V-22's at home for this ship model. The only things I don't have which were out of stock are:
* 1/350 Gallery Models 1/350 USN LCAC Hovercraft (2) for USS Wasp / Iwo Jima Kit  (I already have 2 LCAC's at home, but I want a third)
* L'Arsenal Decals DEC350-04   1/350 scale US Army White Stars and Red Crosses   - 5 Large & 10 Small red crosses per decal sheet.  (I need these pretty badly to put red crosses on all the vehicles, etc.)

What other aftermarket accessories, if any, should I buy/add?

[Captain Canada]

Where did you get the above stuff from ? Never heard of Veterans or Niko ! I have all the Gallery stuff tho, love 350 scale !

Have you got all your PE doors and rails etc. ? White Ensign have lots to choose from. You'll need some crew as well.

[seadude]

I've been buying all my stuff from here:
http://www.freetimehobbies.com/
Good prices, and great service too.  

An example of Niko and Veteran stuff:
http://www.freetimehobbies.com/NIKZW3508x/
http://www.freetimehobbies.com/VTW35004

Veteran Models makes awesome weapon sets.   You can't go wrong with them.

I'm not sure how much photoetch I'll buy, or even if I plan to add any photoetch at all. My eyesight just can't handle that kind of stuff anymore.
As for crew figures, same as above.

[Captain Canada]

Cool beans ! I found some stuff on L'arsenal US site, have to check the prices. I have that Pine Island dio that needs finishing and some men, boxes and barrels would be just the trick !

[seadude]

So construction for this project will be a little late........maybe till late February. I'm still purchasing lots of aftermarket accessories for this project which I need. Everything that I've currently bought so far is the following, though not everything will be used for the hospital ship. A lot of the weapons, planes, and other stuff is for other projects. The most urgent thing I'm waiting for is some L'Arsenal 1/350 scale Red Cross decals which I need very badly.

1 x 1/350 Gallery Models USMC Aircraft (2 ea of 6 different) for USS Wasp / Iwo Jima Kit
2 x 1/350 Gallery Models Carrier Deck Equipment
3 x 1/350 Gallery Models USMC Armor Vehicles (2 ea of 8 different) for USS Wasp / Iwo Jima Kit
2 x 1/350 Gallery Models 1/350 USN LCAC Hovercraft (2) for USS Wasp / Iwo Jima Kit
5 x 1/350 Niko Model Cargo Wooden Boxes Small
5 x 1/350 Niko Model Cargo Wooden Boxes Large
2 x 1/350 Veteran Models Modern US Mk 36 Torpedo Launcher & Mk 25 Chain Gun
3 x 1/350 Veteran Models Modern US Navy Rigid Hull & Personnel Boats
2 x 1/350 Veteran Models Modern US SLQ-32 ECM & SRBOC Chaff
3 x 1/350 Veteran Models RIM 116 RAM Launcher
1 x 1/350 Veteran Models Modern US Mk 26 SM-2 Standard Missile Launcher
3 x 1/350 Veteran Models Modern US Mk 45 5 Inch Single Gun
3 x 1/350 Veteran Models Modern US Phalanx CIWS 
3 x 1/350 Veteran Models Mk 38 MOD2 25mm Chain Gun (with MK-53 Nulka Decoy System)
2 x 1/700 Niko Model Cargo Wooden Boxes
1 x 1/350 Veteran Models Modern US Mk 141 Harpoon Launcher
1 x 1/144 Revell Germany Plastic Model Kit Northrop B2 Bomber
1 x 1/144 Revell Germany Plastic Model Kit F-117 Stealth Fighter
1 x 1/144 Trumpeter F-22A Raptor
3 x 1/350 White Ensign Modern USN/RN RHIB Davits
1 x L'Arsenal 1/350 Accessory  85 gallon Oil / Fuel Drums (50 pcs)

[sandiego89]

Wow impressive shopping list. More expensive than the ship I'm sure 

Looking forward to it.

[Captain Canada]

That is an impressive list ! All from Freetime ?

What are the 155th scale kits for ?

[seadude]

Wow impressive shopping list. More expensive than the ship I'm sure 

You have no idea!   

That is an impressive list ! All from Freetime ?

What are the 155th scale kits for ?

95% of it from Freetime, except for the L'Arsenal oil drums, and a few Gallery vehicle sets directly from MRC itself.  The 1/144 scale aircraft kits are for this project here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,36915.0.html
........and a good portion of the Veteran weapons sets are for this project here:
http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,37298.0.html

[Captain Canada]

I might order a few things from them next week, or directly from L'arsenal USA. I\d like to get some bits for the Pine Island build, and  350th scale Sunderland would be just the ticket, and maybe a Catalina or two !

[seadude]

I bought a bunch of MRC US Marine armor vehicle packs:
http://www.modelrec.com/search/product-view.asp?ID=12472
........so I could have the Humvees and cargo trucks from them. The tanks and other vehicles I'll use for other future projects.
But then.........I found GHQ     and the modern military vehicles they offered. I need more of a variety of vehicles than what the MRC packs have to offer, but I noticed the vehicles from GHQ are 1/285 scale and not 1/350. Is 1/285 still acceptable? Has anyone else used GHQ vehicles for their amphib ship builds? But if I took my model to a contest in the future, I'd surely get creamed by the judges for having vehicles that are "out of scale".

[Captain Canada]

Close enough if you ask me !

[sandiego89]

I bought a bunch of MRC US Marine armor vehicle packs:

not 1/350. Is 1/285 still acceptable?

Wow the MRC ones look great. 

Mt 2 cents is that the differnce between 1/350 and 1/285 will be noticable, especially if they are side by side.  If you are doing it for just your fun, perhaps no worries, but I think it would bother you.  I'm by no means a rivet counter, but I have worked aircraft, armor and ships including 1/700, 1/720, 1/800, 1/300, 1/350, 1/426 and other scales, and when you get to side by sides, you can notice. I have not used GHQ.   

[seadude]

I bought a bunch of MRC US Marine armor vehicle packs:

not 1/350. Is 1/285 still acceptable?

Wow the MRC ones look great. 

Mt 2 cents is that the differnce between 1/350 and 1/285 will be noticable, especially if they are side by side.  If you are doing it for just your fun, perhaps no worries, but I think it would bother you.  I'm by no means a rivet counter, but I have worked aircraft, armor and ships including 1/700, 1/720, 1/800, 1/300, 1/350, 1/426 and other scales, and when you get to side by sides, you can notice. I have not used GHQ.   

Actually, the MRC vehicles aren't that great. There aren't even any doors on the sides of the Humvees!  Even if I did buy/use 1/285 scale GHQ vehicles, I would not be able to have any 1/350 scale vehicles nearby otherwise I'd get creamed by the judges if I were to take this model to a contest. The only 1/350 vehicle that might look awkward next to a 1/285 vehicle are the kit's forklifts. Any 1/285 vehicles I buy/use would only be shown in the well deck/vehicle storage deck, and also on the LCAC's/LCU's. Any 1/350 vehicles I use are the flight deck vehicles and the forklifts.

[NARSES2]

[Mt 2 cents is that the differnce between 1/350 and 1/285 will be noticable,  

I've seen people try and use them side by side on a wargames table and it doesn't work well at all. In the UK the small wargames scale is 1/300 which is still to big I would say, but the range is huge