ADD and what if ship modelling

[proditor]

So many projects started, so few completed.  I finally have a good excuse, mainly they are all carefully packed for an upcoming move.  But the truth is that some of them have been drydocked for years...

Anyway, here is my what if fleet, soon to hopefully be joined by some bizarre aircraft (Well, after I move at least).

[John Howling Mouse]

Wow, I don't know enough about "real" ships to know what elements in the pics are yours (i.e. What If) versus standard design but they all sure look cool.

I've got a few ship models but have never built one.

Would it be the right thing to do to simply assemble everything on a modern naval vessel then shoot the whole thing in grey paint or should there be different shades on different components?

:dum:  

[Captain Canada]

Wow....that's alot of ships !

Looks like you're in the same 'boat' as me.......glue everything on, and then start a new one before painting anything or actually finishing one !

 

[proditor]

It would probably be a lot easier to do them in sub-sections, paint those, then glue everything together and do touch-ups.  But I rarely choose the easy way and I like gluing the ships together.    Surprisingly, I always do my aircraft in sections (All the interior, the cockpit, wells, etc.) but I just can't do it with the ships.

I think in part the painting on a warship depends on a couple of things.

1) What scale is your ship?  You can fudge a lot more at 1/700 after all...
2) How detailed is your paint scheme? If it's all haze grey, why kill yourself?

Thanks for the feedback btw.  

The quick and dirty stories:

First two pictures, Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate with the swingarm launcher removed in favor of a 16 VLS and an 8 cell harpoon launcher.  I think the loadout I decided on was 32 Enhanced Sea Sparrow, 8 VL-ASROC and of course, 8 Harpoons.

Next two: Prince of Wales on the way to becoming a 1990's Amphibious Assault Ship.  Helicopter deck and Marine contingent, VLS in place of the old aircraft catapults, CIWS and 5" Oto Melara secondaries.

Next Two: The HMS Rodney as she looked 5 years after sinking the General Belgrano off of the Falklands in 1982.  Retained as a surface bombardment vessel after the war, both the Rodney and the Nelson received austere upgrades before being mothballed.  When the plans were announced for the Iowas, the British realized they has a nice platform in the Rodneys simply by removing the third turret and making it a missile battery.  Also the secondaries were switched out with the more modern 4.5" DP cannon, Goalkeepers were added port and starboard, and a 6 cell Seawolf was added overseeing the missile deck.  The Belgrano sinking was accomplished with Harpoons, and was the first time a capital ship killed another solely with missiles.

Last two: HMS Tiger through the years.  One built stock, one at about 1975 with a revised armarment, and the last in 2002 in her final form.

[dragon]

I have wondered about such things myself.  For example, suppose the IJN Yamato had been used by combined US and Japanese Marine Self Defense Forces to contain the Soviet Union and Communist China after WWII.  Suppose (further) that the JMSDF YAMATO had been given a treatment similar to the IOWA-class in the 1980's.  You know, CWIS, Tomahawks, Harpoons, Harriers, Aegis system and Sea Hawks....Hmm would that cheese off the JMNs?

[proditor]

I have wondered about such things myself.  For example, suppose the IJN Yamato had been used by combined US and Japanese Marine Self Defense Forces to contain the Soviet Union and Communist China after WWII.  Suppose (further) that the JMSDF YAMATO had been given a treatment similar to the IOWA-class in the 1980's.  You know, CWIS, Tomahawks, Harpoons, Harriers, Aegis system and Sea Hawks....Hmm would that cheese off the JMNs?

Cheese them off?  They'd probably explode!  

Hmmm...maybe I should buy a Yamato.....

[elmayerle]

Which of course leads to the idea of  a JMSDF Yamato given teh quivalent of a FACES II conversion and operating AV-8J's et al.  Hmm, I wonder how well the F-2's radar would fit a AV-8B+ buselage?

[NARSES2]

I do like those PoW & Rodney conversions

Chris

[Geoff_B]

Nice selection of upgraded warships, is see tha Aussie have managed to keep the Mk-13 Launcher and added ESSM in silos fwd of this. I suppose another OHP possible refit would be to repace the MK-13 with a 5" gun possibly add the ESSM as the Asuusies have done and then add MK-41 VLS launchers to the side of the main superstructure in a similar fashion to the Dutch Frigates Sea Sparrow launch tubes.

Love the Nelson and Rodney as NGS ships, i suppose you could do one with all three main turrets and add the ASM's to the rear deack & superstructure, although i suppose you would need a Heli pad to launch  a helo for gun fire spotting.

Evan as for Yamato she had a rather large seaplane hanger and flight deck so would only really require improved aircraft handling facilities for Harriers. She would look rather interesting with updates bustle , radar & comms coupled with updated sencondary and AA armament

Geoff B B)  

[Marty]

What a great group of builds!!!! I hadn't thought of doing a KGV or A Rodney as a modern rebuild. Great ideas!!!!! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.................

I just did a Musashi in a "what-if" paint scheme though, FWIW:


http://home.bellsouth.net/p/scripts/commun...loc=103&ck=&ck=

Marty

[Joe C-P]

Marty,

Your repainting came out well, and the backstory sounds quite likely. The Yamatos didn't move much, due to a lack of fuel oil, so keeping the crews busy would have been quite important.

JoeP

[Joe C-P]

The quick and dirty stories:

First two pictures, Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate with the swingarm launcher removed in favor of a 16 VLS and an 8 cell harpoon launcher.  I think the loadout I decided on was 32 Enhanced Sea Sparrow, 8 VL-ASROC and of course, 8 Harpoons.

Next two: Prince of Wales on the way to becoming a 1990's Amphibious Assault Ship.  Helicopter deck and Marine contingent, VLS in place of the old aircraft catapults, CIWS and 5" Oto Melara secondaries.

Next Two: The HMS Rodney as she looked 5 years after sinking the General Belgrano off of the Falklands in 1982.  Retained as a surface bombardment vessel after the war, both the Rodney and the Nelson received austere upgrades before being mothballed.  When the plans were announced for the Iowas, the British realized they has a nice platform in the Rodneys simply by removing the third turret and making it a missile battery.  Also the secondaries were switched out with the more modern 4.5" DP cannon, Goalkeepers were added port and starboard, and a 6 cell Seawolf was added overseeing the missile deck.  The Belgrano sinking was accomplished with Harpoons, and was the first time a capital ship killed another solely with missiles.

Last two: HMS Tiger through the years.  One built stock, one at about 1975 with a revised armarment, and the last in 2002 in her final form.

The OHP closely resembles proposed upgrades by the USN. Instead they're being sent off to other lands or put into the reserve. In a recent issue of the US Naval Institute Proceedings, there was even a proposal to convert one as a test bed for the Littoral Combat Ship.

I've wanted to do a KGV brought up to the 1980s ala the Iowas, but I keep reassigning those kits to other projects. Someday...
Note that the directors at the tippy-top of the foremast were for the 5.25" twins, and may not have been retained one they were replaced.

You should add a helo pad right aft for the Rodney, then she'll look thoroughly modern.

I just (re)finished a Tiger converted to carry Sea Dart aft instead of the helo deck. They were interesting ships.

Keep up the good work! I'm looking forward to seeing the final products.

JoeP