1:700 USS Quincy

[P-40Warhawk]

Here is an old build I rediscovered recently! At least an old build for me anyway; I had just made this after a very long hiatus from building models, and that's been more years than I can remember. I had never tried building a 1:700 scale cruiser before, and I remember I had some difficulty, not least of which was the paint. I spent a lot of time looking in the books and trying to find what paint and configuration was accurate for this. Unfortunately I did not have many books which depicted the USS Quincy in the time frame I wanted (1942), and so I had only a few photos to work with. I made a list of the paints I thought would be a good stand in for the real thing, but I couldn't even find good matches for my matches! Maybe it was just location, but the biggest drawback to modeling was always a lack of available paints stocked locally. Anyway, this old ship has some 'battle damage' from the effects of time; a missing turret, broken foremast, part of a custom deck I made is missing, and a bad paint job to top it off.

 

Still, it was my first and only foray into the world of 1:700 cruisers. Several years passed after this build before I thought I would try again, and couldn't even find many 1:700 cruiser kits on the market. I haven't looked in years, so maybe they are back again. It's an intriguing scale; just right for the shelf, but not too small.

 

I tried to duplicate the camouflage the ship wore in the summer of 1942. Quincy was sunk August 9, 1942, so this model was supposed to portray it during that action. The lack of photos stymied efforts to keep things accurate, and with the paint being a disappointment, I never fully finished it. It started out as a USS San Francisco model, which I bought to convert into the Quincy. I had to rework some of the forward superstructure in particular. I think the kit did come with a few pieces that made the conversion easier. It's been a long time since I built it! The aircraft cranes amidships were rigged using the stretched sprue method; I'm amazed they survived give the damage the rest of the model has suffered. This was the smallest cruiser model I ever tried, it was almost too small for me to work with, but I think today I could do better.

 

After finding it again, I have entertained the thought of trying to rework it, but with the paint on it, it may be best to just fix what I can and enjoy it for what it is.

 

[P-40Warhawk]

I didn't have many photos of the real ship with this camo, so I had to try to interpret how the regs called for the decks to be painted. I don't think it is as accurate as it could be now.

 

[P-40Warhawk]

You can see the rigging on the cranes. I guess I never finished adding the hooks.

 

[P-40Warhawk]

The camo was applied where possible by masking and spraying, but most of the camo was brush painted; something I was not particularly good at.

 

 

 

[P-40Warhawk]

Here are some photos from wikipedia of the real ship

 

 

[P-40Warhawk]

The real thing

 

 

The model

 

[sundance]

I'd say you did a fine job. Enjoy it.

[cagedfalcon]

Great job

 

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

 

[P-40Warhawk]

Thanks guys! I know it isn't a whole lot to look at.

 

I am trying to get back into model building after a very long time out of it. I am having a terrible time using fillers to smooth and level areas though. I have tried to apply them thinly, so it doesn't warp the plastic, and I find that it does anyway. I am at a standstill because of it. To make things worse, the parts I am working on are main decks, so they tend to be one piece (or maybe two on some) which adds more issues with any warping throwing the majority of the deck off. Any suggestions for fillers that are more stable?

 

I don't think I am applying it in excessive amounts (as I said I try to keep it thin, let it cure, and then add another layer to fill spots if needed), yet the result is that the deck warps during the curing process. These are kit decks I am working with, and I am using a modeling putty from a tube. The deck in some areas was already warped, hence why I needed to use filler to smooth it out. I can smooth it out while the putty is wet, but once it cures it seems to warp the deck. I would think that if it was just the appearance of it warping during the curing process (from the putty drying out and contracting in volume) that it would eventually build up enough that I would get to an even level. Instead it seems to be perpetually stuck with the same situation upon curing that I started with. The deck is glued to the hull and is sagging in the center; not the sides. Any ideas or advice? I remember using a different putty about 20 years ago that seemed to be easier to work with, but I cannot find it locally anymore. I am not sure of the cause, but the result I am getting would be what I would expect from adding way too much putty; but I have been careful not to add much. I am about ready to cut the deck out and build from scratch, but I really would like to continue with what I have done already. Is it possible that the layering of new coats over fully cured putty is reacting and leading to warpage/sagging?

[Tecko]

Looks good. Hope you continue making models. Like anything else, when using our own skills, we get better at it after each model.

[Dogsbody]

Thanks guys! I know it isn't a whole lot to look at.

 

I am trying to get back into model building after a very long time out of it. I am having a terrible time using fillers to smooth and level areas though. I have tried to apply them thinly, so it doesn't warp the plastic, and I find that it does anyway. I am at a standstill because of it. To make things worse, the parts I am working on are main decks, so they tend to be one piece (or maybe two on some) which adds more issues with any warping throwing the majority of the deck off. Any suggestions for fillers that are more stable?

 

I don't think I am applying it in excessive amounts (as I said I try to keep it thin, let it cure, and then add another layer to fill spots if needed), yet the result is that the deck warps during the curing process. These are kit decks I am working with, and I am using a modeling putty from a tube. The deck in some areas was already warped, hence why I needed to use filler to smooth it out. I can smooth it out while the putty is wet, but once it cures it seems to warp the deck. I would think that if it was just the appearance of it warping during the curing process (from the putty drying out and contracting in volume) that it would eventually build up enough that I would get to an even level. Instead it seems to be perpetually stuck with the same situation upon curing that I started with. The deck is glued to the hull and is sagging in the center; not the sides. Any ideas or advice? I remember using a different putty about 20 years ago that seemed to be easier to work with, but I cannot find it locally anymore. I am not sure of the cause, but the result I am getting would be what I would expect from adding way too much putty; but I have been careful not to add much. I am about ready to cut the deck out and build from scratch, but I really would like to continue with what I have done already. Is it possible that the layering of new coats over fully cured putty is reacting and leading to warpage/sagging?

I'm not a ship modeller but if I understand you correcty the deck is only secured to the side of the ship and the middle part sort of floats and starts warping? If so, is it perhaps possible to prop up the deck (the middle part) with some scrap plastic? That way it will be secured and may not start to warp as quickly. Just an idea.

 

Rene

[P-40Warhawk]

Hi, thanks that is a good idea, but this deck is solid (no access holes) so I have no way to access the underside of it.