USS Lexington CC-1 battlecruiser scratchbulid / kitbash

battlewagon · Post by **battlewagon** » Mon Jul 25, 2011 4:58 am

Paul,

I am using their Low Viscosity Super Light Liquid Casting Plastic. The kit comes with part A and part B in 28 oz bottles. The minimum recommended mix is 0.5 oz of each, which is about twice what I need to cast a hull this size. I have to admit my first try kind of makes me think about that book / movie "The Philadelphia Experiment".

The mold took 90 ml of silicone and 9 ml of catalyst for a hull this big.

battlewagon · Post by **battlewagon** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 9:08 am

Quick update: I am applying Squadron Green putty to the holes left by the bubbles in the mold and I have cut one of the funnels down to size by sawing it just above the flange at the bottom of the funnel.

My planked decking experiment worked as well. Right before I put the original hull in the mold box, I took the Xacto saw blade out of the handle and dragged it sideways along the wooden deck areas to score it. It was hard to see against the actual wood grain but once the casting came out of the mold I could see my simulated planking.

A little more patching, sanding and sawing and I will be ready to start the assembly process. Now I have to come up with good scale casemate gun barrels, or I will be building the 1942 what-if variant.

Details to follow...and pictures too.

jb · Post by jb » Wed Jul 27, 2011 6:03 pm

battlewagon wrote:Quick update: . . . Now I have to come up with good scale casemate gun barrels, or I will be building the 1942 what-if variant.

Details to follow...and pictures too.

I've used fishing line for hull mounted MGs with great results. Of course I apply heat in the form of a "hair straightener" to make the line straight before assembly.
Another method is music wire, use a Dremel cutting disk to cut it, and then grind with same to flatten the end. You can get just about any gauge to suit your needs...
Then there is the hypodermic metal used for well ja, needles. I bought some stock of it but its a real beaoje to work with

battlewagon · Post by **battlewagon** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 7:04 am

Long time , no update!

After driving myself nearly mad trying to make the secondary casemate guns and deck mounted guns, I made a command decision: I will complete the build as a mid-1941 version fresh from a hypothetical yard period. She will be painted in measure 1 with the following upgrades:
1. Radar on the forward cage mast
2. 8 - 5"/38 DP dual turrets for a secondary armament of 16 - 5" guns
3. An aircraft catapult and crane mounted on the centerline aft
4. Some AA mounts on deck (configuration depends on the old parts box)
5. Removal of all casemate guns

I hope to post pictures this weekend.

battlewagon · Post by **battlewagon** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 3:09 am

Pictures...I've got pictures!

I still have to do a little touch up painting and add a couple of AA mounts, but here is the almost finished product.

May I present USS Lexington CC-1 as she might have appeared in mid 1941:

Starboard side view

Overhead view

Enjoy! Questions happily accepted and answered.