MIcronaut conversion - USS Portland to USS Indianapolis 1945

battlewagon · Post by **battlewagon** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 11:12 am

Another GHQ model for Christmas = another conversion project
Objective: convert the GHQ USS Portland kit into USS Indianapolis as she appeared in late 1945. The Starboard catapult was removed and the teak decking was removed from the hanger deck and the quarterdeck to save weight to compensate for additional equipment added topside. The Indianapolis had a longer foredeck and a larger structure around the base of the #1 stack compared to the Portland.

Source material:
â€¢ Warship Pictorial #10 - Indianapolis & Portland
â€¢ Deck plans from the Tamiya 1/700th scale USS Indianapolis kit

Conversion steps
1. Remove the ships boats amidships
2. Remove the starboard catapult pylon
3. Remove wood planking from amidships and the quarterdeck (the foredeck is wood)
4. Remove items from aft catwalk
5. Extend the main foredeck 4mm farther aft, the break is straight up and down
6. Widen the base of 1# stack to 6mm (leave walkways on sides and aft)
7. Build a tripod mast over #2 stack

Starting the project: Preparing the hull
I cleaned all mold lines and flash off of the hull and other parts. Using a #11 Xacto knife, I carved off the ships boats just aft of the foredeck and I clipped off the right catapult pylon. I used small hobby files and extra fine sandpaper to remove the deck planking detail from the hanger deck amidships and from the quarterdeck.
Elapsed time: 2 hours

Extending the foredeck
I found some rectangular pewter sprues in my spare parts box (from a Napoleonic Micronaut kit) that are 1mm high by 3mm wide. I cut 2 4mm pieces with an Xacto saw blade. Additional filing and sanding were needed to fine tune the fit of each piece on the hanger deck where the boats used to sit. The 1mm height is the right height between the foredeck and the hanger deck.

When the pieces are the right size and shape they will be crazy glued to the deck.
Just prior to adding the pieces I will apply Squadron Green Putty where the sides join the hull to fill any seam lines. Any additional gaps and seams will be covered with Squadron Green putty and sanded down when dry. The putty will be lightly applied on the outboard edges and scored to produce the deck planking detail.

The attached photo is the hull after the initial modifications: boats removed, starboard catapult pylon removed and the hanger deck and quarterdeck are getting the deck planking detail sanded off. The two blocks on either side of the hull are the foredeck extensions that will be attached next.

Questions and comments appreciated, I will update my progress soon.

Donald M. Scheef · Post by **Donald M. Scheef** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:02 am

Good luck on your conversion, although I am still hoping that GHQ comes out with an actual late-war Indianapolis.

Have you considered filling in the grooves that represent planking rather than filing them off? This would seem to be an easier approach to me.

One bit of advice as you approach completion: Indianapolis mounted the large "bedspread" air search radar on the aft lattice mast rather than on the forward mast. This was unique among the pre-war heavy cruisers as they appeared late in the war.

Don S.

battlewagon · Post by **battlewagon** » Fri Dec 31, 2010 11:00 am

Donald M. Scheef wrote:Good luck on your conversion, although I am still hoping that GHQ comes out with an actual late-war Indianapolis.

Have you considered filling in the grooves that represent planking rather than filing them off? This would seem to be an easier approach to me.

One bit of advice as you approach completion: Indianapolis mounted the large "bedspread" air search radar on the aft lattice mast rather than on the forward mast. This was unique among the pre-war heavy cruisers as they appeared late in the war.

Don S.

Don, I would like to see GHQ produce this in kit form, but in the meantime I view it as a challenge to my skill as a model bulider in 1/2400th scale.

Sanding / filing / grinding off the deck planking is a personal preference..it gives me an excuse to break out the Dremel tool!

If my after mast scratchbuild goes well the radar antenna will be relocated. Thanks for the feedback. I will be completing the modification of the hull this weekend and should have more pictures soon.

battlewagon · Post by **battlewagon** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:48 am

Update: The foredeck has been extended and structure around the #1 stack has been built out. I am still applying putty in the gaps between the added parts (no...it is not mold or seaweed) and I still need to finish removing the planking detail but I wanted to include photos with this progress report.

Here is a side view, the putty shows the outline of the added parts...for now

Here is the top view that clearly shows structure at the base of #1 stack

A little more filing, sanding and maybe a little buffing with the Dremel tool and the hull will be ready for priming.

battlewagon · Post by **battlewagon** » Sun Jan 02, 2011 1:23 am

Update: I have begun work on the tripod main mast. I purchased some .025" (0.64 mm)styrene rod stock from Evergreen Scale Models to build the tripod legs. Each leg is 10 mm long. I attached the forward leg first and waited overnight for the glue to completely set before attaching the other two legs. I spend a lot of time and effort making sure that this leg was angled properly and was not leaning to either side before the glue set.

The remaining two legs were attached at the bottom and the top ends were positioned behind the front leg prior to gluing them together. Once the glue has set the top will be trimmed to even out the legs so I can add the platform for the radar antenna.

In addition to the radar platform, I am planning on using some styrene strip stock to put a little bracing on the tripod.

Note: the parts will not be glued to the hull until after painting. I set the #2 stack in it's mounting hole on deck to steady it while I assembled the tripod mast and I will probably also have that piece sitting on the hull when I apply the primer coat. I will trim the flash from the forward superstructure, gun turrets, etc while I wait for the glue on the tripod to set.

battlewagon · Post by **battlewagon** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:51 am

Finally...an update.

After wading through a lot of other priorities I have finally been able to get back to work on my USS Portland to USS Indianapolis 1945 conversion.

I cut back the styrene rods for the main tripod mast to 6mm in length. I cut a small piece of styrene bar stock to be the base for the radar antenna, cut the antenna off of the super structure and put the plastic stock and the antenna on some wax paper and glued the two together while on their side. Once the tripod legs were glued together at the top, I glued the after deckhouse to the hull so the radar could be attached to the tripod. (I only knocked the darn thing off 3 or 4 times over the last couple of weeks...can you say fragile?)

Here she is with the tripod mast in place:

The superstructure is not glued in for the photo, but is there as a reference for the height of the tripod mast.

All that is left to do on the kit is some touch up painting, painting some insignia on the floatplane and gluing the catapult to the port side pylon...and post more pictures.
The next update will have more pictures including a side by side comparison with a stock built USS Portland.

battlewagon · Post by **battlewagon** » Mon Feb 28, 2011 7:34 am

Update...
Here is the USS Indianapolis, now fully assembled and is 99.9% painted:

Here is a comparison with USS Portland built stock from the package:

I will be doing touch up painting for the next couple of days as I find tiny spots I missed, but I couldn't wait to get these pictures posted. It was a lot of work and more than a little frustration but I am pleased to add the USS Indianapolis to my fleet.

As always, questions are welcomed and answered.