Micronaut Only Thread

cbovill · Post by **cbovill** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 10:56 am

I've just completed my first batch of ships and aircraft for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Everytime I start up a new fleet it takes a lot of time on the front end to get the color matching down and the massive amount of research on the ships and planes and everything else there is to know about the new fleet.

This first batch is of cruisers and destroyers that served in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Savo Island. Japanese heavy cruisers are some of the coolest and hottest looking ships ever made, and I have been waiting a long time to build them. Below you will see the two Furutaka and the two Aoba class heavy cruisers that formed up Cruiser Sentai 6. Also are two Myoko class that formed part of Cruiser Sentai 5. Light cruisers are those of Sentai 18, plus some Kamikaze class destroyers.

For the aircraft I built a Chutai (squadron) of G3M Nell attack bombers, the kind that were used against Force Z, plus many recce aircraft.

The most difficult aspect was matching the linoleum that the IJN used on its ships' decks. I thought I had picked the perfect color, but then when I applied it, it was just way too orange, so I will need to go back to the drawing board there for future ships to get it closer to brown.

Heavy Cruiser Myoko

Heavy Cruiser Aoba

Heavy Cruiser Furutaka

The famous experimental light cruiser Yubari, designed by master shipwright Hiraga Yuzuru, she was the precursor to the future "A" class cruisers, or heavy cruisers

Light Cruiser Yubari

Light Cruiser Tenryu

Cruiser Sentai 6: Aoba, Kinugasa, Furutaka, Kako

DesDiv 18

Chutai of Mitsubishi G3M Nell bombers

Shotai (flight) of Mitsubishi G3M Nell bombers

Mitsubishi F1M2 Pete floatplane used for spotting fall of shot

Aichi E13A1 Jake floatplane used for scouting

Kawanishi H6K Mavis seaplane used for long range recce and SAR

Kawanishi H6K Mavis seaplane

Kawanishi H8K Emily seaplane used for long range recce and SAR

Kawanishi H8K Emily seaplane

Chris

pmskaar · Post by **pmskaar** » Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:27 am

Hi Chris

Really excellent work on those ships and aircraft. I always look forward to seeing your stuff and look forward to more. I have a rather large, mostly unpainted, Japanese fleet myself. The ones I have done, which are destroyers only at this point, are in the GHQ catalog on the website. It has been a long time since I have painted any ships.
My current projects involve WWII 1/285th North Africa right now. I will get back to doing some more ships when I am done with my micro armor or G.A.D.D. hits me again - Gamers' Attention Deficit Disorder

Have a great day!

Pete - Binpicker, Out!

Eifelschreck · Post by **Eifelschreck** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 12:06 am

Hi Chris,
great stuff. But I have a question. Which material do you use for the flight stands? And is there an online shop to buy the pins (which diameter have they?) on which your planes sit?

cbovill · Post by **cbovill** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 2:41 am

Thanks Pete! I've got scads of 1/285th stuff myself that I don't know when I will get to, so it sits patiently in a box.

Eifelschreck - my aircraft bases are very cheap and easy. The base is clear acrylic sheet available at most Lowes and Home Depot big box hardware stores in the window repair section. The "pins" the planes are mounted on are nothing more than cheap fishing line. I bought a lifetime supply from Walmart for a couple of bucks, and cut it to 1/2" lengths. I had actually tried to find clear acrylic rod in the size I needed, but the smallest diameter I could find was too thick for 1/2400th scale. I got the idea for these bases right here on this forum. Would love to give credit, but can't remember where or which thread it was on.

Chris

regia-marina · Post by **regia-marina** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 4:02 am

cbovill, your Japanese ships and aircraft inspire me to re-open my shipyard and finish re-doing the Littorio and finally complete my Italian aircraft. Great job!

jb · Post by jb » Tue Feb 17, 2009 5:26 am

Chris,
Great job on the ships and aircraft. Those aircraft can't be any larger than aTse-Tse fly

Donald M. Scheef · Post by **Donald M. Scheef** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 4:02 am

Now that GWB26 has been released, we can see that the illustrated version is that with the forward flying-off deck only. I am not going to be ordering this myself in the near future, but I would like to hear from someone who does as soon as it arrives. I have two questions:

As on the original, there is a distinct division between the hull and the forward superstructure/hanger. Is this a solid structure or a separate piece? (I would love to build the two-turret version.)

What is the identity of the aircraft provided with this ship?

Don S.

cbovill · Post by **cbovill** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 4:30 am

I am very surprised to see HMS Furious get built with only the forward flying off platform and the aft 18" gun turret. She never saw combat in this configuration. It was later after she had gone back to the bulider's yard and recieved her after flying off platform that she finally saw action.

Previous post:
The Furious went back to the builder's yard in December of 1917 and emerged in March 1918 with flight deck aft and flying off platform forward, and no 18" guns. Since she never saw active service with the aft 18" gun turret (only trials) she will probably be built as she appeared in March 1918. In this configuration she saw combat in June against a pair of seaplanes, in July she raided the Zeppelin sheds at Tondern and then saw service in the Baltic in 1919.

Oh well, lots of surprises this year. But she still does look pretty cool, nothing else like her in the lineup. She will certainly add some flavor to the scenario choices for WWI.

Chris

Donald M. Scheef · Post by **Donald M. Scheef** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:43 am

I believe that GHQ has made a poor choice for the version of HMS Furious that they model in GWB26 - not the version with landing deck aft that actually saw combat in the Great War nor the version with two 18-inch mounts that would appeal to hypothetical gamers. This is similar to their choice of an unmodified W class for UKN43.

I have decided that the best approach for me is to order two of the GWB26, cover-over the aft section of one to represent the landing deck, and put the gun turrets (plus other components from the second) on an extra CinC model of Glorious.

Don S.

DAVIDNOLA62 · Post by **DAVIDNOLA62** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 12:37 am

It's pretty easy to scratch-build the Pola using a Zara kit, but substituting the bridge structure from Bolzano

av8rmongo · Post by **av8rmongo** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:09 am

Good news for modern micronauts fans! Viking Forge has expanded their modern line to include Peoples Republic of China. They are offering four new models. LUYANG I, LUYANG II, JIANGKAI and JIANGHU I. Some of their most modern and one of their most numerous types. Excellent choices I think. Judging from the catalog numbers they're SeaBattle designs from Austria locally produced here in the States. Pictures are available on the website and my order is already in the mail.

Paul

jb · Post by jb » Sun Mar 15, 2009 5:00 am

av8rmongo wrote:Good news for modern micronauts fans! Viking Forge has expanded their modern line to include Peoples Republic of China. They are offering four new models. LUYANG I, LUYANG II, JIANGKAI and JIANGHU I. Some of their most modern and one of their most numerous types. Excellent choices I think. Judging from the catalog numbers they're SeaBattle designs from Austria locally produced here in the States. Pictures are available on the website and my order is already in the mail.

Paul

Geeze,
Maybe they will come out with an Arleigh Burke Flt IIa...

ed*b · Post by **ed*b** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 2:04 am

cama wrote:

[quote]I was in Seattle today and scored a good deal. Picked up four RN battleships, two RN cruisers, one German cruiser, and a pack of German TBDs. All Great War ships. [/quote]

Did you get those at American Eagle in Seattle or another store? I will be making the trip down to Seattle in a few weeks.

Since you were so far west, did you get to Trumpeter Salute in Burnaby? It was this past weekend

Post by **GHQ** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 11:22 pm

Just bringing this to the top. Apparently some people have had some problems finding this thread. For the record, no topics have been deleted. All topics are listed chronologically in the order in which they were last added to. If a thread has not been added to, it will move down the list. You can also do searches by using the "Search" function that is listed in the middle of the Forum pages.

GHQ

cbovill · Post by **cbovill** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:18 am

Scott (ww2navyguy) was asking whether HMAS Canberra can also be used to represent HMAS Australia.

My answer is it depends on your concern for accuracy. At first glance the two ships look identical, for a time there in 1940-41 they both even carried similar Alexandria style Admiralty disruptive camo schemes. But on closer inspection, the differences begin to become apparent. First off, Canberra was the least upgraded of all the County class cruisers. I don't have my sources in front of me, but I believe she still had the original 1" belt, instead of the new 4.5" belt (not noticable at this scale).

What is noticable is Canberra still had the original 4" quick-firing Mk V AA guns in four single mounts. Australia had already had these upgraded to the new 4" quick-firing AA guns in twin mounts. Also, Canberra was the only one not to land her torpedo tubes.

I decided that it may be many years before GHQ ever produces HMS Kent and HMAS Australia, so I decided to buy a second Canberra to represent Australia. Its imperfect but it allows me to complete the Australian squadron. In the event they do build Australia, I will certainly buy her and will repaint the second Canberra to represent her Alexandria paint scheme. The one I've got now is being painted up in the Chicago Blue scheme which I believe is Ms21 or close to it for use at Savo Island.

Chris

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