Unreleased ships for 1/4800...

Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy)
Java-class light cruiser [1942]
Ships in class: HNLMS Java, HNLMS Sumatra
- waiting on for additional ships for the pack(CL.DeRuyter, CL.Tromp, etc) and seaplane compliment (Fokker C.XI-W)

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US Navy
New York class battleships
Ships in class: BB34 New York[1942], BB35 Texas[1944] (shown)
- waiting on New York; will be available together with the New Mexico class BBs (NM, MS, ID)

Gleaves class destroyer (also as Benson class)
*available mid-July (waiting on refit/version with -1 5x 21" TT (aft set))*
Ships in class: 66 (30 in Benson)

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Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun (Imperial Japanese Navy, IJN)
Aircraft carrier Hiryu[1942]
- waiting on additional carriers for the pack (Soryu, most probably the Shokaku and Ziukaku as well) as well as aircrafts

Fubuki class destroyers (3 main types, top to bottom)
*avalable mid-July*

- Type I (9+1 ships); pipe-type air inlet with low angle guns (Type A); Uranami as Type I kai (designed with bowl-type air inlets, but retains low-angle guns)
- Type II (10 ships); bowl-type air inlets with 'Type B' high angle guns
- Type III (4 ships); re-arranged internals, visually identified with slimmer forefunnel

Preliminary USN List: Atlantic/Med theatre...

Below is a semi-copy-pasta from the discussion on the USN Med/Atlantic list, together with some notes and updates from the 1/4800 Naval Wargaming Yahoo Group

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There are only a couple of sculpts left for the Regia Marina: Italian aircraft carriers almost done and should be available this weekend. Capitani Romani class light cruisers and the Freccia/Folgore destroyers

I'm having doubts with the SS: primarily because the last one (MN SS Redoutable) only got sold a handful (thanks to whoever you are ;) ) ...also I'm having difficulties finding higher resolution references (apart from some Italian forums/site)...

For the preliminary USN list, my only source at the moment is the OOB for the Invasion of North Africa ( http://www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Mediterranean/OOB_WWII_Casablanca.htm ). Tabulating the ship classes below:

BB SD = 1
BB NY = 2
CV Ranger = 1
CVE Sangamon = 4
CA Northampton = 1
CA New Orleans = 1
CA Wichita = 1
CL Cleveland = 1
CL Brooklyn = 3
DD Wickes = 2*
DD Clemson = 1*
DD Fletcher = 1
DD Sims** = 2
DD Benham = 3
DD Benson = 3
DD Gleaves = 26

*"Note that all three of these had the North Atlantic escort mod with 6
x 3 inch guns, aft funnel removed, and the two sets of torpedo mounts
removed (replaced with the two extra 3 inch). Note also there are 5 more variants of the class as destroyer minesweepers."

**Already done/available

I have no idea yet if we can proxy anything with regards to the DDs (just going with the Figurehead stuffs: Wickes/Clemson?)

Hmmm, coincidentally my preferred ships (BB SD, BB NY and CA NO) are in there XD. Note I also plan to have the BB CO and CV Wasp somewhere in the mix.

Also, during the previous conversations, some BBs have been mentioned (BB NewMex stuck in my mind). We'll list it down...

TL;DR for now

WIP: The heavy cruisers of the Italian Navy

Just a few more sculpts left for the Regia Marina. Below are WIP pics of the 4 Zara-, 2 Trento- and Bolzano- class heavy cruisers as they appear in/around 1941.
Please note the pack will also include 16 of the scout plane IMAM Ro.43
*will be available some time over the weekend (February 11-12, 2012)

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Pola

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Fiume

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Gorizia

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Zara

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Trento

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Trieste

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Bolzano (Current WIP)

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Extra: Boeing P-26A 

(Note: Render shown for 1/900 scale)

Break glass in case of emergency...

Of the prints I received, I'm  bothered by the fact that at least one of the ships has a glassy-smooth half, running lengthwise of the ship. Below are some examples of what I'm talking about:

Dunkerque(left) has her starboard side very smooth, while the other half has that rough texture. Strasbourg to the right, has her deck with the roughish texture (click on the pic to show a larger image; though even at that size it's a bit blurry)

Below is a Littorio-class BB, with a relatively heavy oil wash. Notice the aft area where the wash clung onto the rough areas, leaving the smooth areas clear as-is.

*other/smaller ships are harder to take picture of :/ *

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As a test, I'll be using the French light cruiser Emile Bertin, in her pre- and post-US refit appearance. I "sandwiched" them between two plates whose silhouette is like something out of an ONI booklet. The edges extend 0.2mm further to make sure all surfaces of the ships are "evenly rough" once cleaned of support wax.

I removed the longitudinal sprue, the two plates functioning in its' stead. This setup costs us an additional USD0.31 worth of material (correspondingly, the additional cost would be higher or smaller depending on ship size)

Assumed print orientation: from ground-up (or from port side to starboard side)

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Émile Bertin (1942, pre-US refit)

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Émile Bertin (1943, post-US refit)

Preliminary Regia Marina (Italian Navy) List

...but before anything else; after finishing/release of the remaining Marine Nationale (French Navy) naval ships, the following will be done to supplement the detailed 1/4800 ships of the Royal Navy (UK) and Kriegsmarine (German Navy) by another company:

48UK01 Royal Navy Illustrious-class aircraft carrier (1940)
48KM01 Kriegsmarine aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin (1938)

Then onto the Regia Marina list; concentrating on their battles fought in the Mediterrean:

48IT01 Condittieri-class/series of light cruisers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condottieri_class_cruiser
References for Group 3 (Raimondo Montecuccoli and Muzio Attendolo) and 4 (Emanuele Filiberto Duca d'Aosta) is/are available from a popular company/site. The rest (1, 2 and 5), I'll have to check what I was able to collect...

48IT02 Soldati-class destroyers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldati_class_destroyer
The culmination of design that started from Maestrale-class destroyers; improved upon to become Oriani-class destroyers, and finally the Soldatis.

48IT03 Heavy cruisers classes of Zara and Trento (inc. Bolzano)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zara_class_cruiser_%28Italy%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trento_class_cruiser
Once I've obtained the necessary references (Warship Pictorial #23 IIRC), I'm set.
Something to dance with the French Suffrens and Duquesnes ;) (including a repeat of unique visual IDs of each sister ships in each class... uugh)

48IT04 The battleships of Vittorio Veneto class (also known as the Littorio class)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vittorio_Veneto_class_battleship
In comes the battleships: contemporary to the Richelieu-class of France's Marine Nationale, they were in service 1940 and at least one ship of the class was present in almost every major engagement.

48IT05 Submarines: candidate classes are both of the 600-series: Adua and Sirena
http://www.navypedia.org/ships/italy/it_ss_sirena.htm
http://www.navypedia.org/ships/italy/it_ss_adua.htm
Produced in numbers (20 and 12 respectively), these classes of medium submarines were present during the Axis Invasion of Crete.

48IT06 Aircraft carriers Aquila and Sparviero
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_aircraft_carrier_Aquila
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_aircraft_carrier_Sparviero
Conversions of ocean liners would have provided the Regia Marina with these carriers, if not for them being captured/scuttled/scrapped. Aquila's flightdeck reminds me of Graf Zeppelin's though...

48IT07 Conti de Cavour class battleship
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conte_di_Cavour_class_battleship
The two ships surviving WW1 (Conti de Cavour and Giulio Cesare) were reconstructed before WW2. No data gathered yet as to what had been done, but I'll get to cross the bridge.

48IT08 Frescia and Folgore class destroyers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freccia_class_destroyer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folgore_class_destroyer
Another destroyer class to even out the field vs. the French's Mogador/Fantasque/Le Hardi classes...

48IT09 Andrea Doria-class battleships
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_battleship_Andrea_Doria_%281913%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_battleship_Caio_Duilio
NavyField anyone?

48IT10 Vian-Bonfiglietti Project 1928 CVL + Battlecruiser Project 1930
http://xoomer.virgilio.it/bk/MuseoLaSpezia/Projected%20aircraft%20carrier%201928/index.html
http://xoomer.virgilio.it/bk/MuseoLaSpezia/RM%20Projected%20battlecruiser%201930/index.html
Rounding up the list to total 3 aircraft carriers and 8 capital ships

48IT11 Capitani Romani class light cruisers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitani_Romani_class_cruiser
The Capitani Romani class light cruisers were Italy's response to the Marine Nationale's Fantasques and Mogador class contre-torpilleurs (large destroyers/destroyer leaders), but was completed just before Italy's armistice in the 1943...

Too many tiny thingamajigs...

... so little time...

French Fleet in 1/4800: The List

THE List (and links to their corresponding Wikipedia entry/ies:

1. BB.Richelieu1943 + BB.JeanBart1942
2. BB.Clemenceau + BB.Gascogne
3. BB-CV.JeanBart + BB.Alsace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richelieu_class_battleship
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsace_class_battleship

4. DD.Fantasque(x3)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Fantasque_class_destroyer

5. CA.Suffren(x2) + CA.Duquesne(x1)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffren_class_cruiser
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duquesne_class_cruiser

6. CV.Bearn + DD.Mogador(x2)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_aircraft_carrier_B%C3%A9arn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogador_class_destroyer

7. CL.LaGalissoniere(x3)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Galissonnière_class_cruiser

8. CV.Joffre(x2)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joffre_class_aircraft_carrier

9. DD.LeHardi(x6)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Hardi_class_destroyer

10. SS.Redoutable(x8)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redoutable_class_submarine_%281931%29

11. BC.Dunkerque+BC.Strasbourg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkerque_class_battleship

Pack numbers 4, #6, #7 and finally #11 completes the 2 squadrons in the Force de Raid series
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_de_Raid
http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-3909-05OtherNavies.htm#fn

Additional links:
Operation Catapult: Attack on Mers-el-Kebir: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir


The Force de Raid at Mers El Kébir, Algeria (photo by Mers el Kebir Assoc.)

Tamiya Acrylics, Lacquer Flo, Airbrushing and You

Tip dry: the one thing we all hate when airbrushing our water-based acrylic paints. Oddly enough, Tamiya Acrylic paints are water-soluble and contains isopropanol and glycol ethers (says so in the labels). I have no problems about using Tamiya's Acrylic thinner (X-20A), I've used it through my AB, no problems. But searching around the 'net, people say they also use Tamiya's Lacquer thinner with no ill effects.


Lacquer thinners and acrylic paints: recipe for disaster?

I've read people swear by this so decided to try it out. Unfortunately I didn't notice if it's sold at the nearest hobby modeller's store (read: >40kms away) so went with the next best thing: hardwarestore-bought lacquer flo. (I didn't go for the thinner, as I still have lacquer flo stocked for brush cleaning and thinning acrylic-epoxy paints decanted from rattlecans).

(TL;DR Read on for the experiment...)

MkIV Maximus Helmet DIY/sculpting tutorial

Good day folks, seems me leave you long time...

©Forgeworld

Foreword Some, if not many, of us don't have access to Forge World's nice resin models, or for some reason, decided that it's not worth to order it instead. I'm of the former type though; and decided that I want some of my models to stand out from the rest of its Mk7 squadmates. In this tutorial, for want of doing a Mk4 Maximus-style helmet, I will outline my workflow on making up one... TL;DR; on with the show...

Tac Squad Composition

Oookay, I always have trouble coming up of a way to 'spice' up the BS4WS4 pose of a regular marine and in the end, the poses of the squad itself. It takes too much of my time procrastinating the 'next big thing' in posing my rank-and-file marine (overkill eh? :P) so I've made myself a couple of guidelines with regards to how individual marines in my [Tactical] squad should pose like.

At the moment I have these (the list applies to a 10-man Blood Angels Tactical squad)
1. Veteran Sergeant (VetSgt): Anything goes here: plastic conversion, metal, hybrid, I name it, I got it, make it something 'special' not just a BS4WS4 appearance (well, I already have my lineup of Tactical VetSgts so no problem here) Loincloth over the left thigh (red BA icon on black cloth)

2. Second-in-Command (2iC): basically the combat squad leader. Nothing too fancy or special. Any pose that doesn't use the standard tactical marine leg (unless cut-up or reposed). Helm with Iron Skull. Loincloth over left thigh (black BA icon on red cloth).

3. Special Weapon marine (SpcWpn): just your regular BS4WS4 pose marine with a special weapon

4. Heavy-weapon proxy marine (HWProxy): Ok, I'm an oldschool 3rd ed BA guy (back when the BA 'dex is just a supplementary one). Nowadays the marine carrying a heavy weapon can still shoot [with his bolt pistol], but I tend to move my forces around too much so I wont be able to use the HW to full effect. Uses Mk6 tac legs (the one without the kneepads).

5. Running marine (Running): who doesn't love the legs from the SM Assault Squad box? Normal bolter-totting-upper-torso pose.

6. Kneeling marine (Kneeling): those kneeling legs from the SM Devastator Squad box are a godsend. unfortunately I don't have any of those, so I have to fabricate my own. Odd-numbered squads are right-kneeling, left for the even numbered squads

7. Grenade-lobbing marine (Grnade): I have an abundance of right hands holding a grenade, so I have to use some of those. Standard tac marine legs.

8. Snap-fit marine (SnapFit): as the name sez: snap-fit FTW! Either BfM or AoBR (I only have BfM ones, spare me my life from my own misery). He'll be the first one I take out as a casualty.

9. Aiming marine (Aiming): boohoo BS4WS4 standard posed tactical marine, but wait! There's MORE!. His arms must be converted to look as if he's aiming his bolter manually (ie. shoulder-braced, looking down the sight) He's next in line for casualties.

10. Normal tactical marine#1 (Norm1): If the VetSgt nor the 2iC doesnt know how to operate an auspex, this guy will. Also the second guy to go as a casualty.

Some other guides (mainly distribute all the nifty bits and pieces included in the SM Tactical Squad box) like:
- Except for SnapFit, all should have at least 1 purity seal (counting the one on the legs, VetSgt and 2iC at least 2), a Krak and Frag grenade, 1 long and at most 2 small pouches. (individual grenades and pouches, not the pair o' grenades or the triplet small pouches)
- as the content of the SM Tactical Marine box, distributed evenly among the marines (excluding SnapFit): 1 auspex, 2 nunchaku-scroll-thingy, 2 scopes (on bolter or stowed on belt), 4 combat knives, holstered pistol, 2 (whatchamacallit) cloth/parchment
- 2 with studded pouldron (left), 1 with name-tab pouldron (right)
- 2 bareheaded, 1 Mk6 helm, 1 different styled helm (Mk4, etc)