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AMF Shipyard Gets Contract for USS Tang World Naval Ships Forums Archive

AMF Shipyard Gets Contract for USS Tang

Posts 1 to 50

In the words of the legendary Kosh, Ambassador of the Vorlon Empire, "And now...it begins..." The Tang kit and custom bridge arrived today. Looks like the Aloha, My Friend Shipyard will be busy for quite awhile! Haven't even really taken a close look at it yet, but the kit seems well made and designed to be sturdy.
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Well that will keep you out of mischief for a while Don ...... The one I built was great fun and converted to RC , long ago when I could hold small bits in my hands" like plates of meat " .... You'll enjoy that Don , and if you need any detail for the Finnish ask Charles [Cgret] who helped me a lot with lighting details and other info ....Good Luck and keep us up to date please ..

Thanks for the good words and encouragement, Ivor. This one will be sitting gently upon a stand -- RC and bits and bobs that involve wire and electricity are beyond the ken of this mere mortal. Beyond the wallet too! :) Scott and I are venturing to the hobby shop this weekend for needed shipbuilding supplies such as new Exacto blades, possibly paint, and then we'll set what else we "just have to have" in order to do this up right.

Can't remember what crew came as part of the bridge set up but mine are safely set aside somewhere . Shopping List :- Filler Garnet paper Glue Masking tape Rattle Cans ;) That should help you start . I'd ask" Jim the Brush" to knock up that sign he suggested for his cheek

With a nice weekend coming up, we got a start on Tang. Found the exact colors for the hull, gave the girl a pre-work bath and even did a touch of painting just to say we got something actually done. Tomorrow the major pieces will get their coats of dull satin black or deep charcoal and then into the box to dry for a few days. The stand will be painted red since it seemed to work so well with the Fletcher build. My display case won't hold a ship this size, so have already lined out what I want in the way of a display case, but that's waaaay down the road.
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Oh my, looks like our[B][COLOR="Navy"] swabbee [/COLOR][/B]is up to his yard's size limits! Punch out a wall and extend those building ways! ;) Good luck with your BIG build, tack rag ready??? Can't have non scale dust buried in the paint! :D DFO

Today we got the basic painting of major parts done. Everything is now boxed and covered to dry for a day or so before any touch-up. The sun was, as usual when I have photography to deal with, uncooperative, so the paint isn't exactly "true" -- the gray is much darker than the photo indicates. The black came out exactly the way it should though -- not flat, not glossy but with a tad of "sheen" like it's supposed to be. (Added a photo showing a better comparison of the gray and dull black.) The rest of the day will be devoted to cleaning the "yard" -- this wretched hovel is a mess and I need to grab the vacuum, mop, bucket o' suds and get busy here!
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Final painting of all the major hull pieces is done. There will, unfortunately, be a delay in further production from the yard due to the first lost-time accident we've experienced in years -- I broke a toe. Thank you left over drugs from the dental surgery, but I will be down for a bit. :(
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What's the phone # of law offices of [B] DEWEY, CHEATEM n HOWE[/B]?? They can get u properly paid for the liability!!! Oh wait...umm....?? ;) Despite that, looking good; far better than runny paint on my lil [B]G. GARABALDI[/B]...:mad: DFO

Couldn't stand just laying about with my foot on a cushion, so shifted my rear into the "modelling shop" with a footstool and pillow, and did some basic paintwork on small parts in preparation for the major assembly work to come. The guns are done, except for a recalcitrant 40 mm mount whose pin holes don't match the gun mount by about a blond one -- of course, has to be something like that to make you utilize the gears and figure a way out. Next will be the major assembly -- the conning tower, the bow section with bow planes, the stern section with shaft and rudders, and the mid-section with it's three deckhouses and side plates. Will flip a coin to see if I do that conning tower first or last!
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Bow and stern sections are complete and are in the building shed for final trim, fill, sand and buff before the last coat of paint is applied. And I only got one drop of glue where it doesn't belong, of course not noticing until too late to do anything but chip and sand...I would feel lost if I hadn't done that.
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Such wonderful finesse, and from a "disabled"[B][COLOR="DarkSlateBlue"] swabbee[/COLOR][/B], too! Truly amazing..:D The crew of the TANG would be proud! Now as long as our master plastic modeler does not do her in; as TANG did to herself (:(), the model will be Museum worthy...DFO

All looks good to me Don , and a great distraction from the Sick Berth eh ;)

Foot propped on a pillow, I was able to get a bit done today. Fewer parts on the sprues! Finished the aft hull section painting and added the zincs to the prop shafts, etc., then moved on to starting work on the superstructure. The main center piece of the hull is together, but needs sanding and fiddling before it can get a final paint coat and sit for a couple of days. Once that's done, I can put the three hull pieces together and set it on the stand. Got all the guns completed, including a very recalcitrant mount for the 40 mm which was 1/10,000 of an inch off, of course, making it not fit the gun evenly. The superstructure basics are in place and I can't go any further until my mini-drill and new bits arrive, as there are pieces to be mounted that have to glue from the inside. Did a test fit of the 20 and 40 mm mounts and decided the 20 mm was way out of scale for the height, so sent the stand to the welder's barn for some adjustments.
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Despite a continuing work slowdown due to a non-job related injury, progress continues with the almost complete conning tower structure, part four of the five major sub-assemblies. Have to get some plastic filler and do a bit of filling and sanding and call the lads out from the paint shop before it's all done, then on to the shears and masts section. The large hull midsection is back in the shed for the final clean-up of steel and final coat of paint.
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Great progress Don and superb paint job. Sandy.

With plastic kits, there is always something you run into during assembly that totally irritates you because the company could have done so much better. Aside from the fact that the 20 mm mount is out of scale (but faked in anyway by mounting it slightly farther forward on the gun deck) tonight's joy was the ladder from the lookout station to the aft bridge deck. According to the instructions, it's supposed to mount on the starboard side, which is dumb because the ammo locker sits there and it's too short to mount on the other side. Fortunately, my PE kit had two ladders, which I spliced together and put on the port side. This of course necessitated cutting the lookout deck stanchions differently to accommodate the different opening and that entailed making some new bits for it as well. the old ladder, cut in half made ideal hand railings for the new ladder, so at least that worked out. I am happy that I've saved tons of plastic and PE "remnants" from many models in my kit -- there were pieces that, when cut, fit perfectly. the Gods of Polystyrene have once again smiled upon me. The scopes and masts are still not permanently mounted -- still some sanding of the deck to do to level it out around the joint. That and some filling and sanding will finish off this piece and it will be on to the mid-hull section finishing details and the "big assembly" of the five main sections into the final kit. Oh, and just to make my day -- I ordered plastic fill from the legendary MicroMark Tools, and they won't send the "deadly chemicals" to Hawaii for whatever stupid reason. So a trip to Hobby Lobby in Pearl City is called for, which I didn't really want to do -- sigh --
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" Fortunately, my PE kit had two ladders, which I spliced together and put on the port side." A resourceful [B][COLOR="Navy"]swabbee[/COLOR][/B], amazing!!! Looking good, must be the neat yard! ;) Of course, if one scratch builds no need for PE parts!! DFO

Today's small amount of work introduced the superstructure to the main deck. Due to letters of complaint from the corner spiders, the rest of the day is devoted to cleaning up the wretched hovel. The mid-section of the hull is hiding in the paint shed after a finish coat of paint. That'll dry for a day or two before I get moving on putting the three hull pieces together. I can't wait to see how bad the joints fit -- they couldn't possibly fit smoothly, that wouldn't be Revell.
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Sans painting the same basic very dark gray, the stanchions and lines are in. Enough for one day!
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Progress continues at the yard. The three main hull sections -- bow, mid-section and stern are glued together. The main deck pieces are at the moment just set in place to get an idea how this will look. Lots of pieces to add to the deck, but first I have to do the plastic putty, sand and repaint bit on the hull joints and bilge keels. Looks like another week or two and we'll be ready for the commissioning ceremony and lots of pictures. This thing is really impressive, as it's almost five feet long. And my camera just refuses to recognize that the gray color is just so much darker than shows here.
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She's looking good Don, nearly ready for builders trials. Jim

Yup, looks good; just make sure she has a green board before "trials"!! :D DFO

Well done Don keep up the good work , shame you cant float it on the pond or better still fit it with a motor .....but will look great when finished

Thanks Ivor, but I don't think I could take the horror of RCing this thing only to have it dive to crush depth on the first go -- neatly cased on a shelf is the only way for me! Was your train ferry in the Portsmouth model show? Somebody on Facebook posted a bunch of photos from there, and one of the ships sure seemed to be yours! Regards!

Minimal progress on the Tang this week due to having to work now that I can actually walk and wear a shoe plus having a wife. The mid-section of the hull is in the drying shed after the final coat of paint around the bilge keels that needed some work to get them to fit right. And have added some of the finishing pieces to the aft hull section and mid-ships section. Railing are in, etc. Not putting anything on that sticks up until after the entire upper hull is in place -- that's tempting breaking something in typical modeler's fashion! Don
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Very nice looking paint, as it looks like all of that very finely detailed deck grating is still showing! Good job, apparently the OJT experience the[B][COLOR="Navy"] USN [/COLOR][/B]was kind enough to provide you with has not been lost!! :D OTOH, has the[B][I][COLOR="Purple"] EPA [/COLOR][/I][/B]approved of your paint facility?? Oh oh.........:eek: DFO

EPA? OSHA? Never heard of them...:cool:

The model is 99.999% completed -- a quick and dirty photo. More quality shots to come later if the sun ever comes out again. Still a tad bit o' work to do, but I'm taking a break for a bit while getting my hands on the materials needed to make the base and case.
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Lookin' good Don...B

Some more refined and delicate photographs of the Tang. Few things left to do -- I noted one of the deck seams pulled apart a bit. And here I thought "glue" meant "sticks together real good." Easily fixed, but annoying. Also noted the ship's stand only fits one way, and the name plate needs to be on the opposite side because of where the model is going to sit, also easily fixed and also annoying. Overall, I think the yard did a good job. The RADM, 14th Naval District, has us scheduled for sea trials starting at 0700 tomorrow, so we'll see. In the meantime, I will be hunting down a nice piece of wood and getting the case built for it.
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Love the detail , and the weathering / rust ......adds realism to any model and represents activity not just a photo effect ...well do mate

Great work Don. Is the sprinkler in photo one part of the acceptance trials?:D Jim

Watched the build all the way Don ..... great job , be proud. What's next ?? Dave H

She's a real beauty Don - well done Sir.

Thanks, shipmates -- a fun build, and one I was not expecting. My son surprised me with it way after Christmas because we've always wanted to do one, and I guess Revell re-tooled and re-issued it. Not a bad build -- the problems it had with "fit" et al were easy to fix. If I had to knock it, I'd say the 20 and 40 mm guns are a bit out of scale is all. Liking how it looks above the desk, but must quickly get a case built so it's anchored down solid. Do believe I'll take a break from the yard for awhile. I modeled myself out on this one. Not a clue what might be next. Considering the room I have left to display things (next to none) I may have to move if I build anything else. Ol' DFO was grousing about the "spot putty" I left behind (the rust) but then what do mere Jarheads know of fine detailing? :) I'm with Ivor -- got to be "at sea" and on patrol, not fresh from the yard!

Give him a chipping hammer Don and volunteer him for a tour on the Big MO , that should keep him out of mischief for a spell :eek::D:D Go back small Don ..... I don't think "she who must be obeyed and the cat" would want to move to another yard ;) Dave H

Ill say Aye to that ...make it so Don

Some photos of the 99.8% completed model in better light. Finished the wood base today as far as sanding and staining goes, so that will dry and go under the model while I find someone to do the plexi for me that doesn't want a body part or first-born child in exchange. The light oak color ought to make the ship "jump out" so the case doesn't overshadow the model. Went hunting for a trophy shop to do up the nameplate -- and the two closest to my place (both, not one) have closed down, forcing me into an alternative source. Marvelous. Finish work on model will fix the small gap and do a bit more "weathering" and such on the upper works. But, taking a break for the weekend.
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But where is the custom plex case to protect her from the RAVAGES of dust?? :eek: DFO

That's next, oh balsa-breath! Got the pieces today, along with the necessary tools of the trade and even pretty color "how to" directions for the finest of gluing enjoyment. Phase two will commence shortly with the assembly of the plastic case itself, then on to Phase three which will involve neat bits of wood all around the edges, base and top. Once I get all this done, I'll probably be in the mood to finish the last bits and details on the submarine itself, after which it will get a nice warm bath and gently toweled off and placed in the cozy confines of the case itself. Much for the Jedi Master to do yet...none of it involving fighting with paints, unlike some other master builders of ships I know...:cool:
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Looking forward to seeing the finished case Don, but integrated LED lighting will look better than an angle poise desk light, go for it! :D Jim

Excellent idea oh Obi-wan: " but integrated LED lighting will look better than an angle poise desk light, go for it!" :D DFO

Yeah, you guys buy me the excellent lighting ideas and I will just install the hell out of them.

Somehow putting a clear case together lacks the excitement of watching a model come together, but nonetheless, progress has been made; three of the five pieces are now closely associated. The glue with the needle applicator is a real gem -- glue goes right under the plastic and fills the space between pieces nicely with no slop. Of course paranoia reigned supreme as I was doing each joint because of the potential for a drop to spill, but I got lucky and avoided that little faux-paux. I am assuming, as usual, that things went together so well due entirely to having adequate supervision present for the whole process.
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Upside down, but the case is completed as far as the gluing of pieces are concerned. I was amazed that it exactly fit together. Min Plastics did a great job with exact dimensions and smooth cuts.
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Well done Don , perfection it seems ....... and give your cat a stroke from us over here please .........like mine .......like having a CPO on duty ready to catch your every slip up

Yes, he got several. He seemed interested in what was going down on the dining room table. When he realized it had nothing to do with table scraps, he was less motivated to hang around. Still need to finish gluing the top down solid today, then will leave it be for a few days to really "dry" up tight. Back to the finishing details on the model and such!

Well done Don!! Pleased that all has gone spectactularly well for you in both the ship-build and with the presentation case. Glad to note the DFO's banter has spurred you on in this project. Sometimes the most negative comments (friendly of course) can be the most inspirational. Take care, Sandy.

One for Don. Taken in the museum in Severodvinsk ( where the Russians build their nukes) A mockup of diving and surfacing. One of the Dervish veterans has a go!. Go on Don, I dare you! [ATTACH]160704[/ATTACH]
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