Martin Oostrom
Who knew that using PE in 1/72 is actually large scale modelling?
Tiny pits look good 👍

Steven Van Dyck
Thank you, Martin.

Thomas Bischoff
is this a Hellcat cockpit in 1:350? very impressive work with all that PE!

Steven Van Dyck
Yes it is, Thomas. I also consider to buy another lot of Hellcats, now I've got extra PE.

Thomas Bischoff
Never stop working 🙂

Steven Van Dyck
No problem. Here are some quad 40's already!

Thomas Bischoff
👍

Steven Van Dyck
I just bought the extra Hellcats from L'Arsenal, but they don't match up against the Dragon ones. Both wing span and length deviate from what's on the specs and there is almost no panel lining, just the cowling and the flaps. I also bought the right Lifecolor paint and the Bofors magazine storage. The fun can restart.

Steven Van Dyck
I also ordered Trumpeter planes, both Hellcat and Avenger. These match better to the Dragon ones and have much more detail. I hereby include some comparison images, because I found this nowhere on the net for Trumpeter Hellcats.

Dave Flitton
Ahh, my dad's old ship. Watching with interest

Steven Van Dyck
That's cool, Dave, what was his function on the ship?

Dave Flitton
He was a rear gunner on a TBM

Steven Van Dyck
That's awesome, I never expected to find relatives of the crew on a modelling forum.

Dave Flitton
So, it looks like you are really trying to get it right. I will be watching

Steven Van Dyck
Five Hellcats ready yet. The prop position is wrong, so it's redrilled.

Steven Van Dyck
The new engines are remade and the "mouths" rescribed.

Steven Van Dyck
One Dragon TBF is built. It's a complicated affair, the WEM cockpit is too large for the hole in the fuselage. There is also a torpedo bay with doors. It's a bummer that I will have to build twelve of these.

Steven Van Dyck
Two more TBF and two F6Fs are built.

Björn Svedberg
This looks like a really cool project! Nice progress! 👍 Following.

Tom ...
What an epic build! Wow.

Dave Flitton
Remember to put the shark mouths on the Hellcats

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, guys! For the moment, I have 12 shark mouths on the sheet and 18 Hellcats on the table... I would leave the resin ones without.

Steven Van Dyck
The planes are all sprayed in two kinds of camo: early three color and late overall Sea Blue.

Steven Van Dyck
Most of the decals are applied. Those on the tail will need a second treatment with decal adhesive. In the mean time, the props are tipped yellow.

Thomas Bischoff
stunning work! Love the sharkmouth markings!

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Thomas. The decals are all finished now, I even copied the numerals on the Avenger cowlings. For the obstinate tail decals I used a gum sausage to keep them in shape wile setting with Humbrol decalfix, that worked fine. The props are painted with dots for the Hamilton standard markings.

Björn Svedberg
That is some amazing detail work on those planes! 👍

Steven Van Dyck
Thank you, Bjorn! This week I painted the inner hangar sections. I overpainted some older work because Tracy White mentioned that the inside was probably painted white for better visibility.

Stefan Schacht
what an impressive project, i take a seat

Steven Van Dyck
Thank you, Stefan, here some finished Hellcats. 1 prop seems to be lost, no problem because these go down the deck.

Steven Van Dyck
I added the magazines for the quadruple 40mm and the WEM anchor chain.

Steven Van Dyck
The railing on the bow and the port torpedo blister are positioned, but sadly some elements have to be discarded. This was available in the kit, why reproduce it in 2D and marring the end result?

Steven Van Dyck
Some more railing is placed and a preliminary setup for the deck is prepared.

Steven Van Dyck
I had to use the Pontos dry-tansfers in the elevators and also some scratch girders missing in the kit.

Steven Van Dyck
Now the Pontos PE is applied to the elevator edges. Compared to the kit, the wood deck sadly lacks the sling hook system which is quite obvious. I doubt I can replicate that.

Steven Van Dyck
Done! And thanks.

Steven Van Dyck
The aft elevator has now a Clarktor and a Hellcat on the Pontos elevator deck section.

Steven Van Dyck
I succeeded in glueing shut the plastic deck, but not without damaging the Hellcat collection below. This is caused by the extreme hangar wall distortion I had to perform to get the deck around the walls. Once you get them squeezed far enough, there is a thud loosening all that has too much mass to support itself, like the planes. This will off course be remade. I also ordered metal MK13 torpedoes.

Thomas Bischoff
Hope you can fix this - you work is simply amazong 👍

Steven Van Dyck
Already fixed. I also got the Mk13 metal torpedoes today. The mechanism for the aft elevator is installed and the two front gun platforms put back.

Steven Van Dyck
I enhanced the ship's davits with some homemade perforated H-profiles. The trick is to drill the metal before cutting it.

Steven Van Dyck
There were some small issues mounting the smoke stacks (2 in front had to be switched), the island (some material added or removed to get it straight) and the radar (bent the mast a bit with tweezers), but now everything looks all right.

Steven Van Dyck
Some PE ladders and railings on the starboard side are fixed.

Stephan H.
impressive! level of detail and number of PE parts looks crazy. Looking forward to see the result 👍

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Stephan! Today I scratched the bridge support girders, one thing that's not really well engineered in the kit.

Steven Van Dyck
The antenna pylons and the Mk.13 torpedoes are finished. The worst part is the tail, because it disintegrates while bending. To see the results, you have to take a picture and zoom.

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Hans! Today I finished the 9 double 40mm Bofors. Everything is ready for MCW happening, where you can see the entire project in the contest.

Steven Van Dyck
The North Star figures have arrived. Some were detached though very well packaged.

Holger Kranich
Hi Steven! Nice build! Great work on the planes and pe. 🙂

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Holger! Today some details are still added, like extra ladders and the flag post on the bow.

Steven Van Dyck
Masked off the hangar gates and elevators with paper and glue yesterday.

Steven Van Dyck
I washed the model with soapy water but then I found out that I still had to add a lot of ammo racks behind the tubs.

Steven Van Dyck
I primered the Princeton in Tamiya Light Grey.

Holger Kranich
Looks good Steven!

Thomas Bischoff
For me applying the first coat of primer is always a highlight - it marks the beginning of the End 🙂

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks! Today I added some railing for the AA guns, I had to modify some WEM standard railing to get it right.

Steven Van Dyck
The AA-guns are primered now.

Steven Van Dyck
The Flat White for Measure 33B has been applied.

Holger Kranich
Dammit! So many AA guns!8)

Steven Van Dyck
Yes, Holger, I hope they can be added soon, but the last camo color still has to be added. I just finished the second and the third color. I think I busted my needle again, I'll put in a new one tomorrow.

Steven Van Dyck
The camo job on the Princeton is done, just have to paint the top. The last pictures show some small errors corrected, like on the island.

Steven Van Dyck
The catwalk floor is airbrushed in Deck Blue, a horrible job to mask (twice, for both spraying directions) and the guns are now Tamiya Gunmetal.

Steven Van Dyck
The Carley floats and baskets are painted, together with some other small objects.

Steven Van Dyck
I apply a drop of glue to an excel knife and only touch the area where glue will be absorbed. If it is possible, I keep the side with the glue to the lower part edge.

Steven Van Dyck
Princeton is now standing on a seabase, that's going to be covered with Ammo of Mig's "Deep Ocean". The used materials are styropor and pigmented plaster.

Holger Kranich
Wow!

Dave Flitton
Nice!!!!

Steven Van Dyck
Thank you, guys! Now, the water product is added in a few thick layers, applied with a spatula. The color will deepen while it is hardening. Betwen the first and the three last pics, three hours have passed. You can see differences in the gulftops.

Steven Van Dyck
A second layer of product is applied and now it's showing a deeper blue.

Steven Van Dyck
The weathering of the hull is in progress. I used a Humbrol light grey enamel wash and then a thinned sludgewash for oily grime.

Thomas Bischoff
comes along very nicely!

Slavo Hazucha
I missed this build so far, so much amazing stuff... I don't know if I have seen 1:350 planes with modeled cockpits before 🙂 Joining late, but happy to follow the last stages! 👍

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Thomas and Slavo. Some rust is added now, using red and yellow enamel paint and some grey acrylic for the chips.

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Hans! Today, the ship is screwed to the diorama. This was better than glueing, because the hull didn't align at the extremities, being slightly warped up because of the side wall tension. I came up with the idea to put a Parker screw on both ends. Even then I had to remove a large part of the internal joint in the lower hull, and I had to eventually add a third screw to the extreme aft, very tightly seated. Now the ship sits perfectly level with virtually no seam, visible on only the last seven pics (compare to the middle series). This came at the cost of some damage to the bow barbette, which will be repaired.

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Hans! I've been busy fixing the floater nets, adding some silicon waves and then using the AK Water Foam. This is a thick acrylic paint that can be pasted on for wave tops or thinned and painted on as spray. But it smells a bit sour.

Steven Van Dyck
Princeton's showcase has arrived and it's a good fit. I will have to add a little to the base. At the same time, some tracklinks had been delivered by the mailman. You can guess how I'm in heaven.

Steven Van Dyck
The ornamental base of the showcase has been outlined. Still a dry-fit, though.

Steven Van Dyck
The plastic lining of the dio is put into place. To have a nice fit, the dio underside is trimmed. This is possible because it's a hollow styropor box, covered with plaster a few millimeters thick.

Slavo Hazucha
This is growing into one impressive monument pedestal...👍 But that's just fair considered the build on top of it.

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Slavo. Just ordered a nametag proportioned for the showcase. It cost 48 euros... Also, I glued the deck to the ship. I didn't trust the self-adhesive side, because the elevator part had already loosened at the sides. So I added Bison glue to all sides. The two Hellcats are put on display temporarily, they have to re-enter the hangar. Also, I doubt I will add the "23" deck number, I can't find it on the pictures taken of Princeton.

Steven Van Dyck
Strange, I try to show a new update but the pics won't upload to the album.

Steven Van Dyck
It's working again! I completed the deck striping an I can recommend the dry-decal set from Pontos. It's very easy to work with. I only teft off the deck number decals, because I suspect Princeton, just like Independence, didn't sport them.

Slavo Hazucha
The deck looks more than decent, the Pontos upgrade kits really seem to be worth their coin...

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Slavo. I just weathered the deck and it looks even better like that. Then the small PE bits are added.

Steven Van Dyck
The arresting gear is installed on the after portion of the deck. I found out that one cable used to be tended around the elevator when it was in use. This I did not find in the literature, only by looking all available photos. Also, the elevator railing is plied, painted grey and installed.

Steven Van Dyck
The name tag has become a fine eye-catcher. It was made by the DIY-store in my vicinity, offering brass engraving as an extra service.

Steven Van Dyck
The front catwalk venturis were added after all, they are visible on a picture of the hosing of the fires on board. The missions decal on the island was added and the crash barrier is repainted and wiring for it is provided.

Steven Van Dyck
The personnel has been mustered! All 85 North Star figures are released from the print plate, glued on a metal bar and sprayed light blue. The next details will be pencilled on.

Slavo Hazucha
That's what I call "walk the plank"😉

Amazing looking crew and great job on getting them in the line and keeping them all in shape. Top!

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Slavo. Most of them have now done the walk and are in their specific carrier colors.

Steven Van Dyck
I made some jets of hose water out of stretched sprue. I added some rust on these and other locations.

Norbert Steffens
Hi Steven, I'm really impressed. what a superb model.

Slavo Hazucha
The water jets are a really cool detail, great idea 👍

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Norbert and Slavo. I just prepared another bunch of figures, now L'Arsenal. Some had to be repaired, but I would dare to mix them under the North Star ones.

Steven Van Dyck
They are almost completely painted now. Something of a wash is necessary to make the yellow less conspicuous.

Slavo Hazucha
Very nice crew & I think you are right with the yellow, getting "scale color"right in 1/350 is quite a feat... A light wash will certainly help, but I don't think too much is needed.

Steven Van Dyck
A dark brown wash is also used on the plane panel lines. Then the kit clearparts for the canopies are hollowed with a drill and filed thin. Some Tamiya Extra Thin makes them transparent again. The PE for the cockpits had to be grinded a bit to make the glass fit. also, the windshields had to be separated from the canopies. It all takes a lot of time.

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Hans. Yesterday I put on the airwing wings. The canopies had already been finished.

Danny Meer
wow that's just master craftmanship!! amazing details and lots of them...when finished you need hours to see all the details on and around this piece

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, D.! I'm really excited to put this one in the contests.

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Lode. I just finished the canopy painting and props. I did the prop axle with thin thread and a Mastertool tube.

Björn Svedberg
Those tiny planes look excellent! Fantastic job on all the detailing! 👍

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks, Björn! Just dry-fitted them on the deck, after I drew the transverse girders with a blue marker. Now I'll do some rigging.

Jim J
This deserves a Wow, Wow, Wow!!! 👍 I've only recently caught up to your progress but that is such a fantastic model. Very, very impressed. Congratulations!!

Holger Kranich
Steven, as usual, extreme nice work! All these little details, amazing!

Neuling
Impressive!

Steven Van Dyck
Thanks for the nice comments, guys! You make me blush. Just added deck weathering and I decided to scratch all flags from a piece of aluminium foil. Like that, it moves more realistic than the Dragon offerings, nice as they are.

Steven Van Dyck
Some of the figures are already installed, next to the Mk.13 torpedoes. A lot of work went into removing them from my painting stand. I would advise against using CA to fix them, it's harder than some of their legs...

Steven Van Dyck
The Princeton is finished today. It will attend ESM Houten in the contest at 23 november.

Tom ...
Good luck. She's a beauty!

Steven Van Dyck
The Princeton has won the Lifecolor Best Ship award at IPMS The Netherlands. Until an hour ago, I did not realise that this price contains the next items: [img1]
This was on my wanted list when I first saw it appear on Scalemates... It will be sent to me via mail this week.

Chris Greathouse
That is super cool! I love all the planes folded on deck along all the other eye candy 🙂

Danny Meer
Congrats man!

Paul Moore
Just bought this kit. I love the weathering and aircraft configuration. You've inspired me. Great build.

Paul Moore
What are your thoughts on the AM flight deck? Was this AM worth it?

Thanks,

Rui
Amazing! 🏆

Steven Van Dyck
Hi Paul, congratulations with your kit, you're definitely going to like it. It's a well detailed model, but I noticed the number of deck planks had to be increased considerably to get to the right configuration for Princeton. The rest of the deck details like the slots in the girders are good. Guess what, Pontos had their planking completely correct. Because the girders are then provided in wood as the rest of the deck, you lose some detail in them, but the slots are still there. I just lined the girders with a marker to make them more evident. Another thing to consider is the glue used on the AM decks, it is not sufficient. I used contact glue on the plastic deck, the one you should compress after 10 minutes. If you line the deck edges with that, you can avoid the deck peeling off again. @Rui: thanks, and your emoticon is well received, because the Princeton and the Zuikaku both won a gold medal at Scale World a month ago.