USS Iwo Jima, LHD-7, model in 1/350 scale

Once this was done, I used the White Ensign Models Photo Etch set to build the radars to place on the masts, and then added all of the radar domes...and there are numerous domes on these vessels. Also all of the various details...search lights, sensors, equipment, etc. As stated, these are vey involved structures and there is just a lot of equipment housed on them.

I took me several days spending the afternoons and evenings, and my lunch hours when I could get home from work to do this. Once completed, I saw that I was not going to be able to get all of the photo etch railing done this session, so I dry fitted the island to the flight deck.

With this completed, I decided to do the decals for the vessel itself along with the island. Putting them on before the photo etch railing made sense to me, as well as needing them in place before I build the air wing and place it.

There are a LOT of decals for this vessel. The main landing deck has the most and the most distinctive, so I started there.

One word of caution. As I state when putting together all large landing decks...even though the decals come with complete long markings for the landing and positioning stripes, it is absolutely best to cut these up into smaller segments and add them as you go. It is just far too easy with those long, thin, delicate decals to twist them or tear them and thus mar the look, or even damage the decals beyond repair. So I put them on in sections...and even do the same to the intricate landing markings.

Again, with good decals like Gallery and others offer, where the various details are individual extensions, they are simply too easy to tear. So, I also cut the intricate landing markers...each one, into pieces that I then position appropriately on deck. In this case, I cut the landing areas into three parts. The leading dash separate, the main potion a single piece, and then the trailing two makers a separate piece as well. Even then, I found the angled line of the landing area had a propensity to tear off...and of the nine, only three or four did not do so.

Here's how that progressed across the deck from fore to aft.

Once the main deck decals were all land down, I began applying the island's detail decals and all of the various markings, from the pennant number on the island, to the achievement awards, the fueling/replenishment markings, and the various warnings and other markings. The Iwo Jima island has a distinctive marking on the port side of the island for the landing warnings and even denotes the flight deck as "Jack Lucas Airfield."

This also included the detail warning stripes on the elevators, the pennant number, fore and aft on the vessel itself, and the distinctive bow marking.

I had to stop there. There are more decals to put down along the hull for the various depth markings, and more detailed markings along the various catwalks and decks.

In my next session I will either place the photo etch railing on the entire ship...and that will take at least a week, or build the air wing...which also is going to take over a week itself.

Either way, with those two sessions and then a session to complete the lighting wiring and switch, and then a final touch up/detail session, I have another month to go before finishing the Iwo Jima.

The Build - 25mm & .50 cal guns, Electronic directors, Life Rafts - February 18, 2015

Well, I decided to spend yesterday afternoon and this morning adding some more of the detail to the catwalks surrounding the flight deck (the various guns and the life rafts), and to complete the two electronic directors on the island.

This involved a lot of small parts and so I started with the Mk 38 25mm guns and the .50 cal machine guns used for self protection for these vessels. I also built the electronic directors that are on either side of the island. The armament for the vessel, in addition to the two RAM launchers, the two Sea Sparrow launchers and the two 20mm Phalanx CIWS includes:

4 x MK 38 25mm cannons
4 x .50 cal machine guns

Once these were built and dried I placed them:

Once this was completed, I built the numerous life raft assemblies which consisted of the holders and the life rafts themselves. They come in various lengths ranging from seven life rafts to a holder, down to two life rafts per holder.

For the Port and Starboard sides, there are a total of about 100 of the life rafts arranged along the full length of both sides.


Now that is looking very good...and puts me in a position to continue with my original plan of either adding the air wing, or the Photo Etch metal railing next.

Such work of art Jeff...well done sir.

Equation said:

Such work of art Jeff...well done sir.

Click to expand...

Thanks, Equation.

Lots of work left to do.

I have thirty aircraft to build, paint and detail...and then place on deck, along with building, painting, and placing the deck equipment (tugs, cranes, fire trucks, etc.).

I have the photo etch metal railing to add to the entire ship.

I have the stand to build out with the switches and final wiring for the lighting system.

Probably another 3-4 weeks left. But it looks good now and really looks like the Iwo Jima now.

The Build - Air Wing for the Flight Deck - February 28, 2015

This entire session was devoted to building all of the aircraft for the air wing that would be seen on the flight deck and the elevators...and there are a lot of them! There are up to thirteen parts for each of these aircraft and the total part count for the 29 aircraft was just under 250 parts. I took me ten days of working in the early mornings before work, and in the evenings after work to accomplish all that was necessary for this.

For the flight deck and elevators I built the following aircraft:

6 x AV-8B Harrier II Fighter/Bomber Aircraft
5 x MV-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotor Assault Transport Aircraft<
6 x CH-53E Super Stallion Assault Transport Helicopters
6 x CH-47 Sea Knight Transport Helicopters
4 x AH-1W Sea Cobra Attack Helicopters
2 x UH-1E Iroquois (Huey) Transport/Utility Helicopters

That's twenty-nine aircraft for the flight deck. Altogether, when added to the seven I placed in the hanger, it will make for 36 aircraft and helicopters for the air wing for my USS Iwo Jima, LPD-7 in 1/350 scale.

I started by arranging all of the parts...all of which come (either with the kit, or with the additional Gallery and Bronco aircraft packs I bought) molded in clear plastic. I then glued the major fuselage parts together for each. Once they were together and dried, I then painted the aircraft fuselages (Model Master Light Ghost Gray) and then added the hand painted cockpits and windows (Model Master Flat Black).