YouTube video of the build.

Lights

IKEA opened a new store in Quebec City recently and I went and picked up a LEDBERG. I always found my USS Midway model hard to see in the grey bookshelf it is sitting on. This little upgrade along with a timer is perfect to light up and properly display my work.

It's Finished!!!

With construction of this kit commencing on April 21st 2008 and terminating November 16th 2016, I am glad to finally say that the U.S.S. Midway is now complete! It has taken 8 years, 6 months and 26 days to build over a period of 171 hours and 39 minutes which does not take into consideration all the research I performed. I have also built several other kits in between and have had many changes/challenges in my life such as the addition of my second (Terry) and third (Andy) sons as well as having a new house built and a major back injury that put me out of work for six months.

Building the Midway has also taught me that perfection in scale model building can take out a lot of the fun in the hobby and I have learned to seek a more artistic route to better enjoy this past time.

Last Piece of the Puzzle...

Well tonight I finally place the last piece of this puzzle together by installing the Midway decal to the stern. Since the kit did not come with such a decal I used Adobe Photoshop and a font called "Airborne" to print one onto Experts-Choice Decal Clear decal film. I intentionally saved this step for last as I found it to be fitting for a ship build.

Case Decorations

With the build almost complete I removed the protective plastic I had placed on the base of the case several months ago and proceeded in gluing a bronze medallion in an acrylic case on the left side and to the right the USS Midway patch. Both items where purchased on the Midway just like the scale model back when I visited her in San Diego on October 20th 2007.

Flight Deck Crew

Past few days I have been adding flight deck personnel to the flight deck of the Midway. Not sure how many were added but with all the coloured vests it helps add perspective to the scale of the other aircraft and the ship itself. 

"Tilly" Crane

Using photo etched parts I replaced the boom of the "Tilly" crane and added a photo etched pulley. Used the same metal cable for the arresting cables on the deck as a cable between the boom and the base of the crane. Finally using a steady hand and some toothpicks I painted the wheels and windows.

Tow Tractors

Managed to detail the very very tiny tow tractors used to pull the aircraft on the deck of the Midway.

Tow Bars

I hesitated to include photo etched yellow tow bars but finally decided to add them which turned out to be a lot easier to install than I had initially imagined. Hardest part was to apply the three coats of yellow paint to the parts.

Planes, Jets and Helicopters…

Finally reached a milestone where the whole deck is now populated with planes, jets and helicopters that I had painted several years ago.The photo etched parts such as the propellers and refuelling probes plus the tiny decals such make the Midway's deck much more interesting to look at.

Lots of Antennas!

Tonight I decided to install the various antennas that are installed around the deck of the Midway, sixteen in all. Had a sign of relief when I was able to place the plastic case over the base and confirm that thee was still some space left!

Small Boats & Optical Landing System

Today I glued the two little white boats found at the stern of the ship. I originally wanted to include photoeteched rudders that I had but the scale did not work out so I installed them as provided with the kit. I also installed the Optical Landing System which are composed of lots of lights with various colors. I wanted to draw individual dots per bulb but it was just not feasible and ended up having to contempt with drawing lines.

Elevator & Crane

Tonight I installed the only elevator in the lowered position and the Midways crane. Used a Staedtler pigment liner 0.05 pen for the black markings since drilling out the holes through the crane was not an option due to the scale.

 

Island Completed

Finally completed the island and installed it on the deck of the Midway. While certain parts were difficult to assemble and the modifications challenging at times I am glad to have reached this milestone.

Island Markings

Spent most of the week cutting and placing very tiny decals of the various awards that the Midway has received as well as other fine details. At one point a white letter E on the port side came off and was lost due to me manipulating the island! Fortunately the Gold Medal Models "USN Supercarrier Decals" set included several aircraft carrier names. I was able to find a near identical letter E from the decal sheet. The "BEWARE OF JET BLAST PROPS AND ROTORS" decal was tricky as it was the "PROPS" was initially "PROPELLERS" so I turned one decal into four so that I could remove the "ELLER" from "PROPELLERS". Lastly I decided to paint with a red dot the eight enemy aircraft shot down by Midway's air wings as no such decals were provided and printing decals at 1/800 scale seemed almost ridiculous due to the tiny size.

Island Railings

Added some photo-etched railings to the island which adds a nice touch of detail that is easy to apply. The tough part will be to paint them, especially the forward one which is nestled titghly against the main mast. Will be saving that fun job for tomorrow...

 

Island 41

I finished painting the white 41 on each side of the island and was debating if I should add the black outline around the number due to the small size and the risk of making an error which would be harder to correct since I used spray paint and not bottled. So I asked for my 10 year old son Casey opinion and after showing him the reference photo I had he said it would definitely be much better with the outline. So tonight I took a Staedtler pigment liner 0.05 pen and made the markings with not too much difficulty and it sure made the numbers pop out from the hull. Very pleased with the results and enjoy having my son's opinion in the construction of this model.

Painting the Island Black

Painted the base of the island Tamiya XF-85 Rubber Black. I discovered this color while checking out a new a hobby shop a few months ago. I initially bought the color to paint tires but find it gives a better color than Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black. Getting back to the island, this has been a moment that I have been waiting a long time to paint and I am really starting to feel like this project will be terminated soon. Unfortunately much later I realized that when I took a photo of the island the memory card in my camera had been removed so I have no photo to show...

Spray Painting the Island

Earlier this evening I spray painted a coat of Tamiya AS-12 Grey on the island f the Midway in my garage. With the grey primer, I see no need for a second coat as I am afraid to hide some of the very small details.

Island Primer

Gave the Midway island a coat of Tamiya primer as it was really needed with the mix of plastic, putty and styrene used to assembled it. It is the first time I used Tamiya Primer and it sure did a good job of making a nice even coat.