1/72 scale German light cruiser Munich

I am going to apply a slightly thicker tape thats made from alluminum or tin foil. It is actually called foil tape over here. I'am going to see if there is a thicker version of this. It works nice but its delicate to work with and if yoy overlap it it looks like crap cause it reflects every detail. I'm hoping it slightly picks up the minor distortions and looks like a real ship hull after it has been in the water. If I dont like it then I'll have to figure somthing out, to get the effect I wold like.

I pat myself on the back for My Ingenuity, but not to hard as somtimes it just makes a mess. I am not afraid to dive in and try though and if I make a mistake it just teaches me what not to do the next time. I dont think I would worry about the armor plates on Yours, or at least not yet. You already put in all those port holes and I think it might be allot of work to rework that area. still if what I'm doing works good You might give it a go. You might just ad lines to simulate the armor plates, and ad a layer along the Horizontal area where tha main armor belt was visible on the outside or the ship.

Your ship is a thing of bueaty and I find nothing wrong with it as She looks, and I dont critisize any ones art, I just dont add features of effects to mine that I didn,t like from other peoples projects, and do add features and techniqes that I do like.

Her is a pic of a roll of the tape. If you cant find any of this stuff over there and You wish to try it, I'll get your adress and mail You some. I will try to find a website where You can order it, also. Check your hardware stores first though as it is used for taping seems on steel ducts and or alluminum tube ducting.

this stuff wrinkles and bends easly so it will be like cutting toilet paper into exact shapes, I will probably make paper paterns first then cut the tape from that shape, and then apply carefully as this tape is also not friendly about being removed and reapplied.

Here is a slightly blurry close up of the 11 inch turret I ws playing with for Graph Spee in 1/72 scale that is made out of a slightly thicker cardboard than what You have been using. and taped with teh foil tape. I didn't measure the tape and just put it on there to see what it would look like, and you can seeall the lines where its overlaped and looks like crud. but this taught me not to use it as masking tape, just for a finish and for simulating metal. So this was one of the learning mistakes I was refering to earlier. Anyway I'll see how it comes out on the hull and go from there.

I'M sorry Paul, I thought You asked me if I thought You should ad armor lines to Your hull, when You asked Me how I was going to ad them to mine LOL.

Hello Horatio,

The idea is good, but do not overlap the foil tape. Just stick them adjacent to each other, then passover the end line with a pencil to create the crack between the two panels. If you overlap the tape, you will never get the desired effect.

Apart from that, you are doing a goof job. Keep it up.

I started taping it with the foil tape. It looks good at 2 feet away but right up close it dont look so good. every nick and scratch shows up, but I think if I micro sand it or prime it and microsnad it allot of this will be harder to see. I want minute distortion, and rib lines. I just dont want it where it just looks like wrinkled tape.

I need tore mark the center line as it is thrown of a tad to the port where I cut the masking tape so now I can correct this.

seem like the more I put on th better it looks. The pictures show the flaws more so than the Mark one Eyball, but this helps me to see what I need to redo or correct.

I mesered up from the waterline and am running the plates for the hull curve, then plate from that line to the water line.

I still need to look at the second and third deck plans to establish the bulkeads to logic out a port hole plan. Almost all countries placed allot of portholes on their warships till after World War 2 started and then learned that this practice created unesisarry weak places in the Hull for incoming ordinance.

I'm not sure yet how much I like this. It looks better to the naked eye but I'll see how it looks after working it and priming/ painting.

further progress along the Hull curve line and waterline.

It takes a bit of time to do this step, howevr I'm real Patient.

Now with the portside covered on teh waterline down I can do the other side Diametrically opposed and then I can pattern out the bottom plate pattern.

the botom plate pattern, I am thinking of redoing where it is not tight, then moving on.

another angle.

I ran som more length today and worked on the stern area.

I worked the stern, so I can start matching the sides.

I finished taping the bottom and I am using spot putty to fill in the pits.

good morning Haratio,

The hull plateing is now really taking shape. Just one little advise, don't overdo it with the filler. just go over the scratches and the overlaps of the masking tape below. I would also advise you to sand off the masking tape overlaps, prior to continue with the upper hull plating.

Come on mate, keep it up.

Looking really amazing Horatio, what a lovely effect.

TY Paul, I have started sanding the putty, and the tape it's self with 400 grit sand paper and when I get it just where I want it, I'm going to prime it. I hurried to much to tape it and didn't fill the pits good enough at the end of the body filler stage, so now I am paying for it and fixing it the hard way. On the Next one I am going to run the hull full length, and use more ribs and foam it in, then sake more time to shape and contour. This project is a good learning experience in what works and what not to do. LOL Thanks for the motivation, and thanks to your project it has helped me to keep on this one and keep driving on it.

Hello Haratio,

Always glad to be of help, whenever you need it. I did quite some mistakes in my build as well, and had to pay the price by investing countless number of hours correcting my same mistakes. But at the end, that is our hobby - and we always try to make things better.

So come on mate, we have a long way to go, and the convoys are getting through.