Commander Wolf Posted November 5, 2017 Posted November 5, 2017 (edited) Hey folks, this is my first time doing a proper scale model that isn't a train, so I wanted to get some thoughts before progressing. Don't see too many ship models either, so hopefully adding some variety too! Kongo was one of four battlecruiser-turned-fast-battleships that served in the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War I and II. The lead ship of the class, Kongo was built in Britain between 1911 and 1913, upgraded many times throughout her life, and ultimately sunk by torpedo in late 1944. The prototype I am referencing is presumably of the ship as she looked around the time of her sinking: Spoiler I'd been reluctant to try my hand at a ship because the complex curves of a hull appear to be very difficult to model well, but I've also been playing World of Warships for the past few years, and it's inspired me to try my hand at this. The Kongo is of course The Best Ship in The Game. Worrying about the shape of the hull seems to be unfounded so far... once I decided to build it studs-out, I just traced my drawing in plates and the curvature seems pretty smooth (warning this is a big picture). Spoiler I've made a first pass at everything above the waterline at this point sans some internal structure. I'm building the upper and lower hull separately such that the ship can hopefully be displayed as a waterline model or as a complete model depending on the setting: Spoiler Overall, most of the features of the ship are probably slightly too tall, but I'm generally pretty happy with the result so far. Any thoughts are appreciated! Edited April 25, 2018 by Commander Wolf Quote
Edwin Korstanje Posted November 6, 2017 Posted November 6, 2017 (edited) Hi fellow shipbuilder @Commander Wolf, Personal i don't like warships in LEGO and only build commercional ships, but you capture the line in this scale quit good. I am curious about the underwater ship. Here is the only ship at the scale 1 to 100 i build for Damen Shipyard that's looks like a military ship, but is a coast guard vessel and so it's a non military and your ship belongs to the Special LEGO Theme Forum. Edited November 6, 2017 by Edwin Korstanje Quote
Milan Posted November 7, 2017 Posted November 7, 2017 Hi @Commander Wolf We welcome your Kongō battleship to the SMF! We also allow military vehicles here, as long as they fit our SMF Guidelines. Quote
Commander Wolf Posted November 7, 2017 Author Posted November 7, 2017 Thanks all, I put this here because I felt it met the guidelines, but if it doesn't please feel free to move it! 22 hours ago, Edwin Korstanje said: Hi fellow shipbuilder @Commander Wolf, Personal i don't like warships in LEGO and only build commercional ships, but you capture the line in this scale quit good. I am curious about the underwater ship. Here is the only ship at the scale 1 to 100 i build for Damen Shipyard that's looks like a military ship, but is a coast guard vessel and so it's a non military and your ship belongs to the Special LEGO Theme Forum. Thanks for sharing @Edwin Korstanje... definitely been dragging my feet on the lower hull because I think it will be a pain, especially the rear end! How do you go about building your hulls... just a matter of guess and check or do you have a process? Quote
Rijkvv Posted November 10, 2017 Posted November 10, 2017 (edited) Hey @Commander Wolf. Kongõ is one of my favourite battleships, both in real life (the history, the looks) and in World of Warships (not sure if the best overall, but certainly the best midtier :P ). Your Kongõ is recognizable as such, and that's an impressive feat at this scale. Well done! Edited November 10, 2017 by Rijkjavik Quote
Edwin Korstanje Posted November 10, 2017 Posted November 10, 2017 On 7-11-2017 at 8:28 PM, Commander Wolf said: Thanks for sharing @Edwin Korstanje... definitely been dragging my feet on the lower hull because I think it will be a pain, especially the rear end! How do you go about building your hulls... just a matter of guess and check or do you have a process? Hi @Commander Wolf, Just like every shipbuilder in LEGO knows, that the underwater hull is just one of the most diffecult part in model building. From the start the complete hull is part of the design and will do the trick for me, but you have build your Kongo first at a waterline model and than wanted make a underwater hull is a lot more painfull. Quote
LEGO Train 12 Volts Posted November 11, 2017 Posted November 11, 2017 Wonderful creation even if is not a train ...but you know ...you're a master builder! Quote
Commander Wolf Posted December 11, 2017 Author Posted December 11, 2017 An update! Finally finished a first pass on the lower hull after much struggle: Spoiler From the top and sides I think the lines generated by this form are pretty close to what they should be: Spoiler From the bottom I think the front curve (blue) needs to have slightly more of an S shape and then back curve (green) needs to have slightly less of an S shape... but despite all the model kits out there I haven't been able to find a good hull underside picture for what this part is supposed to look like: Spoiler Quote
BrickbyBrickTechnic Posted December 19, 2017 Posted December 19, 2017 I think the towers could be slightly higher, but otherwise, this is amazing! Great work. Quote
Commander Wolf Posted April 25, 2018 Author Posted April 25, 2018 Just wanted to share some pictures of the finished model. Was generally quite happy how it turned out: All the turrets and such can rotate: And as shown previously it can be displayed as a waterline model: Couple more pics in the Brickshelf folder once moderated. Cheers! Quote
Edwin Korstanje Posted April 25, 2018 Posted April 25, 2018 You did a great job on the underwater line hull and know it's looks at a ship for me. Quote
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