[]Well as some of you may already know I received my Nagato kit from BC.The kit came in tightly packed. HULL: Gorgeous, thick and beautifuly made. Some blisters or large bubbles inside on but no bid deal to smooth out. The exterior of the hull as all the classic lines of this Class. Deck Kit: The Sub decks are beautifuly cut and well marked out. No issue here with the quality. The deck though I had a problem with. The main deck section was bowed like a banana shape. When I attempted to flattened it gently it snapped in 2 pieces. Very brittle. I was not happy say the least. However no big deal for me I can replace or use other deck material like Sintra. The Superstructure parts are of high quality as well. I like the secondary AA and the Gun tubs included. The main turrets were molded nicely. The balsa sheeting and silkspan were included and they were intact. The plans showed all the deck levels and looked a lot better than the plans that I worked with when I built this kit for another memeber back in 2003. The only bad point is that for the increased cost I would have preferred the original fiberlgass deck and hatch system that the kit orginally had. That was one of the strong selling points of this kit. Same with the Yamato kit. The fiberglass decks work on these kits. Overall 9 out of 10 for the kit. The main bug is the deck that comes with it. Adm Stokomoto
Curt I will let Rick know about the deck issue, he like's the feedback which allows him to correct any issues. I asked about the fiberglass deck kits before myself. He said it was mainly do to the cost of the materials, as to why they went back to wood.
Yeah Rick told me that too but however then that should have kept the cost of the ship basically the same. But the kit went up in price. I think they are better off keeping the fibreglass deck kit options there. That's what sold me orignally on these kits. I didn'thave to make my own fiberglass deck. Now I use Sintra instead. The wood deck seemed too thin and well low quality. Now way it should have snapped so easily. It felt very brittle. Tks for letting Rick know. Adm Stokomoto
Ok just a couple of pics of the main deck where it broke in two. Not a big deal I can make another one or just use the Sintra instead . ADM Stokomoto
It's like Styrene but it has closed in blown foam between the layers. It can't warp under heat like regular styrene. It is very strong and you can get large sheets of various thicknesses at any glass manufacturer. Some of the guys used 1/4 thickness because they were able to bolt the deck dircetly to the gunwales instead of just resining it. It also is bb proof and weather proof. I used it in Roma and PE. Great for servo trays, water channelling, wt boxes, motor mounts, superstructures, rudders, ect. Lots of applications. Not much more than styrene sheets. Tirpitz will be outfitted with a Sintra deck and so will my California. I will post pics of the sheet. ADM STOKOMOTO
Got any idea on a minimum thickness for Sintra to be considered "BB proof"? 1/4" is good but a little thinner and I could add a few extra uses to it.
We use the 1\8th and 1\4 thickness and both are BB resistant, I am hesitant to call it BB proof. It takes alot to damage it. If I remember correctly in Nova Scotia it runs about 60 dollars a 4x8 sheet.
Nope that is pure fiberglass. The remainder of the Superstructure is mader from Vinly resin and cast resin. Adm Stokomoto
I talked to Rick today Curt, he said drop him a email on what happened, and he will get a new one sent out to you right away.
Excellent that's great news djranier. I will do that. I been cleaning out the basement due to mold issues and it's been a grimy week of that. Good news is the shipyard has never looked better and I hope to start construction on the ships soon. ADM STOKOMOTO
