Howdy, welcome to the build. The ship I will be working on here is the Italian Battleship Giulio Cesare. She was an Italian Dreadnought that served through WW1 and WW2 and later served in the Russian navy post-war. From the research I have done, she is very similar hull-wise to the Andrea Doria-Class, with minor differences (with the biggest being a change in the beam by a little over 3/8th an inch per side, scaled), think standard class battleships and how they vary. The base hull kit I am using comes from https://battlersconnection.com/andrea-doria/ I chose this ship mainly as a test bed for getting into the hobby, and as my first ship wanted to see how easy it was for a newb to get into the hobby without resorting to a full 3d print.
And here is the Hull, Compared to the future Roma I plan on doing once I complete my Cesare using what I have learned from it. The Roma hull is from https://www.ebay.com/usr/modelshipsahoy?_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2559 The wait time for both was precisely the same at about 6 weeks, Though I did order more stuff through Battlers Connection, They have not shipped the other half of the order to go with it. So far I am pretty pleased with the quality of the 2 hulls, But they do seem a bit pricey when compared to the cost of 3d printing one. But with the lack of hulls to print currently floating about, this right now is one of two viable ways to get into the hobby (The other being buying a used ship).
No source per say. Did print out a mikasa cannon though to prove concept. TBH my most limiting factor I have is time, its busy season for me. Ill post pics of the prints after work.
I'm looking at one of these too. What are you going to do for superstructure; scratch build or 3D printed?
Probs going to 3d print this to be honest. While if I was to scratch-build it could be done on my first day off from work. In the long haul, ABS might be the way to go.
A little bit of suggested reading for the ship Italian Battleships - Conte di Cavour and Duilio Classes 1911-1956
A little update while I wait for my Battlers Connection stuff to be fulfilled. I started planning the Quarter deck layout using some scrap cardboard, I 3d printed some turrets using the files from here. -Black portion is the Superstructure, Red is the deck overhang above it. I also ordered some plans from Profile Morskie (Black Dragon) at 1/144 scale to help me with the project. Sadly though even though the plans are marked for 1/144 scale. They were called to 1/200 which I did not catch until after they were printed. No biggie, I can math and convert everything I need to the proper scale.
I went this route for now, will at least get me in the water and going. Battlers Connection - Andrea Doria Hardware Kit
Great choice!! What are you planning to use to 'attach' it all to the hull? You should bring it to the build session next week, I'm sure we can make a good size dent in your drive systems.
Well, I want to see what I have on hand before I make that choice. As I have yet to get the order I can only speculate what is given to me. Worst Case I will 3d Print an attachment. And Yes, I am planning to bring what I got to the build session with journal this time around to pick the NTXBG community member's brains.
Interesting Notes on the Cesare from tonight's research. 1937 - She had two seaplane catapults during sea trials, these were removed. She has guns Closer in design to the Refit Doria than her Sister ship with the placement of the AA. She also does not have the lower walkway on the bridge like her sister ship in 39 she had her mast altered (more like the World of Warships model) removing the bebsi can on top. -Since I am using Brass tubing for this I am making a cap-style mast of the 39 to try to make this work (Lighter weight). A little more work on the Quarter deck before bed. I still need to extend the Quarter deck back a little and notch it so that it fits nice and snug against the hull.
Update, On '60s for work now, and progress is slowing down—still no shipment from Battlers Connection. Quarter deck superstructure V1 has been printed and will begin the sanding process come Friday (I hope). I will post some pics then, have been down due to being sick. In other news the quarter-deck section of the hull needs to be leveled out, sadly the cut done by the battlers connection is at a curve going down and the part most inward of the hull is level, but the more you go to the back the more it slopes down, being off by almost a 1/2". Once this has been rebuilt back into spec I will begin cutting the ribs out of the hull. I am using Pinstriping tape to determine where to do my ribbing before making my cuts. I have gone for a more historical ribbing set than a competitive one.
Well, was hoping to post a picture update of progress today. But due to a medical issue, photos will be delayed. Progress is as such though. The superstructure and quarterdeck mast and superstructure are printed out. I will be modding the files with a v2 based on my own personal findings to make them better. As for the hull I am using pinstriping tape to map out my cuts to correct sizing, and a jeweler's saw (Yes I am insane) to make the cuts. Currently, the starboard side is cut out and is partially filed down to the correct size. The Port is halfway cut out but In my current condition, I should not continue until it is resolved. Was planning on doing the fiberglass work to fix the stern of the ship Saturday, but alas will need to wait. If I feel better/up to it tomorrow I will post pics of progress then.
