Off topic? Well...not really. You see, every so many months we all bemoan the condition of today's youth and the shrinking hobby of model building and then we'll all start worrying about kids not picking up model building, etc. So you all should joyously welcome the addition of a cell-phone texting, Playstation game using, cheerleading, 13 year old into your midst. And a "girl" on top of that!
Devon - although 13 - is no stranger to model building. She has a pretty vicious appetite, easily devouring most of my limited stash. Devon though, has remained firmly in aircraft building. While she has used resin and photo etch before, this is her first ship build. A school field trip to a Titanic exhibit was pretty impressive for her and soon she was watching the movies. It was then no shock to me when one day she asked "are you ever gonna build that Titanic kit in the garage?" "What...a 'father-daughter' build" I asked? "No...me on my own." Ouch.
We opened the box and I fanned all of the Gold Medal and Tom's Modelwork photo etch like a hand of cards, showing benches, deck chairs and other sundry parts. "Oooh this looks like a HUD" she remarked while eyeing the deck chairs. Indeed...the chairs and their folding template resembled the head's up displays she uses on her jets. She was not deterred by the ton of etch that the kit will get. So we started out by mapping how she'll build the ship and then spent some time looking at the instruction book and other reference stuff I had. She decided that the ship will have a light kit installed inside. So welcome to chapter one: Prepping The Hull...
Dremel in hand, Devon drills out all of the ship's portholes. Once the holes are cleaned up and ready, Devon will apply the hull colors. Paint wise, Devon will be using a combination of brush and spray for the hull.
Most of the portholes are the same size, so that has cut down on her prep time. And of course, not being hampered by poor eyesight, her steady hand was able to knock out most of the portholes in a few minutes.
Switching drill bits, the next task will be the smaller portholes. Once done, the cleaning tool will be added to the Dremel and the flashed over openings will be cleaned up. Once all holes are drilled out, Devon will measure the plastic sheeting needed for the porthole glass. Devon will affix the plastic sheeting to the hull using Testor's cement for glass after painting is done.
Dremel work done, deck painting comes up. Brush painting with Polyscale Deck Tan Special is the order of the day. The humid Florida air dries the paint quickly and Devon is able to put two coats on.
The finished deck sections. At this point, all the sections have had two coats of Polyscale deck paint. She will then buff it and start on the deck plates. All of that will be painted by hand. Her color choices will be based on the color photos of the Fine Arts Models' 1/48th scale Titanic.
By the way, the kit she's building is the Academy 1/350th deluxe Titanic kit with the White Star Line poster for box art. The next phase will be cleaning up the lower hull and adding the prop shafts and rudder. Once that's done, Devon can work on the lower hull color and display base. Stay tuned.
This is awesome, Donny - my Heart Soars Like the Hawk - and of course the Titanic (or any other liner) is on-topic for ModelFleet! Not to mention anything built by your (not so little anymore) daughter, my buddy Devon! (But who is that outstanding, gorgeous fashion model you got to pose in those pictures? (LOL!))
These pics remind me of a conversation I had with her big brother, James, a few years ago during a visiting. At that time, Devon, only about half as tall as now (or so it seemed), was on the couch with us, all three watching TV, and when she got up to go get something, I said to James, "You know, your sister is going to grow up to be seriously movie-star-type beautiful", to which he replied "No - she'll get stocky - like that girl", gesturing towards the TV. I looked at the actress there - she was a little cute, in a Devon-ish way, but not really very striking. I chalked it up to her brother's knowing more about it than I. But today I can definitely tell you: Devon beats the snot out of that TV actress - she is growing up to be just gorgeous!
And now that's before you add that she's working - even drilling out portholes - on a ship model! Which we will definitely feature prominently, here at ModelFleet - that's guaranteed.
Plus, like I said: "Uncle Matty's" got a free jet - or any of several other types of aircraft, naval-related or not - for her, as Devon wishes, when she's done with this one.
So, Bravo-Zulu and do keep these updates comin', Donny!
Cheers,
-Matt
I'm looking forward to a biting by the ship kit bug!
Hopefully she'll be bitten severely by the ship bug! She's always enjoyed watching me build ships and I think this is the start of a love affair with nautical modelling. She's already been talking about tackling the 1/96th scale Constitution.
Yeah...she's definately growing faster than I can keep track of. I won't post any photos of Chelsea as you'd never recognize her, ha ha. She's taller than Lisa and almost as tall as me! Where that came from I don't know as Lisa and I are both short.
Devon's goal is to get Titanic finished for the 100th anniversary next year.
With any luck, some honest ship model-building - and Papa Don's (The Don's?) 12-guage/rocksalt rounds - will keep her out of trouble!
Seriously though, you're so right about Chelsea, too. She is starting to remind me of that actress opposite John Travolta in "Urban Cowboy" - not Debra Winger, but the tall, stunningly beautiful one who said "My daddy does oil...") - dimples and all! On no account let anyone see her picture at all! (LMAO)
Oh and by the way, that titanic mold Devon's working with looks like a really good one. It'll be just killer for her to have it completed and something she can be proud to look at and reflect upon, for the 100th!