Model Fleet: Boston turret update and pics

"Here's the latest pics of the work on my Revell Boston:

Click on Image to EnlargeI decided to get the main battery turrets done and out of the way, and they came out quite nicely. The pics are of the #2 turret alongside a turret from the Revell Baltimore.

The work to get the turrets upgraded is pretty straightforward, but takes time. First, the cutting. Remove the following:

*The alleged 'floater net baskets' on the turret bustle.
*The 'hoods' over the gun barrel apertures
*The FCS director hoods on either side of the turret
*The ladders on the turret sides

You'll also need to sand the 'cans' on the forward turret roof down just a touch. I then put a piece of thin strip styrene on the inside wall of the turret bustle, filling in the remaining openings with putty.

A bit of sprue stretching will be required now to provide the new FCS director hoods and the shell handling gear on the turret roof. Use the navsource.org pics as your guide here.

The new net basket was easy but takes patience and a bit of skill:

Click on Image to EnlargeTake your GMM Revell ship PE fret (absolutely necessary for any of the Revell warhorses) and measure out one 3-stanchion length of 3-rail railing. BEFORE YOU CUT IT....go out halfway to the next stanchion on either end, THEN cut. Take the partial rails and bend them 90 degrees upwards. Set that aside and then cut one more 3-stanchion section. Take the first piece and glue it to the outside edge of the second piece, with the bent sections facing towards the turret bustle face...then simply glue to whole thing to the turret bustle. It's elegant and it works. If the spirit so moves you, make a second one for #1 turret.

Now take care of the weather covers on the turret apertures. I used the tried and true Elmer's Glue method, but be advised this will not leave a lot of room if any between the weather covers.

Finally, the hardest single thing to make - the antenna atop the turret roof. I decided that just to see if I could do it, I'd make it from parts I had on hand...and it came out pretty well. It may be a bit overscale, but not too much so. Use the navsource.org pics to determine your best choices for location, height, and assembly. Note though that it LOOKS (remember that I am but a Wingwiper of Very Little Brain who needs glasses) that there may have been two different antenna designs on #2 turret, so make your own call there.

And that's it in a nutshell - any questions, comments or thoughts, feel free to throw them in this direction!! Pics of #1 will be on their way in a day or so, it needed a realignment on the gun barrels."