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[WIP] 1/700 IJN Tenryu 天龍 (軽巡洋艦) Part 2

Resuming the build from [Part 1]:

Added support structures for mast and the canvas roof
This antenna thing (radio direction finder) was really difficult to make out of random PE parts i found.
The kit(1942 Tenryu) and most WWII IJN ships have the circular version, but 1926 Tenryu did not.
Antenna mounted, also completed rear torpedo resupply crane
forward AA platform, this was modified from a spare platform belonged to another ship, the kit’s platform doesn’t match 1926 Tenryu.
Depth charges
Before painting, i also decided to glue the life boat davits. I thought since i already added most stuff, might as well make the masking and painting even more difficult….
bridge and main mast
turrets: the plastic part is really thick, i had to shave them down abit with a file. Only the edges are reduced, giving the illusion of thinness
the blast bags are made from regular mr hobby putty. Originally i tried to use tamiya 2 part epoxy putty, but it didn’t really stick to the gun barrel. Using the standard putty was actually pretty good because i can use lacquer paint thinner to smooth and shape it.
i decide to take a good photo of her with all the golden PE parts before painting
Started with black primer (1500 mr hobby surfacer)
I made this “scraper” tool out of a bad tweezer, the hook shape is useful for this kind of things without damaging the railing.
Also, i did knock the forward mast off by accident, luckily it snapped clean off.
shiny!
Masking with tape cut into little rectangles. This cutting template is really useful but it dulls the blade quite fast.
After painting the primary color, masking tapes are slowly peeled off
Basic color complete!
I noticed the rear mast was a bit too thick towards the top, i made a new one.
i added some very vague instruments for the bridge. It’s not really accurate, but it looks better than empty.
The canvas roof is something i been worrying about since the start of the build, i didn’t want it look too thick like a cotton blanket.
But i didn’t find any good material other than normal tissue paper. So i separated it to the thinnest layer and went ahead.
I put PVC glue on the tissue paper, it absorbed it really well
Once it hardens, i painted it and other canvas parts with white oil paint
Btw the dark and bright area on the hull is created simply vertical brushing with tamiya’s black panel liner wash, they seem to diffuse nicely when applied just the right amount.
It still looks abit too thick, but i think it looks pretty decent 🙂

Only rigging and weathering remains to be done.
Weathering is pretty minimal for 1/700 scale, and rigging is hard to capture with camera, so ill leave it here, hope you enjoyed looking at this build and look forward to the final result!

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