Japan - Takao Class Heavy Cruiser

[Colosseum]

One thing, though... the panel lines on the hull. Historically we've not shown those as they don't stand out at the viewing distance where a ship would appear to be in "Shipbucket scale". I realize it will make the drawings look naked (especially after you've been drawing them all like this), but I've only recently realized that you've been drawing the panel lines. I think we had some heated discussions about this and decided it was best not to show them. I personally find them visually distracting (a symptom of the "over-detailing" trap most of us eventually fall into) and always avoided them on my ships.

Your choice of course, just wanted to let you know the precedent.

[bezobrazov]

I do kinda like the showing of the welded plates, but I also agree with Colo' s warning not to take it to the extreme (look who's talking!). In these ships, if I recall it right, the plates would actually show somehow, since they were overlappingly layered, not edge to edge as most ship plate structures had it.

[BB1987]

Understood your point Colo, and yes except for USS montana i had drawn panel lines on all the IJN ships i have done (more or less, with maybe the exception of the never built Hiraga), mainly because i instead like them and i have seen them on other ships around the board and on the main site; i will probably continue to use them on WWII ships wherever they do not made the hull looking overloaded with details, and probably not on US shipsh as their hulls, especially for 1940's refits and post-war design looks smooth and clean.

Still working meanwhile:

talking about detailing balance, i'm trying to make the bridge structure as adequate as possible, without ammassing too much things; but you guys can imagine how much hard is here? there are tons of sponsons, struts and double struts supporting them, stairs, poles, stairs welded on poles, portholes, vents, directors.. and i'm still have to finish the upper levels around the greenhouses, plus add binoculars and railings.

edit: i was forgetting about this (unforgivable), Thanks to M.I.Collette for her disponibility, i will do my best on Takao herself also.

[emperor_andreas]

Looking good!

[heuhen]

talk about big structure!

[bezobrazov]

I know exactly how much details on that tower bridge, the world's largest green house on warships! I built a couple of years ago the chokai as of 1937, and the detailing required was amazing!

[emperor_andreas]

talking about detailing balance, i'm trying to make the bridge structure as adequate as possible, without ammassing too much things; but you guys can imagine how much hard is here? there are tons of sponsons, struts and double struts supporting them, stairs, poles, stairs welded on poles, portholes, vents, directors.. and i'm still have to finish the upper levels around the greenhouses, plus add binoculars and railings.

Somehow I think the 1944 version of Maya will be the last drawing posted in this series

[Gollevainen]

thumbrule for the detailing should be that imagine looking the ship from such distance that it looks about the size of SB drawing on your screen. Then figure out what you can see and make sense out of and drawn them.

[BB1987]

I have finished Chokai as of 1941.



Thanks for help and suggestions.

[Mabuse1]

Wow! Really great. Lots of detail etc. I like it!