| The Floating Drydock has been around
for many years. Tom Walkowiak has been producing a wide range of plans
with the Warship Modeler in mind for years. The TFW series are plans that
Tom has redrawn himself, they are based on official Government drawings
with additional views that would be of interest to most modelers. This
set is of the USS Baltimore, the the lead ship of a new class of
Heavy Cruisers. These plans reflect her August 1944 appearance and are
reproduced here in 1/96 scale. |
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| SHEET ONE |
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click images
to enlarge
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| The plan set contains three sheets the larger ones about
8 feet long when unrolled. The first sheet shows the ship in a full hull
side elevation. I should mention that the plans are not yellowish in color,
rather are plain white. The coloring on mine was the result of florescent
lighting and attempts to color correct only resulted in washing out the
lines. The plans are a bit large to fit my scanner so these views will
have to do.
The details on the drawing are very sharp and clearly show the features.
Since I have a drafting background, I can really appreciate the attention
to detail here. Each area of the ship is covered. You can even follow the
rigging details. |
| SHEET TWO |
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| The second sheet includes the plan view of the main deck
and other deck levels. The one thing I really like about these views are
the labeling of the various fittings. Having the parts called out is not
only helpful, but is educational. There are items that I always wondered
about, and now I have a better understanding of their purpose.
Hull lines are included for the ship that are clearly marked stations and
other features noted.
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| SHEET THREE |
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| The third sheet is a little shorter and include the miscellaneous
views. A camouflage sheet is included, as are several photos of the ship.
The photo's reproduced pretty well, but are not as sharp as the originals,
also available from the Floating Drydock.
Rigging details are also shown on the masts. Various gun platforms and
other details are shown from multiple sides. |
| CONCLUSIONS |
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Whether you are scratch building a 1/96 scale Baltimore or detailing
the Waveline 1/700
kit, these plans will definitely allow you to go above and beyond
the typical detailing. Check the
Floating Drydock's website for an extensive line of plans, building
supplies, kits, and reference material for the ship modeler. Not all their
sets are online so make sure you get a catalog or call for items you don't
see. This is set #TFW-CA68/8 USS BALTIMORE CA68 8/44 1/96 $35.00,
also available in 1/192 scale. |
