"Removal of Bases in 1/6000" Topic

Hello everyone,

As all of you who game in the 1/6000 scale know, many of the smaller vessels in the range (i.e. small cruisers, destroyers, submarines, etc.) come molded to a base. I wanted to know if any of you had figured out a way to best to remove these bases without damaging the model (as I've done on more than a few occasions). In particular I wish to remove the WWII destroyer models from their bases.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated,
Regards,
Chris

I decided to leave mine on their bases. The destroyers are microscopic as it is and I'd hate to mistake a ship for some odd lint on the table during a game.

Enquiriing minds want to know: what's wrong with the cast bases?

I have not tried this yet as I use the bases, but maybe try grinding or fileing the bases as thin as possible before trimming around the ship. Should make the trimming easier.

Ken

"Enquiriing minds want to know: what's wrong with the cast bases?"

Some of us do not want to paint "waves" because , frankly, they look stupid to me and are out of scale. Well, that's MY reason anyway….a shame because they make JUST about everything in that scale and are VERY affordable.

frankly, they look stupid to me and are out of scale

Paint the base blue and forget having white caps…then you have "ripples" and not waves

My understanding is the white caps only appear at Beaufort number 3 or 4. I'm sure the wave heights molded on bases are higher than Beaufort 3 or 4, but I try and keep the white caps to a minimum or not paint any white at all.

Thanks everyone for your feedback! You make a good point jlmartin, the bases do look good in many cases and when painted they really shine. I just wanted to remove a few Fletcher, Gearing, Sumner, etc. US detroyers (and some Japanese Destroyers as well) from their bases because I'm making a HUGE Diorama of the Battles of Leyte Gulf, Okinawa, etc. without the bases and I hope to post pics soon!

Thank you all again,
Regards,
Chris

Too bad I was on vacation when you posted this. If you are still interested, I can tell you how I do it. I was even thinking of a tutorial with pictures. To see what they look like, check here:

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Wow! Thanks for the pics hindsTMP! How did you achieve such a clean result after removing the vessels from their bases? Did you file or drind away at the bases as KenH01 suggested?

Thanks Again!
Regards,
Chris

Procedure for removing Figurehead 1:6000 DDs from their bases. Let me know if pictures are needed; hopefully this is understandable without them:

1) Using a small pair of flush-cut rail nippers (model railroad tool; available from Micro-Mark), I clip the base from around the model hull. Don't let the nippers touch the hull during this step, which is merely intended to remove excess material to make filing-down easier. It is not intended to produce a final hull-side surface.
2) (Optional) As with all my Figurehead models, I then adjust the sheer line of the hull to approximate the desired final shape, mostly by careful bending. FYI, the sheer line is the edge of the weather deck of the hull when viewed from the side; the weather deck includes the forecastle deck at the bow, the quarterdeck at the stern, and the connecting deck amidships. Often models will be bent during the molding process, or the original master may have had an exaggerated sheer forward or aft. I may also clean up the casting and adjust the superstructure shape as desired, using small hobby files / cutters. This step needs to be performed before the bottom of the hull is filed down.
3) The resulting clipped (and adjusted) hull is then filed down to (just short of) the desired waterline using a sharp, small-to-medium-sized metal file (hardware store) clamped to my workbench. The model is held in the fingers, and moved against the clamped, stationary file. One needs file cleaners for this step. 2 kinds I use are a course one with stiff angled mild steel bristles, and a fine one with brass bristles which looks like a large toothbrush (Micro-Mark). During the filing process, I periodically place the model on a small flat surface, hold it up to eye-level, and examine it from all sides. If this is not done, the model's final waterline will be "tilted", and it will look as if it is sinking (not desirable).
4) The sides of the hull are then cleaned up using a needle file (Micro-Mark). If needed, the flare and rake of the bow (and stern) can be adjusted at this stage. Note that the lower part of the final hull shape may well be metal which was originally part of the base. FYI, flare is the outward slope of the bows of the hull when viewed in section, and rake is the angle of the bow when the hull is viewed from the side. File cleaners are needed for this step also, and sometimes an old exacto-blade is needed to gently remove a stubborn piece of metal from the file.
5) The model is them brought down to the final waterline, using the same procedures as in step 3. Carefully remove any metal burr from around the bottom edge of the hull with a fingernail, or the back of an exacto blade.

This relatively time-consuming procedure is why I (and possibly others) convinced Steve of Hallmark to cast the modern Figurehead DDs separately from their bases.

The few special tools mentioned above can be purchased from Micro-Mark on the Internet, and are useful for other model-making purposes.

One other essential 1:6000 tool, due to my middle-aged eyes, is a magnifier. This is essential for both the 1:6000 model-making phase, and painting phase. I use an inexpensive clip-on binocular type called "Opticaid". There are other types, of course.

link

Thanks very much for the help hindsTMP, I tried your process step-by-step and am extremely satisfied with the final result. The "guinea pig" ship (a Fletcher-class DD) weathered the process very well and looks great. To aid my eyes in the process I used a posable 5" magnifying lens.

Thanks Again To Everyone for the Help and Assistance!
Cheers,
Chris