USS Iwo Jima, LHD-7, model in 1/350 scale

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Then it was time to assemble the vehicle deck and the well deck, with the photo etch details I had added. Tese are two separate assemblies.
Once they were assembled individually, I then added them into the hull of the Iwo Jima. They fit very well into the lower portion of the hull together, end to end, making for a very long section (over half the length of the ship) where the vehicle deck feeds the well deck of the vessel.

That is looking very nice now, with a lot of detail that the lighting system will display on the interior of the ship.

I was going to add the vehicles and armor in this session, but there was plenty to do (as you can see) getting this far. In the next session I will add the armor and vehicles to the vehicle deck, and the landing craft and their embarked vehicles and armor to the well deck. I will also start the lighting systems for these decks.

That looks good! You should make it one big thread and post all the pics of your model builds into it. And a question have you done any Iowa class battleship models or older ships like that?

Bernard said:

That looks good! You should make it one big thread and post all the pics of your model builds into it. And a question have you done any Iowa class battleship models or older ships like that?

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I make a thread for each build. Here on SD. Also on Fine Scale Modeling, and, on my own site,

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And, as to Iowa Class, yes, I built the USS New Jersey in 1/350 scale some twenty years ago and still have here.

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...and a couple of pics:

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Hey Jeff do you ever mixed your colors together to get the hue that you wanted?

Equation said:

Hey Jeff do you ever mixed your colors together to get the hue that you wanted?

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Yes, my friend. I do.

The hull red I use for US warships is in fact a combination of flat red, flat brown, and insignia red. I could not find a standard Model Master, Tamiya or other color to really match it properly so I have a special "brew," for that one.

The Build - Armor/vehicles, LCU and LCAC, start hanger deck< - January 20, 2015

In this session I built and painted all of the armor and vehicles I will use with this vessel. This included:

1 x M1A1 Abrams tank
2 x M60A3 tanks
2 x LAV-25s Infantry fighting Vehicles
2 x AAV-7s Amphibious Assault Vehicles
2 x Humvee trucks
1 x Humvee assault jeep
2 x 2 1/2 ton truck
2 x 105mm Howitzers

So, I started building these vehicles and armor by first painting them in their various colors on their frets. I used a desert tan for the Abrams and the Humvees and trucks, and then a forest green for the
M60 tanks, the howitzers, the LAVs and the AAVs.

Once they had been painted on the frets, I then cut out their various pieces and began assembling them. Each one is a miniature model itself with anywhere from three to six pieces. I painted the wheels for the HUMVEEs, the Trucks, the LAVs and the Howitzers, and the windshields for the appropriate vehicles in flat black. Once these were all painted and built, I then began building one LCAC and one LCU to place some of them in, while the rest will be located on the vehicle deck in the vessel itself.


I then built one LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushion), and one LCU-1600, Landing Craft Utility. These are used for transporting troops, vehicles, armor, supplies, etc. from the well deck of the Iwo Jima to shore. I intend to place the two 2 1/2 ton trucks in the LCU, each towing one of the 105mm howitzers. I will place the Abrams tank and two LAVs in the LCAC.

Each of these vessels, like the armor, is a small model itself. In this case, each has quite a few more pieces (22 for the LCAC, and 25 for the LCU). Once painted and assembled, the decals for these vessels also needed to be added.

After this was all complete, I then added the particular vehicles and armor I intend to show in each vessel and then placed them where I wanted them in each.


Once the LCAC and the LCU were completed and the various equipment added to them, I was then able to place them in the well deck where I intend them to be. The LCU will be depicted as having just completed loading near at the forward end of the well deck, and the LCAC will be positioned just exiting the well deck at the rear of the vessel.

I then placed the vehicles and armor on the equipment deck, showing the two HUMNVEE trucks, the two M60 tanks, and the two AAVs preparing for loading, with one of the M60 tanks making its way down the ramp.


That is all looking very nice. I decided to tackle the lighting system in my next session, when I can devote the entire session to it if needed. In the mean time I went ahead and started the initial construction of the hanger deck. Painting the major walls and the floor, the exits to the elevators, and then assembling the major interior walls for the hanger.


The hanger is a major assembly and will end up with quite a bit of detail in terms of viewing decks, railing, equipment, etc, and then the various auxiliary decks that surround the hanger deck and are exposed to the outside along the starboard and port side of the vessel. But that will be worked on after the lighting system for the well deck and the vehicle deck...hopefully in the next session with the lighting system.

The Build - Vehicle, Hanger & Well deck lighting, Install vehicle deck, well deck and hanger - January 22, 2015

In this session I put together the lighting systems for the Well deck, the vehicle deck and the hanger. I have come to typically rely on for the parts I use to build these systems. You can purchase complete system that are all together for specific hangers for specific ships, but this way I can custom build the system to my desire...and I find with Modeler's Brand, it is typically quite a bit cheaper to do.

Modeler's Brand has about the best offering of LED lights and tape, controllers, switches, power accessories, switches and clips that you can find, and, as mentioned, at a reasonable price, so as to put together your own lighting system and customize it like you want.

I run mine on 9v DC power and the modeler needs to understand a little about power and how to put together a system in order to make it work. I use LED tape for the lighting inside the hangers and well decks have found that the normal density, cool white LED tape is best. The tape already has the circuitry (and resistance) all taken care of, and you can get the solderless wire clips to attach to them (or
you can solder them if you wish).

I hope to have the lighting from all of these three areas, plus potentially some in the island, powered by this system. I am building it so each can be individually controlled by a 4 switch DIP switch I have purchased for that purpose.

Here's what I got, including the LED lighting tape, the solderless connector wires, the lead wires, the 9V battery wire connectors and the DIP switches. I took the LED tape, cut it to fit (and there are places marked for cutting it so that you have small copper locations for the positive and negative wires at the end of each section of tape), and then placed each piece I had cut on the ceilings of the respective locations.

The tape has an adhesive backing which is decent, but I always add a little extra to it (carefully using model glue at various places along each side of the tape) to ensure it will stay in place for years to come. The ceiling lighting for the vehicle deck, the well deck, and the hanger were now in place. Note: I had to build my own ceiling for the vehicle deck. The kit does not include one and so lighting would otherwise be left to the same ceiling for the flight deck. However, lighting it from that far above would have been too diffuse...so I scratch built a ceiling for the vehicle deck as shown.