1/350 USS Solace LHD Hospital Ship (Gallery)
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by Eric Mante |
1/350 USS Solace LHD Hospital Ship (Gallery)
The idea for converting an amphibious assault ship into a hospital ship did not come from me, but rather from a website I stumbled across while browsing the Internet: coalitionofhope.org. Coalition of Hope’s (COH) goal is to hopefully purchase and renovate the decommissioned USS Nassau (LHA-4) amphibious assault ship into a humanitarian assistance disaster relief vessel, which will serve as a sea-based platform for conducting humanitarian assistance disaster relief operations. While the thought of a civilian agency operating an ex-LHA might seem nice, it may not be possible due to the costs, ship renovations, etc. that are required. However, this did not stop me from doing a “What If” model project on what such a ship might be like, but NOT in operation of a civilian entity. Instead, I chose to incorporate some of the COH’s ideas into constructing a hypothetical what if replacement for the US Navy Military Sealift Command’s “MERCY” class hospital ships which are about 40+ years old.1. Main hull painted with Testor Model Master Acryl FS-37875 Flat White, and # 4714 Insignia Red. Flight deck painted Testor Gunship Grey.
2. All other aircraft, vehicles, ship fittings, etc. painted in a variety of Testor Model Master Acryl or Tamiya paint colors.
3. Majority of cargo, crates, and fuel oil drums are from aftermarket vendors Niko Models, Black Dog, and L’Arsenal.
4. Majority of aircraft are from the main ship kit. UH-1 Huey’s are from Trumpeter.
5. Small Red Cross decals for vehicles by GHQ Wargaming. Large Red Cross decals on ship hull sides are from extra 1/35 scale modern armor vehicles.
6. Ship bridge windows and aircraft/vehicle windows “painted” so to speak with Sakura Pigma Micron 0.25mm ink pens.
7. Life raft canisters were painted Testor Model Master Acryl # 4682 International Orange to make them more visible against a white painted ship.
8. Extra flight deck tractors and forklifts from MRC Carrier Deck Equipment Accessories Set.
9. Extra ship’s boats and RHIB’s are from spare model kits.
10. Extra cargo trucks and Humvee’s from GHQ Wargaming miniatures.
11. Large and medium ship cranes are from spare model kits.
12. Water effect in well deck made from acrylic gel medium.
13. Ramp from upper vehicle deck to lower vehicle deck was scratchbuilt.
14. Well deck ramp side platforms are scratchbuilt.
15. Port side embarkation entrance cut open and the doors are scratchbuilt.
16. Cargo elevator and flight deck tunnel ramp are both scratchbuilt.
17. Lighting of the upper vehicle deck & well deck is with Electroluminescent (EL) Wire.
18. Cutouts in the flight deck and hangar bay floor made with a Dremel rotary tool. Flight deck cutout is 15 ¾” x 2”. Hangar floor cutout is 8” x 1 3/8”.
19. 20ft. white medical shipping containers are scratchbuilt from square plastic rod.
20. Spinning aircraft rotors made from clear acrylic sheet, then sanded to give the illusion of spinning rotors.
21. All windows on the CONFLAG (Conflagration) stations in the well deck, hangar bay, and upper vehicle deck, were drilled out, then a drop of Micro Krystal Kleer with clear blue paint was applied in each window.
22. The doorway that leads from the starboard underway replenishment area (Underneath the aft deck crane.) to the hangar bay was cut open.SPECIAL NOTE: Why aren’t all the vehicles and aircraft painted white? If this were a hospital/humanitarian ship operated by a civilian agency such as COH for example, then the vehicles and aircraft might all be white with UN (United Nations) and Red Cross markings. But my model instead is a fictional replacement for the US Navy Military Sealift Command’s MERCY class hospital ships. Since it is a “military” support ship, most aircraft and vehicles will still have U.S. military paint schemes and markings.
