Model Boat Mayhem
The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Navy - Military - Battleships: => Topic started by: Beagle1831 on May 17, 2020, 07:08:06 pm
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Hi everyone
Another RN 1:96 subject to add to the growing collection! Just posting some progress on my current project - hoped to bring to Mayhem weekend but looks like COVID might have other plans...
The hull is from Deans Marine. I've already fitted the running gear & deck - some posts on this on the Deans forum. The running gear is twin 6v motors, raboesch exposed shafts + props. Scratch built rudder + bilge keels.
The hull is accurate for the flotilla leaders but would build any of the 16 O and P class ships with minor modification to the position of the focsle break. These ships were the first of the war emergency programme destroyers. They had a mixed armament depending on what was available. Onslow and 3 other O's had 4.7 inch guns, the remaining 4 O's had 4 inch guns and could be fitted for minelaying. All 8 P's had 4 inch guns. There were either 2 banks of quad torpedo tubes or one bank + an extra 4 inch AA gun. Light AA was mixed - Onslow completed with 2x 20mm Oerlikon + 2x 0.5in MG, but these were changed to 2 more 20mm guns soon afterwards.
The photos show some progress on the main superstructures - these are built from 1mm styrene around a 1.5mm frame (saved from the deck cutout). The top of B deck is a bit complicated so I made a template to check the fit. Both have the blast shields common to all RN destroyers - the aft one was particularly nightmarish to do! Some useful photos of HMS Cavalier helped to give an idea of the structure. Details are from styrene & brass wire.
Hope this is of interest!
James
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Looking stunning as always James. :-))
Hope you’re keeping safe, glad you’ve got a bit of a break to do some modelling once in a while. Typically the weather for the Mayhem weekend looks pretty good- a shame we can’t meet up for what looks to be a rain free weekend!
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Thanks Nick - yes real shame about Mayhem @ Wicksteed - always a great weekend, best show of the year!
Great progress on Invincible and now Manxman as well! Really interesting class of ships - all with great histories. Should make a good few knots when completed for running supplies to Malta!
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What a lovely model Doctor! You are mastering those awkward forms well and building a fine ship. I look forward to seeing updates on this beauty.
And just a quick note to say thank you for what you are doing at these horrid times. Even if you are not directly involved with Covid, you are still putting yourself at risk for us in your daily duties.
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Coming along beautifully, as ballastanksian said those aren't the easiest of lines to get right but It's building into a very elegant model from what we can see so far.
Please keep us updated.
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Thanks for the kind comments. I'm fortunate to be working in a relatively protected area as our patient group are at particular risk from covid. Everyone in the NHS is very grateful for the support the public has shown us!
A bit more progress - I've been moving about between different areas of the build for some time so I'm showing different structures as they are moving on. (So if a part of the ship appears then disappears this is why - all the right photos, but not necessarily in the right order).
This is the searchlight platform / emergency steering position. I've decided to model Onslow in summer 1942, when she was pretty much 'as fitted'. There had been some modifications to the superstructure by the time of the Barents Sea action in Dec 42 which some models miss (e.g the Tamiya 1/700 one). The searchlight platform was further changed in 1943 with larger, rectangular platforms fitted for the 20mm guns which were later switched for 40mm bofors.
The 20mm base rings were a little tricky to get right, they are scribed with an anti-slip pattern using a template. The searchlight is built up from tubes / milliput /brass wire. The various boxes underneath would contain equipment/spares for the torpedo tubes just fwd. I've built some bits to represent the emergency steering position based on photos from HMCS Haida.
James
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It is always good to see some workings out :-)) The AA platforms and searchlight are splendid.
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Some work on the bridge - this is made up from 0.5mm plastic around a thicker frame to save weight. Apologies for the messy desk!
Onslow and some of the other O's and P's had unusual (for RN destroyers) enclosed look out positions at the aft end of the bridge - these were tricky to make as the curves are very tight. The forward position is a submarine look out position (I think) and the rear one is an air look out. Roof left off this part for painting.
I've added some of the details to the compass platform based on photos of Onslow and similar ships.
The last 2 photos show overall views in position. The rigols ('eyebrows') are from 0.5mm brass wire. Again an unusual feature seems to be that these were only fitted to the bridge structure and not the rest of the ship, I've been told this was a time/manpower saving measure in the emergency destroyers. The wind deflectors are made up from evergreen strip and litho plate. Using the evergreen strip helps in getting all the brackets exactly the same.
The anti-submarine hut is dry-fitted in the middle, removable at present to allow the bridge grating to slide in. The cover over the ladder just next to it is again from litho plate - which I deliberately dented and then straightened out again a few times to give the impression of canvas when painted (I hope...)
Hope this is of interest! A package arrived from Deans Marine this morning so more bits to add on soon...
James
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Already that is becoming a lovely model James. The bridge detail is great.
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Looking good!
Cheers
Geoff
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Lots of RN destroyers had an extra 4 inch high angle gun fitted in place of the aft torpedo tubes. Have been trying to work out the best way to represent the deck here for some time - they had a 'spiderweb' pattern of non-slip strips arranged around the gun which I wanted to include as the 75mm plastic circle is a bit plain. Could be done by gluing on strips but I thought this might be quite messy and there are nearly 100 to stick on. Custom photo etch maybe a bit over the top?
Solution was to draw the pattern into the back of a piece of litho plate - then when turned over you get the raised pattern. After some tests a ballpoint pen seemed to make the best strips. This was then cut out and superglued to a plasticard backing, which is on a slightly raised frame above the deck.
I'm sure this technique has been used many times before (I found it in Brian King's books!) but in case it helps anyone to see it again.
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Hi James
Looks stunning and a technique I might be trying out myself as it looks very effective.
Keep up the excellent work
All the very best
Nick
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That's a fine idea James! It hasn't warped the late much either which is good for post procedure fettling.
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Some progress on the funnel - this is version 2, the first try melted in the vacformer (lesson: don't paint your patterns gloss black)
I made templates of the profile and end sections, transferred these to 2 pieces of pine clamped together. The profile shapes were then cut out with the clamp on. I then added some brass locator pins to keep the parts aligned. The shape was then further roughed out using chisels and then sanded to the profile. Next photo shows the pattern in position to check the size. End caps are made from 3mm ply.
This was all posted off to Deansmarine and a set of vacformings came back a few days later (which I forgot to take a good photo of!)
The vacformings are trimmed to size & assembled to make the funnel. Various internal & external tube detail added from photos. (historical note - HMS Onslow's funnel was blown open by a hit from Admiral Hipper. Most photos show the splinter holes on the starboard side, but there is a photo in 'Arctic Destroyers' which shows the port side peeled apart along its whole length).
The two forward pipes connect to the focsle break, which was a bit of a headache to get right. I ended up gluing the junction plate to the pipes as this all has to come off to get at the battery compartment.
I need to make up the funnel cage and the siren platforms but I'm going to practice my soldering on something else first!
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Nice work this :-))
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Lovely smooth shapes James. Sadly anywhere a pattern is exposed to heat risks a bonding incident, or loads of time spent scraping flaked paint from the finished casting/forming. But the you discovered that much to your chagrin.
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Thanks both!
[/color]I'm a bit 'bogged down' in small details at the moment - the sort that seem to take a lot of work then get 'absorbed' into the ship so it looks like no overall progress is being made!! [/size]
[/color]I've added the cage and sirens to the funnel, there is still the access platform to add [/size]
[/color]I've started trying to get individual sub-assemblies to the stage ready for painting - some progress on the searchlight platform: rails, mast and cross bracing being added. The front of the rail is a bit unusual in that there is an extra rail above which was done by grafting half a stanchion onto the top of a regular one. Also started some of the various lockers - for 20mm and 4 inch guns here. [/size]
Also have been thinking about the paint scheme - (not sure if James D has any thoughts on this) - the build shows Onslow in early / mid 1942, picture here [size=78%]https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205143145 (https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205143145)[/size]
Until recently I thought this was home fleet grey on the hull and 'Mediterranean' grey 507c on the upperworks (which I think was pre-war practice, and there is a model on the iwm site which looks like this)
However I now wonder if this is could equally be an emergency camouflage type pattern eg. 'light medium tone' pattern with 507c upperworks and 50:50 507a/c on the hull.
Not sure - will have to keep thinking about this!
James
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Also have been thinking about the paint scheme - (not sure if James D has any thoughts on this) - the build shows Onslow in early / mid 1942, picture here [size=78%]https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205143145 (https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205143145)[/size]
Until recently I thought this was home fleet grey on the hull and 'Mediterranean' grey 507c on the upperworks (which I think was pre-war practice, and there is a model on the iwm site which looks like this)
However I now wonder if this is could equally be an emergency camouflage type pattern eg. 'light medium tone' pattern with 507c upperworks and 50:50 507a/c on the hull.
Not sure - will have to keep thinking about this!
James
Hi James,
That photograph looks consistent with 507A/HFG hull and 507C upperworks to me. :-))
There was still plenty of that going around during the first half of WWII.
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You are doing lovely work James. The brasswork looks fab :-)) :-))
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Thanks James - good to get a second opinion! I think I have the colour plan just about sorted then.
Glad you approve of the brass bits Ian - they are a mix of John Haynes and Deans Marine.
A bit more progress -
I've finished the rails on the oerlikon platforms and added the ammunition boxes & ladders
Also done similar stuff on the pom-pom platform. Looking at the plans the low splinter shields were actually held slightly away from the deck edge on angle brackets - I've omitted this gap for strength. The angle brackets are made from evergreen angle strip cut up with a razor saw.
I use cyano to assemble the railings which is reasonably strong once all the cross links are glued. I'm not brave enough to bring the soldering iron that close to the plastic! Once the rails are bent to shape I stick the first few stanchions in as an anchor, then place the rails, then thread each stanchion on. Once all the stanchions are in you can adjust the alignment/angles before gluing the cross links to make it all solid & trim off the excess rail.
A few photos of the platform with fittings in place (resin from Dean's Marine). Midships section beginning to take shape.
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Watching on with each posting James....your brass wire bending skills are excellent :-)) ......
[to anyone who says it's easy, just give them 30" x 1/16" brass wire and request two wire hexagons with 2" equal length sided faces %)
..in theory they should end up with 1 x piece about 4" long left over O0
You and I know what they will end up with {-)
Derek
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coming along nicely .. :-))
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Thanks both. I'm not showing the photos of the pile of attempts that didn't work!
I've made the funnel platform - an etched part might have been nicer, but found the technique for this in the book about Norman Ough ('Life and Ship Models')
The pattern was drawn out, then wire is laid out on double sided sticky tape before soldering it together. Excess solder cleaned off with a file. The tread-bars are probably a bit far apart - potential for falling through for a 1/96 sailor - don't tell the health & safety officer. The stanchion bars are then bent upwards to take the guard rail. Photo etch ladder from Deans.
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The more I look at this thread, the more I think that it's not just a superb piece of workmanship but that there's a huge degree of elegance in the thought behind each and every stage.
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I'm not showing the photos of the pile of attempts that didn't work!
i know the Feeling very well James.. {-) {-)
i can not recall the amout of times that has happend to me...
your probaby right, an etched Version might look nicer, but looses the Depth of full rod…. even though, it Looks the part, and thats the main Thing..
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Definitly Colin. The effort to get all those tread bars laid out is a project in its own right! Did you slake the piece in white spirit afterwards to dissolve the glue to make removal easier or carefully ease it off with a knife?
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Thanks everyone again for the kind comments. The technique is modified from an article by Norman Ough - I had been puzzling how to make this part and he describes a similar process. Would also recommend any of Brian King's books - lots of great techniques and advice. Plus this great forum of course!
Ian - I would normally soak in warm water + dish soap or white spirit to stop deforming the part, but in this case the heat of the soldering weakened the glue enough for it to peel straight off.
I've been trying to systematically move through the various 'sub-assemblies' to make some headway. The after superstructure has had similar treatment - rails and splinter plates added. The top rail in this case was wire rope to allow the top half of the stanchion to be folded out of the way. (the same is actually true on some of the areas of the pom-pom stand, but this will be hidden behind canvas).
Fittings are dry-fitted in approximate positions. The standard white metal and resin items are from Deans Marine. Smaller lockers/hatches from plasticard and litho plate. The small ammunition hatches are are punched from litho plate. Galley funnels soldered from brass tube (2 good ones of 6 attempts...) >:-o
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Great progress James! Such simple looking things those galley chimneys, but deceptively so. Good job.
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very nice...
Deans marine also have Galley funnels in there Fittings.. :-))
i have two on the Enchantress.. which i thikend up with plastic tubing..
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Stunning work James
The brass work is particularly worthy of note.
Keep up the excellent job. :-))
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Thanks again everyone - I should also say, as per Colin's post, I think almost all of the fittings for the O & P class are in the Deans range - given the similarity of the O's to the JKNs and V class. If anyone is thinking of building a similar ship.
Again trying to systematically move through the sub-assemblies, I've been adding a bit of detail to the bridge. Most of this is based on photos/plans of Onslow and Oribi, or 'filled in' from photos of similar RN ships. Various 'greebles' added from plastic section, brass wire & scrap airfix kit bits.
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Once again you’ve done a stunning job James :-))
Which plans are you using as your detailing is second to none. Very admirable workmanship.
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yup… must agree with nick...
beautiful.. :-))
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Thanks Nick & Colin
I'm using the maritime museum 'as fitted' plans - these show a lot of the general fittings (eg. torpedo sights, compass repeater), the rest of the detail is added from photos - there are some good pictures of Onslow and Oribi in dock in the 'Ensign' publication, and also on the IWM website. There are also some good bridge photos of Kelvin and some of the 'R' class on IWM. Some of the detail is 'filled in' based on related ships eg. where a bridge officer is inconveniently standing in the way of the fitting you want to see. Or where a fitting is standard. eg the controls beneath the torpedo sight. I don't agree with completely 'making stuff up' but it's to give the idea that something useful is there as looking at photos the insides of the bridge walls always seem to be covered in boxes, dials and tubes.
Would also recommend looking at John Haynes' models of HMS Starling and an S class destroyer, and E J Foeth's 'On the slipway' blog about HMS Hood which has lots of great stuff on RN detail work.
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Hi James
Thanks for the information, I’ve been using some NMM plans for my Manxman build but they aren’t as detailed as some that I’ve got on other vessels. I want to add generic detail that I know should be there and I’ve got some fantastic photos of one of the Abdiels being scrapped but they only show certain areas. We all know vessels of this era had loads of deck and superstructure clutter! I’ll check out the builds by John and the Hood blog.
Keep safe and happy modelling :-))
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Another gorgeous model progressing well. Keep up the good work James :-))
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I managed to miss the Deans Open weekend but a trip to Peterborough last week allowed me to collect some bits needed to finish the torpedo tubes...
Based on the drawings in John Lambert's 'Naval Weapons of WW2' - volume 1. The tubes are aluminium, ends filed & sanded to get the right angle. Details are added from brass wire & litho plate. Assembled onto plasticard baseplate. The impulse chambers & loading doors are Deans Marine fittings. The various wheels & triggers are added from photo etch, micro strip etc. (Deans destroyer detail etch set). These would be used to set running depth, angle etc. and also to lock the torpedoes in the tubes until firing (all annotated in John Lambert's drawings, for those interested). The spray shield (Dalek like bit) contained the firing controls, again a Deans resin part modified slightly to match the one on the emergency destroyer quadruple tubes.
Just need to make the 'fish' now...
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Looks more like the head of a robotic minion - or bender (futurama)
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Hmm probably a minion! That must be why all my tools keep going missing...
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Nice :-))
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That is an extremely well detailed Quad Launcher. :-)) ........]so even whilst such equipment is deck mounted, such Launchers categorized as Below Water Weapons ....hence my knowledge of such was rather limited, except that the air launch pressures were rather high even for a vessel such as HMS Onslow]
I enjoy viewing each post of your build
Derek
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Beautiful work. So much detail. You are achieving the cluttered look! :-))
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Hi Everyone
Thanks again for the great comments. Progress has been delayed a bit - things have been a bit busy in the day job again for 'obvious reasons'...
Again trying to work through each sub-assembly, this time 'B' gun deck/ the signal deck. This proved surprisingly tricky, particularly getting everything to fit where the mast passes between the flag lockers / RDF office / aerial trunking. As ever the 'order of operations' needed to be worked out i.e. you can't build one part until you have sorted the previous problem out.
The support struts are brass rod, with telescoping tube from Albion alloys in the main deck to receive the supports. The struts are passed all the way through the upper deck for strength and sanded flush, as in my experience these bits are the first to snap off at the lakeside!
Rails, splinter shields & ladders have been added as per the rest of the build. Small tanks & lockers scratch built, the larger ones are resin items from Deans marine, dry fitted in the photos. The flag lockers are etched parts from scale warship - these are excellent, go together really well. The aft pair will have the canvas covers down and are built from plasticard to save a bit of weight. These are the same size (or within 0.2mm on the callipers!) as the brass items though it doesn't look like it in the photos!
Now to work out what the next bit to build is....
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The torpedo tubes and the bridge are a work of art James! Wishing you well in these difficult times. Please please please keep you and your fellow docs and staff safe.
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Hi everyone
Some more updates - got a bit bogged down in sorting the hull out, thought I would try drilling out the portholes but ended up with a lot of ragged edges from cracked gel coat, despite use of backing tape etc. which has taken ages to sort out.
Once this was sorted could start working on some of the deck details. On the stern - smoke system is scratchbuilt, other fittings & d/c rails from Deans marine. On the focsle - brass etched treadplate from scale-link, anti-slip treads from evergreen 0.25mmx0.75mm strip.
I've also had a go at some resin casting - made up a pattern for one of the denton life rafts, and some of the mushroom vents. I think Deans do metal vents but I wanted to save a bit of weight, there are about 20 of them in total. Fingers crossed for a water test & meet up at Wicksteed park in the summer.
James
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James,
Nice to see others having ago at casting :-)) what make of rubber are you using ?
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Well impressed with your efforts to date, I've no idea how I managed to miss this thread from the start but, now that I've read through it, I'll make sure that I don't miss your future updates.
Absolutely fantastic work showing in your photos - thanks for sharing.
Ray.
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Thanks Ray it's been my lockdown project!
Dave - I used cs25 silicone from easy composites and xencast P2 resin. This seemed to be their recommended combination for beginners. I don't have degassing kit etc. but seems to be ok.
The key thing I found is when they say 1:1 by weight for the resin they mean it - not volume as I tried first!
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James,
Degassing can be an issue with moulding, like you I don’t have a degassing machine, but I find the RTV shore 24 and it has a good self degassing properties, holds its flex which with the more complex master I need. The resin I use is Fast Cast, this produces fine castings, but can be a bit touchy, however over the years I’ve found the best way to get the best results. Keep up with the casting :-))
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Thanks Dave that's great - I'll make a note of those for my next order!
James
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That looks fantastic James
Obviously thinking on the same wavelength as I’ve just bought some silicon and resin moulding kit for my projects as I thought it was time I’d have a go.
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James,
One little tip I use too degas the silicon is to place the mould on a base plate, then I use a old power sander to vibrate the mould for a few mins.
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A few small updates - ticking off the long list of small jobs.
1. - Dry fit of most of the parts on the bow - bullnose & fairleads are from Deans marine, the small eye plates are from the Deans destroyer photoetch set.
2. - Making the mushroom vents - (or maybe waffles for the crew) - I think there are 7 different types of various square/round/curved ones - made up from evergreen tube & square section. The curved ones on the superstructure sides were cast in resin. The grilles were added from photoetch sheet (4D modelshop)
3. - more progress on the bridge showing vents & lockers, resin cast denton raft in approx position
4. - A few details on the bridge - the anti-submarine hut in the centre of the bridge had warped over time (too much glue I think) so I re-made this.
- Added the covers to the air look out positions on the rear corners of the bridge, these are removable so I can still get the ALO sights in once painted. These covered positions seem unique to the O&P class so maybe were discarded as a bad idea! - I think the covers must have folded back to allow spotting aircraft.
- On previous models I find that the supporting struts under the signal deck are the first thing to snap off so I added some 1mm internal dia tubes (Albion alloys from Deans Marine) to the main deck to receive the struts. The overlap is less than a millimetre to avoid the bridge structure getting 'locked' on but it's enough to protect from any collisions.
5. - After superstructure showing some of the larger mushroom vents in position. I also ground the escape hatches off the side of the hull moulding and replaced with a resin casting for a bit more detail (visible directly above the stand cradle).
The main parts remaining now are the armament & fire control position, am looking into getting a lathe so waiting until then to get these done. And the ships boats which are another problem altogether...
Hope this is of interest!
James
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Hi James
As always- a stunning update of a brilliant build. The quality is fantastic. Always look forward to your updates.
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Thanks Nick ! It's keeping me out of trouble in lockdown...
Another small update - I managed to snap my last micro-drill bit over the long Easter weekend but another box arrived a few days ago to get this done,
Dry fit of parts on the stern:
- I've added in the splinter plates at the deck edge, these are pinned in with 0.5mm brass wire for strength.
- I made the d/c handling davits from brass rod. I also soldered some anchoring pins onto the d/c rails as they will have to come off with the tiller hatch if access is needed.
- Added the propeller guards and small fairleads, the larger fairlead at the stern is for towing according to the plans.
More to follow!
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Some more details added to the mast -
Crow's nest made up from litho plate, frames below for the steaming light and signalling lights below. I'm not exactly sure of the detail here as not shown on the plans but this is a best guess from photographs of the Onslow and also the J/K/N class destroyers which seem to be much better documented.
The type 286 radar on the top of the mast is soldered up from brass wire, again I don't have scale drawings of this but dimensions are estimated by comparing to other structures of a known size on photos.
Still a few bits to add on but some progress made!
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More excellent brasswork being done here - looking very neat.
Ray.
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I agree, that is becoming a really finely wrought model James. You are really pushing your skills and approach to new techniques with Onslow. You will be scratch building next, it's only a small jump from super detailing IMHO. The mast is gorgeous.
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Stunning work as always James. I’m getting back into some building again after a couple of months of not being able or simply not feeling the love.
Your brass work is brilliant and you really are improving with each model.
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James
Beautiful work, but shouldn’t the yardarms be in front of the mast?
Steve
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Thanks everyone for the comments, I've been trying to improve my soldering/ metal work. I would like to try to do a full scratch build next - thinking about a few RN subjects...
As you say Nick the enthusiasm comes in patches - might focus on another project for a bit as the next step are the armament & boats, which I want to do a really good job on.
Re: the yardarms - yes they should be in front! No idea how I missed that, obviously a long day at the office %% . Fortunately this was just a dry fit - the upper mast is not glued into the lower tube yet to make fitting the lights easier so easily fixed!
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You did it deliberately to see if you could catch us out! :-)) {-)
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{-) {-) {-)
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In the words of Captain Mainwaring - "I was wondering who would be the first to spot that"
- Sorted out now, the support brackets for the radar array had been superglued on so I left the upper part of the assembly in nail varnish remover (don't tell the C in C Home Fleet) until they came off and then cleaned off the glue residue before sticking back on the right way round. Also added on the support bases for the various mast lights.
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I think the C in C Home fleet would be happy enough if it meant his masts worked properly! Given the many different fluids and chemicals used back then that we can't get hold of, or are not even made due to their toxicity, Acetone isn't bad.
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Hi Everyone
I'm at that stage of the build where I seem to spend ages messing about with small details but it seems like nothing is getting done! Also some supply problems have limited my progress on actually finishing the fittings - I have lots that are part completed but not done. Hopefully "more on that later".
Anyway I thought I would have a go at one of the ships boats to break things up. This is the 25 foot cutter, standard item on most RN WW2 destroyers - plans in 'The Life and Ship Models of Norman Ough', and also EJ Foeth's brilliant HMS Hood blog 'On the Slipway'. There are photos of the one from HMCS Haida online.
The hull is a Deansmarine vacforming. After fitting the basic seats, keel, floor etc from plastic strip I then 'planked' the hull using gumstrip sealing tape. This is based on techniques from Phillip Reed, Brian King & the Norman Ough book. The tape is cut into approx 1.5mm strips using a new scalpel blade. The 'planks' are then added starting from the keel. This took some practice knowing how much time to soak the strips to activate the glue & some judicious use of PVA to secure the ends which want to un-peel. Also avoid the temptation to do too many planks at a time (maybe 4 in one go, then allow to dry?). As the glue is water soluble there is some time to adjust and re-do if needed.
Once the planks are all on, they are soaked with a small amount of thin CA glue which sets everything hard, then the ends can be trimmed off using sharp scissors and sanded flush.
The cabs are made from plastic card with paper strips for detail, railings from the ends of broken PE stanchions. Small deck details ("greebles?") are stolen from an airfix 1/600 HMS Suffolk.
Now have to do the 16ft motor boat and 27ft whaler.
Hope this is of interest!
James
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Lovely James! That planking alone is gorgeous :-))
I like the detail level of the model. While not a fan of boats as they take time away from ships, they do really bring out the best in a larger model.
Thanks for sharing the tips James, I will store these away in my brain (oh well their lost then :o)
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Thank you for sharing your tips James, I am learning a lot.
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Thanks for the replies - I would really recommend Brian King & Phillip Reed's books, and the book about Norman Ough which reprints his articles on construction.
The main bits left to do are the armament and boats, I have left these until last as they are the most complex (maybe doing them first would have been better?).
First of all the 4 inch mark V high angle gun - these were commonly fitted to RN destroyers in place of the aft torpedo tubes for extra AA defence. This is based on plans from John Lambert and online references. There were quite a few different variations of the gun mounting so quite a lot to sort out but I think this is about right for Onslow. There are good photos of the gun on HMS Kelvin and HMS Javelin.
The base is plasticard with litho & brass etch plates. The gun is turned from aluminium, the cradle is acrylic to save weight. Smaller details from plastic strip, brass wire, spare model sprues. I was looking for a tiny elevation gear - managed to find this in a bag of watch spares from eBay. The 'bench' on the left side of the mount was for setting the timing of fuses.
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Cor, I would have loved to put that in kit form in a mould and cast some up for you James! It looks amazing.
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Excellent James ...very crisp indeed :-)) ............... Derek
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Next on the list - the combined rangefinder / director. Scratch built from John Lambert's plans. This is mainly styrene sheet - was quite tricky to get it all round and concentric. The top ring lifts off to allow painting. The base is turned acrylic. There is a radar array still to do for the top.
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Which museum will this splendid model go to, too good to go on a pond/boating lake.
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Thanks - hopefully this one is going in my office!
Thinking of museums, the Russian Arctic Convoy museum near Poolewe is worth a visit if in the area. Has a small section on HMS Onslow & the battle of the Barents sea.
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That is a splendid idea putting the model in your office on display, I think if it was mine I would be too distracted to work as i would spend my time admiring and showing it to others. Reference the Battle of the Barent Sea, shame more is not made of it, probably one of the most heroic actions fought by the R N in the war.
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Hi Everyone
After a bit of a marathon with the airbrush I've painted the hull - photos attached which do most of the talking!
All a bit of a nightmare due to rushing and therefore making silly mistakes that take twice as long to correct
Including, but not limited to:
- Trying to airbrush in the UK's hottest week ever
- Messing up the dark gray, red and light gray so it looks like sandpaper (solution: turn down your air pressure and clean your airbrush)
- Overdoing gloss varnish so it ran everywhere (solution: if you think that is a light coat - think again, go even lighter)
- Various fingermarks, fibers and creatures getting in the paint
- Not laying the decals on gloss varnish properly so they "silvered" and had to be re done
The paints are "Colourcoats" enamels from Sovereign Hobbies - these are brilliant paints, and I would highly recommend them (plus supporting UK business is no bad thing). The mistakes above are all my own doing and not a reflection on their product!
The transfers are from Fox Transfers (mainly model railways but have some great marine stuff too).
Hope this is of interest
James
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Some overall shots of the finished hull.
PS. Another mistake - I used frogtape to cover the large areas, this left a nasty residue which needed cleaning off. Possibly due to the heat in the UK / or length of time I needed to leave it on the hull due to work commitments, but the tamiya tape I used for the edges caused no issues.
PPS. I am trying out posting more regular pictures on Instagram - my page is 'beagleshipmodels' if anyone is into that
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Well James, the end justifys the means and you've made a good job of it. Nice even line demarcation, not easy with any form of masking tape.
Ray.
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I think you did a very good job with the painting regardless of the hard work.!!
She looks very fine that tells us how you made the best efforts to get her beautiful.!!!! :-)) :-)) :-))
Kiyo
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Lovely job James
Looks very professional- it certainly brings out the detail :-))
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as an inexperienced modeler - the markings - when she is in the water is the top of the boot topping at the water line or the bottom of it and what does the markings denote, how much vessel is below the surface? as XV (15) seems to be below the boot topping and above at each end
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Thanks everyone for the kind comments
Re: the depth markings - yes it took me a while to figure it out! The marks are applied as per photos of the ship. They indicate the depth below the mark.
The stern has two sets: one at the end of the keel, which indicates the 'design' waterline - quoted as ten feet on the admiralty plans, and another set in line with the A frame which has different levels because the propellor blades swing below the keel level (hence the movement of mark XV). Photo attached which shows this.
Another quirk of Onslow is that the boot topping appears to be very wide above the design waterline, compared to other vessels - again this is based on photos of the ship.
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If you look at photographs you will see on destroyers and frigates during wartime the top of the boot topping generally runs halfway up the second strake at amidships. This of course may be slightly lower in piece time. At full displacement the ship will float at the top of boot topping, or even slightly higher if new equipment has been fitted since the boot topping had been applied.
LB
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Fab work so far Beagle! The radar director is beautiful. I cheated and bought a couple for a project :) Tamiya tape is excellent and have never had an issue with it.
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80 years ago today: the Battle of the Barents Sea
At 8am on 31st December 1942, German surface raiders intercepted convoy JW 51B en route to Russia. Four escorting O class destroyers, led by Captain Robert Sherbrooke on board HMS Onslow, steered to engage the cruiser Admiral Hipper as she closed in on the convoy. A feigned torpedo attack caused the Admiral Hipper to turn away, buying time for the merchant ships. Onslow was hit, with 17 men killed. Captain Sherbrooke was badly wounded but continued to direct his ships until command could be passed to HMS Obedient.
The Admiral Hipper then encountered the minesweeper Bramble, which was rapidly sunk with all hands. The destroyer Achates was also damaged and later sank. The British cruisers Sheffield and Jamaica then joined the action, damaging the Admiral Hipper and sinking the destroyer Friedrich Eckholdt. The action was broken off at around 12 noon.
All fourteen merchant ships reached the USSR. The failure of the raiding ships was a key factor in the decision to scrap the German surface fleet and focus on U-boats, Admiral Raeder resigned and was replaced by Admiral Dönitz.
Captain Sherbrooke would be awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions defending the convoy.
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My Grandad was a Royal Marine on HMS Sheffield during this action James.
Nigel
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Hi James
Happy New year and many thanks for the historic reminder. The Barents Sea battle was certainly a massive turning point for the allies and a stark reminder that you don’t often need a big battleship to outwit a cruiser!
Look forward to your future progress with the Onslow.
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Nigel - great to hear the connection with your Grandad. We can only imagine the conditions, in the arctic winter - no daylight, freezing temperatures and little chance of survival if your ship went down. Hopefully I can do justice to those involved with the model!
Nick - thanks, the original aim was to finish her in time for the 80th anniversary! Hopefully she will be seaworthy by Mayhem 2023.
The battle is described in the book '73 North', which is on my to read list for the year.
Happy New Year to everyone!
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Thanks everyone for the kind comments
I cant come to terms with those depth markings, have never seen then come to deck level, normally stop just on or over the boot topping, any chance to prove me wrong with the picture, just looks so odd.
Bob
Re: the depth markings - yes it took me a while to figure it out! The marks are applied as per photos of the ship. They indicate the depth below the mark.
The stern has two sets: one at the end of the keel, which indicates the 'design' waterline - quoted as ten feet on the admiralty plans, and another set in line with the A frame which has different levels because the propellor blades swing below the keel level (hence the movement of mark XV). Photo attached which shows this.
Another quirk of Onslow is that the boot topping appears to be very wide above the design waterline, compared to other vessels - again this is based on photos of the ship.
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Hi Bob
No problem - always good to check these things out
First photo - Onslow fitting out at John Brown's yard in 1941 - the roman numeral depth markings are visible bottom right, with XXIII (23) just below the deck edge / prop guard. 23 feet is the correct draft at the prop if the deck was awash- as the outer edge of the blade rotated below the keel (about 20 feet from deck edge).
Second photo after her refit in 1943, showing that the marks were still there
I guess that in early war experience they found that destroyers could return home with considerable damage so it was still useful to have the depth marked to the deck edge (eg HMS Kelly in 1940 - photo here [size=78%]HMS Kelly (F01) - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Kelly_(F01))[/size][size=78%]). [/size]
James
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OK so didn't get the model finished by the end of the year - but some progress has been made!
I have been slowly working on the pom pom (quad 2pdr AA gun) - scratch built based on drawings in John Lambert's books.
The barrels are turned aluminium, with the muzzle offset from the cooling jacket (which was tricky to work out!). Upper and lower guns were staggered so the exposed barrel length was different but overall gun length the same. In the real thing the guns were also right and left handed for ammunition feed. The ammunition belts are represented with brass wire and paper. The main structure is made from styrene sheet, with details from styrene strip, brass wire, photo etch and litho plate. The central gun housing is removable for painting.
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Some photos of the finished gun, and in place on the 'bandstand'.
Another detail I noticed is that on Onslow they kept the cabin roof for the 16 foot boat stored on one of the carley floats, so I will try to replicate this in the finished model.
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How is this level of detail even possible for humans?! :o
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How is this level of detail even possible for humans?! :o
Skill. Determination. Dedication. :o ?
Ray.
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The detail of the belt of bullets.... 14 long ........[to be engaged in the magazine feed].........then another, then another
The following link is well worth spending the time to watch & understand about QF Pom-Pom Gun Mounts :-)) ......Derek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utrkd4SDRdw
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Very nice indeed, well done and a credit o you.
Geoff
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Thanks everyone for the comments :-)
If you want to see crazy detail - look here at HMS Hood in 1:350!
Armament – On The Slipway (https://ontheslipway.com/category/armament/)
This is one of my "go to" sites for RN references
Derek - those 'armored carrier' videos are great, thanks for the link. "Drachinifel" on youtube also has a great discussion of the various AA weapons used in WW2.
James
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An update from the shipyard
The combined rangefinder / director is finished. I've added the type 285 radar to the top. This was built using some photoetch yagi antennas ('fishbones') from a John Haynes kit. The exact configuration of the array was a bit different on Onslow to the one in John's photo etch kit, I'm guessing the Onslow had an earlier war variant. So the frame, reflectors and supports were scratch built from brass sheet and wire. The array is simplified from the real thing, there is more detail visible in photos but for reasons of sanity I have omitted some of it. The extra splinter shields are sculpted from milliput.
A bit of artistic licence has been taken here, as the support frame for the radar on Onslow was usually wrapped in a canvas cover to shield the crew. I've left this off as it obscures all the detail work, and would also make painting the interior a nightmare!
Another quirk of Onslow is that in almost all photos the rangefinder is pointing directly backwards, which I'm guessing was done to protect the radar and optical equipment from heavy weather in northern waters where she usually operated. This would look very strange on the model so I will definitely be putting it on forwards (as if she is about to engage a heavy cruiser...)
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:-)) :-)) :-)) Excellent. Do you accept soldering commissions? :}
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Stunning as always James. That looks fantastic. I’m trying to find the correct range finder design for my HMS Coventry that I started years ago, and then restarted, and restarted again after two incidents several years ago involving wind and two double doors!
I may well copy the basis of your build to my Coventry if I can’t find the exact model.
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Thanks both.
Akira - no commissions as yet {-) - trying to solder those curved reflectors on in alignment with nothing good to get a grip on nearly sent me loopy... a few choice words were used in the workshop
Nick - would be great to see the Coventry finished, remember seeing it at one of Ron's open days - it is a great model. I will have a look in the reference material to see if I can find anything on the rangefinders.
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Hi James
I forgot that you had seen the Coventry before. I’ve managed to get some very nice 4inch HA guns for her from Micro Master- I did contemplate making them myself but making eight identical items I felt was too much repetitive modelling!
I’ve looked though the John Lambert books (and the recent ones too) to see what matches up with Coventry’s range finder directors. I have two different sorts of resin director but they don’t look correct in either size or shape. The pictures in Norman Friedman’s book British Cruisers of the Second World War seems to show a mishmash of the two resin fittings but appears to have a flatter front. Can’t seem to firmly identify the actually marque of director actually used on the ww2 Coventry.
Keep up the excellent modelling. I really need to finish some of the projects before I start anything else!
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Hi Nick
There is a useful file on this site
https://www.commsmuseum.co.uk/dykes/gunnery/gunnery.htm
'directors various part 1'
Suggests Coventry had HACS mark iii, there are diagrams of the similar mark iii* on the HMS Hood site
Hope this helps!
Yes trying to stick to one project is always a problem %%
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Hi James
Thank you for the link, a very helpful website. Its confirmed that its definately the HACS Mk III used on the AA cruiser version of Coventry. Unfortunately not in John Lambert's books but I'll find a scale picture to make them. Shapeways and Micro Master have them in 1/96 but not at $32 each.
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Have a look in 'Warship Modelling'. I reckon it will have what you are after in there. I found diagrams of the early 9.2inch gun mount in there for the Monitor so worth a look.
I think its a Conway title.
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Hi Everyone
Spent an excellent Sunday morning with the Wicksteed Park Club testing HMS Onslow - photos attached. Great to meet up with other model boaters again for some nautical discussions!
Performance was OK after some teething issues. Main findings were:
- The weight and stability is about right, but will need to be careful with topweight as ever with warship models
- Power OK, if anything a little too much. Considering dropping from 6v to 4.8v, or reducing the props from 35mm to 30mm (scale size is 32mm ish)
- The motors were warm to touch by the end of sailing. I have disassembled the shafts, and the main source of drag seems to be the inner bearing 'G ring' - photo below - I am using Raboesh propshafts. I think these have been discussed before but I wonder if anyone has any further experience with them? The drag seems to be quite high? I'm thinking about turning up some new bearings from delrin or bronze to compare.
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Is that a rubber seal? If so, is it too tight perhaps and retarding the shaft as it turns? I wondered if a little lubrication on it might reduce drag.
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Yes it's rubber - seems to add a lot of drag to the shaft turning. The ID seems fractionally under 4mm. I will experiment with a few things! A small amount of bronze (ouch expensive) came in the post this week to make some new bearings without the rubber seal. It's a bit odd though as presumably Raboesch build them this way for a reason?
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I think there may be an issue that manufacturers forget, and modellers know from experience, and that is models need more slack than the real thing. Miniature live steam is as slack as possible as the power available is limited and too much resistance in linkages and shafts etc can make the Loco or Traction Engine fail to run.
In the same way, maybe Raboesch did not take into account that our wee motors don't have the same horse power as their real life powerplants when designing these to include rubber seals? Mini live steam will not run, but our electrics will try their best and then make the magic grey smoke if not careful.
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Hi everyone
Some update photos from the build - following a great weekend at Wicksteed was motivated to get on with some airbrushing. Really looking like a destroyer now. The paint is sovereign hobbies admiralty light grey (507C). Now brush painting the smaller details using citadel acrylics.
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Again James...the cripness of detail is excellent :-))
Watching on.............. Derek
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Looking very sharp👍👍👍
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Thanks again for the positive feedback!
Will try to post some more images as I work through painting the details.
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Wicked nice job! I love carriers!! :embarrassed:
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So does James. He likes to build their escorts!!!!!
Lovely work James! Those anti spall mats are fab!