Link to photos:
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y6/001-spanky/HMS%20LION/Not every model carries its own toolkit!
It looked like this when I got it down from it's rest:
I've trashed it to this:
.. and made these for it:
I made these leadmans platforms and I think someone thinks I'm a knxb who doesn't know his axxe from his elbow. I KNOW what these platform are like, it's a very thin frame with a rope net to walk on. But this is a pond boat and anything over the ships side will sooner of later get twatted. Therefore, chasis of steel and as attractive as I could make 'em.
Saying that, I seem to be on a roll at making everything 3 times with the 3rd, a passable replica, so you never know, 2 more bits for the junk box?
The funnels look like they've been kicked round a workshop floor as I've now done them 3 times!! Those beeping vertical ropes will be the end of me.
very happy with the anchors and the cable holders (anchor hardware):
In the centre are 2 little grey things, they are sounding machines, from 11 to 2 clock is 2 of the bases for the cable holders, as accurate as anything, they just need more detailing once the white milliput (below the wheels) dries. The actual cable holder where lathed out of milliput on a hobby drill. They are nearly there but without a lathe and lathe tools...
The anchors are the best I could get them, scaled proper drawings down, got them working with proper working 'stops' stopping the flukes rotation (as in the real things) They're's 2 [can't think of their name at the mo.. a double barreled name] and one Byers 'Stream' anchor. That's a 2p.
There's 3 'Blake Slips' just above the 5p.
There's some bottlescrews, bold big old style in black (too big for the boat) and my new finer versions to our right of the 5p.
To the left of the 5p is some brailing davits and the davits for the quarterdeck. Above them is the chart table, some new cable reels, there's a 'brass' compass and 2 fittings that go atop the foremast that used to connect the stays, they were still there when the foremast supports where fitted, though now unrigged. (They're something else |I'll be re-doing as they are not like that.)
The 3 fittings between the tuppence and the anchors are the fittings that the anchor chain appears from, the grey pattern & 2 casts with 1 to go.
The turret castings aren't as bad as I feared, I thought I may have to cast them again [why not? I seem to be doing everything 3 times these days - sarcasm] I feared the round front to them was off-circle and they are slightly too long at the rear. Not so, the roundness is OK, I'd be looking at 1 that has it's axis pole off centre. Phew... I'll just cut the rear back, put a new rear on them and plate the tops with flat plastic and detail that.
I don't know what to do about new barrels yet, not having a lathe?
The 4 inch barrels I moulded in milliput.
The rear of the bridge is the real deal as far as looks go. That's how LION was. Normans plan, and everyone who's folowed it, is a bit wrong. It's actually wrong in a few places but he got an awful lot right and it's attractive enough to frame. Ferinstence, I think he drew Queen Marys cable holders and bases, LIONs look totally different but I'm blowed if I'm making them again.
The 'canvas' in the spotting top needs re-doing, I'll do that when get get decent info on what was behind the canvas and what was above the top?
NMM has loads on 'On Deck' shots of LION, from a balloon, from the bridge down at the bow, from the bow back again, etc, etc. Trouble is it's £20 a go for a 5x7!! IWM are not much better, a tenner for an A4 e-mailed to you.. not a hard-copy photo they'v printed, e-mail! Electronic form!!!
Oh, the little purple and brass fitting in the middle (where's the 2nd?) is a siren. Has anyone got a clear image of a capital ships siren as early to ww1 as poss?
The rudders, those arms are an inch long tip to tip and I've had to file the rears of th collars as they rubbed. No pre-bought stuff will fit in there, eh? The rudders spindles and collars are maccano bits. The same allen key does all the grub screws in the running gear.
I know there's a lot wrong with it, errors wise, and I know it's an untidy build, but it was built years ago when the smallest drill bit I had was 1/8th bit [that's why there's no oval sight-slits in the 4in barbettes!]. It was made in 93/95 ish and then I got fed up and my life changed. It's been on a wall since then with a rudimentary dust cover. I got it down to show someone just before xmas and decided to finish it. Looking at other battleship builds, and then mine, and then there's, and then mine again made me feel terrible as I CAN do better than that.. I just have to put my mind to it and have an image in my mind of what I'm working towards. Prior to the internet, I didn't have that.. just odd photos in model mags and photos of the actual ship (ship portraits from the IWM)
As for comercial fittings, well you got a series of lists from the model shop in Greenwich and the descriptions of parts where basic [4mm bass ladder, inclined, 25mm long. capstan, brass, 9mm. Anyone want any fittings off me?] That's why I went with such a odd-ball scale as I then thought well I won't be buying anything of anyone so I may as well.
It actually needs building again but I have to draw the line at surface details, as it is, one of the bridge platforms is wrong and it'd mean upsetting the nav lights and the searchlights they're connected to behind them. It's wider you see. [That'll be another 3rd change! Built, changed and changed again as more info came to light] And I'm not a 'rivet conter', I just want to build it to the best of my knowlwdge, the things I don't know or can't build, well that's it. I couldn't give a flying f what anyone else does with their plasticard and paint.. if they wanna join a big hull in 2 parts, more power to your engines bud... I didn't go that way myself. I hope it's sunny when you sail it. I'm breaking open built & painted plasticard as I KNOW it's wrong, and a few hours will fix it. It ->is<- within my power and abilities to do it so that's thw why.
There is truely some a'holes in the boating fraternity.