Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[marinemole]

Looking very smart and lethal.

[raflaunches]

Thanks Andy


Its looking the part, I had hoped that it had been replaced by a 20mm Oerlikon cannon after the original gun was destroyed in May 1941 but as I found out it wasn't and was fitted with a replacement! Its an interesting little model in its own rights, at least you can see the detail in it compared to the 3 inch gun so its not all wasted!

[raflaunches]

Hello everyone


It's been over month since I posted the build log of the Gnat but don't worry I haven't been idle!
In preparation for the show at Model Ex in Northamptonshire, I have started to paint the superstructure with the final camouflage scheme. Using the picture sent to me last year I have worked out the scheme and marked it out on the superstructure sides and gun shields. The upper works is different to the hull paint work by being very block orientated instead of angled splinters, the bridge then reverts back to splinter style camo and the funnels are blodgy and circular. All very confusing but I am guessing that to an enemy vessel it would very hard to identify her with the disruptive pattern. Just got to finish the light grey paint then mask her up for the dark grey paint and she should be ready for the Mayhem at Wicksteed show in May (I know I said that last year but hey I'm human, I think, could be the penguin speaking in my head again  ).


[size=78%][/size]

[marinemole]

Good luck in getting her finished for the show. I'm sure the model will attract a lot of attention.


What's next?




Andy

[Sandy]

That is a really nice model of a really nice little ship.
Looks great,
All the best
Sandy

[raflaunches]

Hi Marinemole and Sandy


Thanks for the positive comments, would be nice to see it completed soon. The paint work will be quite glossy but this allows the weathering to stick to it better when I use my experiences with 1/35 scale AFV to dirty her up a bit!
I have already started another project  which is another unusual subject, HMS Protector. She was originally built  as a net layer in 1936 and rebuilt in 1954 to become the Falkland Islands and Antarctic patrol vessel, serving 15 seasons in the ice before being scrapped in 1970. See the build thread so far under the title HMS Protector in the warship section on this forum, I have just started to cut out the frames and keel.

[unbuiltnautilus]

Looking good, last saw the model at Warwick in November, I do love a good River Gunboat and this one ticks all the boxes. Like your new pop gun

[raflaunches]

Thanks Unbuiltnautilus
Glad you liked it at the Warwick show, only wish I could have been there but unfortunately duty got in the way! I'm actually quite glad that I built the pop gun as I didn't know what I would put in its place until I was sent that picture of Gnat in 1941 which I would have killed for two years ago! 

[raflaunches]

Hi everyone


The paint work is coming along very well, with the starboard side almost complete.
I have painted the 2pdr pom-pom with the darker grey and the 3inch/12pdr gun the lighter grey which the photo seems to indicate. I have painted the starboard carley floats Humbrol Matt 29 Dark Brown which seems to match the colours of these particular life saving devices.
I have also started to paint the funnels the lighter grey and will simulate the damage/wear and tear with the darker grey and some weathering paints/powders from my AFV modelling equipment. The entire model will receive weathering in some form to dull down the glossy paint work, the reason its glossy is because in AFV modelling the weathering pastels/powders/paints etc for some reason like gloss finishes than matt finishes. So at the moment the entire superstructure looks a bit toy like but it won't last long! I have purposely kept the rough finish of certain parts of the superstructure to represent the damage and repair work carried out. After my visit on a modern Type 42 destroyer last year the amount of welds and repair work on the superstructure was quite obvious so I am including these on my model, after all, by the time this ship looked like this model she was over 26 years old and had suffered a long hard life on the Yangtse River!
Whilst I am at work this week during my evenings I will be constructing the crew and painting them so it gives a bit of scale to the model.

[raflaunches]

More pictures of the paint work and of the crew and ship's guests, the LRDG men! 


I have decided to make up the port side scheme since I don't have a picture from that side but I have kept it to the specifications of the starboard side with some modifications to the pattern. It's only been a week since the superstructure was painted but the glossy finish has started to fade enough to knock of the shiny mirror effect that made it look toy like. The bridge has had the camo scheme marked out on the port side and is currently being painted with the light grey. The crew are being made and will fit into specified locations positively, for example the man seen climbing the aft ladder in previous pictures has been modified to grasp the ladder rails if the glue fails therefore ensuring that he doesn't fall over! The 3inch gun will have a gun crew, the bridge is currently manned, the LRDG men are discussing their next raid on the upper battery deck and a few men will be placed around the main deck to liven it up abit. Remember there were over 50 crew members in peace time and over 75 in war time so there has to be men everywhere! 

[Bob K]

Looking forward to seeing HMS Gnat again.  So much great work done since I last saw her.
Was it at Wicksteed ?

[Circlip]

The SAS get everywhere 
 
  Regards  Ian.

[raflaunches]

Hi Bob k


It certainly has got a lot more 'junk' on the deck and detail work since you last saw her, I think it was Wicksteed Park we last spoke face to face, I was stuck in the Falklands for the Deans Marine open day.
Hopefully she should be finished (or close to be) by the Wicksteed show this year. Hope to see you again soon, only seven weeks to go!


Hi Circlip, the SAS certainly do get everywhere! You should read the book Armed With Stings to see how they put up with the rough sea conditions whilst they were aboard the Gnat! They were not best pleased! 

[raflaunches]

Hi everyone


As per my thread on the CMB of WW2 we decided on the Mayhem weekend to check our solder joins and discovered on the Gnat that the port rudder lower bracket had failed and was completely missing!
We had to take the steering system apart and pull the hinge pin out (luckily we thought of this possible problem of maintenance and easiness to dismantle!) and stripped the paint off. A new bracket was made from a brass square length and after a few swear words Dad managed to solder the new piece on to the rudder. The steering system was re assembled, tested and worked again much to our relief!
Hopefully back to normal service soon with the on going modifications as seen in the new photo I got last year

[marinemole]

Life in the Fast Lane! Well done!


Andy

[raflaunches]

Thanks Andy shes getting better now!

Some pictures from Mayhem at Wicksteed 2013

[mark w]

 
Nick,
 
Looking better and better  .
 
Mark

[raflaunches]

Hi Mark


Thanks for the encouragement, she is certainly improving every time I spend a few hours on her!
As per the photo of her in 1941 I have cut down the bows in the anchor flats, she looks a lot like a Victorian era battleship now with the funnels side by side. I'll be working on her again this weekend to complete the bow end before concentrating on the superstructure again. I'll post some pictures this weekend of the build so far.

[raflaunches]

I had hoped to upload some pictures last weekend but certain events over took me taking the pictures of my modifications to the bows. I am now a Uncle, my sister gave birth to a little girl she has called Willow.  Obviously we are all very proud of the new addition to our family, but I was stuck at home patiently waiting by the phone for news, a little bit of modelling did occur and I have used something used primarily in AFV modelling. I bought from Creative Hobbies a weathering pigment called AK salt streaks, its an oil based weathering pigment which you liberally apply to anywhere where salt water could collect and run down, leave for a few minutes then rub down with a clean cloth to the desired effect. The bows now look a little bit dirtier and given that used look that this type of vessel would have endured for the 18 months of active service she saw in WW2. Promise to upload some pictures is weekend!

[Martin (Admin)]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Uncle Nick!

[raflaunches]

Thanks Martin, I'll of course pass on the mayhems best wishes to my sister and her fiancé and of course baby Willow. I was at Deans Marine speaking to Ron (being very naughty buying another kit!) when I got the call from my mum saying that my sister was being rushed in for an emergency c-section, it later transpired that it was not much of an emergency as she was not taken into the theatre until 10pm!
When Willow was 'born' she weighed 1lbs 6oz because she was 13 weeks premature. But she's a little fighter and is already given my sister a taste of motherhood. Dad is very proud of his grand-daughter and has visited her with Mum tonight to see her for the first time.
Hopefully I can be the mysterious Uncle in the RAF who disappears for days on end!

[raflaunches]

Hi everyone


A bit late than I thought I'd be but as promised here are the photos of the re-build so far...


The four carley floats on the superstructure have started to be detailed, using off-cuts of plywood and ramin strip I have had the internal planks to the floats. The tie down points have been added to the shelf that the floats sit on, these are little copper eyelets. I will be making the paddles that sit inside the floats soon.





'The modified bows': The areas around the anchor beds had to be cut down and the bit behind them has to be built up. I marked them out and masked off the area, carefully using a junior hacksaw I removed the bow sides. Using the off-cut piece I glued it behind the anchor beds to save wasting a piece like this. The sides of the anchor beds were built up with plastic card sheet. The anchors were also modified and had a shackle fitted on the centre of gravity  so that lifting davit has something to tie to and 'lift' with. Anchor supports were made from scrap bits of plywood and cut to fit the anchors.











As can be seen in the picture below, the AK salt streaks weathering pigments were applied to the upper bow areas as a trial. The best thing about these pigments that they can easily removed with a bit of white spirit if you don't like it.
It also knocks the gloss coat down a notch, I've got the anchor chain to do next with a bit of rust and grime pigments.








The final picture shows the gun shield support angles fitted, these are made from plastic strut and glued into place with odourless superglue. Only another 11 to make!





Until next weekend...

[raflaunches]

Hi everyone


Now that I'm leave for a couple of weeks I have some un-interrupted time to myself!!!
I got a bit fed up making guns from scratch so I cheated this time and bought some 1/32 scale kits from Nautical Marine Models of the 20mm Oerlikon cannons. Made from a mixture of resin and white metal parts the kit requires very little clean up and builds very quickly into the final product. I must congratulate Nautical Marine Models for their quick delivery service- I ordered the kits on Monday evening and they arrived this morning at 0730am! Very good service.











I have painted the carley float planks to match the floats themselves- it also hides any little discrepancies!


I have noticed on some ships that the 6inch guns had a canvas cover rolled up on the turret roof- presumedly to stop water and sand blowing in when the gun is not in use- so I have used some thin cotton sheet and rolled it up as tight as possible attaching it to a piece of plastic strut and gluing it in position. I then used some off-cuts to make the three straps that hold it in place.





The bows are finished for the moment whilst I wait for some fittings that I have ordered from Modelling Timbers, I've had a nice chat with Keith Jewell (owner of Modelling Timbers) and the good news that he is on the mend after his collapse prior to moving to the Isle of Man.
I'm just waiting for some single pear block pulleys for the anchor davit and I can complete the bows completely with the rigging and ropes and chains.





Then I'm going weathering mad on the bows with rusty chains and salt streaks to make her a war weary gunboat!
(not too much though! )

[Netleyned]

Looking really good.
Just a bit of info for a crab
The open guns are Mountings with a weather cover
at the open end.
They are called Turrets when they are completely
enclosed.
I think the last ships built with gun mountings were the Type 81
Tribal frigates.

Ned

[raflaunches]

Looking really good.
Just a bit of info for a crab
The open guns are Mountings with a weather cover
at the open end.
They are called Turrets when they are completely
enclosed.
I think the last ships built with gun mountings were the Type 81
Tribal frigates.

Ned

You learn something new everyday! But of course as a crab we haven't had a turret in an aircraft since the Shackleton! So you can forgive me for that!