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Author Topic: HMS Dorsetshire  (Read 1683 times)

ballastanksian

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HMS Dorsetshire
« on: May 31, 2018, 10:09:29 pm »


I fell in love with a Cruiser model at Wicksteed this weekend.


It is a 1:128th scale model of HMS Dorsetshire part built and sold to me by Klunk for a reasonable sum. I have fancied building acruiser for a while as they are an attractive  halfway house between the speed and dash of a Destroyer, and the majesty of a Battleship. They are big enough and relatively nippy.


The model is part built in her original layout of single 4 inch AA guns and no pompoms, but the hull contained the twin 4 inch mounts and some of the parts for the 8 barrelled 'Chicago Pianos'.


Looking for images to locate the positions of these AA weapons, I could only find plans of her in her early years, or poorly executed illustrations showing the pompoms in some odd but not altogether daft locations. Luckily, an image of Norman Ough's model of her turned up showing them to be mounted towards the stern quite forward of X turret.


I am pretty certain that she carried the following aa defence at the same time and around the time she did for the Bismark:
-Twin 4inch A guns in four mounts aft of the Bridge on a platform surrounded by railings and canvass dodgers. In between and above these were pillars mounting quad half inch Vickers AA mounted on platforms.


- Two eight barrelled Pompoms in the positions mentioned above.


So, all being well the project should not be onerous as the twin 4 inch mounts are built, the Quad Vickers will be simple to make, and the Pompoms can be completed or replaced with new kits from Fleetscale.


Pictures will come as and when I have done something to her....
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Bob K

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Re: HMS Dorsetshire
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2018, 10:26:19 pm »

HMS Dorsetshire, a ship of beautiful lines, and a powerful heavy cruiser of her day.

I am looking forward to this one Ian.  More please.
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raflaunches

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Re: HMS Dorsetshire
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2018, 10:35:38 pm »

Ian


I’ll fetch out my copy of County class Cruisers and do some scanning for you do you can see some better images- the book includes some plans too which are very helpful.
I’ll do it for you tomorrow. I must admit that if I didn’t already have a 1/96 Hull in my to do to do pile I was tempted!
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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Dorsetshire
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2018, 10:47:10 pm »

They were a lovely class. I found a forum on which a chap has been scratch building Dorsetshire in 1:192nd scale that has also helped confirm the above statements.



Thanks Nick. The more I looked at the model the more I hated the idea of chopping her around and making a lash up of another Cruiser. I could have turned her into Penelope if I had cut her in half, added 100mm of new hull and added two steps to raise her foc'sle but 'Penny's another project for another day.



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ballastanksian

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Re: HMS Dorsetshire
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2018, 08:45:36 pm »


I have made a very tentative start but I am going to complete the Destroyer before getting stuck in.


I have made a study of what I intend to do to convert her to her guise when she did for the Bismarck in 1941 and had a good look at the innards.


The postitions of the 8inch turrets were carefully masked off before I bought her and this gave me the idea to try out making them traverse. I am not going to try the automated system just yet and will go for a simpler method using motors and or pulleys. I cannot get to all the positions from inside the hull, and so they will need to be self contained though I reckon I could get the wires through to connect.



The bridge will need some modification to take directors, and the lower platforms will be removed as the single 2pounders were replaced by 8 barrelled Pompoms aft and quad half inch Vickers AAMGs midships.


These platforms and single 4inch AA guns will be removed and replaced with larger platforms mounting twin 4inch turrets and platforms for the aforementioned half inch Vickers.


Further aft, the deck by these large vents will be home to platforms for 8 barrelled Pompoms.


Looking at the innards, the deck retaining system is ingenious (Well to me, I expect it has been used many times over the years!) Lots of room for batteries, ESCs and a Receiver. The aft area has the four motors and shafts. There are some issues to be rectified here , some of which might be due to how it got driven home.


She is a pretty ship and frankly how I expect a Cruiser to look!



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