Hello Geoff, Phil and Nick B
Thanks for your comments! How refreshing to find this site and get replies. I feel very happy but also alone in my workshop.
Very nice to realise that there are those out there who are most enthusiastic about the WW1 era. Geoff - your idea about building HMS Bellerophon has filled me with enthusiasm for doing just this. Yes, Dreadnought is 'significant' but not particularly 'pretty'. However, would it not be better/easier for me to buy the full Dreadnought kit, rather then just the hull, and then convert? I am a very average modeller without the 'engineering(?)' background that many model makers seem to have! In many ways a beginner,.
One aspect of those early battleships that fascinates me is the pronounced tumblehome. So about a year ago I looked around for an idea for a new build, with the idea (not original, I know) of building something I have never seen a model of before..... an 'ugly WW1 era duckling'....... it was to build the French Jaureguiberry. She has an unbelievable tumblehome. She reflects everything I like about the era, slow, heavy, inefficient, dirty steamer, primitive, seemingly top-heavy and clearly useless in a fight with contemporary/later ships(?) I looked around for plans and details. Wasn't very successful, apart from the simple plans and details immediately available online. I am still interested in a 1:96 model. How would I go about finding plans to build Jaureguiberry from? Not sure if the fotos and plans online would suffice. Please give me your thoughts. I am tending towards Bellerophon, but that Jaureuiberry idea fascinates me, too.
Best wishes
Clive