I am a modeller, but tend to focus on things that fly and things that go bang in 1/32nd and 1/35th, so this is a venture into the unknown for me and I've picked not an insignificant one as my first build! at 65" with a 10.5" beam, she's absolutely mahoosive, and the mrs needs a bigger piano - on the subject of which, she's not happy about the build.
A bit of history on Dreadnought before I talk about the kit. Dreadnought was laid down in 1906. She made the naval fleet of every nation redundant overnight, and her name became the de facto name describing capital ships the world over. The demise of the battleship at the end of WW2 saw the demise of the name Dreadnought, which sadly was consigned to the pages of history. Something military strategists are currently debating with the tank, or land ship as it was called when it saw battle for the first time in the battle of Flers-Courcelette in 1916. Dreadnought saw the development of a new class of battleship, and ships laid down down 1906 to the late 1920s were some of the most beautiful warships to grace the sea - British capital ships I mean. Clearly.
Redundant by 1914, Dreadnought lays claim to being the only battle ship to sink a submarine, ramming the unfortunate U29. She was paid off in March 1920 for the princely sum of £44,750, having cost an eye watering £1,785,683 to build, which at our current rates of inflation, just about buys a gallon on petrol in the UK..... She was broken up in 1923 and all that survives from her is a gun tampion which is in the National Maritime Museum.
The kit
I've had the kit for about 10 years, having picked it up an waltBay for about 180 sheets, which is a bit of a bargain considering this is the best part of 800 sheets new. It's lay in one of the stables since purchase. I bought it off an old lad who purchased it just after release. He planned to build it but concluded that is was too big and he was too fragile to launch it. I picked it up in Manchester and brought it home to Hertfordshire which is where it now resides. The mrs came with me and wasn't happy about that either. You may be spotting a bit of a trend where the mrs and boats is concerned - unless is a 20 footer with a 300hp outboard on it and its in the Bahamas!
The kit is showing its age in an era of 3D printing with a number of the fixtures and fitting probably heading for replacement. Most of the kit is there, but some bits are missing like the shafts and screws. The lad that bought it also made a start of it, starting to fit out the interior of the hull, having not bothered to read the instructions........ He's used enough resin to mean the model wont need any ballast, so I'm hoping when I get round to test fitting the shafts, I wont have to reach for a dremel to try and cut out the sheet of ply thats stuck down in the hull.
One or two other issues with the kit which are age related - ply decks are warped and will need replacing, and will most of the wood looking at it, so my first step is to buy a sheet of marine ply and some obeche and balsa strip. I have a copy of the Anatomy of the Dreadnought which looks like a great help and the National Maritime Museum is a long tube ride away if I need to do any research. My plan is to build a working model that's as near as museum quality that I can get it.
Turrets look OK, but the guns need something doing with them. I may look at getting a brass set turned if I can find someone to do it for me.
The build
OK so I'm a novice, but I am a modeller. I know absolutely nothing about boaty things, so will be looking for advice and help/guidance. I need to get hold of running gear - props, prop shafts and the A thinggies that support the shafts, and I want the to be as historically as accurate as possible. Anyone point me in the direction of where to pick em up and what I need? In other words HELLLPPPPPPPP!
Other thing is couplings and motors. I'll need 4 of each. I dont want a ship that does 70 knots, so any recommendations much appreciated.
As the say in the infantry 'wait out' and 'awaits incoming'. I look forward to a few pointers from you lot.
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Topic: Deans marine HMS Dreadnought - First build! (Read 33816 times)