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This build is from the excellent 1/350 HobbyBoss kit which I picked up earlier this year at a scale modelers swap-meet and added aftermarket laser-cut wood deck, turned brass gun barrels, Northstar resin figures and EZ Line rigging. HobbyBoss included extensive photoetch with the kit and I think it is comparable in quality to WEM or Tom’s. I used Tamiya acrylics airbrushed on all surfaces and Vallejo Satin clear coat applied before light applications of black/ brown oil washes on everything but the wood deck. This is my first attempt at a waterline base diorama. I used a carved out styrofoam block and the crinkled aluminum foil method with Mod Podge, airbrushed acrylic blue/ green/ grey/brown paints and clear acrylic gel medium and dry-brushing the wave tops with light grey acrylic. I thought it would be easier to try doing a water base with the ship under anchor in calm waters but filling the 1-2 mm gap between the hull and the cut-out cavity in the styrofoam became a challenge. I tried applying the acrylic gel medium as well as some Vallejo Water Effects acrylic gel foamy snow material in this hull-water transition, not too happy with my results and am now thinking modeling water with the ship underway with wakes breaking off of the hull might actually be easier to do next time. SWMBO & ALT (always listened to…) also thinks I painted my ocean too dark and that I should have aimed for the lighter blue waters seen around the Aegean Sea outside of Galipoli where this ship along with the HMS Lord Nelson were both cruising during the Dardanelles Campaign in 1915. Despite my less-than-perfect first attempt at water, I’m pleased with how the ship itself came out and highly recommend this HobbyBoss pre-Dreadnought kit and will be a little less anxious about doing a waterline base the next time. I welcome any and all constructive criticism and suggestions. Thanks for looking! Cheers, John

HMS Agamemnon 1:350 Hobbyboss History HMS Agamemnon was the pride of the British Royal Navy and the last of her pre-dreadnought battleships produced. Because she was of a "bridge" design between the ironclad vessels of old and dreadnought ships to come, her design and her fate were already established before she was ever launched. Coming along just after the turn of the century, she survived long enough to see action in World War 1 (1914-1918) but very little beyond that. HMS Agamemnon was of a dying breed of ship, though a capable design she was, perhaps appearing two decades too late. Her profile was dominated by a center superstructure, twin masts and twin funnels. Her battery of four 12" main guns were housed in two armoured turrets - one fore and one aft, two guns to a turret. This was augmented by 10 x 9.2" guns positioned in turrets around the superstructure. Her other armament consisted of 24 x 12-pounder cannons and an additional 2 x 3-pounder types centered around a quick-fire action. To compliment this armament, 5 x torpedo tubes of 460mm were provided with 23 torpedoes to spare. Crew complement totalled over 800 personnel and power was derived from her vertical triple expansion 4-cylinder engines powered by no less than 15 x boilers. This turned twin screws at 16,750 horsepower and offered speeds close to 19 knots. Once launched, the vessel undertook some basic operations before being called up to active service in the First World War as part of the Channel Fleet in February of 1915, serving alongside HMS Lord Nelson - her sister ship. Her main guns were brought to bear on inland Ottoman targets in the same month and provided cover fire for amphibious operations soon after including the infamous Gallipoli landings in April. During this time, HMS Agamemnon survived several direct howitzer ships but none were critical to underlying systems and her crew losses were manageable. The Agamemnon survived the war and had Ottoman representatives present on her decks to sign the Armistice. Beyond that, the class had reached its pinnacle and HMS Agamemnon was relegated to the role of a target ship in the middle 1920's. Surviving that affair, she was broken down and sold for scrapping in 1927. The Model We’ve yet to see many British ships in this scale from WWI, but it’s great that we are at last seeing some pre-dreadnoughts being released, and long my it continue as there are some great subjects that I’m sure we’d all like to see on our work benches at some point in the future. This kit of HMS Agamemnon comes in a relatively small box, as these weren’t the largest of ships compared with later battleships. It’s just a shame that they got the spelling of the ships name wrong though, both on the box and the instruction sheet. Fortunately though, they got it right on the nameplate in the kit. Inside there are nine sprues, one separate part and the deck all produced in light grey styrene, four sheets of etched brass, a length of chain and a small decal sheet. Since they got the hull right on the HMS Lord Nelson kit, it’s only natural that they got it right with her sister ship, at least, according to R A Burt and his excellent books on British battleships and also the constructors model which used to be on display at the Science museum. The rest of the parts are very nicely moulded with plenty of detail, although there will be some who will want to add even more. There are no signs of flash or other imperfections, but there are quite a few moulding pips, which means a little extra cleaning up of parts. Construction begins with the two piece hull being joined together and strengthened with the three bulkheads and two end beams. The single piece deck is then attached, making a pretty solid and strong hull. On the underside, the tow propeller shafts, A frames and propellers are fitted, as is the single rudder. With the hull upright, the three piece, fully PE, Admirals walkway is fitted to the stern, followed by the PE rails fore of A turret barbette and aft of X turret barbette. The myriad of windlasses, cleats, bollard and ventilators are then glued into their respective positions, as are the Jack and Ensign staffs and their supports. Amidships there are seven deck houses to be fitted along with four cable reels and three winches. The superstructure is made up from a single piece item to which twelve supports are glued to the underside before being glued into position over the previously fitted deck houses. Remember to add the pair of foreward mounted 12 pounders that fire from ports at the forward end of the superstructure, as you won’t get them in once the deck is glued down. The superstructure longitudinal bulkheads are then attached, as are PE four inclined ladders, four side mounted windlasses, two boat booms and the anchor chains. To the upper deck, four, three piece winches, sixteen 12 pounder guns and five deck houses are fitted. This deck is then covered by a two piece 03 deck, with the aft section supported by six vertical columns. The main bridge deck is then attached foreward and small mezzanine decks aft with two inclined ladders leading to the 12 pounder deck. Each of the two funnels are made up from two halves, a base and funnel cap. To these, PE funnel cap grilles are added, along with PE hand and foot rails, and two auxiliary vents. The three piece armoured bridge, two deck houses and the two piece ships wheel are attached to the bridge deck. The two funnel assemblies are then glued into place along with two vertical columns aft. The boat deck is fitted out with eighteen PE boat cradles and a rescue float. There are fifteen boats in total, most of which come with separate hulls and decks, and some also have separate rudders. The three steam pinnaces and eight rowing boats are glued to their respective cradles, and then two other rowing boats are crutched within a larger boat. The main mast is made up from lower mast section, a two tier observation top with PE support brackets, upper mast section and yardarm. The lower section is then fitted with three PE blocks, and the three piece goose neck for the boat crane boom, which is also fitted with PR blocks and a PE hook. This is then fitted aft of the boat deck and supported by two angled support arms, finished off with two PE vertical ladders. The foremast is of similar construction, just with a slightly small boat handling boom, three yardarms and a searchlight in the lower of the two tier observation top, it is then glued just aft of the armoured bridge deck house. The PE bridge house surrounding the ships wheel is then folded to shape and glued into place, with another deck above it supported by two PE braces. Two binnacles are attached to this deck and inclined ladder. Six 12 pounder guns and eight searchlights are fitted around the boat deck and the PE bridge wings attached wither side of the bridge deck. The bridge deck and aft boat deck railings are then attached, as are the two long ladders to the foremast observation platforms, and two pairs of davits to the aft end of the superstructure. Four more two part ships boats are assembled and fitted to the two pairs for davits either side of the quarterdeck. The anchors, fourteen anti-torpedo net booms are then attached to the hull, along with the two PE rear mounted accommodation ladders and the PE folded netting that is fitted to each side to the ship. Each of the two main gun turrets and six secondary turrets are made in the same way with the barrels fitted with separate trunnions and trunnion mounts glued to the base with the turret slid over the barrels and glued into positions. Some of the turrets are fitted with 12 pounders and some with 3” gun on their roofs and all have PE vertical access ladders attached. Once assembled, they are fitted into their respective barbettes. Finally the main PE railing is attached to the main deck, completing the build. Well, I say completed, but if you want to do a proper job you will probably spend more time with the complex rigging than you had done for the whole build. Good luck with that. Decals The single decal sheet contains just a pair of White Ensigns and Admirals flags. They seem pretty well printed, with good opacity and in register. Conclusion With the releases of her sister ship, it was only natural that they release the Agamemnon, or “Egg and Bacon” as it was known in the service. It certainly is a lovely looking kit and not too taxing to build and paint. The rigging will, however, be a challenge, to say the least if you want to go the whole hog, but will look good with a representative amount should you blanche at the idea. Review sample courtesy of

I began this build in the Hour of Longing in 2013, but for various reasons it got put to one side until a couple of weeks ago where I decided it had been on the shelf of Za'had'Doom* for too long. Its a resin kit from Warp and as such isn't an easy thing to build. The casting is - to be honest - a bit ropey, the moulds are probably getting old and it does show in places. Original build there is here * Yes I know I spelled it wrong deliberately! ...and so we arrive at the Hour of Scampering... We have always been here... The central accommodation section does rotate, but its NOT motorised! See, told you so! The red spots are emergency lifeboats So there you have it. I'm going to enjoy having this on the shelf next to the Sulaco from last year It'll be doing the show tour for the rest of this year, next scheduled one is Romsey and Smallspace in July...