Search the Community

I want to ultimately build a couple of popular historic ww2 RN ships (who doesn't) , so i thought I'd get my sea legs on with some less taxing stash victims first,( i have a few kits of modern destroyers and frigates to test out my pe work on, but I've got in the stash one kit that is getting nearer to the top , i know its been done to death, but its well loved, its the hood in 1/700 with ,wooden deck , flyhawk etch ,brass barrels and some tiny resin bits, i just want to see if I'm up to the task of taking it on,) so a modern RN victim for starters ,this the RN type 45 ,as hms dragon, i recently bought the flyhawk etch set for it from a popular grocery store in the far east . but when i opened the model kit box i forgot that i also had the white ensign pe set ,(I'm getting old , and I've had the kit a good few years) also I've been a bit busy and distracted of late so the build is well under way ,but ,still a bit of work to do though,the pe is a mixture of both sets The samson radar airels from stretched srue are too long ,they will be cut down and the over size mounting holes filled before paint The bridge pe ,in my view is worth the price of the etch kit alone , None of the super structures are glued atm ,to ease the painting So still a lot to do Cheers for looking in Glynn

It seems appropriate for this to be the third in a series as my first 'Stash Clearance' was the Kawanishi N1K1,‘George’, the landbased fighter developed from this aircraft and the second 'Stash Clearance' the Nakajima A6M2-N, 'Rufe’, a float plane. From Scalemates, this is the original boxing from 1996. There were 3 boxings of the type. The 'Early' and 'Late' models distinguished by their engines and the prototype with 2, 2-blade contra rotating propellers. This is the 'Late' version. Typical Hasegawa fare of the time, accurate, easy to build, good fit and not many parts. Interior detail is basic as are the decals. The model is OOB with only the addition of Tamiya tape harness and Uschi thread for aerial wire. Colours are from the White Ensign range (now Colourcoats, by Jamie@Sovereign Hobbies, although having checked yesterday some of these colours don’t appear in the current range) Those used were ACJ-10 Kawanishi Green, ACJ-04 Nakajima Interior Grey-Green and ACJ-12 Undersurface Grey Green. The carriage was gunmetal Hu27004+drybrushed Hu.11. I would have tried clear wood grain decal if I had had any but I remembered that I had a tin of Hu.110 'Wood' so used that. Wheels had Revell 83 Rust drybrushed and Revell Anthracite for tyres. Finally, Tamiya Weathering Powders were rubbed on and Matt Aluminium drybrushed with a cut down brush to show wear on the paintwork. Hu.33/21/60/27002 were used for details as well as Humbrol Clear Red and Tamiya Clear Blue Decals are from the kit, which has just one option, for an aircraft from the ‘Sasebo Naval Flying Group’. I did the canopy frames by hand as my attempts at using decal strip before had not been v successful. I figured the inevitable shakiness was worth putting up with to save the time and hassle for a not very much better result. (Note to self: next time ordering from the Lowestoft emporium get clear decal sheet as well as the wood grain decal referred to earlier.) Like the ‘George’ and ‘Rufe’ its USP was badly done. In this case, the float assembly did not fit at all well and because of its position it was not easy to fill or sand the join. Further, its pegs into the underside were barbed so once pushed home it couldn't be withdrawn. Other observations: 1. I solved the ill fitting canopy problems I’d had in other builds by cementing with ultra thin polystyrene cement using capillary action early in the process rather than adding it at the end with Kristal Kleer when it would be fragile and prone to popping off. In that way I could sand and file it like the rest of the plastic. 2. Ladder colours are too garish and I should have used v dark grey and v light grey. The ladder itself is crude and overscale as it is in plastic, etch would have been better. 3. Prop blades had only 1 coat of aluminium when they should have had two. Also, I’m not convinced they’re at 120 degrees to each other despite Hasegawa’s efforts to make fixing them at the right angle foolproof. 4. Had to use pencil lines for underside panels as sanding had made a lot too shallow for washes. 5. Float has a weight of solid plastic included in the kit. It works surprisingly well. 6. Tailplanes are handed. 7. I didn’t work out what the float stripes were for until the very end so, eg, didn’t line them up with the trolley posts. They’re not too bad as is but even so.... 8. Navigation lights are not delineated on the wings and so were positioned on a ‘best guess’ basis as I couldn’t work it out from period reference photos either. Furthermore, fuselage lights other than the tail light were not mentioned in the Instructions nor shown on the box picture nor could I see them on photos so they were left out. 9. Cockpit is poorly detailed to such a degree that what there is, is entirely fictional save for the instrument panel. 10. The weathering isn't great. The maxim 'less is more' should read in this case 'less is less'. To my eye the exhaust staining is barely noticeable and the stippled matt aluminium on the fuselage sides and wing tops looks very artificial. It would have looked much better if I had put more on. Still, delicate balance and all that... Anyhoo, enough of my ramblings I’ll now attempt to post some pictures. This is the Wikipedia photo of the type and it's the aircraft the decals represent. It's for you to decide how close I got. The box and instructions are shown below. 1/4

From Scalemates, this is the original boxing from 1994. Typical Hasegawa fare of the time. Accurate, easy to build, good fit and not many parts. Interior detail is basic as are the decals. The model is OOB with only the addition of Tamiya tape harness and Uschi thread for aerial wire. Colours are from the White Ensign range (now sold by Jamie@Sovereigh Hobbies I believe) ACJ17 Nakajima Amber Grey(Ame-iro), ACJ08 Mitsubishi Cowl Blue-Black, ACJ04 Nakajima Interior Grey-Green + Hu27002 Bright Aluminium and Humbrol Metal-Cote Matt Aluminium. The carriage was gunmetal Hu27004 drybrushed Hu11. The wooden supports were Tamiya NATO Black to try to show the different material from the lower framework. I would have tried clear wood grain decal if I had had any. Wheels had Revell 83 Rust drybrushed and Revell Anthracite for tyres. Finally, Tamiya Weathering Powders were rubbed on and Matt Aluminium drybrushed with a cut down brush to show wear on the paintwork. Decals are from the kit (Lt Yamasaki, 802 FG) but were severely impacted by time with the usually fatal striations evident which would normally mean their exploding on contact with water. I used Microscale Liquid Decal Film on them and the effect was miraculous as I hope the pics show. Decal strip was used, only partially successfully, for vertical canopy frames. ( It wouldn't stick probably because I'd used coloured decal as a base + 2 coats of paint + decal film so it resisted curves) I added ignition wires to the engine but not very well. Fortunately they can't really be seen thru the cowling. Like the first stash clearance model I did last month, the N1K1 George, it's USP was badly done; in this case the float assembly did not fit at all well and because of its position it was not easy to fill or sand the join. I would also matt the spinner as it's too bright. I have learnt that Metal cote does not respond well to varnish so it was left as is. The photos also show I have a problem with fitting canopies! Anyhoo, enough of my ramblings I'll now attempt to post the photos. The box and instructions.

1.From Scalemates this is a 1997 reissue of a 1977 release. It's described as a 'Special Series' presumeably because you get a pre painted canopy..which is fine if the colour they use is the same as yours. I'll leave you to judge. 2.My spreadsheet of reviews reads for this, "Basic with sparse cockpit-despite the small size of the canopy a fair bit can still be seen- and shallow u/c bays but accurate and easy to assemble.The parts are all crisply moulded and their breakdown is conventional. Good fit." I would agree with that but add "not many parts which means small details are missed. Decals good (as no 'Hasegawa white' is used) with excellent register and adhesion" 3.OOB using Uschi fine line. 4.Paints were White Ensign ACJ-10 Kawanishi Green, ACJ-12 Underside Grey-Green and ACJ-4 Nakajima interior grey green; Humbrol 24 for wing stripes, 60 for Hinomarus and 27002 for fuel tank as well as Tamiya Weathering Powders. 5.Lessons learned. 5.1. Don't attempt to brush Humbrol Satin Varnish, always use Spraycan 5.2. Don't place fuselage stripe decals on 1 at a time, do both together or they won't meet on the undersurface no matter how careful you are. 5.3. If panel lines are too faint to use a wash, then, when using a pencil, always use a ruler and don't get cocky thinking you can do it freehand. 6. Having posted the photos I see that the prop decals need trimming as does the aerial wire but most importantly despite using white glue the 'prepainted canopy' which is the USP of the kit doesn't fit at all well. 🤷🏻‍♂️

As you can see after the RFIs on the PZL P.7 and Junkers F.13 my model making is devoid of themes, fads, eras or types, it just happens..ish. This will be my first WIP on here so a couple of caveats. 1. I am an assembler not a modeller tho I strive for betterment and 2. the choice of kit was part COVID enforced but mostly a clearout of the stash. After the tiny pieces of the PZL and the issues with the F.13, I wanted a straightforward kit with no issues OOB but hopefully with something that piqued my interest, a USP if you will. I considered the Trumpeter Wyvern and Gannet as well as the Arma Hobby Hurricane and Heller 109B before coming across this one which seemed better suited to what I was looking for. A long time ago someone was selling off kits of Japanese planes cheap and this, together with 4 or 5 others , arrived and has sat in the pile ever since. I discovered afterwards that Japanese things don't really rock my boat and, if ever I was tempted, something else came along and I went with that. I was hoping for a Blitzbuild but SWMBO has insisted I take a week off for garden related activities so it'll start slow but I'll try and get it done in a couple of weeks mainly to allow enamel paint (the transfer to acrylic is painfully slow and see the USP below) and polystyrene cement (so much better than superglue) to dry. Its USP? On another occasion back in the mists of time White Ensign were selling off paint cheap and I bought not only the Russian set but also the Japanese and this will be the first time I've used the latter. They have remained pristine in their tins for probably 10-20 years so it will be interesting to see how they fare. I've used some of the Russian set and they were pretty good so heres hoping. I beleive Nick Millman of this parish had some input to the colours so it'll be interesting to see if he, or anyone else for that matter, agrees with my colour selections. Anyway, after this taster, I'll be posting, prob this pm, the box art and my comments on whats in said box. In the interim I have a spreadsheet for my personal use of kits and their reviews as I come across them and this is the relevant part for this kit: "All Zeros have at least 2 mouldings. The latest is distinguished by its high price but also engraved panel lines, nice engines, a well detailed cockpit (for the scale) and are of a modular design. The cockpits have decals for the instrument panel. The canopies are all one piece, so you cannot display any work done in the interior with the kit canopy. Only issue is the top panel of the front fuselage which is of uncertain fit.Not exactly a shake and bake kit but typical of Hasegawa it has fewer fit issues than other brands. Only areas required attention. The front of the canopy didn't meet the fuselage and I used filler to fix it. Landing gear didn't feel stable and to make matters worse I forgot to dry fit the doors. This meant I hadn't notice two of the locating pegs were too long until after I glued the legs to the wings." This seems to have come from the latter of these 2 references https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235070672-mitsubishi-a6m5c-zero-172-hasegawa/ and http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234991676-172-hasegawa-a6m5c-zero-type-52-352nd-flying-group/ Onwards...

Hello all. I have just finished a build of the White Ensign Round Table Class Trawler over on the Made in Britain II Group Build on this fine forum. If you are interested it is here: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235023311-round-table-class-trawler-finished/ I got this just before the sad closure of White Ensign, and it was one of the best £9.99's I have spent. It was a fabulous kit to build, and I only had one or two minor hitches with it, and they were reasonably easy to solve. I think I should have used Caenis thread to rig it rather than EZ-Line. I was unable to find a full hull camo scheme, so I just used the starboard side painting guide and produced something that does not look too out of place on the port side. I gave the prop a bit of a twist on the blades. I was really glad I had some vision magnifiers for this one! This is still quite a large ship in comparison to another I have done in the same scale: and finally the obligatory pen-shot for size! If you are interested in small(!) stuff, treat yourself to one of these if they ever appear again! Thanks for looking, Ray

Hello all! This will be unusual, me starting a second build in a Group Build! I have decided to go for something REALLY big this time: And to prove it is HUGE: Hmm...anyway, the detail parts next and the etch of course: Now, considering the size of the etch, how about these instructions? A whole A4 sheet for the etch fittings only. I did not think there were that many on the fret! It will be a while before I start this one, I have ordered a set of Colourcoats paint from Jamie at Sovereign Hobbies so I will start this when they arrive. Don't forget, any help or tips will be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Ray

I started this kit in 2014. It's actually the reason I was put in touch with White Ensign Models' liquidator - I had just bought the kit from WEM but was going to buy the paint later, then they announced they had ceased trading a week later! I've never run any threads on this, just chipping away at it on and off in my own time. Due to WEM's demise I bought Flyhawk's detail-up set and their resin turrets to go with, but ended up needing a WEM set later when they were back in production. The deck is from Pontos Model and that was a liberation from Sovereign stock also. As we all know, I did get my paint in the end . I've learned a great deal more since I started this through close contact with a few select contacts I've made since starting Sovereign Hobbies, and mostly that translates to my current fine PE parts work being better than it was when I started this, with particular emphasis on gluing pieces in place. I've tried my best at this one and there are deficiencies (some glaring) in my execution, but I'm going to finish this one, move on, and try to get the next one better as is always my approach. Overall, I think it's probably fair to say that I've done a lot of experimentation with different techniques on this one. Some I like and have formed part of my style, others I haven't done well with (but I've tried them).

I'm calling this one done. It's the now aging Trumpeter 1/350 kit #05302. The kit does need a bit of work but it's the only game in town for Britain's favourite warship and is therefore worth the effort. The turrets were replaced with Flyhawk HMS Hood Super Upgrade Set FH350099 which also came with range finders, UP launchers, blast bags and search light platforms. I started off detailing it with Flyhawk 350098 which whilst nice where it's nice, is also lacking in many ways in terms of the parts themselves. The instructions were poor by current standards. Happily White Ensign Models found a new owner before I got too far in so set PE3514 for HMS Hood was also used instead of Flyhawk in most areas, although the Flyhawk Pom Poms were nicer with turned barrels etc. The Vickers quad 0.5in guns on Hood were represented with 2-dimensional photo etching by both White Ensign and Flyhawk, and the plastic kit parts are vaguely shaped blobs. Happily, I met Park Yong-Joo who owns Tetra Modelworks at Telford last year and was so impressed with his little Vickers gun sets SA-35010 complete with turned barrels for the full 3-dimensional look that I left with some in my pocket as trade samples which are now fitted to Hood (I had to check the quality ). The wooden deck is Pontos Model 35020WD1 which as usual comes with anchor chain and dry transfer draft markings. The rigging is all made from Infini Model Super Fine Black Lycra Rigging (40 denier - or 0.068mm diameter) with the exception of the main crane which I ruined the PE cables for and used the 110denier version of the Infini Line to re-rig instead. All paints are (I'd hope obviously!) Sovereign Hobbies Colourcoats enamels. The primary shades used are RN02 - 507B, RN19 - WW2 RN Anti-fouling red although this was heavily distressed for a weathered look rather than a builder's model, RN24 - Corticene, RN01 - 507A, C02 - Matt Black, C03 - Matt White.

HMS Coventry 1941 1:700 White Ensign Models The C Class was a group of Royal Navy light cruisers developed from the preceding Arethusa class and designed to withstand the rough conditions of the North Sea. In total, twenty eight vessels were commissioned, divided into seven sub-classes. The Ceres sub-class was the penultimate group and was comprised of five ships. HMS Coventry was the third of the Ceres ships. She was laid down on 4 August 1916 at the famous Swan Hunter shipyard on the Tyne. She was launched in July 1917 and completed seven months later in February 1918. She joined the 5th Light Cruiser Squadron based in Harwich and served in the Baltic until after the end of the war. Placed in reserve in the mid-1930s, HMS Coventry was then reactivated and extensively rebuilt as an anti-aircraft cruiser. Her original armament of five 6-inch guns and two 3-inch guns were removed and replaced by ten single 4-inch Mk.V anti-aircraft guns and a pair of eight-barred 2-pounder ‘Pom-Poms’ Following this extensive conversion, HMS Coventry joined the Home Fleet. Following the outbreak of war, Coventry served in the Mediterranean for a brief period, before taking part in the Norwegian Campaign the following year. In the Summer of 1940 she was back in the Mediterranean, this time joining Force H at Alexandria. For the rest of the year, she undertook escort duty for the Malta convoys. At the end of that year she was hit by a torpedo fired by the Italian submarine Neghelli. Following repair and return to service, she rejoined the Malta convoys in 1942. She also participated in the evacuation of Greece and Crete, and in the Syrian campaign. Her luck finally abandoned her in September 1942 when, badly damaged by Stuka dive bombers, she had to be evacuated and scuttled by the destroyer HMS Zulu. A ripple of excitement greeted the announcement of this kit by White Ensign Models, and rightly so. British cruisers are not exactly over-represented in either 1:700 or 1:350 scale, particularly the anti-aircraft variety. The model arrives packed into a very sturdy corrugated cardboard box, with a colour profile of the subject printed on the lid. If you’ve ever bought a White Ensign Models product, you’ll know that they are usually extremely well-packed. This is essential when dealing with potentially fragile materials such as resin and photo-etched brass, and this kit is no exception. The component parts are individually packed in bubble wrap, and the photo etch parts and brass rods, from which the masts are to be constructed, are packed into re-sealable plastic pouches. The elegant, rakish hull is cast as a single piece of resin. The forward, middle and aft superstructures are also cast as individual pieces, along with the signal platform. There is relatively little cleaning up to do prior to assembly, so if you wanted to you could assemble the basic structure of the kit in a matter of minutes. The quality of casting is pretty good, although there are a number of tiny cavities left by bubbles that will need to be filled. An hour or so invested in hunting these down and dealing with them before you start building the model in earnest will be time well spent. The rendition of fine details such as the deck planking, doors and port holes is really rather excellent. Apart from the hull and superstructures, other parts cast in resin include the twin funnels, the box-like radar office, the chart house and compass platform, the foremast platform, the HACs directors, and range finders. Other, somewhat smaller details cast in resin include the all-important Quick Firing 4-inch Mk.V guns and the ship’s boats, comprised of a 25-foot fast motor boat, a 32-foot cutter and a pair of 27-foot whalers. In actual fact, the fast motor boat provided on the casting block with the rest of the boats isn’t used for this model. It must be replaced with an alternative motor boat, which is bagged separately and clearly identified for the purpose. The remaining fine details are represented by photo etched brass parts. Usually photo etch brass is seen as an aftermarket accessory, but with White Ensign Models products, they are an integral part of the kit itself. The comprehensive fret includes a full set of railings, ladders and stairways, splinter shields, the foc’sle breakwater, details for the masts, the type 279 Radar antenna and funnel cap grilles. Also included are the davits for the boats, thwarts and oars and rudders for the whalers, cradles for the motor boats and anchors and anchor chains. The Pom-Poms and 0.5-inch quad machine gun mounts are also depicted in photo etched brass rather than resin. Lengths of brass rod are included for the masts. Although you have to cut the rods to length yourself, they will provide a strength that simply wouldn’t be possible with resin or even injection moulded plastic. The painting diagram is printed in colour. The images are a little dark, however, so I would advise studying them closely before you start painting. Two schemes are provided. The first shows HMS Coventry as she appeared in 1940, finished in AP 507B with a false bow wave painted in white. The second scheme shows the ship in 1941, finished in a disruptive scheme of AP 507A and AP 507C. The painting guides also show the basic arrangement of the rigging, albeit only from a horizontal perspective. You’ll need to find your own references if you want a more comprehensive picture of the rigging, which is a bit frustrating. Conclusion This is an accurate, comprehensive and nicely detailed kit of an interesting ship. As a light cruiser, she’s surprisingly small, even in 1:700 scale. Nevertheless this will make an valuable addition to any collection of Royal Navy model warships, and it will make a nice change from the usual battleships and destroyers which tend to find their way into the catalogues of the major manufacturers from time to time. You will need to take your time when building the kit, particularly with the delicate photo etched parts, but I’m sure your patience will be rewarded with an excellent model. Recommended.

This week I got a copy of White Ensigns new 1:700 HMS Coventry - the plan being to convert her to sister ship HMS Curlew as my grandfather was gunnery officer aboard her when sunk off Norway in 1940. White ensigns Coventry portrays the ship after conversion to anti-aircraft cruiser in the late thirties (converted alongside Curlew). Have been asked if I'd post some pix - so here they are. Casting quality is excellent - with only a little cleanup being required. The hull is a lovely single piece casting with some beautiful detail - only marred by a few tiny pin-holes on one part of the deck and some of the tiny detail broken in places - very easily fixed. The instructions look good - although I'm going to have to try and find some refs for Curlew in 1940 - if anyone knows any of the changes required to convert Coventry to Curlew I'd love to hear - am already aware that I need an extra pair of 4" guns. My first resin ship kit - and my first in 1:700 - all a little scary - but we'll see what we can do! Iain