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2020's RAN at Fleet Base West 1/700


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Edit: This has turned from a WIP on Canberra to a project a little bigger in scope, but I will keep this post going to keep everything together.But this is going to be a diorama with the LHD HMAS Canberra, Air Warfare Destroyer HMAS Hobart, 2 3d printed Anzac class frigates and a Collins class sub docked at a section of of the Australian Navy's base in Western Australia.

So continueing on with my 1/700 Aussie Navy, heres the next one. Not to far off commissioning is Nuship Canberra, a 27000 ton LHD based on Spains Juan Carlos design. 2 ships have been ordered Canberra who is about to enter service and her sister Adelaide who arrived here in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago. The hulls for both ships were built in Spain then transported to Melbourne to have there Islands structures fitted and completion of the ships. How the hulls are transported here is just amazing

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Having discovered that Orange Hobby do the Juan Carlos in 1/700 I started to have a look at the differences between the Aussie and Spannish versions. Really all it comes down to is slightly different radars and sensor arrangements the centre mast is further over to the starboard side on the RAN Class and 4 of a new type of light gun system as apposed to close in missles on the Spanish ship.

Another company Bigblueboy do the Spanish Aegis F-100 frigates, which is the design the new RAN airwarfare destroyers are based. The differences between the 2 are the same more or less as the LHD's . So I figure an LHD and AWD together would make a good Modern RAN scene to compliment my RAN of yesterday scenes.

So heres the OH Juan Carlos kit

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I bought this kit from Hobby Easy online and nearly fell over at the price. It cost me $70 au (around 40 pound) including postage. For a resin kit the size this thing is with all the PE etc included this is just amazing value. There is not really much to the ship so there is not much to the kit in terms of number of parts. But everything is there to be able to detail it. You get 2 Harriers and choppers for the airgroup and a couple of landing craft for the well deck and if you want more you can get them seperately. Now Australia has no intention of operating Harriers so I won't be using them, but the choppers are NH90's which we have just introduced into service, so they can be used. The landing craft are wrong as well being a model the RAN is retireing, but OH do the correct version but I've decided I'll have the stern gate closed so I don't to worry about it.

I've also got a couple of Chinooks, Seahawks and Eurotigers to fill out the flight deck. Aussie marking for these are non existant but in 1/700 I think I can live without.

I've also ordered so hull number decals from Hawk Graphics.

So far all I have done to the ship is cut those resin pour lugs off the hull and cut the centre mast off and clean up a seam line where the hull meets the Island on the starboard side. I'm still a little vague on just what all the changes to the masts and radars etc I have to make But I can kick on with the build while I work it all out.

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Anyway I thinks thats enough of a ramble for tonight. More to come soon on this beastie

Cheers Callum

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Looking forward to seeing this progress

Happy Modeling

John

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Thanks for the interest and following fella's.

Kev, I'm trading rigging for scratchbuilt radars, I think rigging would be easier.

Bruce, we haven't even got the NH-90's flying yet have we much less the Tigers.

and Trojan Thunder if it makes you feel any better you are getting a 350 scale Anzac class frigate, I wish they would do one of those in 700 would be prefect on a base with the LHD and AWD.

Cheers Callum

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and 4 of a new type of light gun system as apposed to close in missles (sic) on the Spanish ship.

Rafael Typhoon stabilised gun mounts with M242 Bushmaster 25mm chain guns. These are the same weapons as fitted to the Armidale Class patrol boats.

I understood that JC1 is only armed with four 20mm guns and 50cal MGs, not missiles but Orange Hobby may know more than the Armada is saying..

Shane

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Rafael Typhoon stabilised gun mounts with M242 Bushmaster 25mm chain guns. These are the same weapons as fitted to the Armidale Class patrol boats.

I understood that JC1 is only armed with four 20mm guns and 50cal MGs, not missiles but Orange Hobby may know more than the Armada is saying..

Shane

Wiki had JC1 having just 4 20mm and 50's but a link to another site has 1 ESSM or RAM missle system and 4 20mm. Apparently she can also be fitted with vertical lauch silos directly behind the island structure on the flightdeck (can't remember how many though). I think the RAM sits at the aft end of the island. There is something there that looks like a missile launcher.

Before I lose the cut and pasted link heres a really cool time lapse video of Canberra

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm41pXq7q1k

I wish someone would do after market Typhoon gun systems in 1/700 would really come in handy instead of me trying to scratch 4 (well 6 actually, the Hobart class AWD have 2 as well, and as mentioned I'll be having one of those real soon.) But in 700 scale how hard could they be to make there doesn't really look much to them

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Any photos I'm using of the real ship are what I have found on the web, none are mine and I only use them to help explain my build. If they shouldnt be used like this I will happilly remove them.

That out of the way, a couple of other issues I need to resolve

first is flight deck markings, are they going to be similar to JC1, which means I can use the decals OH provided or will they be totally different? Since the real ship doesn't have them yet from what I can tell from pics, But I'm thinking that since she's in drydock at the moment before final trials and commisioning, it won't be too long before pics showing it will emerge.

the other issue is what colour is she going to be, Storm Grey or the new Haze grey and how the hell do I source either .

I don't think this will be a fast build to start off with while I get all te bits I need and get my info sorted, I'm even thinking of getting a cheap modern warship to raid for parts like mast bits etc, but not sure what yet, but anyway just thinking out loud

Thanks for the interest and comments and hopefully I don't disapoint.

Cheers Callum

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But I'm thinking that since she's in drydock at the moment before final trials and commisioning,

Cheers Callum

She's not you know. She was dry docked in Sydney a few weeks ago to wipe her bottom and do an overall paint, then back to Williamstown via more trials off Jervis Bay where she tied up on 11 April opposite NUSHIP Adelaide,

I agree that the flight deck wasn't marked in Sydney during dry docking. There's still work to be done (going by the photos of Canberra leaving for Williamstown) since temporary safety railings are still in place so finishing the deck markings may be part of that.

Shane

(PS - the OH kit is on my to-buy list)

Edited by Shane
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Looks like an interesting conversion, everything I hear about the Orange Hobby kits has been good.

What shape is the hull below the water? It looks like the a brick above it!

Will

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Thanks Will, you can see the lower hull in the first picture of the thread. Doesn't look like there is much underwater.

Shane I didn't realize she was out of drydock and back in Williamstown. And I live on the opistie side of the Bay :)

But then I'm too busy building models to have time and go galevanting around the city.

I've made a start on the modified center mast. I'm just using photos from the web as reference so its only going to be a looks like job as apposed to accurate.

But I can live with that in this scale. I've also started adding the PE around the ship. I've decided to go with Storm Grey for the colour as apparently thats what the ships painted at the moment, and it just adds a more Aussie touch to the build, as RAN ships have been this colour since forever.

I'm just about to head to see if I can find some.

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Not the best pics sorry.

But more to come soon.

Thanks for looking

Cheers Callum

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the comments Chris and Foxy :)

Been making some progress with her, I've gone with Storm grey for the colour as I can't find a reference as to what the new Haze grey looks like. I've got the storm grey from the local hardware store, so I'm using house paint to paint this. But its looking the part. I've also got all the airgroup now, just have to paint them.

I'm waiting to here back from the Resin shipyard about buying some of their decals for the hull numbers etc so I won't be able to do much more till I get them. I want to get all the decals on and sealed in before I start adding all the easily broken stickyouty bits

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And the last one shows Canberra sitting next to my birthday present to myself, Australias first carrier HMAS Albatross.

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More to come on both ships soon

Cheers Callum

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This is a good project; nice use of the Spanish carrier model to build an Aussie one (with minor modifications) - should result in a fairly unique model of presumably Australia's biggest current warship!

Looking good so far, will be interesting to see further progress.

Edited by Rob 1
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Callum,

There was a discussion about the introduction of Haze grey on RAN vessels over on AMI. A quick search of the thread found this:

Haze grey is available in a ModelMaster Paint. It is FS36270 Neutral Grey ...

...

Nice progress so far mate.

:thumbsup:

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Thanks gents, and thanks for pointing out the Haze Grey for me TT :) .

Been making the a bit of progress and shes starting to look more like Canberra than Juan Carlos. Some of the work is a bit rough but I can live with it.

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And a couple of Juan Carlos to show the differences

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Still got a bit to go though, so thanks for looking and more to come soon

Cheers Callum

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