Revell Flower Class Corvette 1/144

[longshanks]

Your making good progress with some interesting detailed touches

Kev

[moaning dolphin]

Nice

Bob

[Rob 1]

Its good to see that after not being on here for a few days, builds like this one have progressed well, which makes catching up really interesting - great work so far, particularly with all the rework and cleaning up that's needed

Edited August 31, 2016 by Rob 1

[Model Monkey]

Really good work. The improvements you are making really look good.

If you haven't worked with Shapeways "Frosted Detail" 3D-printed parts before, I recommend sitting the parts in the sun or under a UV lamp for a few hours to make sure all the resin is fully cured before painting (or fluorescent lamp works, too).

Rarely, but it can happen, microscopic bits is resin within the plastic remain uncured. If left that way, they can spoil the paint. Sun is the easy solution.

[Blastvader]

Great job on this one Rob. I'm hankering to pick one up to model as HMS Arbutus (K86) as it was built in the town in which I live.

I won't be doing it for quite some time, but as mentioned earlier in the thread, Revell have a bad habit of pulling models out of production a ridiculously short time after their first run and you seem to wait years until their next re-print.

[Francis Macnaughton]

Hannants now predict a part 3 PE set for railings as a future release from Eduard

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ED53177

 

[robgizlu]

Thanks for looking in and for the encouragement Fellas.

 

Francis - Thanks - Interesting.  3 sets at £28 a piece certainly adds up.  I had kind of assumed that the "Structure" set would include the railings.  Clearly not.  Bet they do the ladders in one and the railings in another.  Its's the railings that ARE REALLY NECESSARY IMHO.

 

Progress is painfully slow (Rugby season has started)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can't seem to post any more pics so I'll halt here and work out what's going wrong

 

Rob

 

 

 

 

[robgizlu]

That's better - I can post pics again

 

 

 

 

The lattice support girders are finished and both dinghies are "decked" and then sealed with "Klear" floor polish painted on.

 

 

 

The first dinghy is detailed .......

 

 

 

 

 

The dinghies are so prominent on the Corvette that detailing does pay off.

 

I started building the Hedgehog installation and then relooked at Crocus which in the reference pics does NOT carry Hedgehog!!

 

So ......

 

 

 

The "rails" that it sits on need to come off....

 

 

 

And filled.....

 

 

 

You'll have perceived that here is little rational order to this build.  I keep referencing the original pics and realised that there's an extra porthole just below the dinghies.  I'd been too cowardly to try drilling a new one out previously fearing I'd mess up the scuttle.  However using very fine plastic rod it worked out better than I could have hoped.  I've also added the "steps that are prominent on all Corvette original pics but on't feature on the Revell model

 

 

 

Likewise an extra drainage hole was drilled that is evident on Crocus

 

 

Detailing continues with the Bridge.  I have really no idea what the curved metal bits at the front represent but they are prominent in the original pics and seem peculiar to Crocus

 

 

 

 

 

I looked at the anchor winch today and it really has some horrible sink marks

 

 

 

I also messed up the depth charge racks - they are going to need painting before final assembly.  It isn't apparent or wasn't to me that the putsie supports fit into "notches" on the rack boxes themselves.  Look for ti and you'll know what I mean when you come to this bit.  Labourious as it is - the depth charges will need painting then the box rack will be joined and the support sides (after being painted) should be joined.  You need to file the box "legs" down quite a bit to get them to fit the side supports - I've used some blue tack here to join the halves to fry fit to the side supports

 

 

 

 

 

The stack has been rivetted up and is really ready for primer

 

 

 

 

And as for the next bit......Don't you love it when a plan comes together

 

I'd fretted about doing the Starboard pennant numbers that are in reverse colours.  And then I stumbled across ...

 

Miracle Masks

 

Mal Mayfield  who runs Miracle Masks very kindly ran me off some Pennant numbers in mask form for both HMS Crocus and HMS Clematis, that also uses the same "reverse" Lettering.

 

Can't post any more images once again so onto anther thread

 

Rob

 

 

 

 

 

[robgizlu]

Here's that reverse lettering...

 

 

 

 

 

 

The letters are impossible to see in the picture but look VERY Excellent indeed and are perfect sized.  If you need similar Miracle Masks - get them now - Highly recommended - the alternative was to have made my own - time consuming labourious and nowhere near as good as these.  Thanks Mal

 

Thanks for looking 

 

Rob

[longshanks]

Good progress and great attention to detail...........

 

Kev

 

PS No idea what your appendages are on the asdic office

[Dads203]

I'm liking this a lot, not a ship modeller and I don't know a lot about what I'm looking at but its quality, I see a great build taking shape in front of me  

 

nice work buddy 

 

Regards

 

Dan 

[Francis Macnaughton]

FWIW as the kit doesn't have a moulded line, I scribed the waterline with a very fine permanent black pen before I added any superstructure as I always find it easier to do this with the hull upside down.   Do you do this with the hull the right way up?

[robgizlu]

It's a good point Francis - I glued the rear stilted gun platform and in some ways regret it for the reason you've pointed out.  I've only built a couple of boats but I'll likely mask the waterline.

 

Kev & Dan - appreciate the comments.

 

I'm grateful for advice.  It's time to plan the paint job.  Revell suggest the "textured" walkways be done in Flat black with a grey decking.  MS2 - Grey seems to be the grey colour that would have likely been used in 1942 - the date this vessel is depicted.  I suspect that the textured walkways pictured in the instructions are Semtex.....

 

 

I'm indebted to this excellent and erudite site - the author has reconciled WW2 Naval colours with Vallejo paints..

 

http://www.ipmsswamp.com/files/VallejoWWIINavalColorEquivalents.pdf

 

....and suggests that late war Semtex would have been a Flat green.

 

What do you all think - Black or Flat Green??

Thanks

 

Rob

[Bigdave22014]

8 hours ago, robgizlu said:

I suspect that the textured walkways pictured in the instructions are Semtex.....

 

Tread carefully and for f%&*'s sake don't drop anything!

[Francis Macnaughton]

There is quite a bit about Cemtex here:

 

http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=55123&p=345157&hilit=cemtex#p345157

 

The gist of this seems to be that it was a light to mid grey colour  in the early to mid war period, not black.

 

If you look at current photos of HMCS Sackville, the only surviving Flower class, all deck surfaces seem to be a medium grey.  I'm not sure what date she is meant to be presented as but mid war seems possible.

 

There is also the issue of what the deck of a corvette looks like after escorting several convoys in sucession across the Atlantic in heavy seas rather than fresh out of refit .........

[robgizlu]

Thanks Francis and to Bigdave.

I suspect I'll go for the green mindful of your comments re wear at sea Francis.

 

Eduard have released their first 2 sets:

 

Armament

 

Superstructure

 

On the first which details the ship's weapons it seems like they left out the Surround "lattice"/railings for the 4" gun which is a little disapointing.  Presumably this will appear in the 3rd "Railings" offering.

The second "Structure" set seems the better value of the 2, but just from the PDFs alone I'm left a little disapointed.  It feel like Eduard are milking this a bit.  

 

I shall look forward to others offerings.

 

Rob

 

 

 

[beefy66]

Great detail work with this kit learning a lot to add some details to when I get round to my build

 

cheers

 

Beefy

[Francis Macnaughton]

Thanks for spotting that Rob - I won't be rushing to buy either anyway as PE is too fragile for a working model.

 

The only possible exception I might have been interested in is for the radar lantern.  The transparency provided in the kit was very tedious to paint even half decently.

 

Incidentally, talking of transparencies, the 10 circular skylights fitted over the engine room in their individual sections (parts 438) were a real pain. Firstly in the need to trim the sprue gate off without losing any.  Then they don't seem to sit in the holes well.  I have used Micro clear instead which looks better anyway

 

 

[Modelholic]

Francis,

I'm no expert (and it's probably a little too late now), but shouldn't the dinghy's clinker pattern be visible on the inside?

Tom

[longshanks]

Thanks for the update Rob

 

Ouch!!

 

Eduard set looks nice but £92 ex Hannants for the three sets, is it just me being tight?

 

Kev

[Francis Macnaughton]

11 hours ago, Modelholic said:

shouldn't the dinghy's clinker pattern be visible on the inside?

 

FWIW the Matchbox item in  1/72nd is clinkered outside and smooth inside but in principle the inside should be clinkered

 

Personally I am tempted to follow Rob's example and just use tape on the outside and obscure the visibility of the inside by spreading out the oars - adding tape on the inside is not something I am going to do!

 

 

[robgizlu]

Hi Tom (Modelholic).  You are right but at this scale it just adds un-needed complexity.  The aim is "flavour/impact" rather than unerring authenticity.  The cross ribs are the most prominent feature IMHO and laying these over strips would have been difficult.

Here's the near finished article which i hope is sufficiently "busy" to be eye-catching..

 

 

 

On 9/28/2016 at 11:12 PM, longshanks said:

Thanks for the update Rob

 

Ouch!!

 

Eduard set looks nice but £92 ex Hannants for the three sets, is it just me being tight?

 

Kev

 

Nope -it's a hit Kev.  Methinks Eduard have been a tad greedy.

 

Here are the sets close up. IMO the armament set No 1 is the least needed though more of this later

 

 

 

One immediate benefit from the set was "support struts" that I had not really appreciated existed from photos.  They make a big difference..

 

 

I hadn't intended to use the PE depth charge racks.  Generally speaking I only use PE when necessary and only if I think that MY efforts can improve on the plastic.  On the AFV sets I feel Eduard are often guilty of including irrelevant details.  However madness overtook me.  I've done a very small amount of PE soldering using Solder paste but had a go and ws pleasantly surprised.  They were fiddly but easier than at first seemed likely.  Here's a comparison with the plastic offering (I spent a considerable amount of time filing the plastic pieces down to a more scale like definition - probably more time than it took to "build" the PE versions)

 

 

 

 

 

I think the PE carries the day

 

This of course meant filling the depressions that the plastic racks slot into

 

 

A couple more portholes were drilled on the starboard side before priming with Mig Ammo Grey primer my preferred primer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Onto hull painting next!

 

Thanks for looking

 

Rob

[Bigdave22014]

Rob, you made a good job with the plastic racks, but those etched ones definitely win this contest.

But yes, very pricey!

[longshanks]

Cracking job on the lifeboat, proves your point you don't always need PE!!

 

At the same time the DC racks are a big improvement in PE

 

I just love how your corvette is shaping up

 

Kev

[Dads203]

Some fantastic modelling skills on show here for sure, nice