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The Banana Boat - HMS Brinton (1/350 Atlantic Models)


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On 07/01/2018 at 12:20 AM, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

I’d only ever build her as a waterline anyway!  Last time I asked him (admittedly a couple of years ago) he reckoned cost & lack of demand would make it not worth it... but everything crossed that he has changed his mind.  Since she kept me alive in San Carlos Water, you will understand that the old girl has a very special place in my heart 

 

Coincidentally I had a similar conversation with Peter when the Glamorgan kit was first released, my thinking was that as Fearless and Glamorgan are of similar length was there any possibility of Fearless happening, his comment was because of the increased beam of Fearless the volume of resin was proportionately so much bigger (not to mention much more expensive in raw material) and this made it both physically and financially impracticable, I guess by going the waterline route the amount of resin required is less and Peter can keep the costs within reason, possibly.

 

I really hope so, Fearless is one of my favourites (but of course for totally different reasons to you :winkgrin:)

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Purely in terms of volume, FS was nothing like as big as she seemed - from roughly midships aft, she was hollow; tank deck spread over 3 levels, plus of course the dock.  Given her age and machinery, she was essentially 2 Leanders bolted together side by side (not in shape, obviously!).  Even so, the volume of the forward half alone would take a lot of resin; she was tall (bridge 71’ above waterline - a figure ingrained in my soul from astronavigation in 1982!).

 

I have always assumed (& until I see it in black & white on Peter’s site, complete with photos of the master, will continue to assume) that scratch building is the only option in 1/350 (L’Arsenal’s 1/700 FS looks nice, though I haven’t built it).  @andrewa‘s amazing Hermes / Broadsword / Yarmouth build (see RFI if you have not inspected this masterpiece) has given me inspiration and some ideas about how to do it - notably the technique he used to build up Hermes’ hull.  The design is not simple, however - partly because of the tank deck & dock.  

 

I will definitely do it one day, but not until after I have retired!  Though it’s currently paused, I have learned a huge amount in modifying Airfix’s Lusty to Ark Royal - there are far more differences than I realised when I started out, but that has taught me new techniques.  I might use a scratch Blackwater as a test run to learn some pitfalls before then, though - and I am keeping a keen eye on how Andrew is tackling Vanguard at the moment.

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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I'll watch this one closely - I've got a couple of the original WEM Tons with Peter's new brass in the stash.

 

Fearless is one of many ships on my mind as well - would have to be flooded down in San Carlos with landing craft active.  I think modelling board will be the best material for the hull - it should remain strong enough even with the well deck cut away - but that's definitely for another day.

 

 

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On 1/9/2018 at 9:48 PM, andrewa said:

...would have to be flooded down in San Carlos with landing craft active... and Crisp on the flight deck

Just fixed that for you!

 

A bit more work on Brinton.  First I have completed the petrol stowage from Paul E's PE.  I have even added one petrol can from styrene strip, though it's almost impossible to see in this view (upper right slot!)

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Today's other action has been Part 1 of adding the characteristic "stripes" to the Ton funnel (they were actually joints in the funnel skin, if I remember correctly).  Don't panic when you see this - they are much too big at the moment (especially the lower two), but Part 2 will be to reduce them in size in situ.

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More soon

 

Crisp

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Gradually adding to the detail, mostly via Paul's additional PE (have re-positioned the port beam bridge window since this was taken - indeed, as a result of this photograph!):

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Believe it or not, I have done some work on reducing those funnel bands - but still a fair amount of filing to do yet before they look right.

 

The turned brass 40/60 Bofors barrel makes a huge difference:

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All in all, having fun and happy with how she is developing.

 

More soon

 

Crisp 

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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Final detail added to the 40/60 - Paul's PE railing, plus I have filed some grooves into both faces of the ammunition ready-use stack so it will at least not look like a smooth bock once painted:

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Then gradually added more to the ship herself.  Fo'c's'le still to be done, but getting there:

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More later in the week

 

Crisp

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Another of those small details that take absolutely ages (but are worth it in the end): port & starboard navigation lights to be fitted either side of the bridge.  Still a little tidying up to do before they're finally fitted, and I want the glue to set fully before I do any more... but you get the general idea.  That universal indication of scale, the Swann-Morton scalpel blade, is included to show you their size.

 

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More soon

 

Crisp

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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The skill is almost all Peter Hall's; I have merely glued the gun together - but yes, it's beautiful, isn't it?  Amazing how much difference a turned brass barrel makes.

 

This evening was mostly spent cleaning up white metal parts.  In this picture you can see two life rafts in the foreground, plus the four Oropesa floats (the things wot look like fat torpedoes).  I have followed Paul E's example and filed back the Oropesa fins a fair amount; they now fit through the PE racks on which they will eventually sit.

 

While filing away at the Oropesas, I had a brainwave, and the result is the final piece of white metal in this picture.  As per the title, Brinton spent most of her life with a large Fyffes banana fixed to her bridge screen, and it suddenly occurred to me that I could fairly easily file a banana shape out of surplus white metal "sprue"; you can see it glued in position.

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If you are wondering what I am on about with this banana malarkey, here is the real thing (courtesy of Solent Archive):

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Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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Hello Crisp,

 

That's very fine progress indeed, especially your work with the photoetch.

 

A former CO of mine did an exchange posting to the RN in the mid- to late-90's (I think the timeframe is correct) and served in Minehunters, but I doubt it could have been one of the Ton-class vessels; I wish I could remember more of the details. Our Huon-class Minehunters were not renowned for their seakeeping and I'm glad to have not bobbed around the North Sea (or any part of the Atlantic) in one.

 

Andrew.

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On ‎19‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 1:03 AM, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

While filing away at the Oropesas, I had a brainwave, and the result is the final piece of white metal in this picture.  As per the title, Brinton spent most of her life with a large Fyffes banana fixed to her bridge screen, and it suddenly occurred to me that I could fairly easily file a banana shape out of surplus white metal "sprue"; you can see it glued in position.

MV5BMzMwYjc1N2MtY2U2Ny00MTc3LTk1YWQtYzE3

 

Ha - I knew we'd eventually see a 1/350th scale banana. 

Edited by Richard E
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I just had a horrible thought Crisp. Am I allowed to continue to comment on this build or is it a Jonah free zone like your Ark Royal build?

 

Martian the Jinx

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Comment away, be-tentacled one!  Having survived the Great Ark Melting Deck Disaster, I am ready for anything [famous last words].

 

This build is doing exactly what I wanted it to do; firstly, I am really enjoying it; secondly, it's reminding me of some of the techniques needed in this scale (how to brace your hands to keep them steady etc., when 0.5mm out looks completely wrong); thirdly, it is giving me major confidence in Peter's kits.  You can tell just from looking at them how good they are, but there's nothing like building one to appreciate his skill.

 

Anyway, today has been about little details.  To my mind, quite a lot of ship models don't look realistic because they are not busy enough.  Real ships have all sorts of stuff everywhere - cable runs, main broadcast ("Tannoy") loudspeakers, fire hoses, etc etc.  This is all the more so in a small ship like Brinton, where there really wasn't much space to stow things.  So to stop the model looking too much like a toy, you often need to busy things up - even on a kit with the sort of exquisite detail that this one has.  As mentioned at the top of this build, I have a fair amount of scratch building in my future (Blackwater & Fearless as a minimum).  Over the years I have gradually accumulated detail to help with these eventual projects - for instance, L'Arsenal bitts ("bollards" to the layman), signal projectors, fairleads, and so on.  These have come in very useful today - and luckily L'Arsenal's resin is a slightly different colour to Atlantic's, so you can make out these wee things.

 

First up, however, some scratch built detail; you saw these a few days ago before I finished fettling them, but here is a starboard nav light in position (also a good view of the banana!):

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Secondly, some oxygen bottles outside the diving store on the sweep deck (the ladder, doors and deck treads are all from Paul's PE set):

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Bitts fitted in an opening at the stern:

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Next, a L'Arsenal signal projector (and a scratched port nav light):

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After that I had a wheeze, and added the bracket that stops people touching the whip aerial that will eventually sprout from that box structure on the front of the bridge wing - this is made from some gash PE.  Starboard bridge wing still to be done:

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Finally for today, the whole ship as she currently appears - and in this photo you can just about see the pelorus added for the Emergency Conning Position just aft of the funnel (it's in line with the back of the funnel in this photo).  L'Arsenal once again.

 

Bridge, funnel structure and section on top of the sweep winch all dry fitted here, just to give the overall impression.

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More tomorrow, I expect

 

Crisp

 

 

 

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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