Ark Royal III 1/350

[iang]

I've always wanted a large scale Ark Royal III, so have made a start on building one from scratch myself. I've still to add the 4.5"gun platforms and rear boat decks. I intend to add the hull over the foredeck and quarter deck separately, as both of these areas will be quite tricky. I've also yet to decide whether to skin the frames with 20 thou card or use car body filler and sand back to the frames. Given the pronounced knuckle and complex shape of the hull, I'm inclined towards the latter, but might try thin stips of 20 thou card first. Advice would be welcome here.

[denstore]

I like! Keep it coming!

[Mike]

Funnily enough, I thought about trying the same thing myself recently, albeit fleetingly. There's something very special about the Ark in my tiny mind

Keep the updates coming - where did you get your plans BTW?

[Okdoky]

I've also yet to decide whether to skin the frames with 20 thou card or use car body filler and sand back to the frames. Given the pronounced knuckle and complex shape of the hull, I'm inclined towards the latter, but might try thin stips of 20 thou card first. Advice would be welcome here.

Ian

How about using a similar method to the Lancaster model using the tin foil from roasting tins the way I did?

Tin foil Lancaster build

Add thin stringers of plastic along the the full length of the hull just like the Lanc nose then cut paper to get the rough shape of panels working along the length from the rear of the ship forward. Transfer the rough shape to the flattened roasting tin thickness foil (from carryouts).

Again start from the stern working forward glueing the tin to the plastic stringers with superglue smoothing the foil over the stringers as you work. The next panel along can be slightly overlapped on the previous. Panels can be pressed into both concave and convex curves in the same panels if planned right and not made too large. The tin can also be trimmed very easily to shape.

Once all the hull is skinned you can add car body filler to dents or sand where overlaps are too pronounced. The tin foil and body filler sand very easily to a nice smooth finish. Scribing or holes can be added easily and plastic add ons can be superglued to the tin or filler.

Love how you did the hull so far.

Nige

[Phil Reeder]

WOW! This is going to be some project.I`ll be watching with great interest.BTW What plans are you using?

Good Luck ,Phil

[Mark]

Now this is going to be worth watching....

But you do know that after a year of scratchbuilding, swearing and cussing and basically wishing you'd never started, Trumpeter and Airfix will both announce releases!

[iang]

Mike, Phil,

Plans

This project started a few years ago when I then found a set of (basic) plans to about 1/375 and a card model of Ark Royal at 1/300. I reduced the card model to 1/350 and used it to create a set of templates that I used to make 60 thou frames in plastic. It was then obvious from photos and the plans that the card model was fairly inaccurate with respect to the crane and boat deck location/size. I couldn't find any detailed plans so I took the frames apart and forgot about it.

The 1/350 plans I'm currently using are the National Maritime Museum's original 'As Fitted' plans as reproduced in John Roberts British Warships of the Second World War (Chatham, 2000). These are reproduced in the book as double page 1/600 plans and include the starboard profile, flight-deck, upper galley deck hull sections at frames 152, 138, 125, 118, 109, 96, 83, 77, 63, 52, 35 and 16, as well as island superstructure at A, B, C, and D deck levels. I scanned these and enlarged them by 172 percent to generate a fairly complete set of 1/350 plans. Using these I was able to modify the plastic frames that I had made from the card model and re-assemble, making new boat and crane deck openings.

As an aside, the Roberts book also includes a comprehensive set of 'As Fitted' plans for HMS Indefatigable and Attacker. I thought seriously about Indefatigable, as I'd like a model of this more than any other ship, but reckoned that it would be easier to modify an Illustrious/Victorious than to scratch build and I have 6 Heller Illustrious' models for this purpose (3 in various states of completion as Indomitable, Illustrious and Formidable).

The 1/600 Airfix Ark Royal gives a good size comparison.

I've also got prints of all the IWM Ark Royal photos that I consider useful and, more importantly, an unpublished set of really detailed photos of Ark Royal taken by Cdr R.N.Everett. He was a pilot with 820 Squadron on Ark Royal 1939-41 and I believe the Ships' photographer. His albums are at the FAAM (with many of the original negatives) and include some really fantastic photos. These include, for example, a photo of the cable-deck, which I've never seen before.

Nige,

The method you have used on your Lancaster looks very effective. I will definitely try your method on this model (many thanks for the link). My only doubt is whether I've enough frames? Your Lancaster has frames much closer together.

Busdriver,

Yes, it is bound to happen. I think of this build as a public service to all those who want a 1/350 injected kit. Moreover, I build at a glacial speed, so the chances of being overtaken by injection molded kit are very high.

Edited June 13, 2010 by iang

[Dave Fleming]

Ian, do you mean filling all the hull with car filler? I'd be tempted to fill it with plumbers PU foam, then cut it to rough size then skin with plastic card and/or filler (more likely a mix.

Be watching closely because I'm planning a similar scratch built ship based on an (equally semi-accurate) card model, but of a smaller vessel in 1/72!!

[Okdoky]

Nige,

The method you have used on your Lancaster looks very effective. I will definitely try your method on this model (many thanks for the link). My only doubt is whether I've enough frames? Your Lancaster has frames much closer together.

Hi Ian

It would be possible to build up a lattice of stringers verticallly and horizontally using the frames you have at the moment. I presume you could interpolate the shape inbetween the hull sections you have already formed. Additional vertical hull shaped sections could be interspaced between those already in place but to save plasticard and weight could be similar to the Lanc build with only the thin outer edges of the hull shape there and with a couple of similar thin horizontal hull shaped bracers notched in to make the whole thing ridgid.

How much of the interior is to be given over to flight decks or inset detailing?

Nige

[Smiffy]

What a great project.

Definitely watching this one.

[iang]

I've had little time this week, but I've managed to sort out the quarter-deck and the 4.5" platforms (these will eventually have new decks overlaid, supported by sponsons). I decided to try and skin the hull with 20 thou plastic card and clearly the knuckle will require very thin strips. I was hoping to get one side finished this weekend, but despite not managing this, it's beginning to resemble the ship.

[denstore]

Looks great!

[iang]

The hull is now skinned both sides, with flight-deck on, except for the difficult bow area. The stern and fligh-deck over-hang caused a few problems, but the most difficult part so far was the knuckle at the stern. I found that reinforcing the joint flattened out the knuckle. after 3 or 4 attempts I reinforce the lower panel with about 1mm protruding for the upper panel to rest on. It's not too obvious in the photos, but quite apparent up close. The green stuff was applied to correct the over zealous use of plastic weld, which distorted the 20 thou card in a few places.

Here's a closer shot of the stern area

.

[Chris Hewitt]

looking good

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

This is shaping up very nicely.

Obi-Jiff

[brianthemodeller]

Looking good

Brian

[avro683]

That's very impressive.

Tony

[iang]

A few pictures of the bow, which proved quite tricky. I've made the front section above the cable deck as far back as the fist 4.5" position detachable so that I can detail the cable deck later (hence the tape holding it together).

The whole hull now needs a careful going over to fill and check for problems. Several of the hull openings need tweaking too, including the height of both the cable and quarter deck, but at least I've now got a rough-cut in plastic to work with before adding all the sponsons, armour belt, lifts, and deck edge furniture.

The knuckle came out OK in the end. I used 30 thou card for the top part of the hull, butted onto 20 thou at the bottom, with the ridge filled with fine grain Milliput.

The last photo shows the 1/350 hull in comparison with the 1/600 Airfix hull.

[Mike]

Looks good - just drop that in RTV and make me a resin copy, would ya?

[iang]

Spent the evening filling and sanding (front flight deck not yet stuck down). After a quick coat of grey primer....

Edited July 9, 2010 by iang

[crookedmouth]

Wouldn't normally be interested in boats, but..

Edited July 10, 2010 by crookedmouth

[Dads203]

Some very nice scratch building going on, all to a very nice standard.

Amazing talent..

[Guest raiderhall]

that is one hellva build.

[iang]

A quick update. The sponsons for the 4.5" mounts were made using resin and a platicine mould from a master fashioned from the end of a 1/48 drop tank that I found in the spares box. Crude, but provided me with eight sponsons roughly the same shape.

These have been added, and 4.5" decks fitted, but the decks still need to be given a supporting structure made from Milliput. Crane-deck and support, searchlight, pom-pom and quad machine gun platforms also attached, along with the armour belt.

I've also built a cable deck (pretty crudely as it won't be seen except through the bow openings), but haven't added the anchor chain yet. I'm quite keen to get this painted so that I can zip it up and add the forward 4.5" platforms, but and now need to wait a few days for the WEM paint to dry before painting the bulkheads, chafing plates and chain pipes etc. I think I've also got the chain pipes set marginally too far aft and am considering modifying...

[crookedmouth]

Looking good.