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Maritime Content

Showing topics in Historic Vessels to 1914, WWI to 1939, WWII, Cold War to 1990, Modern, Work in Progress - Maritime, Ready for Inspection - Maritime, General Maritime modelling chat, Kits, Aftermarket and Reference Material posted in for the last 365 days.

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  1. Past hour
  2. sohoppy
    Really impressive model - of a rare and interesting subject.
  3. sohoppy
    Many thanks for the kind comments. One tends not to hear this sort of appreciation on the domestic front: 'Oh, not another model...' Although my children quite like them. I'll pass on the Flyhawk PoW - very good though I'm sure it will be. I have a Tamiya 1/350 KGV (Pacific appearance) partly underway but this will not likely be completed before next year as also have a large rc Trafalgar class to finish. These are quite demanding because, in the end, they need to come up as many times as they go down. Meanwhile - right at the present - am grappling with whether it is in any way possible to make 1/35-scale fluid hydraulics actually work. I have a 1/35 Chieftain ARV (Tamiya / Accurate Armour) that needs repairs since the servos I originally fitted were overloaded and a few died. Will put some pics up here on the appropriate forum if - and that is quite a big 'if' - I can get the new system to work.
  4. Today
  5. ArnoldAmbrose
    Gidday Steve, don't stop now, tell us more! Regards, Jeff.
  6. Chewbacca
    Absolutely first class and utterly superb weathering.
  7. Chewbacca
    Nicely done. Neat way to get a subtle swell effect.
  8. Chewbacca
    That's a great job on such an old kit. I wonder how much work would be required to convert one of those to the RFA's old (1960s/70s) Tide class as they look very similar but I can't find any details of La Seine to determine if the broad dimensions are about right. That said, even if I could find out, I doubt if its possible anymore to get the kit for anything other than really silly money
  9. Exkiwiforces
    I have received a PE set but it came with no instructions, any it shouldn’t be a problem as I found another book on the Z Class Destroyers hiding in the bookcase. I have removed the stairs on the left and also on the bridge (not shown).
  10. Exkiwiforces
    This they have excellent references on the Narvik Campaign and I’m tossing up to do these four Z Classes with my two Battlecruisers and a Lightcruiser or a Z Plain whiff as someone has released a H Class Battleship in 1/700 along with the two German Carriers from Trumpter.
  11. Bandsaw Steve
    SS Xantho – History Before I start, I wish to make it clear that this summary of ‘Xantho’s’ history is collated from the work of others – notably Dr ‘Mac’ MacCarthy’ of the Western Australian Maritime Museum. None of the original research behind this is my own. I'm going to break this story into three parts - 'Success', 'Failure', and 'Resurrection'. Each with it's own post. It's kind of 'The Rise and Fall and Rise' of the SS Xantho. Part 1 - Success On 13 May 1848 – at a time when the art and science of iron-hull shipbuilding was still in its formative years - a contract was struck between the famous shipbuilding company ‘Denny Brothers’ (later William Denny and Brothers) of Dumbarton Scotland and the ‘Anstruther and Leith Steamship Company’ who needed a paddle-steamer - with auxiliary sail - to run a reliable ferry service across the Firth of Forth between Leith (Edinburugh) and Aberdour. The contract stipulated that this small vessel – of just 157 tonnes and 101.3 feet (length between perpendiculars) would be completed in no more than four months. The vessel was to be the PS Xantho. Xantho is the Greek prefix meaning ‘yellow’ and although it is unclear why this somewhat unusual name was chosen, a common speculation is that it is due to the known fact that the builder’s contract specified that her decks were to be constructed from ‘Quebec Yellow Pine’. By the end of 1848 this brand-new paddle steamer was complete. The start of her career was met with a degree of fanfare and celebration from communities on the Northern Side of the Firth of Forth who were most pleased to have the benefit of a modern and reliable steam-powered ferry service. In addition, records indicate numerous visits and excursions to Anstruther and even as far afield as Scarborough, Wick and Perth. (Perth in Scotland that is - not Western Australia!) Indications are that Xantho excelled in these roles, and I know of no indication of any mishaps or misadventures concerning her operations in Scotland. By 1871 however the ship was ageing and paddle steamers were becoming obsolescent. Screw propulsion was now widely recognised as superior in almost all regards. Xantho was sold to a Glasgow based metal merchant, Mr Robert Stewart, presumably with the expectation that she would be scrapped. But this did not happen. Instead Mr Stewart completely re-configured and ‘modernised’ the vessel. He added 3m to her overall length, removed the paddles and replaced them with a single screw and fitted a completely new engine. He then offered it for sale. Meanwhile, Mr Charles Edward Broadhurst, a most adventurous and entrepreneurial individual born in Manchester in 1826 but subsequently emigrated to Australia, was seeking to purchase a coastal steamer for use in Western Australia. There were many good reasons that he needed a steamer, he had business operations - pastoralism and pearling - in the North Western corner of Western Australia and knew first-hand just how difficult communications and transport in this most remote and imposing region could be. The strong currents, extreme tides, few harbours and restricted harbour entrances made operating sailing ships particularly challenging and hazardous in this area. A small steamship seemed like a good idea and there were none in Western Australia at this time. The colonial government was of a similar view and offered a financial incentive for whoever could first set up a regular tramp steamer service out of Fremantle. This offer had not escaped Broadhurst’s keen eye for any opportunity to turn a profit. And so it came to be that Mr Broadhurst purchased the now ‘SS Xantho’ and sailed this small one-time coastal ferry, all the way from Glasgow, through the Suez Canal, to Sri Lanka, on to Jakarta and – arriving in early 1872 - to Fremantle, Western Australia. He was met with a hero’s welcome. Broadhurst lost no time in taking the Xantho North again and in 1872 managed two complete round trips between Fremantle and Jakarta stopping, of course, at any locations required along the way. During this time Xantho carried a wide variety of cargos including livestock and produce from the North-West. He also experimented with using Xantho as a base for his pearling (more correctly mother of pearl) diving operations. He also carried passengers, including four indigenous elders who the colonial authorities had, uncharacteristically, freed from imprisonment on Rottnest island and were allowing to return to their ancestral homes. Controversially he also used the ship to carry ‘Malay divers’ (generally young boys it seems) from Indonesia to Western Australia to work in his pearling operations. At this point things seemed to be working out for Mr Broadhurst – Xantho was looking like a successful proposition. Things were about to change…
  12. Exkiwiforces
    Not a lot has been going on with the Illustrious build since the last downpour on the 22-24 Jan. The flight deck has had the windbreaks add, along the following two wire barriers in which one MIA and I did a right Barry Cocker in gluing on the deck, and finally adding the traps using some black cotton. I’m hopeful that we well get some decent rain this week as there is a cyclone forming the Gulf of Carpentaria. So I’m hopeful to start some painting on the hull around the mid week at this stage as we really need it atm as the main water storage dam for Darwin is about 54% full atm and we now at the back end of the Nth Australia Monsoon Season. PS, This happened on Tuesday afternoon, a lightning strike just in front of the house which blow the Solar Power unit, telephone line and the blow the main box down by the fence. The emergency genset came in handy once the switch broad checked. I .
  13. Chewbacca
    Excellent recycling of parts then! Thanks
  14. ArnoldAmbrose
    Gidday Krister, close-up photos can be VERY unforgiving. My solution - I don't zoom in too close now. As long as you are happy with the naked eye look, that is what others will see it with also. Regards, Jeff.
  15. Bandsaw Steve
    Ok....Ok.... if it’ll keep you lot happy I’ll stick some navigation & cabin lights in this thing. At least this Suggestion came up before I’ve built the ship rather than with Carpathia when everyone started screaming for lights after the thing was damned-near finished!
  16. Murdo
    Pretty spectacular scratch building there!
  17. Stelangton
    Amazing, really like the weathering, brings it to life
  18. Yesterday
  19. Terry1954
    What an intriguing build. Definitely on this one! Terry
  20. Courageous
    Great work as usual John, can't say anything more. Stuart
  21. JohnWS
    I'm only guessing, but based on the drawings I've seen, the chart room appears to be the same width as the bridge The visible watertight door(s) would open to passageways that ran along each side of the chart room fore & aft. The chart room had its own bulkheads & doors inboard from the passageways, e.g. the bulkhead with the windows would be on outboard side of the passage ways. If my guess is right, the ladder to the bridge would be inside the chart room. John
  22. JohnWS
    Thanks! Good eye! The flag pockets are actually approx. .3 x .8 mm. I wish I could say I built the flag locker with very sharp tiny tools, keen eyes, & steady hands ... but I took a more simple route. The flag locker is actually a section I cut from the original Perkasa model's molded plastic bridge deck (simulating teak grate?). No assembly required. John
  23. JohnT
    Nice photos of the ship but I can’t see any of your model !!! Truly blown away by her. Cracking and if Carlsberg made models ............. Thanks for showing. I’ve only seen this on a small screen and will visit again when on large screen pc
  24. Modelholic
    So, (thinking out loud here) if the chart room is where the two square windows are on the port side, and the door you can just see the edge of in your 'radar' post is the entrance, there would be a ladder inboard of that door leading to the bridge. Looking at your pic that would line up quite well! Tom
  25. 73north
    Wonderful build - would you be looking forward to the Flyhawk 1/350 HMS Prince of Wales if it gets released soon ? I am
  26. Martian Hale
    Well said that Earthling! Martian
  27. Chewbacca
    Only just managed to catch up with this after a few months. Progress is amazing - I've seen shipbuilders' models that aren't as detailed as this! The radar is a work of art in itself but the one piece that really took my eye was the flag locker. How on earth did you get it lined up when each individual flag pocket can be not more than about 0.8mm square?
  28. longshanks
    Oil Lamps Kev
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