Bugle07

Looks spot on, great stuff!

I'm starting to get a terrible case of dèja vous. This is the Dragon version of Exeter, comes with a full hull. Well two bits that join at some points anyway. After some serious sanding and a bit of glue we have... And so the process starts all over again! Hopefully a lot quicker and with lots of corrections to the last effort. Speaking of which. On the last bits of detail painting now, couple of very last bits of PE and the ships boats to go. The decals are in the sun to try and bleach out the yellow from them, then a bit of rigginging and I'll be calling her done. That's all for now. Happy modelling all. Geoff

Excellent stuff! (Should that be Xcellent?) Geoff

Thanks for the comments gents, much appreciated! Oil washes and rust streaks are starting to go on now. Definitely going for the grimy South Atlantic look. Still have to stick everything down, plus the last couple of small fiddly bit, and the blue anti fouling stripe on the lower part of the hull. And then rigging... More soon. Geoff

Well work has really managed to get in the way of life/modelling in the last week or so. But I've managed to grab some time for painting in between preparing for new role interviews and tidying up other people's mess. Primer went on last week. Then initial coat of grey, Tamiya Royal light grey if my memorys still working. Then some black, Tamiya NATO black, on the appropriate areas. I've misted it onto the lower main mast as a couple of pics I have show this when she returned from the South Atlantic. Decks got a coat of EDSG and then everything got a coat of AK Enamels, Dark gery for decks to bring out the details. After a lot of tidying up of the enamel wash, the black identity stripe was added, again NATO black. And after a couple of rounds of drybrushing and tidying up slips and mistakes, here we are. Ships boats, Zodiac's and a few bits of PE still to fit but she's not far off being done now. Just got to do it all again now with the Dragon kit, plus base, in ohhh, about a month! We'll see... Appy modelling all all, cheers for looking in. Geoff

Mainmast Yardarms attached, last of the safety rails around the main deck fitted, starting to get into full modelling (read panic!) mode now. Couple of bits of PE still to be fitted, along with the ships boats but they'll have to wait till the paintings started and the superstructure is glued down. Priming and painting will start in the next few days, along with the main kit build, why oh why did I think I could build two kits at my speed! More soon! Geoff

Thanks for the comments Gents, much appreciated. So since we've got ages till the end of this GB I thought I'd... Wait, it's the 30th of September TOMORROW! OK, guard rails on. Other stuff on, along with more rails. Stuff still to do, Zodiacs and main boats to attach, and a couple of last rails. 6 weeks, still gotta start the proper one! Aaaarrrgh! Primer on soon, then paint, then may start doing what I'd planned to do in the beginning! Not panicking, honest Guv... Geoff

Good bargain that, will be an interesting project. Waters looking spot on, as of course is the launch. I like the method you used, may try it on Exeter (shameless stealing of methods) and thanks for the tip on the display case, will be going shopping in a mo for one or three! Geoff

Looking good mate. Always like your sea bases, and a couple of interesting projects in the background there... Geoff

Really good WIP so far mate, she's throwing you some challenges but you're taking them all in your stride it seems. I don't know why but the green canopy impresses me the most, simple things I suppose! Crack on mate, almost to the fun bits. I want to see what you can do with the paint on her! Geoff

You're frying along with this one, looks Cracking! I'll get me Geoff (I have no egg-scuses for any bad puns, sorry)

Paintworks looking spot on, especially on the pilot. Now for the fun bit, weathering! Geoff

Very nice! Geoff (Almost put "nice bottom", almost...)

Don't you just hate it when life gets in the way of modelling? Well, two weeks without being able to do anything on Exeter meant that tonight was a PE session. Gotta love the stuff... Ladder attached to the main mast and two bar railing round the top section. Stuck down with Tamiya extra thin so I've got time to position it, unlike CA. Wing guns attached, although in the wrong bleeding place. They should be forward of the moulded barrier, I may sort this out tomorrow. The guns are not the kits parts which look more like a Black and Decker drill. They're 3D 20mm ww2 guns but look the part here. All the bits on the bridge section are now glued down except the foremast, this will be done later. Also fitted are the Scot Platform Railings, (round the small blobs at the back), loading brackets to the front of the bridge, (the really teeny tiny triangles pointing out from the bridge wing fronts), and the Radar mast DF aerial, which is the wrong type, as this was for the later batch type 42's. The reason for fitting the wrong one is simple. Although you get enough parts to fully fit two ships in the White Ensign set, it's for one batch two (like Exeter) and a batch three ship. I didn't realise just had different the fittings for these ships are. As this is the practice ship, so to speak, and the much better moulded Dragon kit will be the kit I put all the effort and lessons from this build into, I'm going to save all the correct parts for that kit. I'm going to have to be very careful and not use the wrong bits. For example the air intake grill is different on the two types and I've already used the batch two set on this kit. Thankfully this piece isn't stuck down so I'll hopefully be able to just swap it with the Dragon part. Anyways, here's how she's looking at the moment. Main mast still to get the yards attached, a few parts and odds to be fitted, guardrail then a bit of painting will be in order! More soonish.. Happy modelling all! Geoff