Bugle07

Well, well done on this, the paintwork is great! But ohhhh the rigging! I'd have stuck everything together trying to do that! Great job. Geoff

That's an excellent finish! Well done! Geoff

An incredible level of skill and attention to detail on display there. Great WIP, surpassed only by the end result! A fitting tribute. Well Done! Geoff

That's a brilliant build, well done! Cotton wool for the bow wave is a possibility as well, toilet paper works well at this scale tho, just build it up as much as you like! Geoff

Sound Plan, although knowing me I'd forget where I'd pinned it and be completely lost... All looking good there, bring on the paint! Geoff

Onwards and upwards! I’ve re sprayed the primer onto the kit to cover up my heavy handed removal of the lump under the cockpit, and to cover the two new lumps on the cowling. Now I think I’m ready for painting. Before I do, I wanted to test out the colours on the mule. AK Sky Type S, Black based with marbling. Quite happy with this, it’s subtle but shows a bit of variance in colour, not too heavy. Gloss coat added once it was dry. Think that works? I ran a quick and dirty enamel wash over it to see how it looked. I think the mules raised detail makes it look a lot dirtier that I’d want for the kit, but the effect overall seems to be ok? Any thoughts? Then onto the top and the Dark Earth and Dark Green Here the Brown looks good but the Green looks too light, too green? Again this has had a gloss coat added on once dry. In the flesh it definitely looks too green, regardless of the light, to me. A light wash of enamel. I’m happy with the brown I think, need to work on the Green. I’m not sure if I went too heavy with the final pass on the green? You can still see the marbling effect, not too in your face, But it’s there. I think I’ll play with the dilution of the green when I do the actual kit, see if I can get it a bit darker somehow without adding any other colours into the mix. Possibly a thinner final coat or thinner dilution? I’m waiting up on a couple of mask sets from the big H as I wasn’t impressed with my freehand Camo. Can’t get the hard line definition. Once they’re here the top cameo can go on, in the meantime I’ll get the lower parts done and masked up ready. All the best, and Happy Modelling! Geoff

I know what you mean about following the instructions on this kit, we're expected to actually pay attention! Watch out for the small bits that need removing on step 12, and all the small bits that need adding around then... Looks spot on so far, bring on the paint! Geoff

Simple update this time. Hull and main decks glued together, No real issues with the joins. If there is the seascape will hide them, I’ll make sure of that. I’m going to start painting the hull 507A, then mark out the boot topping and finally the red for the hull. I’ll also get the decks done now before any of the superstructure gets in the way. Possibly get this done over the next few days. Still can’t get over these little brass barrels, no idea how I’ll drill them into the mount, could be interesting to find out. More later. Geoff

Thanks again for that Bob, it’s an easy bit to remove, but the damage to surrounding paintwork can be extensive, wouldn’t like to do this fully painted... I’ve also added the two parts on the Starboard side of the cowling and the fuel cap. Jobs I knew I had to do before priming but I think I got carried away in the moment. Too excited to be getting paint on her at last! I’ll touch up the primer later. I primed up a leftover wing at the same time as I sprayed the spit last night, to test the Mig paints on. As I was letting the glue dry after the additions I thought I’d do a bit of mottling on the mule. As always there was a fair bit of paint still left in the cup after this so... Still had some left, Thats the undersides and upper wings ready for the next coats but first I’ll be trying out the Dark Earth and Dark Green on the mule, a job for another day now tho. Have a good one all. Geoff

Thanks Ozzy, so many ships, so many stories... Thanks Torbjorn, I'm going to keep this build as simple as the kit allows, (those brass barrels are giving me nightmares!) otherwise it may not get done by the end of MTO IV... Geoff

Thanks Steve, definitely going for light weathering, not over the top. A@#$%. More haste, less speed! So, thats a job for tonight then. I've also forgotten the two lumps from the starboard cowling. Well its only a coat of primer, no biggie. Thanks for pointing that out Rob, definitely wasn't thinking last night. Geoff

As I seem to be the sole representative of the Senior Service, and the war aflot in general so far, I think I'll have to put in a bit of effort here! So, History first. Taken from good old Wiki; HMS Legion, G74, was ordered on 31 March 1938 from the yards of Hawthorn Leslie and Company, Newcastle upon Tyne under the 1937 Naval Estimates. She was laid down on 1 November 1938 and launched just over a year later on 26 November 1939. During 1940 her main armament along with three others of the L class was changed. Twin 4 inch HA mountings were fitted and these four ships were re-classified as anti-aircraft destroyers. She was commissioned on 19 December 1940 at a total cost of £445,684, which excluded items such as weapons and communications equipment supplied by the Admiralty. During trials, a number of defects were revealed, resulting in the ship being under repair at Greenock in Scotland until January 1941. Her commanding officer was, from commissioning until she was sunk in 1942, Captain Richard (Dick) Jessel. On completion of repairs, Legion was assigned to the Western Approaches Command at Greenock as part of the 11th Escort Group. She was deployed on convoy defence duties, and also successfully trialled a modified Radar Type 286M using a rotating instead of fixed aerial array. In February she escorted military convoys through the North Western Approaches. She set sail in support of Operation Claymore, a commando raid on the Lofoten Islands, on 1 March. Following the successful completion of these duties, she joined the 14th Escort Group. On 13 April she rescued survivors from the armed merchant cruiser Rajputana which had been torpedoed in the North Western Approaches by the German submarine U-108. Legion rescued 177 men, although another 40 went down with Rajputana. The rest of April was spent escorting convoys. In May she screened capital ships of the Home Fleet, searching for the German battleship Bismarck; but she had to refuel at Iceland, and so was not present at the sinking of the German battleship. Legion then returned to convoy escort duties. On 22 June Legion and her sister Lance, escorted the aircraft carrier Furious to Gibraltar, on an operation to deliver aircraft to Malta. A few days later, (on 26 June), she and other destroyers screened the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, the battlecruiser Renown and the cruiser Hermione as they delivered aircraft from Gibraltar to Malta. This operation was repeated later in the month with Furious. In July Legion returned to Greenock to resume escort duties through the Western Approaches. On 20 August she was deployed to reinforce the escort of Convoy OG-71 which was on passage to the UK and had come under attack from the U-boats U-559, U-201 and U-564. The escorts were eventually successful in driving off the attackers; the convoy arrived at Liverpool on 25 August. In September she and her flotilla returned to Gibraltar and resumed escorting capital ships supplying aircraft to Malta. She provided cover on 24 September for the convoys of Operation Halberd. During the operation, the ships came under heavy air attack but continued onward. On her return to Gibraltar after Halberd, Legion and Gurkha attacked and sank the Italian submarine Adua with depth charges. October was spent escorting convoys to Malta. She made an unsuccessful attack on U-205 on 23 October and then rescued survivors from Cossack which had been torpedoed by U-563 west of Cape Spartel. In November Legion was assigned to the 4th Destroyer Flotilla and escorted more convoys to Malta. On 13 November she was attacked by U-205 and carried out an unsuccessful counterattack. Meanwhile, Ark Royal was torpedoed by U-81 and disabled. Legion and her sister, Lightning stood by the stricken ship, embarking 1,560 survivors. Legion later returned to Ark Royal to transfer key personnel for damage control efforts. After Ark Royal sank under tow, Legion returned to Gibraltar, arriving on 24 November. In December she was transferred to Alexandria to serve as part of the Mediterranean Fleet. On 13 December she was part of the fleet when it intercepted the Italian cruisers Alberto di Giussano and Alberico da Barbiano. Both were sunk in the ensuing engagement, known as the Battle of Cape Bon. The torpedo boat Cigno was able to escape. After this success the ship was deployed with Force K, to carry out attacks on Axis convoys on passage in the central Mediterranean in support of military operations. During her service with the Force she came under air attack in an engagement on 17 December that developed into the First Battle of Sirte. She then returned to Alexandria on 19 December with Force C. When the anti-submarine boom was raised to allow the ships to enter the harbour, the Italian submarine Sciré and three human torpedoes were able to penetrate into the secure anchorage. They laid explosive charges, severely damaging the battleships Queen Elizabeth and Valiant, and the tanker Savona. On 28 December Legion and Kipling sank U-75 off Mersa Matruh after a two and half hour hunt following the sinking of the merchant vessel Volo. Legion continued to escort convoys throughout January 1942. She was attacked on 17 January by U-133 north of Bardia. Although she escaped damage, Gurkha was sunk. On 27 January she had her ASDIC (sonar) equipment repaired at Malta. This work lasted until mid-February, when she was transferred to the 22nd Destroyer Flotilla. Further escorts of convoys followed. When one of her convoys was attacked by ships of the Italian Fleet, the Second Battle of Sirte developed, in which Legion carried out a torpedo attack. The Italians subsequently disengaged rather than risk further torpedo attacks. On 23 March Legion was detached to join Eridge in escorting the merchantman Clan Campbell. During this operation, the vessels came under air attack and Legion was damaged by a near miss. The ship proceeded on one engine after successful damage control prevented her from sinking and she was beached at Malta. She was then towed to the docks on 25 March and tied up alongside the Boiler Wharf the next day. Whilst awaiting repair, the docks were the target of an air raid. Legion was hit by two bombs and sustained further serious damage when her forward magazine exploded. She rolled over and sank in the harbour, with her bridge and funnel lying on the jetty. She was cut in two during 1943 and attempts were made to refloat her. They were unsuccessful. After the end of the war, she was broken up in situ. This was not completed until 1946. Like many of her sister ships she had a tough and busy career, cut short by land based aircraft, as was the case with so many other ships in the Mediterranean conflict. An interesting idea has bubbled to the surface in my crazy brain. If I make any serious mistakes I can always try and model her in a dio, rolled over onto the Jetty, or beached? Actual Modelling soon. Geoff

Thanks Steve, Stew, appreciate the comments, both look 'out' to me. I'll have a look in daylight later today, and possibly run another test on top of primer and some marbling, maybe that will bring it together. Now where did I leave that test mule of mine??? Geoff

Thanks Jabba, she’s getting there slowly. We’re all ready for priming now, will make an effort to get that done tomorrow. I’ll be using the Mig Early RAF air colours, what do we think of the test below? Is the brown to dark or is it me? This was airbrushed onto bare plastic, mixed 50/50 with thinners. Any thoughts let me know. More later. Geoff

Well this GB came round fast! This will be a placeholder for a while, I’ve go the BoB GB to finish first, but then I’ll be onto this smashing little kit. This is the Deluxe Edition with extra PE, Brass Masts and Barrels, should be interesting at this scale... I think the barrels are smaller than the XF on the paint pot... Quick play with a few of the larger parts shows the quality of this kit, no glue yet, but the level of detail is incredible. I’ll be using Colourcoats for this kit, always a pleasure to use. More once I clear the desk ( well, at least a bit of space). Looking forward to this GB, good luck to all. Geoff

Well, as it’s is BoB day, a couple of pics to show I’m still working on this kit. After a lot of sanding I’m fairly happy with the engine cowling, it’s not perfect but... Just finishing off masking the last canopy, all the smaller parts are prepped, if I actually get some free time soon I believe I may be ready to paint! Happy Modelling All Geoff

Great stuff Jeff, your flying along compared to all of my builds! Geoff

I do like the sea sludge on the keel, such a great effect. The bow wave and wake look good as well, dynamic (fancy word for a Friday), gives an impression of movement and weight to the scene. Geoff

Link to Atlantic Models site below. She's modeled as she was in 1985. https://atlanticmodels.net/kits/index.html Depending on when your Father-in-Law served on her would decide if you would need to change anything to get here accurate to the time. Geoff

Recommend the book, some really good reference photos and shows the development and changes to camouflage/roundels/codes very well. Good Book. Good call on the paint work, looks very smooth there, just right! Geoff

Do like that instrument panel, and the interior paintwork. Coming together nicely! How's the wings dihedral holding up? Geoff

@dickrd Is the Y turret missing from that picture or is it my imagination?

Don't know if you've found this site yet? http://www.hmsfiredrake.co.uk/firedrake25.htm HMS Firedrake association page, dozens of personal accounts from crew, not many pictures of the ship herself, but a fascinating read. If you look on the IWM site under , DESTROYER MANOEUVRES AT SCAPA FLOW, IN PREPARATION FOR THE SECOND FRONT. 25 JUNE 1942. PICTURES TAKEN FROM HMS FAULKNOR you may find some images from Faulknor of Firedrake, not sure, been a while since I looked, and my focus was on Faulknor as my Grandad served on her. On the models front, the E & F class from Tamiya is a nice little kit, and the WE photoetch sets her up nicely. There is a 5 star PE set which looks incredible but very fiddly. The AJM kit would be great, don't be afraid of resin kits, and should have everything you need for a really detailed model. It would come down to cost really, Tamiya plus WE set or the AJM kit? The detail on the AJM kit will be much better than the Tamiya, and finer but almost double the price. On the Tamiya kit, I'd recommend brass for the masts as it gives you a more secure platform for rigging. The kit parts are OK, if you're just going to do a couple of lines as a representation, but more that a couple and I found myself fighting to keep the masts in one piece, not something I wanted at that scale... Best of luck whichever way you look at going. Geoff

They're both looking cracking Rob! Geoff

Really good paintwork there. She looks great in a gloss finish, slick and smooth! Last few bits to go, well done! Geoff