NotDaMama

Thanks! I lost the shield for one, so had to ditch a shield for its twin so they would match up. Didn't think I wanted the pain of trying to scratch one! They came out OK, but since Micro Master have brought out 1/600 resin 20mm, next time I do an old Airfix ship I'm putting in an order with them. I was very surprised at the total lack of deck detail on this kit, it's almost barren, which is a surprise as their Belfast and KGV kits have quite a bit going on in the deck furniture department. Scratch building the bollards was a serious consideration, but I was rapidly running out of time having had to design and build all the gun tubs, 20mm batteries, the shields around the 4in guns etc, and a ton of time was lost on the masts. You were right not to trust them, they are too thin and bend too easily, so I replaced them with stretched sprue I cut from a Dragon Panzer IV kit I didn't trust that the Airfix sprue would be suitable.

I shall assume this has likely already been asked, but I've not found an answer yet. When Tirpitz was hiding up north being under utilised, do we know what colour her decks were and whether/when the colour changed? I have one of the Ship Craft books colour plates telling me she went from a dark grey deck to plain wood in the space of about a month, just in time to be sunk, but there doesn't seem to be an explanation of why or even if this is accurate. I'm working on getting the parts together for the Tamiya 1/350 Tirpitz (I believe the model shows her as she would have been in late 1943 to her loss in 1944) and there seems to be far less interest in her than her sister! Look forward to any info you guys can provide.

@Colin W thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it. It was a very enjoyable build, despite the level of work required. One I'm quite proud of, and even went so far as to clear some tanks out of the cabinet to make space for it!

As a quick final note, my father sent me photos of the first attempt I made at Nelson about 25 years ago after I showed him the finished kit. The difference is stark! Never again will I attempt a ship without getting the PE for it first, it's well worth the pain 😁

@ArnoldAmbrose @rob85 thanks very much guys. My last two GB's, I missed one by a week and the next by a day, so I'm rather pleased this one came in nearly 8 hours early I must admit it turned out far better than I ever hoped, and none of my fears about it came to pass despite the carpet monster getting a couple of snacks. The extra week did help as it allowed me time to tinker with bits of the kit and the wash, so I'm very grateful for that! This has been a ton of fun.

I've done my part, Nelson is up.

HMS Nelson 1945 Airfix 1/600 Build:

A lot of work has been done in the last few days and no updates presented because I am being a secretive sod and keeping the overview for the gallery! However, as there is a load of detail I can't fit into the gallery, I present for your perusal the work done. The main AAA fit has been completed. The 4in have been washed, gently, to enhance the cutout. I didn't pad them out in the end as the amount of work needed to make them truly accurate was a build in itself. Lots of complex rebuilding, moulding and sculpting and there just was no time for it. Painted lines do look the part though I feel. The Yagi antennae were not as difficult as I thought they would be, but they were not simple. Fortunately they came out ok after some verbal abuse and a visit from the back end of a pair of pliers. I make no excuses for my unorthodox methods and instead entirely blame Airfix. The admiral's barges were fun, actually. I masked off the hull and painted a thin black boot top, then picked out a suitable blue for the hull. Once applied, I realised the boot top was now totally invisible... oh well, I know it's there. Windows and colours were based on photos of Nelson at the end of the war and photos of the same kind of barge in 1956. Unfortunately, once again Airfix have spawned some hybrid abomination and foisted it upon us poor, unsuspecting modellers. The whalers were once motor pinnace's, but they fit being whalers much better once they were sanded flat. The four boats do look the part on the shelter deck. All rafts and hatches were given a wash as were all the ladders, though no wash was applied to any other features. This was down to the size of the ship and the fact that, had I wanted to wash the whole thing, I would have needed to apply a matte coat after, something that could only be done whilst the ship was in pieces. As Airfix demanded a lot of filler before painting, and had a very odd assembly method, this ruled out completing many sub assemblies and then building the ship. For the wash I mixed Windsor & Newton oils, black and titanium white, to give a light grey to contrast the G45 and then further black to contrast the G10. After some touch ups, and the installation of the anchor chain, she was all done!

A quick photo of the work so far. Everything bar the 4in and X turret is now stuck down.

@Ray S @rob85 thanks guys! Progress continues where time and lack of other pressing tasks permits, so much so we now have 20mm guns on the deck above the 4in mounts and along the sides of the boat deck. HACS directors have their antennae and I've got the first of the 2pdr mounts on the superstructure tubs as well as one on B turret. Once this is all done I'll go over the ship and touch up the paintwork again and maybe, if I figure out what won't kill the paint, I'll apply a wash to the hatches and ladders.

I have been mad busy on this project in the last week and it is finally showing! Almost all the painting is done, touch ups are needed in places though, and we are on to the 20mm nightmare before the antenna mania that will ensue. The positive is I have a week til Doomsday (also known as Enzo locking the gallery 30s before I get there again) and I should manage to complete it! On to the pretty pictures! Hull painting done, rudder, screws and shafts installed, portholes painted. A better view if the portholes and the 20mm battery on X turret. Whilst they are a right nightmare to assemble and fit, the 20mm are bringing more life to the ship overall. The guns atop the conning tower do look out of scale, but I suspect that's got a lot to do with the mess Airfix made when they designed the kit. I have been messing with the boats in a bid to match the images I've seen of Nelson in 1945 and came to the conclusion the only viable solution was to modify the kit boats. Thus, I have cut off and sanded flat the cabins on top of the admirals barges and then stuck the motor launches on top! This does fit the general appearance of Nelson at the time and the size of the boats does now take up the right amount of space on the shelter deck. Radar mast heads are all done too and I should be able to start final assembly on Sunday, 20mm madness permitting.

Rob, stop scaring me!! Now I feel compelled to spend the rest of the night glued to my desk (hopefully not literally, but it has happened in the past...)

@Ray S thanks very much! Still seems like there is so much left to do, but I'm sure it isn't really that much. Couple of views of the ship temporarily assembled. The desk also serves as a work desk since the whole WFH thing came about, so test fits are great for keeping it all together. Slightly different angles to show as much as possible, even moved the lamp about for you all!

And now, ladies and gentlemen, behold! A half decent paint job! Boot top next, after a quick coat of G45 and a brief sanding.