Chewbacca

Great work Glynn. Only problem with that bridge (which I agree looks superb) is that it opens up the bridge so much that now you need to scratch build the interior... I've done it once in 1/350; I wouldn't fancy it much in 1/700.

Some great work going on here Jeff - very impressed. Personally would have cut a chunk out of the hull midships and joined them together before repairing the damage to the stern with filler rather than trying to bend the residue of the stern around but you made that look really easy. How did you get it to bend without the use of heat if I may ask?

Scott, when were you in Hayler? It wasn't the same SNFL deployment that did this Exercise Teamwork was it?

They're not radomes as such (insomuch that they don't house a radar) but mostly satcom aerials (and a tracker for the 4.5 inch gun on the foremast for'ard face) I've never served in a T23 but certainly the earlier style SCOT satcom aerials fitted to a T22s/T42s were a light duck egg blue. The single centreline Inmarsat aerial is white. IIRC, the radar antenna cover on the 911 tracker (just abaft the bridge and on the hanger roof) should be ships side grey/light weatherworks grey.

Hi Mike, I started it over 6 years ago at a time whenever I tried to get onto BM my anti-virus checker said it was infected and blocked it. In those days I was a firm devotee of the Airfix Tribute Forum having been one of the earliest members from about 2006. It was only a chat to Martian at a Club meet one night coupled with the fact that ATF moved to a Tapatalk platform around the same time (which is truly awful) that persuaded me to jump ship. I thought I had created a WIP in ATF but I can't check as even through I still have an account over there, Tapatalk won't let me in unless I create a separate account with them and change my username to the Tapatalk one which I have no intention of doing. For the record, I don;t blame any of the ATF team for the move to Tapatalk - I know there hand was effectively forced - it's just that I find it the most infuriating website hosting software I have ever used (and I used to be the web manager for a multi-award winning car club website). I do have some WIP photos so can recreate it on here when I get started on it again. No problem at all Jeff - help yourself. Don't forget though that although the Rothesays and Whitby's were virtually identical in length and beam to the Leanders, the Cats and Cathedrals were shorter at only 340 ft long which does make a difference (~15 mm in 1/600). Oooh, very useful intel. Didn't know that. Thanks

Excellent job there Jon. I know what you mean about the scale thickness of the rigging. I went scale with ultra fine Uschi van der Rosten on my 1/350 BULOLO and you can barely see the rigging and aerial lines whereas in reality all of the photos show them to be quite prominent. I'm nearing the end of my first all resin kit (Atlantic Models PUMA) and I would totally endorse that. The quality is streets ahead of any injection moulded kit I have ever done though looking at some of the recent offerings from the likes of Flyhawk the gap is narrowing rapidly (if only they would do 1/350!). The one observation I would make I think is that the skills needed for resin are similar to, but in some cases very different to, injection moulded so my advice would be start small and build up your skill set before embarking on one that's getting into serious money.

I know it is a little late but I am playing catch up on BM while on leave this week after a few months being very hectic at work. I think the two observations I would make are that: 1. Getting a realistic sea scape is probably the hardest thing to do in ship modelling, but to my mind it really sets the models off to their best effect. You've done a very good job. 2. The most important thing to consider is where in the world is the model representing because contrary to most people's expectations, the sea is more often that not, not blue (sorry for the double negative). I think, though am very happy to be corrected, that the colour is largely driven by microscopic algal growth and there is more green algae in cooler waters. I know that RHYL was operating in the North Sea is 1941/42 but don't know whether she spent her entire career there or not. The North Sea is definitely not blue - more a sort of murky green/grey with browns added the closer you get to the great estuaries like the Thames and Humber or in harbours. The North Atlantic is much the same, predominantly greens with just the slightest hint of blue. The further south you go, the bluer it gets. Looking at the finished product in RFI, the colours you've got are very typical for the Mediterranean around Malta or Crete in summer. Hope that helps. Please don't take this in any way as criticism as you have created a cracking model. incidentally, when I first saw the title of this thread I got very excited thinking that Mike had produced a 1/350 Rothesay class frigate!

Like you Jamie I've found recently that the day job has been getting in way of both modelling and catching up with what's been going on with BM so only just seen this masterclass in painting, It is looking superb and I love your comments about why bother when there are so many talented modellers out there who are better than us mere mortals. Well I can honestly say that i am learning a huge amount from this thread in weathering techniques for ships' sides! I do also share your dilemma over the action damage. I had the same debate a few years ago about depicting HMS GLAMORGAN post the Exocet hit and in the end decided to do it as a tribute to the men who gave their lives. It has been seen since at various model shows by several former members of her ship's company who were there that day and no one has commented adversely; in contrast they have all said that it is a fitting tribute. I am speechless. That is incredible. In 1/700 at that. And I am worried about painting 150 odd figures in 1/350 for my PU<A at Navy Days model. I think to quote from Wayne's World "We are not worthy!"

Not a conversion I've ever considered but Enterprise was a fair bit longer than the Kittyhawks (~90 ft) so you'd need to lose around 46 mm off the hull. There beam at the waterline was within a couple of feet but Enterprise was around 30 feet narrower at the extremity of the angled deck so you'd need to work out where you could make the reduction in length. I would suggest that it would not be a straightforward conversion. Good luck!

Hi Mike, I have a part completed Airfix 1/600 LEANDER to LONDONDERRY conversion. Technically the Rothesays were fractionally shorter by about 18 inches (which I ignored) but otherwise the only major structural differences that I have been able to detect is the lowered quarterdeck and full width bridge superstructure.

Little more progress. Started to fill in the gap between the hull and sea with Liqitex. not wholly successful because it is too clear so it is difficult to see it when it sets but it is better than the really stark gaps. This is the second coat of Liquitex going on while it is still white: And then started to add the berthing hawsers and wires: First test was the back spring. Not wholly convinced that this is correct because I would expect it to come from the quarterdeck but looking at photographs of the real ships, the only two fairleads on the quarterdeck are on the transom which wouldn't give the correct lead. And yes, for the purists amongst you, I know I haven't "dipped" the spring eyes (where the eye of the second wire is brought up through the first so that either can be taken off first). I did try but it was way too fiddly. I did achieve it with the headrope and sternrope and worked out a way that I could do it but by then the springs were superglued in place. The springs are traditionally steel wire rope so these are made from 0.1mm Albion Alloys nickel rod. I painted the back spring with Vallejo steel to tone it down but wasn't wholly convinced it made that much difference so the fore spring is simply plain nickel rod and I think looks better. The headrope and sternrope are made from some of my wife's finest white sewing cotton to represent the nylon multiplait hawsers. But then that got me thinking. In 1970 were the berthing hawsers man made fibre or natural manila? The 1964 copy of BR 67 Manual of Seamanship did say that "within a few years most natural fibre ropes would be replaced with man made fibre" so for the purposes of this model, PUMA's berthing hawsers had been replaced though to be honest in this scale the difference in colour between nylon and manila is probably negligible. Of course these days the berthing hawsers are mostly black. The last photo also shows the brow roughly positioned. Before that gets attached I need to make and fit the safety net that hangs underneath and then add the dockside guardrails. Thanks for watching

I was joking about the separate barrels!

Cutter duly rigged. Not sure why but this was considerably more fiddly that the whaler - I suppose it was because the deck houses got in the way. And mounted to the base. You'll recall if you read this WIP from the beginning that I forgot when set up the plaster of Paris sea that I did it the way I always do it which was to leave sufficient hull below the waterline to embed in the sea. But of course this was already separated at the waterline and so by pushing her down into the sea, it made her look seriously overladen and thus I had to try to build up the internals of the base to lift her up by 2-3mm, and that in turn has left a large gap all the way around the ship. Once the white glue is dry, I shall start to fill that with Liquitex. But that's a job for next week - off to the "smoke" tomorrow for a week at DSEi on the company stand. Looking forward to that...not! And finally, don't think I've put a picture up of the completed 3D dockyard crane so here it is. Though looking at it I realise I have mounted it the wrong way around because the cabin door is on the opposite side so there's no way to get in from the access ladder...

Thanks - that makes sense. I think I was thinking that her progression was like HMS FURIOUS when she started off with a flying off deck for'ard before the landing deck was added aft and only afterwards was she completely rebuilt to have a full flight deck. Langley was certainly the first US aircraft carrier. HMS ARGUS predated her in UK by a couple of years IIRC.

Missed this when it was first posted and I must say that even if there had been a ton of entries in the aircraft carrier class, it still deserves to have won. That really is stunning. I struggle to paint cockpit canopies in 1/48 and there you are doing it in 1/350! The weathering actually looks very realistic in comparison to some of the photos I have seen so I wouldn't say it is underdone at all.

That's a really nice finish, especially the sea scape. A couple of the photos taken from above had me doing a double take whether it was the model or the real ship I was looking at so BZ. I remember the exercise that she was doing off Norway - Ex Teamwork 88 - though we (PENELOPE) were withdrawn early following a collision with the Canadian tanker Preserver

That's a lovely build and the PE is exquisite. I must confess I've seen lots of pictures of Langley but only from later in here life when she had a full length flight deck. The immediate thought when I saw this was "what fool designed that with a mast directly ahead of the flight deck? Clearly not an aviator!" It then got me thinking. Could they strike that mast for flying operations as they often did with aerials in RN WW2 carriers?

Followed the WIP with interest but missed the RFI so glad it bounced back up to the top of the page. Beautiful job Jeff.

Is it just me - I can't get any of the links to work?

First class finish there - very representative of the realistic weathering that these boats used to suffer.

Excellent work on what really s a very tired and clunky kit!

I've got the original WEM BRAVE in the stash which is basically the same kit. I was her Flt Cdr 1990-1992 and my avatar is getting airborne from BRAVE in Feb 1991 in the middle of Op Granby. Sad thing is, though I remember taking hundreds of photos of her, I've actually got very few that I can lay my hands on. There are a few here which might help including hangar interior shots: https://www.flickr.com/photos/16607344@N04/albums/72157680128660613

Loving this. with every update it is looking more and more like the real thing. If you can access a colour laser printer, I strongly recommend their laser decal sheet. Not only do laser printers usually have a much better resolution, it saves having to faff about with sealing the decals before putting them into water.

Coming together superbly. Looking into one of those bays it was hard to tell that I wasn't looking at the ship herself. And loving the Tuggs