ArnoldAmbrose

Gidday Steve, very clever. Two weeks to go? Regards, Jeff.

Oops, sorry Jamie, I sent the above post before seeing your response. I apologize if I overstepped the line. After all, it's your thread, not mine. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday All, the photo in question was very large so I cropped it, You can make out the bracket/frame mounted on the bulkhead behind "A" turret. Below is a photo of HMS Welshman in Malta, with a similar but lighter frame around the bow. As she streamed her paravanes on her way in I assume this is what the frame is for, hence possibly for Exeter also. All this, however, is an educated guess on my part. I hope this helps. As a separate topic, HMS Welshman is wearing her disguise as a Vichy-French destroyer, a disguise she wore on her first two blockade runs to Malta, in May and June 1942. I shouldn't digress any further. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Alan, I didn't know about this (incident and model) either, it was way before my time on Britmodeler. A real David and Goliath story, I'm glad Goliath won. And like Chewbacca I like the wake of the RIB also, along with the rest of the diorama. I thought the funny story of the surrender to three teenage pirates hilarious. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Mikey, I've never seen anything like it, some sort of harbour defense vessel? It looks beautifully put together. Do you recall the size of long-gun and carronade? Regards, Jeff.

Except when one is freezing cold, soaking wet and 'feeding the fish'. Gidday Longshanks, I think this is all pretty good, but I think the slate roof raises it another notch. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Kevin, truly magnificent. Those photos looking up,with the sky above could have been the real thing I believe. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Again, I like the Walrus. I think the engine and wing struts set it off nicely. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Franco, you've done another superb model of a ship that had a tragic end. I believe she was torpedoed only a few days after delivering one of the atomic bombs to Tinian Island. What happened to her crew was ghastly. I haven't seen the Nicholas Cage movie, I saw an earlier film with Stacy Keach as Captain McVay. Again, you've done a very impressive model. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Steve, I think it looks very good. A calm sea lit by starlight and the ship going like a bat-out-of-hell, which was the case I believe. And I finished the book. I see what you mean by the ice field. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Jamie, I've given it a go. Hopefully it's worked, I'm not too knowledgeable about e-mails and stuff. If you don't get them, react here with the confused or sad icon and I'll try something different. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday All, I have found another photo of Exeter, high resolution and taken from broader on the beam, showing more of the piece in question. I'm sorry but I don't know how to create links or to shrink and post the photo. The shape of it appears to me to be designed to fit around the bow and to stream paravanes off it. I also have a photo of HMS Welshman in Malta on her first blockade run, and a similar (but much lighter) frame is strung around the bows also. I know she streamed her own paravanes while coming into and out of Malta on that trip so I assume that is what it is for. I've seen photos of larger vessels (County class included) which show a different arrangement for streaming their paravanes - vertical chains from the extreme bow to the forefoot which may be why no photos of County class have this piece. I am certainly no expert in this so please don't take my word as the answer but it seems to be plausible. I HTH. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Brian, welcome aboard. I've done a few Airfix ships also but PE is something I haven't tried. I'd like to see how yours turn out. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday, How many 'Titanics' have there been? 😁 Good job with the rigging, I'm not that brave enough to try it yet. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Calistan, I'd have a go at making the piece out of styrene. Another possibility is cutting the window section out of the original piece. As for the window frames I've seen a model where spare PE ladders were used for window frames. I don't do PE myself, I'm not that good so I speak in ignorance but if I recall it looked quite effective. HTH. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Ian, not a very slim lassie, is she. A somewhat matronly figure. And her make-up is beginning to run. Seriously, an interesting build and I have to agree on the above comments on the weathering. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Martian, I forgot about 'sticks', a nickname for the masts. If you want any more technical terms I'm sure Bandsaw could invent a few for you. And sending Mrs Martian off, telling her not to come back until she finds her Spirit of Adventure? You martians are braver than us earthlings. This earthling anyway. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday All, thank you for your encouragement and support, I appreciate it. And yeah Ray, they're not bad kits except for the guns and a few other minor issues. Also fun to whiff. I have a couple left and might try to convert one to HMS Ariadne sometime in the future. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Martian, your model continues to improve. I think the correct term for the horizontals supporting square sails are 'yards', and you have tapered them very well. The 'yard arms' are the ends of the yards I believe. The horizontals (or near horizontals) supporting fore-and-aft sails are booms or gaffs, and the whole lot, masts yards and booms are collectively 'spars'. If you know any Master Mariners then please check with them, and don't blindly take the word of an ex-part-timer like me. And please carry on - I'm enjoying following this. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Mike, I think she's an awesome build. So much scratchbuilt detail. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday, I didn't know martians had teeth. I like your additions to the vessel, and I think the rails for the belaying pins could be called 'Fife rails'. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday All, here is a model I finished about twelve months ago. HMS Welshman was of the Abdiel class, a fast mine layer, a sister ship to HMS Manxman. Besides her intended roll she was used as a blockade runner during the siege of Malta in 1942. Her first run was in May of that year, and neither the Admiralty or Churchill thought she would make it. She was disguised as a Vichy French destroyer, extra light AA guns added, jammed chock full with supplies and extra ammunition and let loose. Her speed prevented some of the enemy's attempts at interception, and speed, skillful ship handling and AA fire power saved her when they did. She completed three round trips to Malta in three months, and about six or seven in total. She was finally sunk off Tobruk by a U-boat in early 1943. The model is part of an Airfix 'Manxman/Suffolk' kit 04214 in 1/600 scale. I did a lot of modifications to the kit to depict the ship as she was on her arrival at Malta on 10th May 1942. Firstly here is a model of HMS Manxman, to show what I started with. This model is almost OOB, other than to replace the prop shafts and 4-inch guns with rod, the quad .50s from another kit and the quad 2lb pompom with a scratchbuilt mounting. I also added breechblocks to the 4-inch guns. The kit guns were horrible. And here is HMS Welshman, as disguised as a Vichy French destroyer. To create the raised focsle effect (she was flush-decked) the crew attached painted canvas to the forward guardrails and painted the hull darker where appropriate. The funnels were painted to suggest raked funnels and the funnel caps were altered - no.1 funnel cap was deliberately shorter for some reason, plus extra stays added to the masts. I did the same alterations to the model's weapons as I did for Manxman except I scratchbuilt the quad .50s instead, plus five 20mm Oerlikons were added for extra AA firepower. These I scratchbuilt also. Other mods were moving the no.2 funnel slightly further forward, added the Carley floats and their stowage skids, replaced the HA director and added type 285 radar (scratchbuilt) to it, the bridge layout and windscreen and altered the breakwater around 'A' mounting. My camera is not kind to me when I take close-ups. It shows my rough workmanship. Airfix has omitted the mine discharging doors at the stern of this kit, but I believe they were hidden as part of the disguise, so no problem there. A false bow was also fitted, but discarded at sea when it disrupted the streaming of their own paravanes. All these modifications I got from photos and the account of an RN Officer of the crew at the time. As I understand it, HMS Welshman was the first ship to get through the blockade of Malta, and I did the model almost as a tribute to the crews of these vessels. No doubt I've made some errors but I've tried to be as accurate as I could. That's probably enough from me. Regards to all, Jeff.

Gidday Konrad, not really the sort of young lady I'd like to take home to meet the family. If I saw that ship's prow coming at me out of the mist (or gunsmoke) I would learn to dog-paddle very fast very quickly. You've done a very good bit of custom modification, I think. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday Martian, She's coming along nicely. As for your questions I first have to state that my knowledge of this type of vessel is very limited (read 'almost zilch'). These are simply my impressions. Sailing warships such as HMS Victory stowed their boats on tiers well inboard, although some may have had quarter boats on davits. They had to operate in all weathers and had large crews to manage them. Your vessel to me appears more of a pleasure craft, more likely to sail in more moderate weather. I don't think there would be much pleasure when the sea's fury is at it's worst. Therefore, in your case the davits might be the way to ship the boats. Particularly as all three paintings seem to support this. I stress again that these are my thoughts only. If more learned modelers respond then certainly take heed of them. I think the bottom line here is, however, that this is your model so do what you think looks the best. HTH. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday All, many years ago in early High School I read a fictional novel about a pirate ship, in the Caribbean I think. She was named, believe it or not, the Black Swan. I don't recall a commando armed with an AR15 style weapon though. Regards, Jeff.