ArnoldAmbrose

G'day, I think that plank-work is very nicely done. I admire any model built from wood in this way. To me it's a cross between precision and artistry. I'm looking forward to further progress. Regards, Jeff.

G'day, I've never heard of the battle so I followed the link. It would seem a few faces were probably red afterwards.

Which was fortunate as his chute opens on impact. And he bought it outright, not leased it so there were no strings attached . . . Yeah, I know, they're old ones so I'll get my coat. 😁 Regards, Jeff.

G'day @Andreas.R, yeah, you don't want to spoil this now. She's looking extremely good, and your patience with these final stages very commendable. Regards, Jeff.

G'day, that's a nice idea, I wouldn't have thought of that. And it looks like HMNZS Waikato is close to being done. Oh, I thought that WAS the beach house. 😁 Regards, Jeff.

G'day Zsolt (aka @prowler93), welcome aboard, from over the other side in Perth, WA. I'm more into 1/600 scale ships myself but have done the occasional aircraft. I rather like some of them, including the F4 Phantom and the A4 Skyhawk. They look great models that you've done. And yeah, I'm a slow builder too. Regards, Jeff.

G'day, he obviously has very little experience with his total lack of safety equipment. Some-one should tell him to wear sock-savers to prevent sawdust getting into his shoes - if he actually gets to the wood-cutting stage. Regards, Jeff.

Thank you very much guys. Only if I can build it out of styrene. 😁 Which I have in mind some day. I'll leave the actual wooden model ships to the true artists. 🙂 Regards, Jeff.

G'day All, I've completed adding the rib frames to DKM Karlsruhe and I've added the first strake on each side of the hull. The first time I did this was for my Flower class corvette. That ship had a flat foc'sle deck plus a main deck with considerable sheer aft. So in that case I glued the first strake under the foc'sle deck, from the break in the foc'sle deck to the bow. This hull is the opposite, with a flat main deck. So I decided to fit the first strake under the main deck, starting at the stern and continuing it all the way to the bow. This strake is rather deep, 4mm, and is a pre-cut strip for precision. I started fitting it between the transom stern and the first rib frame, then as the glue dried I moved further along the hull. As I went I glued join-strengtheners of 1.5mm square-section styrene between the strake and the deck edge, between the rib frames. Probably a bit excessive but I thought it important to get this one right as a starting point. That's why this first strake was a pre-cut strip and not a strip I cut from a sheet, the cheaper way of doing it. The hull will be cladded by strakes 0.75mm thick. Thinner styrene is easier to work but due to the limited number of hull rib frames it has a tendency to become straight sections between frames, creating a sort of oil-canning effect. The thicker styrene seems to follow the hull curve better. And speaking of hull curve, I think the hull 'entry' is a bit fine and bow a bit too flared but this was due I think to my rib frames being of dubious accuracy and position, particularly those under the break in the foc'sle deck. I'm going to have to live with it I think. The remainder of the strakes will be cut from a sheet of styrene, will not run the full length of the ship and will be tapered a bit towards each end of the hull. They'll also be narrower than this first strake, to follow the curve around the hull better. Well, that's the plan anyway. So this is it for now. I hope this week-end is peaceful and meaningful for you, what ever your beliefs. Stay safe and regards to all, Jeff.

G'day @Cavalcante, there is another possibility for you to consider. But first, have you a particular attachment to HMS Abelia? If so, then I understand you wanting any model of her you build to be accurate. A number I ships that I've modelled have appealed to me for a specific reason and hence I've gone to a bit of trouble in researching them for an accurate model. And most of these have been ships with only a few sister-ships. But many of the escort vessels, Flower class included were built in large numbers. And as @robgizlu has said above (and you've probably gathered for yourself anyway) there were a lot of variations in the Flower class corvettes. Many of them would have served in often appalling conditions with their crews enduring considerable hardship, all helping to win the war, with many never being given the opportunity to take part in a specific action that made it into the lime-light and the history books - they simply slogged it out unrecognized for as long as they were needed. The point I'm trying to make is this - If you don't have a particular attachment to HMS Abelia (or any other specific Flower class) why not make a generic ship of the class, either short- or long- foc'sle type? This will save you a lot of research into a particular vessel, and possibly some disappointment if you find later that you've made a mistake, such as wrong camo patterns, slightly different equipment fittings etc. The hulls and superstructures will be similar if not identical between ships, and any model you make will be immediately identifiable as a Flower class. I did this when I scratch-built a Flower class corvette in 1/600 scale about a year ago. There were no kits available in my preferred scale that I was aware of, hence the scratch build. Admittedly my model is rather basic but I enjoyed building all the same, and I've labelled her a long-focsle Flower class corvette. Something for you to consider. HTH. Regards, Jeff.

G'day, I didn't think for one moment that you were. 🙂 My emphasis on the word 'artistry' was meant as a compliment to those that really do create works of art here. My models are somewhat crude by comparison, but I accept the limits of my skill and enjoy the scale that I work in. That is what I meant by artistry. I've not done wood planking myself but have seen the work of others. My errors on the other hand will be filled in with filler and hidden by paint (hiding a thousand sins, not that I'm counting them 😁). For me here the hull frames are the slow tedious bit. Again, thank you for your interest and comments. 🙂 Regards, Jeff.

G'day again, not doubting you. I guess during wartime many ships on all sides had ad-hoc or non-standard armament alterations with what was available. I think HMAS Perth 'acquired' an Italian Breda 20mm AA gun while in the Med. The reason I asked about the quad mount replacing a larger weapon was the positions of the rails fore and aft of it that were intended to prevent the guns firing into the vessel - they seemed too far away from the mount to work. She really is a very good model. Regards, Jeff.

G'day Jeff, in a word - no. The frames are only 0.5mm thick (one is 0.4mm thick in error) and as the angle of approach is quite close to the normal (90*) I haven't found it necessary. Also the way styrene cement works (melting the two surfaces together) helps to accommodate any difference in angle of the joins. The hull will be planked/sheathed in 0.75mm styrene strips and I've reduced the dimensions of the hull frames by that amount already to allow for that. When I do the planking I'll probably start at the top, under the decks and work my way down the hull. That has worked reasonably well previously. This is only the third time I've done this type of hull so I'm still experimenting on how best to go about it. Plus filler and sanding cover a multitude of sins. This certainly doesn't have the artistry of wooden boat/ship models though. But thank you for your comments anyway. 🙂 Regards, Jeff.

G'day @javlin, that's a nice-looking model, and interesting in that I've not seen a quad Flakvierling on one of these boats before. Did it replace a larger weapon? And congrats on winning the competition. Regards, Jeff.

G'day Chris, she's looking rather rusty. I noticed that she seemed to have three screws, which I thought was unusual. I admit to not knowing a lot about submarines, so I've just looked her up. Very good model of her. Regards, Jeff.

G'day all, here's a post to show that DKM Karlsruhe is still on the go. I've been working on the hull frames. I've been using almost the same method that I used for my Fletcher class destroyer USS Mullany, but the drawings I have for this model are a bit more awkward. As refresher, below are the two sets together for comparison. Fletcher class Karlsruhe The drawing of the Fletcher class shows the hull contours and where they fit along the hull, and except for those up forward they're evenly spaced along the hull. The cross-sections of DKM Karlsruhe seem more intended to be indicative of the ship only. They're not evenly spaced along the hull and their position numbering don't always match the superstructure above them, so their exact positions are a little confusing to me. But they're all I have so they will have to do. I prefer the Fletcher style drawings. Here's where I'm up to with the model:- As with my Mullany build I expanded the hull cross-section diagrams by 400% (1/150 scale) on a photocopier then cut the curve of the hull on each. Due to all the other lines on the diagrams I then flipped each over and worked on the other side. Each diagram had a line drawn 4mm under the deck level, 1.5mm inside the vertical centerline and 3mm inside the curve of the hull. These are to allow for the thickness of the hull shell (1mm deck and 0.75mm hull sides) and the centreline profile bulkhead (0.75mm). I then cut them all out and with the photocopier reduced them to 25% (back to 1/600 scale). You can see some examples on the cutting mat. Then using the small cross-sections I started cutting and fitting hull frames from 0.5mm styrene, starting amidships and working aft. Then I started working forward. As you can see, they're not evenly spaced, plus they needed a bit of fine-tuning. I still have to do those under the foc'sle deck and work out the transom. I also might add a few more in the larger spaces, not sure yet. But she's moving along slowly. Anyway, I'd better continue. So thanks for your interest. Stay safe, and regards to all, Jeff.

G'day @Mal_Belford, they say everyone has a double, somewhere. You obviously do. 🙂 I hope my double behaves himself. Regards, Jeff.

An aircraft so beautiful they named it ‘Turkey’ ! G'day, I thought it was 'Aardvark'. 😁 Regards, Jeff.

Agreed. And I think viewing angle can make a difference. Although I'm a ship modeler I can sometimes see beauty in other areas, even aircraft. 🙂 The most beautiful fighter? Considerable range here. WW2 single engine - for me an early Spitfire. WW2 twin engine - Mozzie (Grumman Tigercat second place). Jets - Grumman Panther and Mirage 2000 are serious contenders. But for grace in the air, for me the F111c with wings extended is very hard to beat. Not strictly a fighter though. Regards, Jeff.

G'day Chief, that underwater hull has come up pretty good I think. Good luck with the deck forwards. And yeah, once a decision is made, go with it. Regards, Jeff.

Yeah, shop owners are funny like that. 😁

G'day, generally speaking I've found that corrections/alterations to hull and decks are best done early, before other stuff gets in the way. Shelterdeck/boat deck AFAIK. Regards, Jeff.

G'day again, whatever the measurement in 1/350 scale, multiply it by 0.58 (350/600). So 10mm in 1/350 becomes 5.8mm in 1/600 scale. 6mm would be close enough I think. HTH and I hope the mojo returns soon. Regards, Jeff.

G'day CJ, not bad, I guess. 😁 Actually, this is superb. In my opinion Prinz Eugen was one on the most beautiful German warships of WW2, along with the Scharnhorst, and they're definitely my two favorites. And this model - as I said, superb. And for only a second model ship it is an incredible achievement. You may have made mistakes along the way (most of us do) but to me they're not evident in the finished model. The PE details, guard rails, rigging, weathering, none of which I'm game to try, all add to this. Top marks. 👍 Well said. I think many modelers feel this way, I certainly do. I think it's a tragedy that many honorable men and women fought and died for their country in machines that bore the swastika, without believing in the Nazi doctrines. I think it's only fair to portray these machines (planes, tanks, ships etc) accurately. To me the swastika on models doesn't promote Nazism but instead reminds us of the folly, stupidity and tragedy of it all. Regards, Jeff.

G'day, I usually glue strips of scrap polystyrene across the hull joins now, for that very reason, plus some more where I'll screw in mounting plates. Regards, Jeff.