Bangseat

I asked this question, specifically of the Duxford Beaufighter, of an insider recently. It has been a project since I was a spotty oik, and I'm now in my mid forties (eek). Pure economics was his answer - it's always a lower priority as twins are more expensive to restore and of course to run, they simply get a better return on investment restoring single engined fighters.

Your use of Gloy makes me very nostalgic...I remember using the RLM colours and it brushing very well when I last used it some 30 years ago, I didn't make it look as good as this though. Superb, and an interesting subject!

Seconded, thank you @Duggy, that's an incredible archive!

Absolutely superb. This is the kind of model plane I would get on a real plane to see in person.

Absolutely superb! I am particularly in awe of the clarity of the lower fuselage windows. Funny how the planes that look like they'd barely takeoff make the most barnstorming models.

I love these discussions! 2 alternative approaches: Imagine you take a real WW2 Messerschmitt and, using a fantastical yet to be invented device, reduce it (including the pigment particles in the paint) in size by a factor of 72. You place the aeroplane on your desk. Is this the experience you seek? Or, imagine, using a fantastical yet to be invented device, you increase yourself in size by a factor of 72. You now stand 400ft in the air and view your surroundings and Messerschmitt like a pilot on short finals. Is this the experience you seek? (Tongue firmly in cheek, I just think the imagination and inner child has a role to play here 😉)

Absolutely real, she even floated and indeed made it half way across the world! Yes agreed, the French ships take tumblehome to a whole new level. I very nearly went for one of these when I was weighing up options for "project insanity" - the original plans are freely downloadable as well as the French authorities released them all for free some years ago.

Thank you - they were fun to design. Top as fitted, simplified from the original (middle) as I hadn't allowed enough room in the casemates (over thick walls and floors a bit mislocated). The 3" gun is below.

3 months on and Peresviet can be considered "launched" (nb - this model is never going near the water!) and fitting out. I think I have now exceeded the length of time it took HM Dockyard Portsmouth to build the actual full size Dreadnought but I am still well ahead of the Baltiskiyy Zavod who build the full size Peresviet and in fairness there is only one of me. All in all, I am learning a lot as everything I do is essentially a first for me. The amidships deck, or maybe weather deck, needs to be constructed in place as the ship's tumblehome makes it impossible to airdrop a readymade deck in place. So all internal works, in effect the 6" and 3" gun enclosures, need to be made including the guns as they won't fit through the holes. Each 6" gun is a simple construction or cradle, breach and barrel: These pieces could be so much more detailed - it is tempting to put some dangly cabling in place as I believe these had various electrical and/or air lines on them - but there are various potential paths to madness making a model this size and I have to be careful not to over indulge. I think of this as a "low fidelity" model, which is to say its fidelity is as high as I can make it without running out of time or sanity, with some high fidelity bits. Certainly I am trying my best with the boats: The process is of course made so much easier with 3d printing, especially for the small fittings, and many times I have paused for thought on the devotion of modellers who make ships with lathes etc. The scuttles are a case in point - I think I need around 60 of them - and footsteps, so many footsteps... Happy weekend all! Harry

A few updates on Peresviet (I am going with the old fashioned transliteration, it may help the non Russian speakers - like me - pronounce it right). This was a copper bottomed boat - another charmingly old fashioned feature. This would have been fixed to wood on the base metal, so would have presumably shown a slight step in the hull. Combrig's kit shows this, but it is very hard to verify it in the grainy photos. Anyway, I'm going with it. There is a strip of .5mm styrene around the waterline and this is faired in with isopon: You can also see a torpedo hatch there. I am preparing the hull for paint by attaching non delicate fittings. There will be so many eyelets, torpedo net boom mounts and keeps, footsteps and all sorts on the hull eventually, but anything in danger will get painted separately and superglued on. I had no idea what shade of green to paint the hull, but have settled on Brooklands Green (left). Aurora, a good source of inspiration for this ship, has a much more virilant shade of green, which is why i tried the green on the right: but even assuming it was chosen by the conservators with some regard to authenticity (big assumption) I can't quite love it! Meanwhile, I need to repaint my funnels and vent cowls. It seems these were a classic Victorian funnel yellow buff. I originally painted Tamiya buff, but this I now learn is not supposed to be a "funnel buff": I'm now veering towards Trainer Yellow, with a Smoke filter. Anyone for a paint call out..? Happy Thursday, Harry

Yes, that hawse hole is the height of 2 sailors, I can only assume for eye candy reasons, after all the anchor doesn't draw right up (no stockless anchors here!) I think I do this stuff to avoid going even madder 😉 Good question. I am thinking that less may be more. With so much potential for artistic distress, I fear if I went full Warhammer on it the viewer wouldn't see the actual features. I love builder's models, all gleaming brass turnings, but I think i want to steer slightly more to the realism side - fresh in service look.

I think it was a reasonable sea boat on account of the high focsle, and it took a lot of punishment at Port Arthur. But yes, a bow only a Tsar could love. Steampunk, exactly! But very much real. The temptation to fit impulse ion engines is considerable.

Oh my I'm at it again... I have held off on doing any WIP for this as I was initially unsure if this would end up the shelf of doom (or rather become a shelf - it is furniture size). But - it seems to be now viable. The choice of subject is driven by wanting to make a 72nd battleship but still fit it in the house (this is 1.8m). Also, with tumblehome, gun ports alla HMS Victory and funnels out of a Lowry painting it is a particularly curious relic and amazing to think it came just 6 years before Dreadnought. This is not a distinguished ship - it sank twice... Some pics... The major work has been constructing the hull from I think 40 odd 3d printed sections. Sticking them together and filling - soo much isopon - was just graft and I'm sure you won't have missed 6 months of fortnightly updates reporting yet more sanding. I had already made some superstructure components however and although I'm a long way off fixing them down it is pleasing to pose them in place. I've also made the stern deck and there are 2 more funnels, I just didn't have enough Duplo to stack them on. I'm probably a month off painting the hull, subject to having a nice day in the garden and finding a suitable green spray for the hull (white and buff above the waterline). Phew!

Perfect, thanks!

Hello all - I am looking for some pointers. I was surprised I couldn't answer this myself with some intermediate googling. I'm looking for a body plan of HMS Dreadnought (1906, the famous one), or one of her near sisters, without recourse to the NMM plans service. I wonder if it is in a book - maybe the Dreadnought Haynes manual? I'm not looking for a freebie of course, just a tip for a reasonably priced source before I get in touch with their lordships.