Alistair

I am just beginning work on the Trumpeter 1:200 HMS Rodney.  This is quite a change after 20 years of building in the 1:350 scale.  So far I have made a start on a diorama in which (if all goes well) the sea bed will be visible.  I have not done anything like this before, so it is a little daunting.  To get a reasonable fit of the hull in the wooden base I have had to attach the propeller shafts, rudder and bilge keels.  The bilge keels have impressed me.  They are long, thin and curved.  Once the inevitable bits of sprue were removed, the keels proved to be very well moulded and fitted perfectly against the hull.

To keep the hull and deck clean and safe during the preliminary stages, I have bought a long storage box from B&Q.  This is high enough to accommodate the hull with most of the superstructure fitted (not sure about masts) and is quite shallow from front to back,  Of course it is very long (about 1.2 metres).  The box is which the kit arrives is enormous and we live in a flat, so getting this sorted has been a big help.