Hello, I am a relative newcomer to building model ships and photo-etch. As they say, there is a first time for everything. As the title suggests my current project is the Frog Battle Class Destroyer which can be made to depict HMS Cadiz. The kit has a small amount of detail making it quite easy to modify. So I intend to turn it into a representation of HMS Gabbard, after her 18/11/1950 refit (which was completed on 17/01/1951).
So far I have modified the kits midships gun deck to reduce the overhang, the part had two mounting points for twin mounted 40mm Bofors guns (which HMS Gabbard did not have) these were removed and replaced with two scratch-built vents to look like the original ship. The gun deck aft of the funnel (which housed two single 40mm Bofors guns) has had ribbing made from 0.020" X 0.025" styrene microstrip added to approximate the original. From looking at my source material it looks as if I have added too many ribs.
The bridge is still a work in progress and it along with the bridge wings is being made out of styrene sheets. The original kit supplied part for the bridge has too much of an overhang and does not include bridge windows, The Atlantic models photo-etched kit is being used for adding these, as well as other detail for the rather spars kit supplied single 40mm Bofors guns, railings, lifeboat davits, etc.
The deckhouse and gun deck on the bow may need extending? The director supplied by Frog is modeled off of the American Mk 37 director which is incorrect for the 1942 battles, Model Monkey has a 3D printed British Mk VI director in the correct scale, which is on its way from across the pond. I do also have the Shapeways 3D printed Twin 4.5" Mk 3 guns in Mk4 mount and quintuple 21" torpedo tubes. The only ordnance missing is the two twin 40mm Bofors guns in STAAG Mount Mk2, which may have to be scratch built if a 3D printed example cannot be sourced in 1/325 scale. Any ideas as to where they can be sourced would be appreciated? Also, any suggestions on which brands and colors of paint can be used for accurately painting a Battle Class Destroyer? Interestingly a friend of the family served aboard HMS Gabbard and he remembers the upper decks (which were coated in a nonslip material called Semtex) being painted grey. I am not too certain whether the photographs added will work but fingers crossed.
The portholes have also been drilled out and at the moment certain things are not stuck down for ease of painting.