seadog

I'd go with the Hood Association site as well, it is definitely the most relevant info around. Then there's E J Foerth's blog..EJ The man has spent ten years doing a 1/350th scale effort...eye watering detail and a lot of info. F

Ditto! Not the wanting one bit, though! Ace work and the mouldings are truly amazing at that scale F

Slow time... Been framing (not very well) paintings for an exhibition in the local library - forget the library cards, bring cash! - here in our corner of Portugal. I've managed to find time to put together the Oerlikon using some Parkin bits to spark up the kit offering somewhat... and stuck on a few decals. Can't use the roundels as they're horribly out of register - I've appealed to Airfix for new ones... The ones for the fore deck went down a treat with a bit of microsol. Looking at their pristine-nessI need to start thinking about weathering. Okay, the deck would have been pretty scuffed up, though, as I understand these things, the RAF boats would have been kept pretty tidy? yes? no? Most of the shots I have of MTBs show them looking reasonable and they had, I think, a harder life. Sailors are generally pretty house proud. So...I need to think about this.

Onto the turret limiting cage(?) or whatever it's called.... Airfix provide solid pieced for this, they look like antique hip baths... So I thought I'd get busy with wire and solder I learned how to use silver solder in a Jewelry class. It's been very useful over the years...

How about an Astute and Tugboat diorama...

Really nice! Love the weathering - understated. F

Nice build - ace finish...something I never seem to manage. I built this one too, probably about the same year as you. Some friends and I staged a small exhibition of Custom cars at school....somewhat underwhelming response, of course. F

Nice! The navalised version without the 'sabrinas' is very handsome indeed. Seen them a few times when I live in Bath. Fraser

Sure as hell looks good so far! F

I built one of these earlier this year to go with my WEM Trenchant. Keep meaning to do some sort of dual stand....one day maybe. Yours is a lot nicer than mine! Fraser

Got in a bit moreover the weekend and today starting with adding the rest of the rails Followed that today with a rash act of Dremelization, man... ASRLs had a strengthened rear deck to support the Oerlikon, so I decided to add one. Ummmm, I probably should have done this before painting and gluing the deck to the hull, but hey, building in a rational fashion is for sissies....What I've done is backed up by a photo of one of Dean's Marine's boats....looks about right anyway, well, I think so. Now I have a bit, possibly a lot, of tidying to do, he said, noticing the skewed rail...

I was overtaken by a Scorpion once. I was tooling along in my ageing Healey Sprite (1275) around the perimeter road at Heathrow - you could do it way back then. There was a fienish row and with a cheery wave a Scorpion went past - 'Flash git!' I thought. Cool tank was my next thought - I want one was the next.

Eee, lad, nowtwrong with popcorn - as long as it's drowned in enough butter and salted enough....'Damn the cholesterol, full speed ahead!'

Today's efforts. Some paint and yet more detailing... I'm enjoying this build. I'm not even going to think about the interesting W/T aerial... F

Hi Al. I'm very interested How much do you want for it? PM me Cheers F

Cheers for the sort out mike. Hadn't thought of using gauze bandage, could be the answer, long with raiding an old fishing net.... F

Thanks guys. This is what I like about this forum - constructive criticism and lots of experience! Nice clean build Jenko! Pappy's too - the figures certainly do make a difference.Thanks also for the advice about the cabin -I'll bear it mind! I'd kind of like to do mine approaching a pilot in his dinghy...I'll need to find pics, though I think I can remember what a survival dinghy looks like - tiny. Noting Dave Fleming's request for interior colours, the few shots I've seen look like white, though I could imagine the top of the dash being left varnished wood... I have both of Lambert's books and now both of the 'At War' books etc. I'm hoping that the new one will have more about the 71'6" BPB vessels... Fraser

OK. Now that this is in the proper forum... Today, after splitting a cubic meter of firewood, I managed to get some time to work on the launch. I noticed, incidentally, the date of this kit on the underside of the deck - 1978 - 32 years old. I reckon it has held up quite well. I've now scraped and cut away the solid rail, boarding nets and boat hooks in a fit of 'I can do better than that!' I'm replaced the rail with scratch-built bits, not perfect, but I reckon they'll do. I'm not sure yet what I can replace the nets with....bound to be something around here... F

Love to! F

My father reckoned that the 'hard chine' hull always makes for a rough ride. The S-bootes were round bilged and apparently were better sea boats but the British boats were more stable gun platforms... I found this page:- British Power Boats I really like Hubert Scott-Paine's Designs, particularly the later 71'6" design. It's fascinating to think too, that his Early design led to the American PT boats as well. Too bad no one has kitted the 70ft Elco as a lot of them served in the RN in the Mediterranean. I managed, at some expense to find a copy of 'Home Waters MTBs', from which it appears that the BPB 71'6" was the mainstay of the short boats in the Channel and North Sea once they became available.

Thanks gents.I'd seen the one on Model Shipwrights this morning while looking for nearly non-existent references. I like the idea of waterlining mine, not sure yet I did that on my VAirfix Vosper 73 footer http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/mi...m/fm-index.html and and generally do. As a mainly marine painter I really enjoy doing sea-bases.

The big problem with PE is, I am told heat, or the lack of it. Jim Baumann reckons that to be safe you should apply it in two inch lengths. Mind you he usuall works in resin which I think moves more than styrene. Over on Model Warships hints section hints and tips there's a lot of info about rigging Rigging Well worth a look

One of the most beautiful Warships ever and it looks like your build will be a cracker. I was very tempted when I heard they were doing it but prudence overcame lust. I'm having enough trouble seeing what I'm doing with HMS Hood! F

I've decided to take a break from HMS Hood, on which I was in danger of making a total mess of the rigging and my scratch-build 70'ft Vosper - I need a twin Oerlikon mount from somewhere! So I dug out The Airfix Air-Sea Rescue Launch. It's not bad at all. The hull went together very neatly and generally, the detail looks OK. However, there are weak points..of course. The little rail around the deck, and I'm damned if I can remember what it's called, is moulded solid. So being a bit of a glutton for punishment, I ditched the idea of doing it straight outta the box and have started making something I hope will come up better. Then there's the moulded in boarding nets...hmmmm. I reckon They'll have to go too. My dad, who was in the RAF during WWII bummed a ride in one. He said that when they got back in he had trouble walking from the pounding of a high speed run in a lively sea... Fraser

I'm finding that sprue doesn't last in the short run! Maybe it's just that I have too many thumbs! F