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Ok, I'm back with my next project, a scratch built 1:48th scale Flower class corvette, in wood and metal This will be a big model, over 4ft long and 9 inch beam. The case alone is probably my modelling allowance for the year! This is not a project for the faint hearted, the etching work will cost £100's. I estimate 18 months, but I could be wildly wrong. I may squeeze in some other small projects along the way, who knows? I have lots of ideas.... Still, I think I have one large model left in me, and what could be more perfect than a flower. Most importantly, I have a place to put it where it will fill the space and look impressive. The work on this project really started a couple of years ago with research and most importantly, deciding which flower and at what period? When you start to study the class, there are innumerable differences in type, period, duty colour scheme, armament etc that make choosing one extremely difficult. At this scale, every detail matters, each rivet etc. So, I needed a boat that had sufficient information to achieve the level of detail I like and the level of accuracy I aim for. I like the early short foc's'le vessels (really I like ships to be close to originally envisaged rather than later developments) but it has to have the radar so it will have to be post a refit, but not a long foc's'le refit. Getting quite specific now. I also need some very good quality pictures of the vessel at exact period and drawings, lots of drawings. Meeting all these criteria, I ended up with just one out of the nearly 300 built, HMS Alisma. Originally ordered for the French navy she was taken over after France fell and commissioning into the Royal Navy in early 1941 taking the pennant number K185. She survived the war, became a Greek tramp steamer and sunk in 1954, probably due to poor maintenance. The IWM collection has some outstanding pictures of her after her first 1943 refit with the radar and a type B bridge (more of flower bridge type later). Lambert prepared outline drawings of her at this stage (and the other two key stages) which I have and which are reproduced I various books. So, a lot of my criteria are met. I hope this will not be just another flower build. The plan is a wood planked hull, with copper bulwarks, deck and deck houses. The hull will be plated in aluminium with as close as I can get to the right rivet detail and plating joints (flowers used both butt and lap joints depending on position). I have, so far, accumulated nearly 400 relevant files, that will only go up as the build progresses. Most importantly, over 60 pictures of areas of the deck, without even going close to Sackville... A couple of moths ago, I visited the Brass Foundry here in London and viewed their drawings of Alisma and Abelia, her sister ship (see @robgizlu excellent model HMS Abelia). I photographed the docking plan and Abelia's GA and purchased the rigging plan for Alisma. This latter is an incredible drawing, showing each and every rope and its type and size, gold dust... I have it on my plan wall @ 1:48th scale, the size is a little daunting and its only a waterline drawing. I've purchased all the normal reference books. Note, don't buy Man o' war 7 and Ensign 3, they are the same book, very naughty Detail from the rigging plan, what a wonderful resource. However, the IWM collection only contains "as-build" drawings, not post-refit. I may reach out to the Harland and Wolf archivist to see if they can help and the bridge details I need are in outline only and give rise to many questions. I will have to do my own drawings of the type b bridge a non IWM copyright picture of the post-refit vessel I intend to build, April 1943 This is going to be great.... The lines were taken from the anatomy of the ship for Agassiz, however, they needed modifying for the rounded stern, Agassiz had the squarish stern profile while Alisma has a more curving stern. The lines were then turned into frames and a keel profile. The construction will used my normal deckhouse box concept, where the deckhouse assembly is build separately and fits into a box shaped hollow in the hull. The planking will use 1.8 mm thick Obechi timber which sands so nicely, a mix of 10 mm and 6 mm wide planks, lots of them. This boat could easily be made into a working model, but I no longer do that. Here is the frame drawing, after around 100 hours of drawing and working out how to build it, so many check and cross checks. There are 22 frames, set at 4 frame centres and 8 in the centre section where it is relatively parallel The xtool has a capacity of 450 mm so the keel and deckhouse floor are in multiple pieces that lock together. Here they are all cut out, this is what a hull kit would look like when unboxing Let the fun begin Cheers Steve

I'm back with another adventure, a 1:48th scale model of the first ever destroyer in the Royal Navy, HMS Havock of 1983 Following the trials of HMS Lightning (torpedo boat No 1) navies around the world began constructing torpedo boats to launch the new Whitehead torpedoes. To counter the threat of these torpedo boats torpedo boat destroyers were commissioned, capable of fast speed (for the time) and with guns capable of eliminating the threat. This is nicely summaried in this video for those interested Yarrow and Thornycrofts were the first builders to enter the race to build the first TBD's with Yarrow launching the first of the new A class 27 knotter's, HMS Havock in 1893 The A class vessels were all different, some having bow torpedo tubes, some not, with varying boiler arrangements (that technology was changing very fast in the 1890's) and differing level of equipment and guns. HMS Havock was one of the early smaller vessels being 180 ft between perpendiculars and 185 ft overall length, displacing 275 tons fully loaded. She had 3 torpedo tubes and 1 12pdr 12 cwt QF plus 3 6pdr Hotchkiss QF deck guns Here she is as originally fitted with locomotive boilers And the builders model I've already posted, also @1:48th scale So, its a big model, 46.25 inch long but very narrow and not too tall. It will make a nice comparison to HMS Medea, the black painted M class destroyer I built 20 years ago. After my loft room sort-out, I now have the space to display it, so here goes.... As ever, I will be building the hull in wood plank on frame with aluminium plating and brass fittings. Where ever possible, wood for wood and metal for metal While the dolls house is developing, I will be working on the drawings and have enough information gathered now to start the thread, though it may be slow to begin with. The key decision to start recording the build came on Friday with a copy of the as-fitted drawing from the Maritime Museum archive. I'm not allowed to post it here but Lyon's great book on early destroyers has a copy and this is a scan This scan does not do the plan any justice, here is a sneak of a piece of the full 84mb file For those of you how have not had the opportunity to work from builders drawings, you are missing a great pleasure. Victorian builders drawings (in particular as-fitted ones) are a delight, they took the trouble to draw more or less everything, the drawing even lists the small arms carried in the captains locker... No model plan comes close To supplement this wonderful plan, here are a few other references I have to help me along the way So, the journey begins, more soon Cheers Steve

First, sorry for the radio silence, we've been away and also work on the house intervened in modelling activities. I will get back to the BPB company MGB today and post some progress later. Meanwhile, as is ever the case, while modelling, I'm also researching and I've spent many many hours looking into R-boots. Considering the number of these vessels that were built and the various uses they were put to, there is very little information available and relatively few pictures. In effect, the R-boats were very similar to the Fairmile B's in numbers and uses and when reading about coastal forces, while S-boats get all the headlines, R-boats are the ones most commonly fought as there were never very many S-boats. So, they were the work-horse of the Kriegsmarine coastal navy and my collection of WW2 costal forces would not be complete without an example At 35m in length, they are almost the same length as the S-boats (making a 1:48th scale model just under 29 inches in length, mixing units as ever, sorry.) This time, as the research is a major challenge, I thought I'd start the thread early in the project and include progress on the drawings and challenges given I can't find a plan of the 110-t class to work from. There were actually 7 classes of R-boot, the later classes serving into the 1950's, in particular the Capella-Klasse which has an armoured bridge and serving the the Polish navy among others after the war. However, from 1940 the 110-t class seems to be the most prevalent and has a distinctive large windowed bridge that I like. They had wooden decks over the forward 3/4'rs with steel decks at the stern. They were used for mine laying, mine sweeping and coastal protection. I believe this is R-38, the 110 t class boats were R25-40 and R151-217 This is R178 And again, without as much camouflage showing the extended stern, probably to aid mine-laying A German website offers drawings of this class but they have not responded to my enquiries, it is 14 years old so perhaps they no longer offer the prints. The illustration however may provide some guidance, even though it is a poor quality print I've found drawing of the Capella Klasse boats one of which has lines that I hope I can adopt and modify to make a reasonable stab at the hull There are obvious differences, but the overall hull lines look very similar and are probable good enough for this scale. I have found an actual German technical drawing of this class, as well which has a second sheet of details that will help a lot Lastly, the 3D model for R-41 (Aldebaran-Klasse), available in war thunder is on-line, below my own composite illustration of this 3d model which is a useful further reference point Comparing all these, the location of the deck house don't align and the bow profile is much steeper on the 110-t class, but overall the shape is so similar that I think I can make a stab at it. If anyone has more information of drawings, they would be most welcome. I have two German language books on order , I'll post more information as it arrives and discuss progress with the drawing work as it progresses. This one is much more an investigation project than normal, exciting I also have over 30 photographs of the un-armoured bridge classes that I will post as I go so watch this space Finally, two more 3D model illustrations I've found, first the 110-t class And this, the 3D model used in the film The 12th Man, R-56 was actually an Aldebaran-Klasse vessel of 125-t, but very similar. Not sure how accurate that massive towing winch is, no pictures I have found show anything that large fitted, it would seem to clash with the main engines ..... So, hopefully this thread will grow to become a good reference for others looking into building these vessels as there is so little available at present. Cheers Steve

I'm guessing most of you won't know me as I'm a ship modeller. I'm posting here because I'm currently constructing a diorama showing a WW2 RAF Air-Sea rescue buoy (known as a Cuckoo) that has beached in a storm and is being inspected by some RAF personnel in a Bedford MWD. Now, I don't make kits, I scratch build everything and wherever possible, I model wood in wood and metal in metal. So, the Bedford is being modelled in brass, shapes and etched parts with a wooden bed and sides. This thread is in the marine section where people know me and as the main event is maritime. However, I thought there may be a little interest in the process I'm attempting for the truck amongst vehicle modellers, so if anyone wants to stop by, here is the link. Bedford MWD It's my first attempt at vehicle modelling so be kind Cheers Steve

Last May I decided to build a companion model for the s-boot I had built in 2021. I like companion models, they make great comparisons. It also fits with my small WW2 coastal forces navy that I've been constructing for a few years. There were only two problems: My almost complete lack of knowledge or reference material for the Kriegsmarine; and A total lack of commercially available plans. The challenge with 1:48th scale is you need a huge amount of information to do a subject justice. It's a very unforgiving scale as you can (should) build down to the rivet Countless hours on search engines plus a couple of lucky breaks; 10 new books for my naval reference library; a Russian model forum; and last but not least some very helpful people on a German naval forum turned my meagre cache of 4-5 pictures into to an astonishing 150 images of the type. I still didn't manage to find a good drawing of the R25, but enough others and some assumptions plus a bad lines sketch was just enough to produce my own 4 sheet set of plans. It's all tentative, but I've done my best to align dimensions with drawings I trust and photographs. Thankfully I don't count hours modelling, but the plans alone probably took over 300 hours before I was happy to start the build last September. As with my other models, this is a working boat during wartime. It is dirty and chipped with algae and oil on the waterline Here are the completed plans. I hope to make them available via a model shop in the UK, rescaling is straightforward, it would make a stunning 1:35th scale RC model.... I've spent the past couple of weeks fitting out a loft space as a gallery (to stop the "and where is this one going to go...." from my better half), so these pictures are in my new light box The single crewman (for scale) is fixing the anchor winch this time The midships assembly is packed with stuff and of course the wheelhouse is complete with Kriegsmarine charts for the Norwegian coast (this batch of R25's all served in Norway) The sweep winch and gear The fo'c'sle came out well, love wooden decks, these are 2 mm planks cut in to the margin plank using the 1/3rd rule And this thread wouldn't be complete without the s-boot. The cases are identical in size and I've tried to align the waterlines with the pillar mounts Feel free to double zoom, there is a lot of detail to take in Thanks to everyone who followed the build thread and provided encouragement and information, I hope it represents a useful resource for anyone else wanting to attempt to model this under-represented workhorse of the Kriegsmarine. I have many wartime pictures I didn't post, so if anyone wants to have a go, please get in touch and I will be most happy to help Lastly, I said at the end of the build thread that I would announce my next project Well, I've been working on more drawings (I always do this in parallel with building) and I'm going to attempt a diorama of a beached ASR buoy being inspected by some RAF personnel who have just arrived on a Bedford MWD. The ASR buoy will be made in copper, the MWD in metal and wood, all at 1:48th scale of course. I'm not sure about the latter main component as I've never built a truck, still the attempt should be amusing. I parallel I'll be starting the drawings for a large complex build, but more on that in time Happy Easter🥚 and thanks again for the interest Cheers Steve

After a very long absence, I'm back building again! The new house was a considerable refurbishment job, back to plaster and boards plus complete garden strip out so it took a little longer than I had hoped. New workshop is on the top floor so for the first time, I'm not in a shed, nice to be warm... I've been planning this thread during that time and I believe I've assembled enough information to do the subject justice, scratch-building the original 70ft Vosper MTB with a wooden hull and metal fittings as is my style, in 1:48th scale making a nice neat model 17.5 inches long. Along the way I will produce my own drawing set for this type to 1:48th scale, available to anyone who wants copies. 1:48th scale naval crew figures are available on Shapeways so it can be populated Now the challenge, volunteers needed... And before anyone mentions it, I know the old joke about the navy calling a volunteer, someone who misunderstood the question...." I've long considered creating my own "bare" kits using my techniques for others could construct. By "bare" I mean drawings and all the hard stuff will be supplied but basic materials (tube, strip wood etc) won't be This relatively simple project is the first such kit I intend to develop and I'd love it if one or two others could follow me building their own copies and providing feedback. This idea is that I'll do all the artwork, drawings, etc for etchings, laser cut and printed parts, anyone following with their own copy would only have to purchase the etched or laser cut copy. 3D drawing for the printed parts would be available for free, if you want me to print them, I'll take a small donation towards the cost of resin only. This is certainly not about me making any money, its about seeing if I can produce the information and components for others to build museum quality wood and metal models. Of course I will post the whole build here, but others following can also post their progress and reactions to the final form becomes a collaborative effort. If no one joins in, I'll still carry on, but I felt it would be more fun if a few of us went through the journey together and I get direct feedback on what I can do better. I realise that not everyone is into silver soldering so brass-etched assemblies will also be available as resin components. Budget wise, I'm hoping those collaborators can get this done for around £100 all in spread over the next 6 months or so. Any laser cut parts and etchings will benefit from my correcting my mistakes and re-doing the artwork (I make loads of mistakes) before other copies are made available. The hull construction will be wood. I intend to use 1/64th ply strips and double diagonal plank the hull. I've done this once before, its actually easier than tapered planking and the same as the full size practice for this vessel. No one need commit until I've shown this idea works I've assembled the following reference material I have three plans, the John Lambert one, a 1991 plan from Model Shipwright with lines and this drawing from IWM that I believe the other two are based on As this is a Vosper drawing, I'm using this as the master coupled with the lines from the model shipwright plan. From these I will produce my own 1:48th scale drawings. This drawing is applicable to MTB's 31 - 40 only. MTB57-66, 69-70 and 218-221 were also 70ft boats but the hatches and engine room vent look like they changed over time so I can't be sure the drawing is applicable to those. If we assume it is, then MTB61 could be constructed which was a conversion into a MGB mounting 3 Breda cannons which looks very cool. Depending on how purist you are, its probably close enough. One distinctive feature of this drawing is the wheelhouse shape and the curved wind break as you can see clearly on these pictures of MTB34 MTB74, the St Nazaire raid conversion, was a 72ft 6in boat, don't know where the lines were stretched for that sub-type. It's a shame because that is a very cool looking one-off Still Coastal Craft History vol 1 has colour renders of 32, 34 and 35. For my model, I'm leaning to MTB34 as shown in the image below So that is the plan. Any one who fancies joining me on this little journey (wood for wood, metal for metal), reply in the thread or PM me Cheers Steve

Following on from my build thread (Vosper build thread), here are a few pictures of the completed model MTB 34 was one of the first batch of 70ft MTB's built by Vosper's as part of the 1939 contract, completed in August 1940. She was converted to a target tug (CT23) in 1943 and sold in 1945. The drawings for the project were taken from the 1991 Model Shipwright plan and John Lambert's plan for marine Modelling international. In addition, details were confirmed from the IWM builders drawing that both these plans seem to be based upon. All rescaled to 1:48th scale and re-drawn. The colour scheme shows her with the 4th MTB flotilla based at HMS Beehive in Felixstowe in 1941 with very distinctive blue (B15) and white bands as illustriated in Coastal Craft History Vol 1 Below is that actual vessel at speed and the colour artwork from the Coastal Craft book. The torpedo chute bands are indicative of a senior officer in command The hull of the model is timber on ply frames, diagonal planked as per full-scale practice, the rest is a combination of brass, wood and some 3d printed items. The model has no commercial components, though the props were cast in bronze by Shapeways to my drawings She is shown weathered, not pristine, mounted on turned brass pillars and an oak base. A single crewman walks the deck to help people understand the scale and she carries a rigged danbuoy on the port side Here she is next to my last model, a Schnellboote to the same scale, for size comparison showing how relatively diminutive these vessels were Thanks to those who followed the build thread, I hope it was interesting and informative. I'll be back very soon with a new thread Cheers Steve

Finally, I've got some time to start the post on my next scratch build, a 1:48th scale Denny SGB, actually S304 Grey Fox, IWM picture below, at 145ft, the model will be ~36 inches long in old money. Warning, I expect this build to take a year or so. This time I really will try to make everything (apart from the split-pin stanchions), but some complex components will be 3d printed, though to my own drawings. I'm also going to have a go at the propellers, printed in wax and then cast, may as well go for it... My aim is to produce full drawings, components and etchings so others could build the same model if they wish. I will document it all here, mistakes and all I have two professional plans, one available on line by G Stone in 1:48th scale and one from model shipwright no 87 (March 1994) But as I do with all major builds, I also contacted the maritime Museum in Greenwich (actually the old brass foundry in Woolwich) who have the archive of all naval vessels since the 18th century. They claim to have an example of every type that served in the navy and they have a number of drawings of SGB's. I chose three drawings of SGB303 (the sister of S304), which include the GA and the shell expansion, a vital piece of the puzzle for plated models. At 36 inches long, the model is too large for my block infill so I'm going to plank it on frames and then plate the outside with aluminium sheet to the shell expansion drawing, rivets included. Shell expansions show stuff other drawings omit, like the water intake and outlet for instance. A section of the drawing is shown below and on it you can see the inlet is rectangular and on the centre line, I've not seen that detail before. This section also shows the layout of the outlet with the doubler plate etc. In other parts of the drawing is it clear that the portholes on port and starboard where not in the same place, again, where else could you find that sort of detail? From a scan of the lines (actually from the model shipwright drawing which looks a higher quality piece of work) I prepared a cutting drawing of the keel and frames. The frames have been set back by 2mm to allow for the planking. The keel is 5mm ply but the stem and the docking keel will be made of brass, inset in the ply as the former is sharp and the latter much thinner than the ply (poor quality copy below I started yesterday by cutting out the keel and setting in the brass, seen below on a temporary building board to keep everything straight. Keeping hulls straight is a real challenge as the planking can frames can easily end up twisted (I know this from experience) so I make a lot of fuss at this stage, sometimes it pays off... The hull will have a large slot in the deck for the deck-house. I'm not going to build a working model, but this could easily be done and then the slot would allow access to the motors battery etc. For me is helps to keep the deck house separate until very late in the build, then is will just slot in The frames were printed and mounted to 3 mm ply for cutting out Much later today... More timber to keep things straight. I've had to slot the build board as the boat does not have an exposed keel apart from the small docking keel at the back. I'll be planking it upside down, more detail later. The platform at the back holds the alignment holes for the rudders, you can also see the holes for the prop shafts (5" dia) After much fettling, I glued it up, tape is holding everything straight (I have a phobia about straightness....) So, we're off and running, sheer strakes going in tomorrow

Following on from my Build Thread here is the model on its shiny oak base. The vessel modelled is S-46, one of only 12 s-boats fitted with the 40mm Bofors (according to table 13 in Fock). The model is fully scratch built from plans obtained from Paul Stamm Modellbau in Saarbrücken, supplemented with other drawings from various publications and some excellent unpublished photographs provided by @Arjan for which I am very grateful The hull is solid wood, built up using balsa infills between ply frames, the superstructures are largely copper, supplemented with etch brass made by 4D to my drawings. Many of the other components are 3D resin printed also to my own drawings. It is painted using Vallejo paints from their Kriegsmarine set and weathered to look like its having a hard war. The following extract is from S-boot net describing how the boat was lost On 10.09.1943 the Red Army landed in the city of Novorossijsk. Six days later the town had to be evacuated. On 11.09.1943 Soviet ground attack aircraft attacked the boats of the 1. SFltl returning home. Not impressed by the defensive fire they pushed down to 10 m height and fired with onboard guns. On "S 46" all engines fell out, the torpedo in the port tube exploded and tore the forecastle off until the bridge. In spite of the ongoing attacks "S 49" went alongside and took over the partly severely wounded crew and two killed in action. The boat was then sunk with a torpedo. She is modelled as she was in 1942 serving with the 2nd flotilla based in the pens at Ijmuiden, as per the picture below. She is equipped for fast minelaying She is mounted on turned brass pillars on French polished solid oak. The name plate is from engraving studios, £12.50, good value and fast turnaround. The oak case is not ready yet, a couple of weeks away hopefully The papier mache canvas sides worked well this time. They sit slightly concave between the stanchions and have a nice level of weathering. The waterline is my own mix oily green weathering, very dilute Vallejo paint, stippled on and wiped off a number of times, resulting in a dark weathered line with a slight green hint The ensign is hand painted and soaked in weak PVA before drying in shape, the transfer was printed on my laser printer on transparent waterslide decal paper, the decks are canvas covered as per real practice View of the rear, note the slop bucket. I read somewhere that the crew had no head, they used a bucket and chucked it over the stern, had to include that detail. The mines are UMC mines, 3D printed with added wire detailing, the Bokors is made from 40 odd brass turned, etched and shaped pieces Midships and bridge detail, the lookout is there to show the help people understand the scale View from the air Comparison post coming later with my SGB Cheers and thanks for the support during the build Steve

While I continue my research and drawings on the SGB I'm about to build, I thought I'd share some information on Turbinia, a model I completed ~6 years ago and entered into the 2014 Model Engineering Exhibition where it won a bronze metal and a cup for the best dispplayed ship model Below are the complete judging notes I prepared for the show: Ship details Turbinia was built by Charles Parsons in 1894 as a demonstration steam yacht to prove the feasibility of using stream turbines to power ships. When she was launched, she was the fastest vessel ever built, eventually achieving almost 35 knots, an amazing speed for a vessel only 100 feet long. Most famously, she gate crashed the 1897 Spithead review where the entire home fleet was drawn up for the Queen’s inspection. Sailing between the lines of battleships, she comfortably outpaced the torpedo boat chasers used as guard ships. I believe that from that point on, all new British warships were fitted with turbines, the propulsion unit that paved the way for the Dreadnought revolution. Her statistics are: Length: 103’ 9” Beam: 9’ Draught: 3’ Turbinia is preserved today in a museum in Newcastle. The model shows the yacht after a funnel rebuild as she was around 1900, generally as she is preserved. Sources The model was built using three plans: A John Haynes plan @ 1:48 scale: contains a number inaccuracies on the lines and the deck-house locations but useful for some details A model Shipwright plan set by Charles Sells @ 1:24 scale: much better, the lines are based on this plan A small plan reproduced in a booklet produced by Ken Smith in 1996, reproduced below, seems to be from original drawings and so taken as very accurate, albeit small Many current photographs of the preserved ship in the Newcastle museum and various contemporary pictures found on-line As with all plan sets drawn by others, once you get into the detail, discrepancies arise. However, the basics start with the frame centres. In Turbinia is was simple to work out that the frames are at 18 inch centres. The enables the deck houses to be positioned exactly as their ends have to rest on frames. It also positions the stanchions (also on frames) and a good guess at the longitudinal breaks in the shell plating. After a lot of thought, as no shell expansion drawing was available, it was decided to use 5 plates at the mid-ships point, giving a maximum plate width just less that 4’. As the keel strake has to be an inner, the bilge strake is an outer and the sheer strake an inner again. This seems to agree with the pictures of her in dry dock following a collision that nearly sunk her. I’m guessing that rivet lines are weaknesses and flush riveting expensive so minimising rivet lines makes sense. The shell plates all meet between frames (often forgotten that they cannot be joined on a frame line) and no two joins are in the same frame space. It may not be exactly as she was built, but it makes sense to construct it in the way. The bilge strake runs smoothly into the top of the flared stern, this can be seen clearly on one of the dry dock pictures. The deck plating is interesting. Three strakes were used as can be seen from the pictures, with a mixture of flush and raised riveting. I’ve followed this pattern from the photographs. The raised riveting makes sense where the jolly boat is as it provides more purchase when handling the boat. I’m not sure why they went to the trouble of flush rivets elsewhere though. Hull construction The basic hull is solid wood constructed around 1/16” ply frames as shown in the drawing below: The frames were drawn on a CAD package with keel slots, printed and stuck to ply with spray mount before cutting out. The keel, also from 1/16” ply was held straight with 2 x ¼” timber sections. After this was sanded to the downward curve of the rear deck, the whole frame was locked together with a flat deck plate from 1/32” ply. The forward deck house was originally designed to be visible and so this section of the hull was planked. In the event, so little could be seen through the desk house windows that extra interior detail here as omitted. Obeche blocks were cut to slide between the frames, glued and then sanded back to the ply frames. This made a very strong and straight hull with the fine stern deck slope correctly featured. The hull was then painted in a clear liquid epoxy to harden it, allowing for further shape refinement and to act as a firm base for the Aluminium hull plating. The cambered deck was added as a superimposed additional 1/32” ply section on top of a central strip of wood sanded fore and aft to simulate the complex compound curve of the deck. The superimposed deck section contained cut-outs for the funnel and deck houses, allowing them to have flat bases. The three propeller shaft tubes (in brass) were set into the frames before the blocks were added. The hull plating lines were marked out on the hull, with the plate butt lines marked to ensure stagger. Each plate was then cut from Aluminium sheet (4 thou for inner strakes, 8 thou for outer) and bonded to the hull with contact adhesive. With the exception of the stern, all plates are single curvature. The stern plates were heated and beaten to shape. The deck plates were similarly marked and cut out, however, on the deck, the frame lines had been drawn so that the rivet detail could be worked out where non-flush riveting is used. The rivets here are made with a wheel from the back of the plate, again remembering that deck plates do not join on frame lines. Deck houses and fittings The deck houses are made in wood and then plated in Aluminium with rivet detail marked out on the reverse as with the deck plating. The wheel house is made from sheet Copper over a wooden buck, silver-soldered as are the wheel house sliding doors. The funnel is made from sheet brass (for strength) and mounted on a wooden Aluminium lined buck. I included the two smoke stacks inside the funnel casing, the boiler is double ended and I assumed two stacks were used. The fittings are built up from custom etched parts (produced by 4D Model Suppliers) from my artwork (shown below) This contains: Deckhouse rivet flanges & rivet strips Steering quadrant pieces Window frames (2 parts each) Stanchion bases Hatches Deck lights Coal scuttles Wheelhouse portholes Propeller blades The 9 left and right hand propellers are a key feature on the vessel. They were made by turning the hubs in brass and then silver-soldering the blades on in a jig. The outer circle holds the blades, which have been turned through 45 deg, for soldering. After which it is cut away. The window frames were soldered together over an Aluminium jig which held them centred. The Perspex glazing was then snapped in. Using relief etching provides the opportunity for including all rivet detail, quite distinctive on some of the hatches and of course the deck-house flanges. The sheet illustrated was etched in 22 thou brass and produced ~300 pieces from an A5 sheet. The colour code means; Red is half etch from face and; Cyan is half etch from rear. The 10’ ships boat was made with tissue paper and dilute PVA over a wooden buck containing the planking lines. This was then lined on the outside in card when dry and then fitted out in the normal manner. The mast and flag yard are scratch made in brass as are the other minor fittings. I’ve fitted her with an Admiralty pattern anchor, not the Hall’s anchor she has today. This type of anchor is shown on some contemporary photographs and looked interesting to me. I’m guessing she could have carried either. Studying the photographs, the life rings were stored on the outside of the handrails, which seems unusual practice, but is probably due to the limited width on deck. Colours and display The colours follow the pattern of the preserved vessel with the exception of the hull below the water line. This has now been painted black, but contemporary references talk about dark green. Early models also show the hull in green and this colour was used on the vessel before it was moved to Newcastle. This illustration shows a model from the Science Museum. The hull is dark green below the water-line (which is set too low on this model, see contemporary pictures showing a much higher water line). I decided to use this colour for the model, there is plenty of evidence of a green hull and it lifts the model as it would have the actual vessel. The name on her side was a custom water slide made based on a drawing of the ship as preserved. Display is always a difficult problem. For this model, I decided to display it in a simulated dry dock to set it off and add scale to the model. Turbinia is a strange model to scale in your mind as there are no natural scale clues that really help. Adding the dry dock and the figure touching up the paint anchors the scale well. I took some hints from pictures of her in dry dock after a collision but the actual dry dock is not a true model, more a complex stand. She is shown finished and ready to re-float with all her paintwork bright, though age on the deck houses show she is not new. The bright paintwork is set-off by the dull grey dock. No flags are flown as she is not yet floating. The next post shows the completed model