Search the Community

Gidday All, I completed four ships and one miniscule aircraft in 2023, all in 1/600 scale. The first was completed in early/mid January, and was a what-if battleship I named HMS Cochrane. It was a modified Airfix HMS Nelson kit. More photos can be found here:- https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235120294-hms-cochrane-in-ww2/ The build process can be found here:- The next model completed in late January was a conversion of the Airfix HMS Daring kit into the Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire II. The model depicts the ship after her mid-life reconstruction. More photos can be found here:- https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235121010-hmas-vampire-ii-in-the-1970s/ The build process can be found here:- In March I completed my first scratch built ship, a generic long-foc'sle Flower class corvette. She was scratch built from polystyrene for the "Salty Sea Dog" GB. More photos can be found here:- https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235122799-flower-class-corvette-long-focsle/ The build log can be found here:- And in July, the final ship I completed was another scratch built vessel, the Fletcher class destroyer USS Mullany. Again, this model was made from polystyrene. And as you can see from the photo the ship had an altercation with a kamikaze, a Nakajima Ki43 Hayabusa 'Oscar'. Here is a closer look at the aircraft. More photos can be found here:- https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235128174-uss-mullany-the-ship-that-out-sailed-time/ The build log can be found here:- Well, that completes my tally for the year. Thank you for your interest. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday All, after today there's only three days left of the year so I think it's safe to assume I won't be completing any more this year. So this is the tally for the year. I've completed five ships this year, all in 1/600 scale, plus two aircraft. The first completion in January is a model of the destroyer HMS Hardy as at the First Battle of Narvik in 1940. This is a conversion of the Airfix HMS Hotspur kit. The next, completed in February is a model of the large light cruiser DKM Seydlitz as I think she would have appeared if built as originally planned, with 15cm guns instead of 8-inch. The model is a whiffed version of the Airfix Prinz Eugen kit. In April I completed my next model, the destroyer HMS Onslow. This ship was Capt.(D) Sherbrooke's flagship when she held the heavy cruiser Hipper at bay for two hours on 31st December 1942, waiting for Adm Burnett to arrive with his cruisers. This action undoubtedly saved the convoy they were protecting. The model was mainly scratch built but used a highly modified Airfix HMS Cossack hull to start with. In June I completed another whiff, a large cruiser of the HMS Minotaur class. I used a lengthened hull of the Airfix Suffolk kit, the guns and other parts of two Airfix Tiger kits plus other assorted Airfix parts and some scratch building. Although the ship was designed and built late 1940s/early 1950s I dated the model as she (fictitiously) appeared at the Falkland Islands in 1982. The eagle-eyed among you will notice that in the first photo she carried four Exocet canisters before the bridge, but in the second photo there are two quad Harpoon tubes there. I made them interchangeable. In August I took part in a blitzbuild, doing two Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-46 Dinahs. One was an Airfix kit in 1/72 scale, the other was scratch built in 1/600 scale, the same as my ships. As I did them simultaneously I consider them a single build. And finally for the year, my model of the guided missile destroyer HMS Glamorgan as she appeared at the Falklands in 1982. This ship was the first to survive a hit by an Exocet anti-ship missile fired in anger, although sadly not without casualties. I started the model for the Falklands 40th anniversary GB but completed it in October in the WIP section. The model is a highly modified Airfix HMS Devonshire kit. It needed a lot of scratch building work for a number of reasons, and I received a lot of help and advice from members here. Well that's it for this year. I have two more builds on the go at present but won't finish either in the next three days so they'll be in next year's tally. Thank you for your interest. Stay safe and I'll see you all next year. Regards, Jeff.

Gidday All, with less than two weeks left of the year it's unlikely I'll complete any more models, hence this will probably be the tally for the year. And not a very big tally at that. Nearly all my models are ships in 1/600 scale. The first is a whiff, a 16 gun version of HMS Belfast, done for the traditional 'What-if GB' on the ATF. It is a modified Airfix kit and although a fictional vessel I tried to make it as plausible as I could. Next is my model of the Colony class (Fiji sub-class) cruiser HMS Jamaica, also in 1/600 scale. This model used the Airfix HMS Tiger hull, turrets and screws from the Belfast kit, other various Airfix kit parts and a lot of scratch building. My third and final ship for the year is again an Airfix kit in 1/600, HMS Hood but modified to depict the vessel as she was when sunk in the Denmark Strait. This model also required a bit of modification of some parts and scratch building of others. The Airfix HMS Hood kit comes with two rather average quality 2lb octuple pompom AA mounts but this version of the ship required three, so I scratch built my own. After that I made another five mounts. Four are put away as a standby set for future builds but the fifth I have placed on it's own display stand. This makes it a model in it's own right. It is in 1/600 scale and comprises of 27 parts. To give an indication of size, the base platform is 8mm across and the guns 4.5mm long. The squares on the cutting mat are 10mm across. Well, that's it for this year. The only other build with a remote chance of completion (and I stress the word "remote") is a build of the destroyer HMS Hardy. It's unlikely to make this year so it'll probably be first completion next year. So all the best for the season, what ever your beliefs. Stay safe and regards to all, Jeff.