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Revell 1/72 Flower Class Corvette with GLS Sets


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I'm wondering if those really thin strips on the floors of them boats should have been the spaces between wider strips, and the strips themselves should be where the wide gaps are now. Makes me wonder if something went wrong in the PE-designing. You're doing a great Job though I drop in here after every update. Makes me want to build my Corvette which is still untouched in my stash.

Peter

Yes - like I would not etch what I wanted! Only been doing it since 1976. They are thin slats along the bottom of the boat. The gaps are large enough to get your boots between them - see the large scale drawing by the Late Great John Lambert. Most of the parts in these sets were run by John back at the design stages in the 1990s for his 'once over'.

BTW - a tip to other builders [a bit late for Warren] - when you laminate several layers of brass for items [the chocks for the dinghies are a prime example] be sure to blend in the edges with solder or filler as this completes the illusion of one piece and hides the 'cusping' effect that is an inevitable part of the etching process. it is really noticable in some of the photos in this thread.

Warren - re- the carley floats. Again as John Lambert has explained, the central slatted bed of the float rises and falls to the water level so that it does not matter which side up the foat lands in the water. The routing of the ropage is clearly explained in the instructions. It is threaded along [lets say] the top of the float and around it at the points shown in one piece, like a wire cable loom and at no point need the rope be stuck to the float with glue - just at the point where it re-joins the first loop. Then a band of rope can be added to the outside perimeter of the float [looping around the bands of rope around the float as you go] and finally a band around the other side [bottom, lets say] of the float. Remember that there are three points on each side of the rope that goes around the perimeter where extra slack is to be left, so that the etched handholds can be fitted around the rope.

All this means that the float itself AND the central floor can thus be painted separately and then the roping fitted after painting and left in its natural colour. But all this is clearly explained in the instructions.

Come on Warren - build that Sonar Housing kit I sent you free of charge!

David Parkins

Great Little Ships

www.djparkins.com

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Yes - like I would not etch what I wanted! Only been doing it since 1976. They are thin slats along the bottom of the boat. The gaps are large enough to get your boots between them

Why would you want to get your boots between them? They are there to prevent exactly that.

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Peter

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Yes - like I would not etch what I wanted! Only been doing it since 1976. They are thin slats along the bottom of the boat. The gaps are large enough to get your boots between them - see the large scale drawing by the Late Great John Lambert. Most of the parts in these sets were run by John back at the design stages in the 1990s for his 'once over'.

BTW - a tip to other builders [a bit late for Warren] - when you laminate several layers of brass for items [the chocks for the dinghies are a prime example] be sure to blend in the edges with solder or filler as this completes the illusion of one piece and hides the 'cusping' effect that is an inevitable part of the etching process. it is really noticable in some of the photos in this thread.

Warren - re- the carley floats. Again as John Lambert has explained, the central slatted bed of the float rises and falls to the water level so that it does not matter which side up the foat lands in the water. The routing of the ropage is clearly explained in the instructions. It is threaded along [lets say] the top of the float and around it at the points shown in one piece, like a wire cable loom and at no point need the rope be stuck to the float with glue - just at the point where it re-joins the first loop. Then a band of rope can be added to the outside perimeter of the float [looping around the bands of rope around the float as you go] and finally a band around the other side [bottom, lets say] of the float. Remember that there are three points on each side of the rope that goes around the perimeter where extra slack is to be left, so that the etched handholds can be fitted around the rope.

All this means that the float itself AND the central floor can thus be painted separately and then the roping fitted after painting and left in its natural colour. But all this is clearly explained in the instructions.

Come on Warren - build that Sonar Housing kit I sent you free of charge!

David Parkins

Great Little Ships

www.djparkins.com

Actually David it is not too late for the chocks... you don't need solder at all just a little filler then some paint over them and the gaps will disappear. But that job is way down the list until I finish everything along the centre line of the model. I work my way outwards so I don't keep knocking pieces off reaching over stuff.

As for the rope and floats, yes, it may be in the instructions but not as clearly as you just typed it. As for wrapping rope around this and that have you tried this yourself with the 'rope' supplied? :) Almost as mad as trying to glue central bits in each link of the anchor chain. :banghead:

And thank you for the sonar assembly.

Cheers

Warren

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Hi everyone.

Thought I would post a 'progress so far' set of pictures showing how far the model has come so far.

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These photos don't show all the extras waiting to be attached. I am working from the centre line outwards so pieces like boat davits etc are in the future.

That's it for now,

Cheers
Warren

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Actually David it is not too late for the chocks... you don't need solder at all just a little filler then some paint over them and the gaps will disappear. But that job is way down the list until I finish everything along the centre line of the model. I work my way outwards so I don't keep knocking pieces off reaching over stuff.

As for the rope and floats, yes, it may be in the instructions but not as clearly as you just typed it. As for wrapping rope around this and that have you tried this yourself with the 'rope' supplied? :) Almost as mad as trying to glue central bits in each link of the anchor chain. :banghead:

And thank you for the sonar assembly.

Cheers

Warren

Warren -

The rope goes easily through the outer slats on the float bed sides and through the ends of the nearest slats to the curved parts of the floats.

David

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When you look at each individual piece they look nice but its not until you see the shot of the whole ship that you get an appreciation of how impressive it all looks. This will be one heck of a monumental beast when she is done!

Bob

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Warren -

The rope goes easily through the outer slats on the float bed sides and through the ends of the nearest slats to the curved parts of the floats.

David

I have no doubt it would David, but I am not so sure with the rectangular floats. The gaps around the sides are very small. But this takes nothing away from the rest of your sets.

Cheers

Warren

When you look at each individual piece they look nice but its not until you see the shot of the whole ship that you get an appreciation of how impressive it all looks. This will be one heck of a monumental beast when she is done!

Bob

Yes, you spend days/weeks/months putting sub-assemblies together but it is not until you spend a few hours putting stuff in position that you realise how far you have come.

Thanks Bob. :)

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Warren, this just keeps getting better and better!

Keep up the excellent work.

Thanks heaps Dave. :)

Cracking stuff so far Warren

Beefy

Thanks Mr Beefy :)

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I have no doubt it would David, but I am not so sure with the rectangular floats. The gaps around the sides are very small. But this takes nothing away from the rest of your sets.

Warren -

The gaps between the slats are the same thickness on both versions of our float kit - I think we are talking at cross-purposes here. I've just tried it and you could get almost two thicknesses of that rope through the slats side by side! Of course you have the next grade down rope that I put in your last parcel as an example but as you can see, that is way under scale.

Regards,

DJP

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I will have to have another look at my second set, but luckily I can leave them for the moment as the liferafts are easily put in position after everything else is done.

I may have to get some of the oval ones as well as the only clear photos I have of Snowberry steaming under a bridge show that most of the liferafts are the oval type... sigh... I think the ones in the kit could be gussied up but I would rather start from scratch.

Thanks for the extra thread BTW.

Cheers

Warren

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I recently came across this amazing WIP while looking for detail information to help a friend of mine who is scratch-building a Royal Navy armed trawler from the 1941-1942 period. I must admit I am most impressed by the workmanship this WIP exhibits and the detail the GLS sets provide.

I must also confess I was taken aback by Mr. Parkins’ dismissal of olympic1911’s suggestion that the bottom boards the GLS set provides for the dinghy were incorrect. He argued that he’d been “doing it since 1976” and that the “Late Great John Lambert” had run his eye over them (I had the pleasure of meeting John Lambert and having several conversations with him about Royal Navy small craft, so I have the greatest respect for him and his accomplishments) and presented what I’m afraid to say is a totally incorrect explanation for the fact that his product, in this case only, is actually a “negative” of the real thing. Bottom boards in small wooden boats are present to keep people’s boots OFF the bottom of the boat so that they don’t become wet when it leaks, as small wooden boats tend to do. They are wide with narrow gaps between them so that water does not accumulate on top of them. The arrangement in the GLS set would be positively dangerous – having a boot trapped between the thin slats could cause a fall if the boat lurched, which could well result in injury, breaking or twisting an ankle, or falling overboard.

The correct arrangement is shown in this scan from the AoS for HMCS Agassiz, by John McKay and John Harland, both of whom are very well respected researchers and draughtsmen.

dinghypk3.jpg

I must also note that I do have very solid practical experience to back up these assertions. I paid for my undergraduate studies at university by working in a boatyard on the Thames (a few years before Mr. Parkins began photoetching) where I mainly built lapstrake dinghies very much like the boat on this corvette and also have enjoyed a career as a maritime museum curator for well over twenty years, during which time, among my other duties, I have supervised a large working boatshop that conducted small craft restoration work for the museum itself and multiple other museums that did not have the advantage of such a facility.


In the interests of full disclose, I must add that John Harland is a good friend of mine.

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I must also note that I do have very solid practical experience to back up these assertions. I paid for my undergraduate studies at university by working in a boatyard on the Thames (a few years before Mr. Parkins began photoetching) where I mainly built lapstrake dinghies very much like the boat on this corvette and also have enjoyed a career as a maritime museum curator for well over twenty years, during which time, among my other duties, I have supervised a large working boatshop that conducted small craft restoration work for the museum itself and multiple other museums that did not have the advantage of such a facility.

In the interests of full disclose, I must add that John Harland is a good friend of mine.

Indeed, both gentlemen are excellent draughtsmen and the drawings in the Agassiz book are outstanding. I hope too that I have helped their sales in some small way as we have recomended this book to countless customers as a 'must have'.

I do not dismiss the posting on the 14' dinghy at all. My assumption was incorrect and I accept that - but you are missing my point entirely.

What I objected to was the implication in his earlier posting that something went wrong in the etching process and I did not get what I intended. I got exactly what I intended at the time. That is the point I was making - or trying to make.

We will probably do a supplementary etch [at some point in the future] as an overlay for this part in the kit - to represent the planking that modellers can just paint and drop in to any completed dinghies.

DJP

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Hello mdesaxe.

Thanks you for all your input. I am not intending to glue my dinghys in position for the moment so I can fix them when the fix comes out... Or I work out another way.. :)

Cheers and thanks again

Warren

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Hello David.

Having only the AOTS book which doesn't have any drawings of the actual Corvette in the kit, I am mostly in the dark while building this model and am relying on HMCS Sackville shots and some of HMS Fresia (spelling) to get details of items. Therefore I would love to get more detail from the instructions sometimes. Your line drawings are excellent, almost as good as Eduard;s who I consider the best for PE stuff, but sometimes your drawings aren't 100% clear and some isometric drawings of completed assemblies (like the depth charge rails) would be nice.

The only other gripe I have is that the attachment points for many items are far too big. If you have your master on CAD wouldn't it be easy to go around and reduce the size of them which would make removal and clean up much easier. It is not always possible to get to a part to remove it with some PE scissors, and some of the huge attachments on curved parts are just ridiculous (eg some of the small circular parts in the dinghy set).

Oh and I forgot, is there anyway you can cast those stanchions from brass or something a bit stronger than diecast? There are some pretty tiny joins between sections and it can be very easy to damage them during clean up.

But other than those small things the sets are fantastic and I would buy them again if I ever get the courage up to build another Corvette. A short forecastle one would be nice.. (hint, hint) :)

Regards

Warren

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<<Oh and I forgot, is there anyway you can cast those stanchions from brass or something a bit stronger than diecast? There are some pretty tiny joins between sections and it can be very easy to damage them during clean up.>>

OK - if you want to pay three times the price! Thats the cost factor for lost wax. Its why we produce the etched ones as an alternative - They are inevitably stronger when soldered and the R/C customers buy them.

<<But other than those small things the sets are fantastic and I would buy them again if I ever get the courage up to build another Corvette. A short forecastle one would be nice.. (hint, hint) :)>>

You already know about the SF sets from several conversations - so you do know they will come out - I just don't have any dates for you. And put the dinghy 'fix' out of your mind for several months too - as I said, it is something we will probably do!

Our etchers are always telling us to increase our tag thicknesses as they don't wany parts twisting back on themselves in the etching process or falling out into the tanks! Its a compromise.

Anyway Warren, we need a long gap between this online build and the next, since you have shredded my nerves for some time to come with this one!

You may find these links useful:

http://theflowerclasscorvetteforums.yuku.com/topic/730/t/HMS-Campanula-1-72-model.html#.Vxq7CzGZ0y8

http://photos.kitmaker.net/showgallery.php/cat/16815

- it is the gold standard for corvette builds I think. It may confiirm some details for you too.

I hope you build the sonar housing as I think it will make a interesting little side display to the main model. Clean up the cusping though!

Regards,

DJP

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Our etchers are always telling us to increase our tag thicknesses as they don't wany parts twisting back on themselves in the etching process or falling out into the tanks! Its a compromise.

I think your etchers need to contact someone like Hasegawa or Pontos and see how they etch stuff. They have incredibly fine tags. But maybe it is a job of just having more, finer tags?

Anyway, I am not a photo-etcher just going off lots of other etch I have used over the years.

Living in hope for the shorty,

Cheers

Warren

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Greetings everyone.

Time for another update of the work over the last week. This post is heavy on pipe rails as they seem to have occupoed most of my effort recently.

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Except for these ones. Looks like they need a little tightening. Might apply some heat later ..

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Then more pipe stuff..

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Then I decided to finish off the anchors and chains..

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I also managed to attach all the rope railing stanchions around the roof of the engine room. Now I must weight for my braided metal cable to arrive... well actually it is just fishing line but we will see how realistic it looks when it gets here.

I have also started the final stages of the 4 in gun and platform. I just need to know what colour the shells were for the gun. Anyone got any idea?

And that's it for now.

Cheers
Warren

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Well well well... Here we are again for yet another update. As I have been doing general sort of things like rope stanchions etc I thought I would take some more overall shots , all of which show extras that have been added.

Number 1. The Mark IX 4in gun mount (the gun was taken off so I could install the stanchion and to have its decal applied)

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A few supports were added as well, and the brackets for the anchor chain accessories were glued in place, but the extras weren't at this stage. Also the wire rope stanchions around the edge of the deck.

Then the bridge area.

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The 20mm cannons in place and wire rope around the radar lantern. The stanchions kept breaking off but I got it all eventually. A word from the wise, try and solder them in position before painting the lantern... but if you don't like soldering just make sure the area you are glueing them to is free of paint.

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Then lots more wire rope stanchions around the engine room deck (roof) and the rest of the forecastle.

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Then there are the twin vickers guns, depth charges and throwers and some pipe railings around the back of the deck.

I then painted the prop using one of AK Interactive's range of airbrush ready metallics.. as good as Alclad II but lesss fuss.. for this brass colour anyway.. smile.gif

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Then I started to build the oars supplied with the various GLS sets. But I have given it away for the moment as I may have successfully soldered on most of the blades, but I do think they may be a little long (the blades that is) and I have a set of oars and paddles I got with another PE set which are one piece and therefore much stronger.. and already the right length as well.

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That's it for now. I have almost made up my mind to build Hellers 1/100 Victory soon, but am going to have a bit of a rest first and wait for all the accessories to arrive for it. Photo etch, resin, wooden dead eyes etc etc.. not looking forward to the rigging on the Corvette or that one either!

Cheers
Warren

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