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I had mentioned earlier that there was a family connection. This is my great uncle Alex Kelman. He was the brother of my grandmother on my father's side of the family. Alex died before I was born and all my grandparents are dead now also. However, it is understood that Alex retired as a Petty Officer and that he was aboard HMS Imperial at Crete.

 

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The newspaper cutting is about a graver situation a couple of months later when his next ship was sunk by a U-Boat. HMS Stanley was a "Town class" lend-lease 4-stacker flush deck American destroyer similar to the famous USS Wickes and HMS Campbeltown - only Stanley was one of two of those in the Royal Navy converted as Long Range Destroyer Escorts which involved the removal of forward boilers, the loss of the forward two funnels, the deck house built up in their place and extra fuel carried where the boilers used to be. In addition, the bridge was reconstructed and raised. That will be a future project of mine using Atlantic Models' ATK35060 HMS Montgomery, but I need to perform the LRDE conversion myself. I don't have plans, only some photographs so it will involve some educated guesswork.

 

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Here is a photograph of HMS Stanley which when compared to the unconverted Montgomery shows the most obvious differences.

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If anyone is interested, my high resolution photograph was waiting to download when I stepped off a plane at Heathrow today.

 

The whole image is 12Mb of mostly sea and sky, but here is a crop of Imperial. I am glad I held off painting now :D

 

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On 03/05/2018 at 17:08, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

 

My ideas for projects normally outstrip my available time resources :(

 

 

Ain’t that the truth. 

 

Don’t have any ships in the stash but all this resin goodness makes me want to build one! 

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On ‎03‎/‎05‎/‎2018 at 17:08, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

My ideas for projects normally outstrip my available time resources :(

I think that's a universal given in the world of modelling. Cunning plans to get round this problem, stash reduction being right out, are cordially invited.

 

Martian

 

 

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On 5/16/2018 at 11:47 AM, Tony Oliver said:

 

Ain’t that the truth. 

 

Don’t have any ships in the stash but all this resin goodness makes me want to build one! 

 

There's something very satisfying about a good quality resin kit. I can't quite put my finger on why but it's very enjoyable :)

 

On 5/16/2018 at 12:04 PM, Martian Hale said:

I think that's a universal given in the world of modelling. Cunning plans to get round this problem, stash reduction being right out, are cordially invited.

 

Martian

 

 

Yes pass any ideas this way too please!

 

I had to go on a trip to London last week so got nothing done. I have sketched out an I class in 1/350 scale though and transcribed what camouflage pattern can be seen from the image. Towards the stern is getting towards the interpretational but there's a reasonably clear view of the bow, bridge and funnels. The other side may or may not have been a mirror image of this. I doubt we'll ever know.

 

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As to colours? Again it's anyone's guess at this point really. The relative tones of the photograph would appear to indicate a fairly high contrast two-tone scheme that might be consistent with some other schemes captured in colour that could have been 507A and 507C or could have been custom mix greys. Although now known to have some issues in some areas (e.g. 507B), Alan Raven's Warship Perspectives Volume 1 does contain numerous destroyers in similar two-tone schemes and he also believed them to be 507A and 507C, as well as stated that most of these destroyers had similar designs port and starboard.

HMS Revenge is clearly in two greys


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At this point, I feel like I might be up for having a go at portraying HMS Imperial when great uncle Alex was definitely on board. My father was over here yesterday and when shown the photograph of Imperial on tow, he suddenly recalled Alex telling him of the time they struck a mine and the big crack that opened up from weatherdeck down to the waterline, and that the crack moved as the ship reacted to the sea and the general fear amongst the crew that she may break in two.

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Colourcoats' adhesion to resin is generally pretty good. Nevertheless, I don't want any accidents. As I also wanted to add a plating seam it seemed sensible to give the whole hull a quick coat of Halfords primer. Then, a couple of strips of masking tape and another coat provided the seam.

 

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Halfords primer is ok but a bit too rough for me so I flatted it back with an Infini sanding sponge. Doing this also highlights the seam just added, but it will be less conspicuous after paint.

 

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I have since sprayed a base coat of Colourcoats NARN22 - 1936- Light Grey 507C / G45 - which I have access to early because I have the leftover paint matched to the target colour for manufacture

 

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Armed with sketch (which is about half right) I went ahead and painted on the rest of the base colours tonight:

 

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I just used a more-or-less mirror image for the starboard side.

 

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Now to get on with the rest of the detailing and some more subtle colour work.

 

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You know I can't do it, it would drive me nuts, but I do find all that etched brass detailing fascinating B) 

 

As is your work on the colour scheme; I doff my hat, guv :)

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

 

 

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Hi Jamie!

Great start......and rapid progress!

 

May I ask what is the green material You have used to alter the funnel section-some type of foam?

 

Must try a full resin kit sometime, I've got a 1/72 VC10 K2 to convert to a BOAC 'Speedbird' and an Uncl Angel Interceptor but no ships.......yet!!

 

Keep Sticking!           Cheers Pete

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5 hours ago, morty_3333 said:

Hi Jamie!

Great start......and rapid progress!

 

May I ask what is the green material You have used to alter the funnel section-some type of foam?

 

Must try a full resin kit sometime, I've got a 1/72 VC10 K2 to convert to a BOAC 'Speedbird' and an Uncl Angel Interceptor but no ships.......yet!!

 

Keep Sticking!           Cheers Pete

 

Hi Pete,

 

It's stuff you've likely come across under one name or another in your modelling career I expect?

 

It's a material sometimes called medium density modelling board or "chemiwood".

 

I got mine from a small business in NE England whom I used when I was mostly building radio controlled aeroplanes:

http://www.fighteraces.co.uk/product/chemiwood-modelling-board/

 

If you haven't used it, it's a solid substance without grain that can be easily and cleanly sawn, filed, sanded, glued etc and even machined. I understand its industrial uses are more pattern making and similar. It's sometimes called tooling board.

 

Best regards,

 

Jamie

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In the immortal words of Britney Spears: "Opps! I did it again"

Having already committed to upgrading the Vickers 0.5in quad machine guns with Tetra Model Works items, I mentally justified upgrading the rest of the weapons with some MicroMaster designed parts 3D printed by Shapeways.

 

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Some close-ups (not that good, because this is just a camera phone).

The 4.7in QF Mk.IX guns
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And 21in pentad torpedo tubes
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A bit of a luxury item, for sure, and particularly given the eye-watering price of 3D printed parts. This certainly won't become a habit, and I for one am not worried about 3D printing supplanting other means of model making any time soon!

The Shapeways site recommends against enamels and advocates acrylic paints. That's only because they're not cured when sent out from Shapeways though. I have proven previously that Colourcoats dries perfectly fine on the 3D printed frosted plastics offered by Shapeways, and all that is required to ensure that happens reliably is a bit more UV curing time. Hence, the new parts are now sat in the sunshine and I will paint them tomorrow afternoon or Sunday, depending on how my weekend pans out.  :thumbs_up_1: 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

A bit of a luxury item, for sure, and particularly given the eye-watering price of 3D printed parts.

As you say, eye-watering. I've managed to keep away from them but I'm sure their will be a time...

One of those 4.7" looks a bit 'limp'. Are you going to worry about it and if you are, how are you going to sort it?

Hope their is enough clearance between those tubes and the structure so that they can rotate :whistle:

 

Stuart

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Yes I noticed that. I'm not sure what can be done with 3D printed plastics to be honest. I may try abusing the runners they came on and see what works.

 

I did get the nice Master made 4.7" turned brass barrels so I am very tempted to cut off the barrels and use the brass barrels on the rather exquisite 3D printed breaches. That really would be a rather Rolls Royce solution, but since it's all here now I may as well do it!

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1 hour ago, Courageous said:

One of those 4.7" looks a bit 'limp'

i was just thinking that and they all look like they have been out in a frost with ice hanging from them  :cold:

 

3 hours ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

all that is required to ensure that happens reliably is a bit more UV curing time. Hence, the new parts are now sat in the sunshine

Jamie what do you mean by sunshine you live in the land of the wild haggis you get less sunshine than I do  :whistle:

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Today I started a little weathering, not that it's especially apparent now that I have reviewed the photographs. Still, it's easier to add more than to take away excess!

 

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To ensure the 3D printed bits got a good long soak in the sun's UV light, I have avoided them today and instead had (yet) another attempt at something I have never succeeded in before; a sea base. I've seen several people who can do them really well, and hundreds if not thousands who, well, don't. I am in the latter camp!

I have started this time with an 18" by 6" slab of pink styrofoam from the garage, which has been tortured into an approximate sea swell shape with a flap wheel in an electric drill. This was then sanded with one of Infini Model's nifty new sanding sponges and a ship-shaped hole cut out of the middle with an Xacto blade (I normally use Swann Morton scalpels but the Xacto blade was longer and could thus cut deeper).

 

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I painted it with PVA glue, then laid on tissue paper separated into single leafs, which was brushed on with a little water

 

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Once that dried, I checked the ship still fitted in the hole before adding any colour, and brushed on a generous coat of Windsor and Newton acrylic gloss gel medium

 

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HMS Imperial was in the Mediterranean for the time period I'm interested in and indeed sunk at Crete, and the Med is quite a warm and sunny place for the most part.

 

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Looking through paints I had here, I happened across an old tin of Revell enamel that was quite deep and very blue. Not knowing what it was nor having any plans for it, I used it for the base colour of the water. Some WEM-era Colourcoats RN21 B30 with its torquoise appearance has served for toning around the hull. Once dried, I'll do some of that cotton stuff with more acrylic gloss gel for white water.

 

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Summer Must have come all at once in one day just looking at all of the shadows 

much better weather than we are having today.sea scape looks great Jamie 

 

beefy

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Hi Jamie!

 

#Hi Jamie!

Great start......and rapid progress!

 

May I ask what is the green material You have used to alter the funnel section-some type of foam?

 

Must try a full resin kit sometime, I've got a 1/72 VC10 K2 to convert to a BOAC 'Speedbird' and an Uncl Angel Interceptor but no ships.......yet!!

 

Keep Sticking!           Cheers Pete#

 

 

Ah, so this is Chemiwood!

I am familiar with the name after lurking around Sci-Fi modelling forums,and had a brief flirtatation with a patternmakig apprenticeship in My 'Yuth', it was'nt about then, We had to use Jelutong,lovely wood but ruddy expensive!!

 

Great work on the seascape, I think You can safely say You've moved into the 'former camp' now!

 

And a former aeromodeller!

Me too, 10 years old to 40 years old (free flight gliders and power,glow, diesel and rubber,control line,r/c glider and power,helicopters and finally large models-My dad wanted to knw why His petrol strimmer did'nt work anymore.........😃)

Got fed up with club politics and arguments about Who's turn it was to mow the grass-floated off at the Millenium to r/c boats,scale power and yachts-no arguments now about grass-cutting!!

 

Thanks for Your reply!

 

Keep Sticking! Cheers,  Pete

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Jamie,

 

I have to say I don't share your disappointment with your sea base; it looks extremely good, the wake and bow elements seem to me to be just right.

 

As an old colleague always said to me (and you confirmed in your comment about weathering) less is best!

 

 

 

 

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Thanks guys :)

 

I have gone ahead and sawn the barrels of the very expensive 3D printed guns. The barrels were not a credit to the breaches.

 

I drilled each of them with a 0.5mm drill and inserted the turned brass barrels with a droplet of medium CA which gripped immediately. The 3D printed stuff drills really well if anyone is interested...

 

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