DIpping my toes back into Maritime - a 1/72 Vosper MTB

[Terry1954]

16 hours ago, Courageous said:

As a matter of interest, how are those PE bits supposed to work in real life 'cos I can't see it?

I guess it's some sort of screw clamp type lockdown?

 

 

Terry

[Dave Swindell]

It looks like a variation on a standard hatch dog with just one horizontal handle

 

or possibly the handle is hinged to the vertical bar (no thread) in the same plane as the bottom hinge and clamps using a cam action. In fact looking at it again I'm more inclined to the latter, as all the handles appeart to be perpendicular the locker sides. They would be quicker to open and close with this arrangement, just what you want with a ready use locker. Unfortunately can't find an illustration of this type of dog at the moment.

[Terry1954]

On 4/4/2020 at 7:26 PM, Dave Swindell said:

It looks like a variation on a standard hatch dog with just one horizontal handle

 

or possibly the handle is hinged to the vertical bar (no thread) in the same plane as the bottom hinge and clamps using a cam action. In fact looking at it again I'm more inclined to the latter, as all the handles appeart to be perpendicular the locker sides. They would be quicker to open and close with this arrangement, just what you want with a ready use locker. Unfortunately can't find an illustration of this type of dog at the moment.

Thanks for that Dave, and yes I'd agree with your suggestion on the handles.

 

Not much activity on the Vosper lately for three reasons. First I've been busy in the Nordic group build on a 1/144 Norwegian C-47. The deadline closes today and unfortunately I'll miss that one, as a couple of weeks back, when decaling commenced I encountered some challenges. I eventually discovered that the aftermarket decal set I had were without carrier film. A rogue set apparently. The manufacturers are however stepped in immediately and are sending replacements, all the way from Norway, but not here yet. Second priority has been a 1/35 AMX-13 which is close to completion, and third in line has been a last minute commission build of a 1/48 Meteor for a colleague. 

 

Rest assured, work will commence again on the Vosper soon!

 

Terry

[Dave Swindell]

7 minutes ago, Terry1954 said:

First I've been busy in the Nordic group build on a 1/144 Norwegian C-47. The deadline closes today and unfortunately I'll miss that one, as a couple of weeks back, when decaling commenced I encountered some challenges. I eventually discovered that the aftermarket decal set I had were without carrier film. A rogue set apparently. The manufacturers are however stepped in immediately and are sending replacements, all the way from Norway, but not here yet.

Yes, I saw that, I'd been watching that one as I've got a few Roden C-47's to build (british civil), glad Nils has sorted you out, but a bit galling when it happens. My Gripen isn't going to make the deadline tonight either...

[Terry1954]

Back on this and the AMX-13 now after completing the C-47.

 

I'm keen to get the whole bridge structure together now as that is needed to enable proper assembly of the wind deflector and other bridge externals, but before I do that I really need to get the inside detail of the bridge painted, as that would be near impossible to do once assembled. A reminder of what some of the internals look like from a couple of earlier shots:

 

 

I have some reasonable references for the external scheme of these boats, although I will seek expert advice on here before committing to that part. So an appeal out to all you Coastal Forces experts @longshanks, @beefy66, @robgizlu, @Courageous, @Dads203 @andrewa. ....... and others I have failed to mention, what is the main internal colour of the bridge area? From pictures I have seen am I safe to assume white, or would it be the "standard" light grey seen on the external parts that use light grey?

 

Thanks

 

Terry

[Courageous]

It's nice of you to think of me as a 'Coastal Forces expert' but I'm a long way off from that, an expert heckler more like . So, as you're only reminding us where you are, what you want to do with a question, I won't assume this is a restart...sorry.

 

Stuart

[Modelholic]

Terry,

In post #22 of FlyingSpanner's 1/35 Vosper build log there's pics showing the bridges of (albeit earlier) boats from the rear and they look pretty dark to me.

Tom

[robgizlu]

Hi Terry - with a caveat similar to Stuart - I've gone through all my references.  When all is said and done, there aren't a huge number of pictures of these boats and none that I have show the cockpit.  There are however some pics of Vosper 538 which was a similar layout though only 68 ft long and her bridge area seems to be painted the same internally as externally, certainly not white.

I'm inclined to think 507c/G45 would be tthe most likely (and as is always the case - who is going to prove you wrong if you do it in a fetching light violet ? )

 

And it's good to see it back centre-stage!

Stay Safe

Rob

[beefy66]

 

5 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

I will seek expert advice on here

You have a lot of faith in those you call experts  

 

Terry in these photos from Allied Torpedo boats it shows an early bridge layout with the outside painted in the same overall grey but you can see the white of the inner walls through the open door

 

 

 

In this second photo of a later bridge on a type 1 boat from numbers 379 - 395 you can see that the enclosed armoured walls are a lighter colour most likely white but very heavily weathered going from the staining on the sides

This layout looks more like the one you are depicting.

 

 

Hope this has helped

 

beefy

[Terry1954]

Thanks all. @beefy66, I actually have that book and a few other references, which was the main reason for the question, as there seems to be a few options open to me, many seem open to interpretation. I suggested white because of that picture, but wondered if anyone knew of any standard specs from around that time. I'm likely to go for that option Beefy, so thanks for re-iterating that one reference shot!

 

And, for those eager to see more progress, remember, quality builds take time .................. 🤣🤣🤣

 

Terry

 

 

[Dads203]

Longshanks and Rob are probably the best source of info Terry, they are both prolific builders of coastal forces subjects and have a ton of info, I would consider them “oracles “ of the subject matter. 

[longshanks]

For my money the late boats appear to be white.

I believe the later paint schemes used white in shadow areas. Ergo white in the cockpit

 

HTH

 

Kev

[JohnWS]

52 minutes ago, longshanks said:

For my money the late boats appear to be white.

I believe the later paint schemes used white in shadow areas. Ergo white in the cockpit

 

HTH

 

Kev

 

John

[Courageous]

9 hours ago, longshanks said:

For my money the late boats appear to be white.

...what about early ones ?

 

Stuart

[Terry1954]

8 minutes ago, Courageous said:

...what about early ones ?

 

Stuart

This one will definately be a late one. Over 20 months in build so far and no end in sight yet! 🤣

 

Terry

[Chewbacca]

On 04/04/2020 at 19:26, Dave Swindell said:

or possibly the handle is hinged to the vertical bar (no thread) in the same plane as the bottom hinge and clamps using a cam action. In fact looking at it again I'm more inclined to the latter, as all the handles appeart to be perpendicular the locker sides. They would be quicker to open and close with this arrangement, just what you want with a ready use locker. Unfortunately can't find an illustration of this type of dog at the moment.

I's definitely go with some sort of cam.  Let's face it, there's no way that Jack is going to screw everyone down so they are exactly at 90 degrees for anything other than Captain's rounds!

 

On 01/06/2020 at 14:10, robgizlu said:

who is going to prove you wrong if you do it in a fetching light violet ? )

 

 

Oh you can guarantee someone will.  When I was building my 1/600 GLAMORGAN post Exocet damage, I couldn't work out from any of the references (mainly B&W) whether the main decks were green as per the standard in the 70s or dark grey as the RN was moving to in the early 80s.  I found one photo, in colour that clearly showed the metal deck under A turret to be green which was captioned as being in Gibraltar post Springtrain just before she sailed south and so I went with that.  I showed the model at the Yeovilton model show some months later and one gentleman showed great interest in it.  After a while he congratulated me saying that it was a fantastic model all save for one glaring error: the decks should be grey.  I explained the dilemma  I'd had and he laughed, then told me that he had been the AB painter on board fat that time.  Her decks were in a pretty bad state and were due to be repainted grey when she returned to UK after Ex Springtrain but not knowing how long they were going to be away and knowing how quickly corrosion can set in in a salt laden environment if not treated, the First Lieutenant managed to persuade the Gibraltan dockyard authorities to repaint her decks whilst she was alongside.  They only had the new style grey!

 

Now I know the chances of finding someone who served in coastal forces in WW2 is very slim, they are still out there.  In my own branch of the Royal Naval Association we still have 3 WW2 veterans, 2 of whom were at Normandy on 6th June and one was in COSSACK when she attacked the Altmark in Norway in 1940..

[andrewa]

I’m with everyone else - no expert, but interested observer!  My references, and understanding of the admiralty instructions, are that any interior bulkheads would be white, with horizontal surfaces blue B15.  That’s what I’ll be doing for my Fairmile D

[robgizlu]

4 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

I's definitely go with some sort of cam.  Let's face it, there's no way that Jack is going to screw everyone down so they are exactly at 90 degrees for anything other than Captain's rounds!

 

Oh you can guarantee someone will.  When I was building my 1/600 GLAMORGAN post Exocet damage, I couldn't work out from any of the references (mainly B&W) whether the main decks were green as per the standard in the 70s or dark grey as the RN was moving to in the early 80s.  I found one photo, in colour that clearly showed the metal deck under A turret to be green which was captioned as being in Gibraltar post Springtrain just before she sailed south and so I went with that.  I showed the model at the Yeovilton model show some months later and one gentleman showed great interest in it.  After a while he congratulated me saying that it was a fantastic model all save for one glaring error: the decks should be grey.  I explained the dilemma  I'd had and he laughed, then told me that he had been the AB painter on board fat that time.  Her decks were in a pretty bad state and were due to be repainted grey when she returned to UK after Ex Springtrain but not knowing how long they were going to be away and knowing how quickly corrosion can set in in a salt laden environment if not treated, the First Lieutenant managed to persuade the Gibraltan dockyard authorities to repaint her decks whilst she was alongside.  They only had the new style grey!

 

Now I know the chances of finding someone who served in coastal forces in WW2 is very slim, they are still out there.  In my own branch of the Royal Naval Association we still have 3 WW2 veterans, 2 of whom were at Normandy on 6th June and one was in COSSACK when she attacked the Altmark in Norway in 1940..

Yes .........on reflection 

 

And it looks like the whites have it - go whites 

Rob

[Gisbod]

Lovely Terry!

 

Apolgies, just caught up with this build. I made one of these back in the 70’s, I think I made mine in an afternoon 🤪
 

Guy

[Terry1954]

1 hour ago, Gisbod said:

Lovely Terry!

 

Apolgies, just caught up with this build. I made one of these back in the 70’s, I think I made mine in an afternoon 🤪
 

Guy

Thanks Guy. I remember the days when I could make a model start to finish in an afternoon! Unfortunately this one could break the two year mark at the current rate. Still, lots to do and I'm enjoying the challenge of my first Coastal Forces model ever.

 

Thanks also to @Chewbacca @andrewa and @robgizlu for more input on the bridge internal colours. I think white has the day for this one, but Ralph's point is very well made. There will be someone, somewhere, someday, who may have a different view!

 

Terry

[Steve D]

1 hour ago, Terry1954 said:

Thanks Guy. I remember the days when I could make a model start to finish in an afternoon! Unfortunately this one could break the two year mark at the current rate. Still, lots to do and I'm enjoying the challenge of my first Coastal Forces model ever.

 

Thanks also to @Chewbacca @andrewa and @robgizlu for more input on the bridge internal colours. I think white has the day for this one, but Ralph's point is very well made. There will be someone, somewhere, someday, who may have a different view!

 

Terry

hi terry,

 

Just catching up on this build, for what it worth, I agree white is the way to go, though RN white is not a bright white, it has some cream in it 

 

Steve

[Terry1954]

On 6/3/2020 at 10:50 AM, Steve D said:

hi terry,

 

Just catching up on this build, for what it worth, I agree white is the way to go, though RN white is not a bright white, it has some cream in it 

 

Steve

Thanks Steve. I plan to prime everything in a neutral grey first as this will also give some depth in the shadows when I apply the white. Will be trying colourcoats for the first time so need to check out their whites!

 

Terry

[Steve D]

4 minutes ago, Terry1954 said:

Thanks Steve. I plan to prime everything in a neutral grey first as this will also give some depth in the shadows when I apply the white. Will be trying colourcoats for the first time so need to check out their whites!

 

Terry

I used these paint chips as a giude on the Fairmile.  I understand paint colours varied a lot as they were locally mixed and of course weathering changed and washed out the colours so modellers can get too pedantic imho..

 

However, the early war white shown here is really quite creamy to my uneducated mind, worth thinking about is all

 

 

Steve

[Steve D]

25 minutes ago, Steve D said:

I used these paint chips as a giude on the Fairmile.  I understand paint colours varied a lot as they were locally mixed and of course weathering changed and washed out the colours so modellers can get too pedantic imho..

 

However, the early war white shown here is really quite creamy to my uneducated mind, worth thinking about is all

 

 

Steve

Actually, I'm being stupid, that is semex deck covering ... though the RN white is creamy 

[Terry1954]

Thanks @Steve D. I've ordered up a re-stock of some Colourcoats, so am good for the white now, but some other colours I need for this one (G45 and B15) are not yet back in stock. No matter, this is not a fast build, as my regular viewers will attest .................. 😂

 

So having finished the AMX-13 now, and the C-47 a few weeks ago, I have more time for this one which is now running in parallel with a 1/48 commission build (no WIP for that at the moment).

 

I was looking at the main deck where the Coastal Craft Oerlikon lockers are to be fitted and realised that the Airfix supports needed removing for things to look right. So out with my micro chisels (as recommended by @Ex-FAAWAFU) for some surgery. These really are superbly useful little tools, and I can't now imagine working without them.

 

So off we go with the first of eight removed:

 

 

Not a pretty sight:

 

 

Better though after some sanding:

 

 

and so far tonight, some of my go to filler Green Stuff, applied ready for final sanding and polishing off tomorrow:

 

 

Other jobs still to be done include construction of the Oerlikon itself (bandstand is ready as per earlier editions of this thread). Im fabricating that from the Coastal Craft set, plus some scratch building around the base of the pedestal

 

 

Coastal Craft provide some excellent etch for the gun shield, but detailed instructions are a little remiss. This picture shows the shield and supports cleaned up and ready for bending (support) and assembly:

 

 

Also on the etch with these are some extra supports but these are mentioned nowhere in the instructions at all, other than being numbered. The mystery parts are 71 and 72. They look superb, but I need to do some more research to work out where they need to go!

 

 

That's all for tonight.

 

Aside from the above works, the bridge area is still to be finished off, but that is waiting for the colourcoats paint (internal white) as I plan to paint and slightly weather that, before bringing all the bridge parts together.

 

I've also made a start on the mast, which will be scratch built, as the Airfix parts are not convincing enough to my mind. Pictures of that will follow. There are plenty of other detailed assemblies to be added, more on those to come.

 

Terry