Weapon class destroyers - any kits?

[Tony Whittingham]

I couldn’t help noticing that the Weapon class look a lot like Darings. If no kits, can I convert the Airfix Daring?

 

TW

[Shar2]

There are no injection moulded kits, but Atlantic Models is due to release some.

 

[Paul Bradley]

That would be neat - my dad's first boat was the Crossbow. 

[Courageous]

8 hours ago, Shar2 said:

but Atlantic Models is due to release some.

I hope so, 1/700?

 

Stuart

[Shar2]

9 hours ago, Courageous said:

I hope so, 1/700?

 

Stuart

Sorry, no, 1:350.

[czechnavy]

 

The IPMS Small Warships SIG Magazine, Issue 22, September 2002 had an article on Weapon Class Destroyers

 

The article (by Tim Stoneman) is based on a 1/700th conversion from the Tamiya 'Onslow' - it includes plans and describes the main variants including the addition of a large long range radar for aircraft direction.  

 

In 1/600th scale the Daring is a suitable source of a hull to hack into shape!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Graham Boak]

A Daring is a lot bigger than Onslow: I think the Weapons were somewhere inbetween.  Looking at Friedman, I'd suggest that a Cossack hull would be closer in dimensions but a Daring would still be needed for the superstructures.

Edited September 20, 2018 by Graham Boak

[Courageous]

...looks like a Tribal/ Daring cross, makes life a little interesting when the time comes.

 

Stuart

[stevehnz]

Supposedly, the Weapons were based on the hull, v.slightly widened of the war emergency destroyers, which in turn were based on the J,K & L classes so are quite a bit narrower & shorter than Darings & I would guess Tribals. (Thinking in terms of 1/600) but if someone is planning a dedicated kit in 1/700 or 1/350 (?) then definitely worth waiting for.

Steve.

 

[grahamwalker]

does not a german firm make one in resin ?

[Graham Boak]

Class:  Overall Length:  Beam

Tribal       377-0      36-6

O/P          328-9      35-0

WE           356-6      35-8

Weapon  365-0      38-0

Daring     390-0      43-0

 

I would guess that Tim Stoneman couldn't get a 1/700 Tribal, although he might have got closer with the Matchbox Kelly (same as War Emergency above), and you can't get an O/P or a War Emergency in 1/600.  You use whatever you can get that's nearest.  In 1/600 that's Cossack, but overall dimensions aren't the be all and end all.  You might actually be better chopping and slimming a Daring, although that last bit is never fun.  I'd consider dropping a side profile from plasticard (30thou?) between two halves of a Cossack and chopping the stern short then adding Daring bits, scratch-builds and whatever you can find.  Other approaches may well be better...

[stevehnz]

I hadn't realised the Tribals were so herring gutted but then again, I seem to remember Airfix mag doing conversions from, I think, their Tribal kit (Cossack) into the smaller types including the WEs about 4-5 decades ago, so Graham's scheme is quite feasible, though afaicr, the Weapons had twin turreted 4" main armament?

Steve.

[Graham Boak]

The Weapons were compromises from the planned G class, basically the same hull but the G was to have a pair of Daring turrets, making life easier for the conversion if not providing a vessel that anyone actually sailed upon.  Within.  For a Weapon, the twin 4in can be obtained from other Airfix 1/600 ships - certainly the Belfast has a pair that are surplus to requirements if you are converting one to a Town.  Yes, that does mean I have one spare pair (or ought to) in case of need.  You could always try attacking the Cossack's twin 4.7 turrets with knife and file.

 

The provisionally spare Daring hull could be donated to a Battle - now there's yet another class not available in plastic 1/600 to 1/700.

[Paul Bradley]

2 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

 

 

The provisionally spare Daring hull could be donated to a Battle - now there's yet another class not available in plastic 1/600 to 1/700.

 

Frog did a very basic Battle in 1/325, but Atlantic are scheduled to released one in 1/350, which should be spectacular. 

[Chewbacca]

On ‎21‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 03:01, Paul Bradley said:

 

Frog did a very basic Battle in 1/325, but Atlantic are scheduled to released one in 1/350, which should be spectacular. 

Now that will certainly be worth waiting for.  I've made a couple of Battles in 1/600, one converted from a COSSACK hull (about 40-odd years ) and one from DARING about 10 years ago, neither of which were especially easy (though at least the second did look vaguely like a Battle class!).  Cutting the hull down was relatively straightforward as the 5mm length difference could all be lost at the stern whilst I ignored the 1.2mm difference in beam.  I've still got a spare DARING kit which was intended to make either into a late Battle with the 965 radar or potentially a Weapon but if Peter's bringing each out I think I will wait. 

[Seahawk]

On ‎9‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 11:50 PM, stevehnz said:

 I seem to remember Airfix mag doing conversions from, I think, their Tribal kit (Cossack) into the smaller types including the WEs about 4-5 decades ago, 

There was even an article on building a Weapon class destroyer way back in those happy days when every new Airfix release sparked an Airfix Magazine article a month or two later on "now let's convert it into something entirely different", probably 1967-8, but it would be too crude for use even as a reference nowadays .   Not only have modelling standards risen considerably in the intervening 50-odd years but we take for granted the vastly increased amount of information available on the real things. 

 

NB That ship article was not by Peter Hodges, whose articles (eg Hunt and Battle classes, Leander class superdetail) are still worth a look nowadays.

Edited October 8, 2018 by Seahawk