bootneck Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 I have been waiting on a re-stock of styrene sheets to build more frames, in the meantime I have been working on populating the lower hangar area. I haven't been able to find any details of the manual handlers, seen down the centre aisle in previous photo's, so I've added trolleys instead. The two WM Buccaneers are placed there just for positioning. These are low-priority and will be completed and painted at a later stage. At the moment they look as if they should be on a Death Star rather than a carrier! This section has been inserted into the space in the model and is ready for the next frame, which will close that section up. As can be seen, or rather not, there isn't much to see once it is in position. As before, this is all that will be seen when everything is closed and the Flight Deck added. I can now concentrate on the upper hangar, as well as construct more frames now that I have the plastic. Thanks for looking. Mike 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 That hanger is looking fantastic. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnWS Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Awesome work Mike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Loving this! Martian 👽 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAG058 Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I have only just stumbled across this. This is spectacular! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgizlu Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Every time I look in - you've leapt ahead. I'm still having difficulty getting a handle on the size of this. Any which way - it's impressive Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted January 27, 2019 Author Share Posted January 27, 2019 Hello friends, apologies for such a long break with this but I had to make some changes, the main one being I had to rearrange the mancave to accommodate this beast. The table is seven feet long and the model is taking up five and a half feet of that.. I have also been spending time drawing, scaling and cutting the next batch of frames for assembly, they can be seen stacked on the right. Work on the upper hangar, shown in the view above has not been started yet; I have just placed a couple of Phantoms in there for eye-candy! Thanks for looking. Mike 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 (edited) That is going to take some sanding and getting ready for painting! Are you sure you have enough cutting mats... Stuart Edited January 27, 2019 by Courageous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Yes! Time to get serious man. Go and buy some more cutting mats! 🤪 Other than that, there’s not much to say except ‘Wow’! 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfsup Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 That is just some stunning work.....Cheers Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 Thanks again for the encouraging responses. After all this outlay on styrene, all I can afford nowadays is cutting mats; fortunately they are only £5.99 for A2 size mats at our local hardware store. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted February 1, 2019 Author Share Posted February 1, 2019 Quite a bit of progress on my part but not much to actually see for the viewer. I have reached a milestone though, as frame 138 is the last that has the double hangars. Frame 139, on the right, has the lower hangar area blanked off. Also note how the boiler uptakes encroach into the lower hangar space. Frame 139 onwards (aft) only has the upper hangar. The lower hangar, consisting of decks 4 and 5, was truncated during the major refit to accommodate additional squadron personnel, and the area aft of Fr138 became : Deck 4 - CPO's mess and recreation area. Deck 5 - Electronic Maintenance Repair Complex (EMR) and Main Air Weapons ready-use magazine Frame 140 now in place which makes this area look quite bland. The lift well area at decks 4 and 5 level, shown at the base of the image below, were converted to Junior Rates accommodation with the lift then only going down as far as deck 3. Here is a broadside view of my progress. The model is too large to capture in one image, and this view is of the forward section. The aft section up to frame 140. The area for the lift well is marked (notice how offset to port it is). This area will get similar treatment to the forward lift area, with a section of the upper hangar, lift well and aft hanger spaces being populated with shelving and other hangar materials. The little rectangular opening in the sides of deck 2 are vent trunking and access out to the walkways. The vents have mesh coverings inserted before the outer hull plating goes on. Thanks again for looking. Mike 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 Amazing work Mike. What do you use as plastic cement, and don't tell it's Tamiya thin ? Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted February 2, 2019 Author Share Posted February 2, 2019 Thanks Stuart, no, I don't use Tamiya thin on this, the liquid wouldn't penetrate through to the centre of the frames. I have to use a contact glue and for this I use Revell Contacta. The extra fine needle dispenser helps me keep the glue tight to the spacers, the bits that look like ribs on the frame, shown in previous posts. The next phases, from this point until the stern are going to be more complex to draw and cut out. This is because there is a lot happening after the angled deck meets the original hull form; with the crane, boat decks, weapons platforms etc., hiding the actual hull shape and therefore making photo-interpretation just that much more difficult. This photo shows the location of Frame 140 and all the clutter aft of that. It is only deck 2, immediately below the flight deck that is troubling me as it's not that obvious which are cutouts, add-ons, underhangs or overhangs. I shall need to spend a bit more time on this area in order for me to try and get it right. cheers. Mike 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 Wow. A big job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyconcorde Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 Hi Mike, Great build, I have been trying to find the frame plans/dimensions for years so that I can scratch build the Ark Royal in 1/350 myself and other than getting them from the National Archives at a rather expensive price, was wondering where you got them from Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted February 7, 2019 Author Share Posted February 7, 2019 Hi Andy, I borrowed some incomplete plans a few years ago and took measurements of what areas that I could. Much of my build is also utilising photo-interpretation. I've returned the plans and don't have access to them any more. The data is actually in a spreadsheet format, as shown below. I did find a good quality plan of the flight deck online but I can't remember where to find the link now. I took a copy of it back then though. Send me a pm with your email addy and I'll send it to you. It is in PDF format. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLC1966 Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 Only just seen this, sorry Bootneck, but this is madness, 5 1/2 foot long !!! Great, brilliant, work and patience though chap, but tell me, where are you going to portray the fishheads and wafu's dressed up in female attire for the run ashore ? The naked ones at the back are obviously the booties.....😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted February 13, 2019 Author Share Posted February 13, 2019 I couldn't resist jumping ahead a little, to see how the layout might look with the roof on! The model is now too big to fit in one image, so here is the forward section. Also visible is my start on the main body of the island superstructure. The aircraft are just cardboard cutouts which will allow me to find the optimum placements for the kits when I get them. Now that the basic shape of the island is built, it is just a case of detailing it at the various levels. This is deck level 03 which is where the funnel base sits. Deck 03 has been cut out and glued into place plus work on constructing the funnel is underway. The mast is an old one that I made ages ago, for an oil rig, and is just there for positioning purposes. New masts will be produced later, along with the various radars. The time will also come soon when I shall have to start detailing the cutouts in the hull sides and, as they are mainly boat decks, I had better get on and do some of the boats, but I'm lacking info at the moment. Thanks again for your interest and kind comments. I hope to show more progress soon. Mike 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefy66 Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Fantastic work on this monster of a build 👍 beefy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugle07 Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 This is Brilliant stuff, well done so far! Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishgreek Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 I am just blown away. Will there be any way later to see all that you have built with the 2md (deeper) hanger? Good luck on this giant project! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaddad Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Any idea how heavy this is going to be when finished & fully loaded? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootneck Posted February 13, 2019 Author Share Posted February 13, 2019 Thanks everyone, I appreciate your acknowledgements. With regard to the internal visibility, hardly any at all I'm afraid. Either I do it in pre or post flying stations, where I can have a lift down, or I have it at full flying stations which would mean both lifts would be up most of the time. The forward lift is too near the jet blast deflectors and the aft lift would be up in case a launch gets into difficulty and has to do an immediate land on. I don't think it is too heavy, much of the internal there's a lot of space between each frame, with only spacers keeping them apart. I might have a go at weighing the brute tomorrow evening, after my stint as a volunteer at the museum. cheers. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spaddad Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Are you going to replicate the whole air wing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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