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HMS Ark Royal IV (or Eagle perhaps)


bootneck

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I don't think so as the only time I've ever seen a full compliment is during Procedure Alpha (entering harbour) as in the image below.  The view shows: 9 x Buccaneers, 12 Phantoms, 3 Sea Kings, 4 Gannets and 1 Wessex (plus the other Wesssex overhead taking the photo).  I probably couldn't afford all those kits, therefore it will likely be a Wessex 1; a couple of Gannet AEW's; some Buccs and a few F-4J's spoofed as FG.1's.

 

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Mike

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Every time I see this I continue to be amazed.  It has certainly enthused me to have a go at one myself though in a more sensible scale of either 1/600 or 1/350 at some point as she appeared when she sailed for her final deployment.  I was a Sea Cadet at the time doing a seamanship course at HMS RALEIGH and they took us all down to see her sail saying that we'd never see it again.  Little did I then know that the next time a ship named ARK ROYAL would sail from a UK port under her own power I would be OOW1!

 

Edited by Chewbacca
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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello everyone,  apologies for my absence but I had found some more images which showed my calculations were out on the size of the cutouts.  These are the areas where the boat decks would go and I had found that there wasn't enough height for the boats to fit in the gaps.  I have now re-done the calculations and updated my build charts.

 

Deck 2

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Deck 3

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With all that sorted, I was able to continue cutting and assembling the frames and have finally attached the last full-height frame.

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I have also been working on the funnel

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the funnel has been primed and just needs the large baffle, which surrounds the top part of the funnel, to be added.  The top will then be painted black.

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The piece of plastic, in the foreground of the above image, will become the platform for the boats on the port quarter of deck 3.  The starboard platform is the piece which can be seen between the spray can and the glue pot on the left.

 

I think that I am back on track now, after the issue with my measurements, so now I should hopefully be able to provide more frequent progress again.  That is as long as no other photo evidence turns up to mess my plans again!

 

On 13/02/2019 at 23:02, spaddad said:

Any idea how heavy this is going to be when finished & fully loaded?

I don't know how much this will weigh once it is completed however, I have just weighed the hull on its own and it is 4Kg (9lb) so far.

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Mike

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

It has been a while since I last reported in and so I had better provide an update.  There hasn't been all that much change though, mainly as swmbo has had me digging the garden!  The work that I have managed on the ship has been mostly itty-bitty parts that need to be done before I can plate/skin the hull, plus I have also started on the radar masts.

 

First off, the openings in the hull need to be filled with the relevant sponsons and boat decks; so I have been busy constructing those.

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The quarterdeck aft needs to be built as well and here is the first piece, ready for adding capstans and bollards etc.

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Work has also started on making the ship's boats that will be placed on the various boat decks, once they have been built and painted.

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Here is the sequence of how the boat decks will be prepared and inserted, although they will need finishing and painting beforehand:

1. the openings in the hull.

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2. the boat deck sponson being measured for fit. Two decks are in view, the boat deck at back for deck 3 and capstan deck for deck 4 below.

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3. Both decks dry fitted for size.

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Another fiddly area that needs my attention, albeit I do keep putting it off because of their complexity, are the masts and radars.  This is the start of the forward mast for the Type 965 Bedstead radar.

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I have assembled three sides but left the fourth, the front, open as I need to insert the various platforms at each level. (Ignore the discs, they are for something else).

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The platforms have been installed and the mast has been closed up.  The centre platform extends forward and I have added supports for it.

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This is where the fwd mast will sit on the bridge roof, when it has been completed and the radar attached.

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Now to work on the Type 965 radar itself.  These are some of the components needed to make two 965's, one forward and the other aft on the island structure.

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This photo shows the locations for the two masts that carry the Type 965 radars.  The radar was often referred to as the "bedstead" and this view shows why.

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Well, that's it for now.  There's still a lot of fiddly stuff to do before the model gets to look anything like a representation of a real carrier; however, if you bear with me, I hope to continue showing progress over the coming weeks or months.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Mike

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I have seen scratch building ,but is in the premier league,superb work and please keep the photos coming, glad to see this ship getting more notice these days,this was my Dads last ship and was able to visit her once,hope you don't mind pushing this kit, this is my humble 1/700 version by Atlantic models from Starling models.

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Hi Chris,

 

a fine looking model indeed.  I wanted to get one of those, just for measurements and opening placements etc., however I couldn't afford to do that.  Do you have any more images, especially at higher res, of the openings, deck features and island?  I have trawled the bazaars looking for detailed images of the real thing but most of them are at a distance and/or grainy black and white stuff.

 

I have had an attempt at the front mast and Type 965 radar.

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Working with plastic sheet makes the radar look a bit blocky and solid, so I may look at some other way to do this.

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Progress may slow down somewhat over the next few weeks as swmbo isn't too well at the moment.  I will report any further progress when I can though.

 

Mike

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I too hope Mrs. Bootneck rallies soon as someone as crazy as you needs looking after, those bits for the radar, mental, but looking forward to the rest of this insanity. Press on as soon as.

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Thanks for the kind words, which I have passed on to Mrs Bootie.  She had an op a couple of days ago and needs further surgery in the near future; so I am duty cook, bottle washer and go fetcher at the mo'.

 

Mike

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Hi Chris,

 

thanks for those but I've already found them previously.  I actually meant if you had any hi-res images of your model, so that I could identify placements etc.

 

Mike

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