1/350 HMS Exeter (1939) - York class cruiser

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I picked up the Trumpeter HMS Exeter in 1/350 scale today.

 

 

I haven't seen any build threads yet but had read that those who have already got it consider it both fairly accurate (unusual for Trumpeter) and possibly one of Trumpeter's best efforts yet.

 

Any interest in some photos of the parts and a fairly OOB build thread for this?

[Courageous]

Ooh, looks interesting Jamie.

I think with no existing threads, I think it's obligatory to show parts, instructions and stuff. Sea base?

 

Stuart

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

7 minutes ago, Courageous said:

Ooh, looks interesting Jamie.

I think with no existing threads, I think it's obligatory to show parts, instructions and stuff. Sea base?

 

Stuart

Hi Stuart. I shall get the photographing background boards out tomorrow in daylight before getting started then to get some nice parts shots. The hull is a single piece from keel to main deck. If the masts aren't too flexible to rig they look nice enough to use as-is. Even the Vickers 0.5in quads look alright but I may still replace them with Tetra ones just because I really like them.

[salmo G]

1 hour ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

I picked up the Trumpeter HMS Exeter in 1/350 scale today.

 

 

I haven't seen any build threads yet but had read that those who have already got it consider it both fairly accurate (unusual for Trumpeter) and possibly one of Trumpeter's best efforts yet.

 

Any interest in some photos of the parts and a fairly OOB build thread for this?

Hi Jamie

 

I'd certainly follow a build thread! got a good few quality pics of her on a dvd I picked up a few years ago but i will wait for some AM stuff to come out before tackling her myself and if the truth be known I am REALLY waiting for theit counties to come out as they are some of my very favourite ships ever, I hope for your sake shes to a better standard (both research and buildability) than Belfast was........... shouldnt be too difficult!and the camo scheme shouldnt cause too many problems either.

 

Hope you enjoy yourself with this one. Good luck

[beefy66]

I would like to see this one underway when your ready  

 

beefy

[PDH]

Watching with great interested, particularly in view of what Trumpeter have announced for 2019.

 

P

[prowler0000]

Someone say "build thread"?!?!?    🍿🍿🍿

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Sorry for the delay folks. We/I had a complete primary SSD hard drive failure on Christmas eve and have lost a lot of data including some WIP RN paints research. The most critical parts are backed up but it's still *immensely* annoying. Today, thus, I went shopping for a new hard drive and have reinstalled Windows etc etc. There's only so much I will do from a smart phone and multi-photo posts are seldom amongst those things!

 

I did take these during the day time though, but only now can post them. Here's what's in the box. A few parts look usable but will need care removing the excess. The 8 inch barrels look naff, but Trumpeter main battery barrels are always naff so I expected nothing and was thus not disappointed. The rest looks pretty usable though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hull is quite nicely moulded as a single piece. Even if I model in in a seascape, I would use the full hull anyway - this eliminates the upper/lower half join headaches that usually plague Trumpeter hulls.

 

 

The deck is quite cleanly moulded and although they spring apart dry fitted, they will fit well with a little security whilst the glue dries. Thus, I have already started painting the wooden deck since these photos.

 

 

The rest of the major parts (not shown is the Walrus - typically moulded in clear plastic)

 

 

The 8 inch turrets:

 

 

Assorted minor parts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

[Francis Macnaughton]

It seems strange to offer the crane in photo etch while doing the catapults as plastic mouldings..  Is that going to work as offered or realistically  do the catapults need to be replaced?

[GrantGoodale]

Jamie, have you tried taking your old hard drive to a shop that specializes in data recovery? It would be a pity to loose the WIP research.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

7 hours ago, GrantGoodale said:

Jamie, have you tried taking your old hard drive to a shop that specializes in data recovery? It would be a pity to loose the WIP research.

Hi Grant, the simpler semi-professional techniques haven't worked which leaves the commercial data recovery specialists. Most with a reputation for actually knowing what they're doing / delivering results want somewhere between £800 - £1500 for the first assessment to then determine whether they can do anything with it.

 

Whilst I agree it's a pity to lose stuff, we are too small a business to spend that sort of money on this so it'll just need to be done again when I can be bothered / get time.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I have started painting the decks. I usually use the easy-option wooden deck aftermarket products but in the absence of that I am experimenting with paints. I am not experienced at this and am therefore making it up as I go along.

 

 

I have only done the aft half here. I see no benefit in doing both before deciding I don't like it as it's a very long, tedious and unrewarding aspect of model making thus far. I intend to gloss clearcoat it with acrylic (e.g. Windsor and Newton Galleria) as a barrier coat then I will attempt the caulking with a medium/dark grey oil wash.

 

If it's any good, I will crack on and do the other half. If it's not, I have wasted only half the time I could have wasted!

[grahamwalker]

So you have found 1 error then Jamie,    she carried a Sea Fox not a Walrus in the time frame modelled .

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

24 minutes ago, grahamwalker said:

So you have found 1 error then Jamie,    she carried a Sea Fox not a Walrus in the time frame modelled .

Thanks for that Graham. At least that's easily fixed and requires no butchery and remedial work!

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Here's how that deck malarkey turned out. It turns out that W&N acrylic gloss clear is no barrier at all to enamel thinners so I managed to damage the surface just ahead of the turret barbette. That's getting remedial work now.

 

 

 

 

I had intended to ask if the BM populace considers this deck painting to be ok or if it needs redone, but these images are not scaling well at all and the automatic resizing keeps applying its own patterns to the deck that are not present in real life. I guess I'll just need to go with my own opinion on the matter here.

 

I have turned my attention to the hull for now. This has four large gates on the keel but they are easy enough to remove with a flat chisel. On mine a dab of filler is needed on each as some material has come away when the moulding has been broken off whatever runner/sprue arrangement the injection moulders used. There are a couple of "bridges" on each side to aid moulding the surrounding structure around the midships torpedo tube openings. This isn't beyond the realms of reasonable modelling skills but I can foresee heavy-handed modellers breaking the bits they're supposed to keep.

 

 

Mine was already broken in the box on one side - no big deal.

 

I removed the surplus plastic using a good sharp pair of nippers that every modeller ought to have...

 

I need to retract my earlier statement about the deck being a bit springy. On closer inspection there was a very easy answer:

 

 

There are a few of these on the undersides of both deck sections and they are easily removed with a chisel blade. Once done, the deck fits very well as shown here dry fitted:

 

 

[MikeR]

Personally the deck looks ok, at least from what I can see. I'll admit that I'm not totally sold on wooden decks but I work in 1/700 and at that scale an aftermarket deck can look too thick and can almost swamp the deck details. With 1/350 that issue isn't as apparent.

 

Mike.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

20 minutes ago, MikeR said:

Personally the deck looks ok, at least from what I can see. I'll admit that I'm not totally sold on wooden decks but I work in 1/700 and at that scale an aftermarket deck can look too thick and can almost swamp the deck details. With 1/350 that issue isn't as apparent.

 

Mike.

Thanks Mike. I'll press on and see how it turns out.

 

In other news, initial Google searching reveals that a 1/350 Fairey Seafox may not be easy to find.

[iang]

You don't need a Seafox. Exeter never carried one: Osprey, Fairey IIIF and then Walrus.  At the time of the River Plate, Walrus were carried before being ditched.  

[Chris Hewitt]

Thanks for the review and build thrown in has well,will be watching.        😎   

 

[grahamwalker]

my mistake it was flown off the Leanders my mistake, i dont like that planking on the aft deck it is too over done (butt ends), Computers I a;way install a second hard drive and but up important info when made.

[salmo G]

Hi Jamie

 

The deck looks excellent! I prefer painted decks to real wood as I feel the wood grain makes it look a little odd (despite the fact Trumpys planks are much too wide!)  for what its worth I also roughly paint some of the individual planks slightly diff colours and then spray a final unifying coat over it all to tie it together. Had a quick look at some of the pics I have and compared to your images of the parts the following may be some help?

• Not sure but from the images you posted it does not look like there are any deck houses between the 2 decks directly under the funnels? if they are missing should be easy to add with plastic card. Will be visible when viewed from the side through the opening for the TT.
• Interdeck supports for the 4" guns (at least the rear two will be visible) and the crane? seem to be missing?
• It looks like there is no internal structure in the bridge? in reality there should be a deck house and extra floor preventing a see through effect?
• I think there should also be an area of metal decking in front of the 4" guns?
• I think the 4" deck supports should be simple circles and not include the square extension trumpy show?
• Not convinced raised surfaces on the deck under the funnels are really there? (these may actually be the shape of the missing structure under the upper deck?)
• There should be some recesses on either side of the forward superstructure (as they missed on Belfast)
• Seems as usual that the fairleads sit inboard and not overhang the deck edge?

Just a very quick comparision and in general I think it shows a definate improvment over their Belfast in both detail and buildability but no doubt still planty to keep somebody busy if they want to improve it.

 

Good work so far.

 

[bootneck]

Hi Jamie,

 

first off, your build is looking good and I'll follow along for inspiration; however, that deck is the pits.  It is just like how Trumpeter did their Queen Elizabeth battleship, and @Shar2 would have a field day if he had to review this kit.     The planking isn't staggered at all and, looking closely at the detail. it shows alternate but incorrect rows; one full of approx. 11ft (scale) planking while the next row is one continual piece from end to end.  This continues across the whole width of the deck and that is what is causing those cross lines to look so wrong.

 

Mike 

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Yeah the planking pattern isn't right but I'm not going to do anything about that. I'll leave that to those with an abundance of time to fill up me thinks!

[bootneck]

Yes, I'm sure that would be hard work and time-consuming.  Looking forward to the rest of your build Jamie.

 

Mike