Courageous Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 Good bit of remedial work...life of a modeler. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 Looking good Chewie! 👍✅👍✅👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgizlu Posted July 15, 2019 Share Posted July 15, 2019 Just caught up with this - sea looks great as does the ship Cracking work! Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share Posted August 4, 2019 Thanks Rob. Apologies for not responding and indeed the lack of updates on this. My eldest has just graduated from uni and then we were straight off to France for a few week's holiday with very limited internet connectivity. Didn't realise until we got there we were staying only about 5 miles from Trun but I couldn't find anything that suggested Heller did factory tours or had a factory shop. The last bits I did before heading off to his graduation was to fit the forward carley floats. Hmm, like the after ones, the frames, which are designed for the liberty ship after fitting are way too large. I half suspected they would be after having to cut down the after frames. The X brackets at the back don't look great but they pass a moderate scrutiny Before: After: Not sure how much will happen on this now for the next few weeks/months. The builders are arriving later this week to do a whole raft of renovation work - part of which thanks to my lovely wife's idea is the creation of a dedicated modelling man-cave by bricking up three doors at what is currently the junction between our hall and the old conservatory; the new conservatory will have 2 sets of French doors leading into it so doesn't need that access whilst the other two doors haven't been used for years. So it will give me a space about 2m x 1.5m in which I can create a bespoke working area. 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Your work on this girl is impressive. As for the lack of updates, we're not going anywhere. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgizlu Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Agree 100% with Stuart. It's a hobby! The new arrangement looks a whole lot better, the whole ship is really coming together Great news about the modelling space Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murdo Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Superb work on a really, really busy (and cramped) looking ship! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugle07 Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 Agree with everyone above, in your own time, in you own time. Any more yet? Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted August 6, 2019 Author Share Posted August 6, 2019 Making some progress on the masts while I await the chaos that will ensue later this week and I have a slight dilemma. There is an aerial clearly fitted to the top of the mainmast but I can't work out what it is so I'm open to any advice that others may have. You can see it here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/rp15222-Royal-Navy-Ship-HMS-Bulolo-built-1938-photo-6x4-/292289381024 whch looks like an early HFDF (like this: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Shamsher_Pakistan_SLV_Green_1951_detail.png above a Type 281, albeit a 281 that is elongated vertically rather than horizontally. This image appears to show the same: http://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=1769#v I don't know when these 2 photos were taken but judging by the rest of her fit it would appear to be post the refit that followed Operation Overlord but before she arrived in the Far East. I think both photos were taken at virtually the same time, just perhaps a minute or so apart. This one which was clearly taken whilst in Eastern waters http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1511883 appears t just be the vertically aligned 281 Yet this one which I think was taken in Malta whilst heading East, appears to just be the HFDF: I'm open to suggestions any WW2 aerial experts may have 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted August 7, 2019 Author Share Posted August 7, 2019 I think I have convinced myself it is an FH4 HFDF aerial. At least that's what I'm going to start to make anyway! Good diagram on page 9 of this PDF: http://jproc.ca/rrp/hfdf1998.pdf 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnWS Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 41 minutes ago, Chewbacca said: ... I have convinced myself it is an FH4 HFDF aerial. ... You've convinced me too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted August 8, 2019 Share Posted August 8, 2019 I agree. But after reading that paper my brain hurts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted August 9, 2019 Share Posted August 9, 2019 Ditto on both counts especially the hurting brain bit! I've been quietly keeping an eye on this build and have just spent sometime more carefully reviewing it. A fascinating and very skilful build. Superb work. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted August 10, 2019 Author Share Posted August 10, 2019 Not the greatest of photos - I'll try to retake it with a DSLR rather than a phone - but you get the gist of what this aerial looks like in 1/350. The squares on the cutting board are 10mm to give an idea of scale 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted August 17, 2019 Author Share Posted August 17, 2019 FH4 aerial complete so attention turned the rest of the masts which are a combination of cocktail sticks cut to the right length, placed in the chuck of a Dremmerl and turned down to the right thickness/taper and plastic rod. Both have been drilled out to take a thin brass connecting rod. Yards from master model brass rod. First test fit shown below - I need to slightly tweak the angle of the main mast which angles slightly back as shown in this image but should be at the same angle as the foremast. 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 She’s looking great Chewie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 She certainly is! What’s the square thing on the back end? Room for a tiny R4? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted August 18, 2019 Author Share Posted August 18, 2019 It's the platform for the aft 6in mounting but its wrong and has to be replaced. This photo appears to show the platform as rectangular but its far from clear and you'll recall back in post #49 I said I had found some plans on a US site for sale for $235. Whilst I didn't buy them I did scrutinise the images they'd posted one of which shows that platform to be round. So the rectangular one fitted there now is going to come off and a new circular one (which I have made and which is sitting with the turret) put on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 On 8/4/2019 at 6:29 PM, Chewbacca said: part of which thanks to my lovely wife's idea is the creation of a dedicated modelling man-cave Well done on that one, your good lady definitely sounds like she's worth hanging onto! This build is looking superb. Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted September 7, 2019 Author Share Posted September 7, 2019 Little more work continues in amongst all of the dust of the builders! The final part of the fo'c'sle - the anchor cables - are now in place. These are from Trumpeter Master Tools chain which although I concede does not replicate anchor cable in quite the same way that the new resin studded cable from YX Models does, I'm reasonably happy with it. In fairness, although studded cable was standard warship fit, this was originally a merchant ship and not all merchant ship anchor cable in the inter-war period was studded. A new pack of guardrails arrived from Atlantic Models and so I've now got enough to finish of the railings around the after gun decks. You can just about see them in this photo. The platform for the after 6in gun has been swapped across to the correct round shape (the mounting itself is just rested there for effect for now) and attention has turned to the deck just forward of the aft well deck. This is a large wide open area on the model but the one photo that shows that area in any sort of detail clearly shows that it is very busy but is too small to show me what is there. I did wonder if there is a RAS stump mast laid down on its side but I think that is a much later innovation. I know from this website (scroll down, left hand side) that this area carried two Bofors and there appears to be a raised platform inboard of that just aft of the raised 20mm sponsons, but I can't see anything else. So there will be a degree of artistic licence. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgizlu Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 Goes from strength to strength. The D-day site link was interesting with many pics I've never seen before Artistic licence = educated intuition Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted September 22, 2019 Author Share Posted September 22, 2019 Thanks Rob. Made a little progress in amongst all the building work though it's not fun trying to work with a layer of brick dust on the bench. Fortunately the model itself is in a glass cabinet in another room while they're on site! Since the last update I've managed to get the rest of the detail onto the aft gundecks including scratchbuilding a small platform between the aft 40mm that I have no idea quite what it is nor actually what it looks like; I have just a hint of its shape from one photo at an obscure angle that shows probably 10-15% of the structure. The aft 6 inch is now secure as are the masts though disaster struck this evening. Not content with fighting builders' residue, I'm fighting cats as well. I foolishly left the model on the bench this evening while I stopped to cook supper and when I came back, the main mast was bent half way up at an angle of about 80 deg and one of our kitties was looking very smug sat on the other end of the table. The annoying thing is that this was just after an hour or so of fettling to get it in exactly the right angle before I applied the CA. I've managed to fix it almost but unfortunately where it bent was just above the brass rod reinforcement so it's now an inherently weak structure butt join with less than about 1/4mm2 contact area. The photo below shows it is still slightly bent aft but I'm hoping that when I start the rigging which will be next session I can use some tension to pull it back into line. So I think now all of the upperdeck fittings are on there. It's the rigging still to go - which is quite complex with a plethora of radio aerials in addition to the shrouds and halyards - plus finishing off some ship's company figures, a final matt coat, remove the masking for the bridge windows, gloss coat the sea and finally put the edging on the baseboard. I've got a relatively quiet week this week coming so with a fair wind it might - and I stress might - be ready for the Bovington Show on Sunday. Even if it's not I'll have something there so if you're coming to the show come over and say hi - I'll be on the Ferndown Royal British Legion Modellers stand most of the day 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted September 22, 2019 Author Share Posted September 22, 2019 And a question to the knowledgeable masses. Does anyone know of a good supplier of 1/350 ensigns? I used to print my own in 1/600 but my colour printer's dead at the moment. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted September 22, 2019 Share Posted September 22, 2019 48 minutes ago, Chewbacca said: I'm fighting cats as well. Bad cats! Let's hope that the rigging will pull everything back into line. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewbacca Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 Thought I'd give a quick update. Essentially I gave up trying to fight the builders/builders' dust a day or so after the last post and just packed up the whole bench up until they finished. Good news is that they have - almost - but the past 3-4 weeks have been predominantly taken up with decorating all of the rooms they have they modified. I'm hoping that another week or so should see the bulk of that finished (1.5 rooms to go before I hand over to the professionals for the lounge and hall/stairs/landing and I can get the bench up and running again. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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