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Frog Battle Class Destroyer - weapons fits?


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I am a total ship modelling newbie and need a bit of help, please.  I plan building the UPC issue of this kit which is boxed as D79 HMS Cadiz.   I know Atlantic do a full etch set for the kit but that's too much detail for my skill level but I will probably try to add some generic etch 1/350 railings and ladders and a few other bits.

 

I have Peter Hodges book and his articles from Airfix magazine and have been looking a pics on the web.  My head is spinning trying to select a ship and weapons fit to build.    I am leaning to one of the 1942 Battles using the kit provided director.   Frog seem to have moulded an unrealistic combination of weapons - 2 x 4.5in turrets, 6 x single Bofors ( 1 on B gundeck, 1 on each bridge wing, 2 on  gundeck aft of funnel and 1 on quarterdeck), 4 x STAAG dual Bofors (2 on mid gundeck and 2  on Aft (Q?) gundeck), a Squid but I read that this required an extension to the aft deckhouse and deletion of the single Bofors from the quarterdeck.  I also read that  when the STAAGs were installed, the mid gundeck was left unarmed and reduced in size and as, due to weight, only 2 STAAGs could be carried.   The Frog STAAG mouldings are crude and I will probably replace them.

 

So which 1942 group ship can accurately be built in this config:   2 x 4.5in turrets, 5 x single Bofors ( 1 on B gundeck, 1 on each bridge wing, 2 on  gundeck aft of funnel and none on quarterdeck), 2 x STAAG dual Bofors  on Aft (Q?) gundeck, Squid (with or without extended aft deckhouse?), 

 

Any help and pointers to pics would be appreciated.

 

David

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Hi David, I know RM Destroyers are confusing at the best of times, (I'm mainly into the interwar destroyers) but the Battle Class takes the biscuit, cake, and chocolate bar as far as weapons are concerned! Just be glad there's no camo scheme required for them!

 

I think HMS Camperdown D32 would be a good starting point. Google her and theres a good selection of images.

 

She seems to have gone through every variation of weapons loadouts in her time, a couple of links to Google image searches below. These show here in an array of fittings.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/42117802@N06/8126911076

 

https://www.worldnavalships.com/directory/shipinfo.php?ShipID=2306

 

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/757027018591041885/?nic=1b

 

https://picclick.co.uk/Original-Photograph-Royal-Navy-HMS-St-James-Destroyer-163929235195.html

 

She initially had the 4" srtarshell gun behind the funnel, soon replaced by two single 40 mms. She had two STAAG fitted aft , although in later life these were replaced, just like the initial Hazemeyer mounts were, with Mk V  controlled by STD (fnaar).

 

She had Squid fitted and single 40 mms on the B gun deck and bridge wings.

 

Most of this info was from the Wiki site on Battles, but a few were from the Shipcraft books by Led Brown, and a couple of RN books on Destroyers post war. If you'd like any pictures from those books let me know and I'll pm them over to you.

 

These ships had everything fitted at some point or other in service, apart from bumpers, an awful lot of them seemed to end up in collisions, or is that just a generalisation?

 

There's two really good builds on here lately worth looking at as well, HMS Trafalgar by Beefy66 in the wip section, and HMS Barfleur by Paul Bradley in the RFI section

 

Hope some of this help, at the end of the day tho, it's your kit, make it look how you want and it'll be good.

 

Geoff 

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Geoff, thanks for that.  I had found those two builds.

 

I think I am going to build HMS Armada as I found a pic of her in exactly the config I wanted here:

 

https://funkoffizier.com/2008/01/21/hms-armada-vigo-corunna-finisterre-trafalgar-y-cadiz/

 

Do your books show any detail of the huts/ structures added to the rear two gundecks over the years?

 

David

 

 

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Thanks, I know, but this is a one time ship model build for me and I can't justify buying that book.   There are, apparently, 2 libraries in the US that have copies so I may try getting an inter-library loan.

 

David

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1 minute ago, David Womby said:

Thanks, I know, but this is a one time ship model build for me and I can't justify buying that book.   There are, apparently, 2 libraries in the US that have copies so I may try getting an inter-library loan.

 

David

No worries mate, I’ll have look though my books tomorrow while in the man cave to see what it have and I don’t have the above book as I purchased a copy today.

 

My wife’s pop served on the one the Australian Battles between the WW2 and the commissioning of the RAN’s Carrier Force until he was told to join the “Dark Side of the Pirates” aka get a Q Commission if he wanted to stay in RAN.

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1 hour ago, Exkiwiforces said:

No worries mate, I’ll have look though my books tomorrow while in the man cave to see what it have and I don’t have the above book as I purchased a copy today.

 

My wife’s pop served on the one the Australian Battles between the WW2 and the commissioning of the RAN’s Carrier Force until he was told to join the “Dark Side of the Pirates” aka get a Q Commission if he wanted to stay in RAN.

Thanks.  I have been contacted by a US modeller who is looking things up for me in his copy of the Boniface book.    

 

The RAN Battles look cool with their different turrets and funnel tops.

 

David

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1 hour ago, David Womby said:

Thanks.  I have been contacted by a US modeller who is looking things up for me in his copy of the Boniface book.    

 

The RAN Battles look cool with their different turrets and funnel tops.

 

David

Hi David,

 

I have a copy of that book also and can send it via Media Mail from Ohio on loan if you want.  Good to see that you have finally taken up ship modelling and a great subject to start with.  

 

Graham,

 

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7 hours ago, zed said:

Hi David,

 

I have a copy of that book also and can send it via Media Mail from Ohio on loan if you want.  Good to see that you have finally taken up ship modelling and a great subject to start with.  

 

Graham,

 

Graham

 

Great to hear from you and thanks for the kind offer.  PM will follow shortly.

 

This is planned to be a once in a lifetime ship build for me.   I doubt I'll get hooked but we'll see.

 

David

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Interesting to see these comments.

 

My father, who ended up a yeoman of signals, served aboard St. James from roughly 1947 - 1951/2, when he transferred to HMS Ocean and went to Korea aboard Ocean.

 

By all accounts, my father had a happy time aboard St. James, it's the only period of his service from 1942 - 1953 he ever really talked about.

 

I've contemplated finding a frog HMS Trafalgar and having a crack at doing it as St. James, but it's not easy funding one!

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50 minutes ago, Whofan said:

Interesting to see these comments.

 

My father, who ended up a yeoman of signals, served aboard St. James from roughly 1947 - 1951/2, when he transferred to HMS Ocean and went to Korea aboard Ocean.

 

By all accounts, my father had a happy time aboard St. James, it's the only period of his service from 1942 - 1953 he ever really talked about.

 

I've contemplated finding a frog HMS Trafalgar and having a crack at doing it as St. James, but it's not easy funding one!

 Good luck finding a Frog battle to do the St James.   That would be a great way to commemorate your father's time on her.     

 

I got lucky finding mine.  A museum in Nova Scotia sells used models.  They had the Novo issue as HMS Trafalgar for $59 but I found they also had the older issue by UPC as HMS Cadiz for $29 so I bought that one.


David

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36 minutes ago, David Womby said:

 Good luck finding a Frog battle to do the St James.   That would be a great way to commemorate your father's time on her.     

 

I got lucky finding mine.  A museum in Nova Scotia sells used models.  They had the Novo issue as HMS Trafalgar for $59 but I found they also had the older issue by UPC as HMS Cadiz for $29 so I bought that one.


David

David,

 

I'm going to work on the principal that if I spend hous on auction sites, scoutring model shops and traders at shows, I'll never find one. Instead I'll just amble around, ask a few traders at shows if they have one, and one will come. I;m sure !

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On 11/8/2019 at 6:43 AM, David Womby said:

This is planned to be a once in a lifetime ship build for me.   I doubt I'll get hooked but we'll see.

Gidday David, it's like a virus, once you're infected it is hard to eradicate. Just when you think you've overcome it you can suffer a relapse. I first caught this bug fifty years ago and the last relapse has lasted over twenty years. I've been told there is treatment available but I'll do without it - this is a virus I enjoy too much. 😁

     Good luck with your research and build. I would like to do one of the Australian ships in 1/600 using an Airfix Daring kit,but as the build is a long way down the track I don't have much info for you, none you probably don't already have. Regards, Jeff.

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