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Illustrious Class Carrier


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Well I started back up again as the Northern Australian build up has started for this coming Wet Season and in the last few weeks we have seen about a 100mm at both of our rural properties here in Darwin as the dry/ fire season was a little loose and crazy is probably a bit of an understatement to say the least. Will post some footage and pic’s down the track.

 

Anyway my plan of attack was to complete for this year was too finish of the J Class, Minelayer, the two L Classes and the Cruiser. Before starting some DKM ships, but I have no cans of Sovereign Colourcoats 507c to finish of my RN ships and I don’t have a micro saw to tart up my DKM ships. So the choice got narrowed down to a couple of Wiff’s but can’t find hardware on Shapeways aka Radars and Missile etc, so I had a look at paints and bits and pieces laying about with a bit of reading along the way. 

 

So the Illustrious Class Carrier hit the W Balderstone, Sons and Co Shipyard. I’m hoping to base this build on one of the Carriers around late 41 to early 42  in the Indian Ocean/ SEA Area of Operations. Including the one that hit a wee rock during its work up in the West Indies at the time.

 

The first lot of pictures will be on the heavy side as I have been a bit busy with some DVA stuff and medical appointments also the RWC got in the way as well. Note none of my 3 teams got to the final Ireland, Wales and the AB’s.

 

So here goes,

 

New wet season project as I’m out of Sovereign Colourcoats 507c paint is going to be a WW2 Illustrious Class Carrier around early 42 period.

 

First off I have drilled out a number openings the blanked out by using a number of drill bits by hand using a pin hand drill and then using a file. I got a little bit loose with the file and to use some modelling bog/ putty and after it cued over night some gentle filling and sanding.

 

I’ve adding some .2mm, but mainly its .4mm plastic card as it seems to be the right thickness and created a bit of depth  and shading by placing longitudinal strips which were section off. At the stern I had to a bit of bog to seal up the gaps around the quarter deck. (See below)

 

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I started this yesterday this part of construction. The first of many sectioned beams and a lot of sand with a little bit filling has gone on to attach this wee piece of card. Once it was dry fitted and happy with it I then wack it with a bit super/ CA glue. This part is going a tad slow and maybe 1to 2 pieces a day. (See below)

 

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Today’s main effort was  fitting the spaces/ beams or whatever the are called around the bottom end of the Illustrious Class Carrier and I’ve bog up the very end bits which I will attack tomorrow for an hour or so. (See below)

 

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I never thought I would be doing advanced modelling techniques that this stage as I’ve only got back into modelling 24 so mths ago. I hope I do this model some justice along the way and hopefully do a period style B&W photo shoot once I have do the other models on those dark days in 42 in the SEA area of operations and what could’ve been if all dices fell the right way?

 

Edited by Exkiwiforces
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:popcorn:

 

Will be great to see all these back up and running, and the pics as well, too long since I've been that side of the world.

 

Really like the lines of the Illustrious class, graceful and purposeful.

 

Your works really impressive so far, a big improvement on the kit. Looking forward to seeing more.

 

Geoff 

 

 

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Sanded back the modelling bog  around the stern on Saturday and it has come up not to bad I must say. But I still don’t think I’ve got the stern right going by a number of photos I’m using for reference. So close a enough is good for me with this build.

 

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Started to add the railings on Saturday afternoon, but I had to re-do the bow railings i did on Friday afternoon as I had installed them wrong as I had funny feeling at the time they were wrong and it was confirmed after I had stumbled across a website full of photos of RN/ Commonwealth Navy Ships. These railings sure were a right **** to install and out of the five I only got one right and that was the last one after a two hr battle. I installed two set of railings at the stern and one just behind the forward 4.5in guns on the port side with no problems. 

 

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Edited by Exkiwiforces
Added 3 more pictures of the build
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On 07/11/2019 at 23:13, ArnoldAmbrose said:

Gidday, good to see you back, and I look forward to seeing your other models again also. Regards, Jeff.

Yeah mate, it’s good to be back modelling again as it’s been one heck of a crazy dry/ fire season here in the Northern part of the NT and it got a wee bit to close for comfort one week at both of our properties as we both had a wind change at the right moment. The one out bush I rack up over 103hrs duty during the week driving the tanker as my usual truck was U/S at the time, anyway I’ll post some photos of that crazy week.

 

I was a bit a piddle off of not ordering more paint especially 507c when I had the chance as I would prefer to finish off the existing builds and my other backup builds I didn’t have a razor saw as I have two DKM battlecruiser hulls ready to go. Especially after Jamie has shown the way to attach brass barrels which I was keen to tackle for this first half of the wet season.

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On 10/11/2019 at 08:40, Bugle07 said:

:popcorn:

 

Will be great to see all these back up and running, and the pics as well, too long since I've been that side of the world.

 

Really like the lines of the Illustrious class, graceful and purposeful.

 

Your works really impressive so far, a big improvement on the kit. Looking forward to seeing more.

 

Geoff 

 

 

Hi Geoff,

 

I’m in the same boat as it’s been a long break between innings since I was back in the Motherland and I was meant to be there last yr with my parents and mums brother if I hadn’t been medically discharged from the RAAF. Especially after Mum has discovered my great granny from NZ grandma side whose uncle was one Mr A Bevan (please note I  would be hard press to vote Labour in UK, OZ or NZ atm) as  I would’ve like to visit Wales and the Mildlands  along with few detours.

 

Yes Illustrious Class has some graceful and purposeful  lines which did show its true colours at times during the war either the Med or later in the Pacific where any Yank Carrier took the same punishment would’ve been out of action for 3- 6 mths or more. 

 

My favourite Carrier of WW2 is the HMS Ark Royal from a technical and design POV and I would’ve like to have seen a few more built along with the first 4 Armoured Carriers of the Illustrious Class. But I do have a soft spot for  Courageous-class aircraft carriers as well.

 

Thanks for those kind words, I was keen to do some advanced modelling techniques and some experiments and model fitted the bill quite nicely.

Edited by Exkiwiforces
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A wee bit of an update from my last post on this build. The port side railings have now been completed and you can from where I started from the pointy end of the ship it’s rough as guts, but improved is I better. The Starboarded side is almost complete and I’m in two minds weather to start the doing the jolly boats/ motor launches and add yet railings or start on the flight deck.

 

Anyway speaking of railings and the flight  deck. Does anyone know what type of railings was use around the jolly boats/ motor launches, was it the three to two strand railings?

 

After finishing section of railings today, I was fluffing around with the idea of adding a 5 or 10 degree angle  deck in its WW2 setup ? But that might upset the purists a tad. As the flight deck needs a fair bit of work done to it to bring it up to a reasonable standard.  

 

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Edited by Exkiwiforces
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7 minutes ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

Gidday, very intricate work on those guardrails. Something I'm not game to try. Regards, Jeff.

The one fw’d were a real ****  is a bit of an understatement and thankfully I have my shed plus man cave so I can swear to my heats content when I have a Houston moment. Which I had a few today during 2hrs on the build and it started to do my head in, but could’ve been the 38.7 degree heat with 50+ humidity at half one as well after 3hrs on the post hole auger this morning.

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On 17/11/2019 at 22:36, ArnoldAmbrose said:

Gidday, you still stuck with it, despite the heat. 👍 Have you decided on the straight or angled flight deck? Regards, Jeff.

Hi Jeff,

 

I’m more likely to stay with a straight deck as an angle deck involves a lot work, as I’m currently a one eyed pirate atm due to an injury from yesterday morning (yes I was wearing my ballistic eyewear glasses).

 

Angled deck on a WW2  Carrier during the war does raise some interesting questions especially for those armoured carriers of the RN as they lacked numbers IRT to aircraft when you compare them to the  US and IJN carriers. As you can increase the deck  park for additional A/C and possible concurrent Air Ops aka recovery, launching and CAP duties when the bulk of the FAA fighters at one stage were short range Hurricanes and Spits. 

 

Might ask the Hood over at SecretProjects.com if the RN did consider angle deck for its wartime carriers as I don’t seem to have came across in reference in my library with D. K Brown or N Friedman books etc.

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14 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Definitely post-war.  I suspect Victorious (after rebuild) was the only one of the class ever to have n angled deck, and by then she was pretty much a completely new ship.

I was hoping that a few Jackie’s (Navy Officers) from the FAA, while knocking back a few pink gins in wardroom discussing the merits of the angled landing deck idea while the a playing mess game of “Carrier Deck Landings” while bobbing about in their tin can etc.

 

But a lass it’s all post war. 

 

Yes I’ve seen some pictures of Vicky during her rebuild post war,  in one case almost  down to the water line from memory and talk about some serious coin being tipped in Vicky when it might’ve wise to build a couple of new carriers instead  I’ve thinking at buying David Hobbs, book on Vicky https://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Aircraft-Carrier-Victorious-David-Hobbs/9781526737342 but I’m not sure if it’s worth it? But in saying that I’m struggling to find some further information on the type of railings around the 4.5 guns, on the flight deck as I’ve noticed the edging is slightly rise in some places and there is some sort of railing around the small boat area, but detail isn’t clear when I enlarge the picture or photo.

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Good work with the pe, it's a pain aint it? But it does improve the final look, worth the swearing...

 

Just had a look in the John Roberts book with the builders plans fo RN WW2 ships, well worth getting if you have a chance.

 

There's 'as built' plans for Indefatigable which shows 3 bar railing around all the boat stowage areas, and around the 4.5s. I know it's not the same ship, and different sub class as well, but surely something as basic as this would be universal. 

 

Why did I say that? It's the RN we're talking about!

 

Happy to take some pics and send them over, pm me if you're interested.

 

Geoff 

Edited by Bugle07
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I have the Anatomy of the Ship volume for Victorious, it includes many detail drawings the photos below show the aft starboard side gun mounting. It would seem there was a simple single rail around the gun mounts.

 

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Theres also a photo of forward guns showing the simple rail.

2019-11-25_10-37-22

 

Hope these help.

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4 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

If it helps, Ark Royal also had the single rail arrangement outlined by @AntPhillips for her 4.5” sponsons

 

On 26/11/2019 at 08:09, AntPhillips said:

I have the Anatomy of the Ship volume for Victorious, it includes many detail drawings the photos below show the aft starboard side gun mounting. It would seem there was a simple single rail around the gun mounts.

 

20191125_221349

 

20191125_221405

Theres also a photo of forward guns showing the simple rail.

2019-11-25_10-37-22

 

Hope these help.

Cheers Lads,

 

I knew this place was a font of knowledge to the dark arts of model ship building. I’ve been using a stereoscope glass which I nicked from work many moons ago, which may indicate a possible 2 strand railing in one picture but the atm I’m starting to go cross eyed. To the point I’ve purchased another book on Lusty’s sister ship on Vicky and now looking at another  book mentioned by Bulge, but book reviews aren’t flash especially after brought a C K Brown book of a series of 3 books which condensed the ships drawings so much that they are almost unreadable.

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On 26/11/2019 at 21:42, beefy66 said:

Great progress so far and working in 700 oh my eyes  :hypnotised:

 

beefy

Cheers Beefy,

 

I was swearing my head off like I was back on the parade ground as a DI, back in the days when you could before  every little darling has become too  PC and now can’t take a joke.

 

its been an interesting and slow build so far and it’s going get more interesting if I can make it without tripping myself up in the process and not launching it across the man cave if I stuff up.

Edited by Exkiwiforces
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I have now completed the railings on both sides of this build and today I’ve filed and, sanded back the horrible seam line on both sides of the flight deck.

 

The next plan of attack is to decide weather I shall remove one of traps and replace it with some black cotton , but need to find how thick the cable is if I’m going to go ahead with this little idea. I’ve still have some other stuff to do like fixing up the two forward pom-pom positions and rise the edge of the flight deck just a wee tad.

 

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  • 1 month later...

It’s been a slow build with this one which is due to a number of factors,
1, the Nth Australia Monsoon has been a mth & half late which meant more time outside than inside
2, Spent a week in Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test with mum and dad who came over from NZ.
3, Got myself into a bit of a rut among other things like cutting brass not going right for the Pom Pom gun tubs and other modelling crap not going my way.

Well the Monsoon finally turned up in the few days ago yippee. The superstructure is almost finish, the flight deck has been mast, I have removed the arresting wires for something more realistic and the various Pom Pom and HACS tubs cleared up for after market parts.
Just waiting for some bits to construct the tubs, hopefully it’s at the Post Office tomorrow and I hope to finish this last job on Saturday before I apply the coat of paint.
The little boats and Carley Floats have arrived and I’m hope to start them on Sunday or during the week. 

 

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Edited by Exkiwiforces
Flickr link wasn’t working 1st time round.
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4 3pdr saluting guns f’wd usual there are other ship related equipment in this area such as capstans, anchor chains etc which  would’ve made this area very crowded place to work in and a pain in the backside if I was add all that other nautical boatie stuff there as well.

 

The 3pdrs were spare and laying around. They are from Flyhawk’s WW2 Weapons set for those wanting to know.

 

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Edited by Exkiwiforces
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According to Hobbs - British Aircraft Carriers - the first ever angled deck was a 3 deg approach painted onto the deck of HMS TRIUMPH in Feb 1952.  The arrestor gear remained athwartships so was removed and all landings were touch and go only.  It proved a complete success which prompted the US Navy to modify USS ANTIETAM with a port sponson to facilitate an 8 deg angled deck for joint USN/RN trials.

 

ARK ROYAL was the first carrier to be completed with a angled deck entering service in Feb 1955 with a 5 deg deck (later increased to 8 deg in 1970).  VICTORIOUS was converted to the 8 deg angled deck but did not complete her refit with this feature until September 1958

 

Hope that helps

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