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Scratch-built 1/350 HMS Prince of Wales (R09) - Build Notes


davecov

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This build thread describes the construction of a 1/350 scale model of HMS Prince of Wales (R09) which was displayed by Airfix at SMW 2019, Telford where I am shown with Darrell Burge, Hornby Brand Manager:

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Background to this build
In April 2014, the Royal Navy contacted Airfix to commission a model of HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) that was under construction in Rosyth Dockyard. Airfix asked me to scratch-build a 1/350 model which was subsequently displayed at the naming ceremony of HMS Queen Elizabeth in Rosyth on 4th July 2019. Thereafter it’s permanent home was the Wardroom of HMS Queen Elizabeth:


Pic 001:

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In April 2019, I was again commissioned by Airfix, this time to scratch-build a 1/350 model of HMS Prince of Wales, the second of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers. It would be shown at SMW 2019, Telford and thereafter it’s permanent home would be the Hornby Hobbies Visitor Centre in Margate.

 

I hope that you enjoy following this build which may seem a bit unconventional in some parts. There were some problems to overcome but the worst difficulty was having to cope with severe concussion that I suffered five weeks before Telford. It was touch and go as to whether I would complete it in time but I only managed it by leaving off photo-etch and some other small details.

 

To use an old Chinese proverb “a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step”. This is the first of many sheets of plastic card used in the build:
Pic 002:

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 Although this build would be constructed mainly of plastic card, I would be using a Tamiya 1/350 USS Enterprise hull to give it some inner strength. The hull was shortened in length, all sponsons removed and keel removed and openings blanked off with plastic card. Plastic card was used to fill in the missing parts of the sides and clamped. Note that I have used the cut out section of hull to brace the new join of the midships and aft sections of hull:
Pic 003:

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Forward section (bow excluded) glued in place:

Pic 004:

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 Putting aside the hull to dry, I cut out the Flight Deck. Being 80cm long, it would be a right handful in the confines of my modelling den:
Pic 005:

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This situation was made worse by the fact that I was building two at once (a waterline version for myself)
Pic 006:

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Once the hull had dried, I drilled four holes which were fitted with four 80mm M6 bolts epoxied in place. The model was then secured to a temporary chipboard base that would be used until the final day of the build (the Flight Deck hasn’t been glued in place yet):

Pic 007:

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The most complicated part of this build is the construction of the Forward (Ship Control) and Aft (Flyco) Islands. Because of this, I decided to build the islands for both ships at the same time. Here are the Aft Islands:

Pic 008:

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The plastic card is rather thin (0.20mm) and requires plenty of framing to prevent "dishing" of the panels:

Pic 009:

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Pic 010:

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Here the two islands have been placed on the Flight Decks of the two builds. You can see the full-hull version to the rear:
Pic 011:

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Bit more work:
Pic 012:

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I do like using lots of filler:
Pic 013:

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Sanding of filler was completed and then I moved onto the assembly of the Flying Control Rooms:
Pic 014:

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I did consider having acetate glazing but after some experimentation I decided that it would not be easy to do a good job:
Pic 015:

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Another view showing the multiple facets of the Aft Island:
Pic 016:

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View from ahead:
Pic 017:

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Having applied filler to the Aft Islands again, I started construction of the Forward Islands (Ship Control):

Pic 018:

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I just can’t leave the Aft Islands alone. The filler around the Flying Control Rooms (FCRs) has been sanded and I have been adding some of the many platforms:
Pic 019:

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Filler applied and sanded again. You can see that I have also added window wiper boxes above where the FCR windows will go:
Pic 020:

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I then cut some "T" section plastic strip to go around plastic card discs to represent the platform for the Type 997 Artisan 3D Radar. Hopefully, when painted the ends of the "T" will look like thin rods like on the original:

Pic 021:

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They were then glued in place and I started on the platform on the starboard side of the Aft Island:

Pic 022:

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Once the platform had been sanded I started on the overhang of the Bridge on the starboard side. As you can see, I have glued strips of plastic card to the bulkhead first and built the overhang around them:

Pic 023:

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One of the islands once the overhang has been completed:

Pic 024:

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Green blobs on the Aft Island denote the locations of watertight doors:

Pic 025:
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WEM watertight doors have been glued in place on the Aft and Forward Islands. Note that the watertight doors do not sit flush with the bottom of the bulkheads but are raised slightly:

Pic 026:

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Taking a break from the island activity, I turned to the stern. The transoms for both versions were fabricated and the various openings cut and drilled:

Pic 027:

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Turning to the hull briefly, I screwed hardwood dowelling inside the hull to give it some rigidity, a necessity as the plastic card is more flexible than the original dark grey plastic. The silver fitting at the stern is only temporary and supports the stern ensuring that the top of the hull remains horizontal. It will be removed once the ship is bolted to a temporary base:

Pic 028:

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The full-hull version will be permanently mounted on a base 800mm long and here I am drilling the locating holes for the 80mm M6 bolts. The base won’t be fitted until the very end of the build:
Pic 029:

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I have started to apply mahogany stain. So far I have applied three coats but I will need another two coats. Once finished the base was stored safely until needed:
Pic 030:

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Now the base has been fitted I turned my attention to the Flight Deck and here I have marked the outline of the hull:
Pic 031:

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I glued pieces of plastic card to the underside of the Flight Deck which ensure that the hull will be correctly aligned:

Pic 032:

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First piece of Flight Deck glued in place. Note the plastic card "tab" glued to the front of the Flight Deck that will support the midships section of Flight Deck:

Pic 033:

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The midships piece of Flight Deck glued to the hull and clamped. I couldn't resist putting the Islands on:
Pic 034:

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Bow section of the Flight Deck has been glued in place:
Pic 035:

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That's all for now.

 

Dave

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Leaving the hull to dry, I turned to the hull openings in the sponsons for the ship's boats. There are five openings, two smaller ones for Pacific 24 Mark 4 Ribs and three larger ones for Wave Transfer Personnel Transfer Boats. There is one Rib inside each sponson but the PTBs are all stowed inside the port sponson. When I built the QE I omitted these due to time constraints but this time round I am fitting the openings. Here I have cut out panels which will be used to make five boxes:
Pic 036:
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Here I have assembled the boxes, bracing the corners with some angled Evergreen. They have been built higher than necessary to allow them to be trimmed down to the correct level. The largest bulkheads have not been glued in place yet as I need to detail the openings. In retrospect this was a huge waste of time and effort and there was an easier way. Live and learn….:
Pic 037:
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Here I have marked the locations of the WTBs (Water Tight Bulkheads) as shown on my plans. These marks are solely to help with the correct positioning of the various components such as lifts, sponsons, openings for boats etc. Unfortunately, in subsequent days, I discovered an error on the plans which showed the WTBs in a slightly different position in profile view to that in the plan view. Consequently, there is a difference of about 6mm which meant I have had to re-jig things slightly.
Pic 038:
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To ensure that the measurements are uniform across both builds, I have taken all measurements from the stern and worked forward and will "lose" the extra 6mm ahead of the sponsons. Here I have cut out and glued supports for the rear section of sponson. This sponson has a raised section at the aft end and has different size supports to the rest:
Pic 039:
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Before I can glue the rest of the sponson supports, I had to mark the locations of the openings for the boats and lifts:
Pic 040:
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Supports have been glued in place on the Port side, double-checking that they didn't interfere with the openings:
Pic 041:
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View of the Starboard side:
Pic 042:
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Plating in of the sponsons has started:
Pic 043:
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View of the Starboard side:
Pic 044:
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Right way up:
Pic 045:
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Port side:
Pic 046:
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Latest update on possible shortages of the world's supplies of plastic card....

I turned my attention to the hull where I needed to reduce the depth of the hull so that it would meet the transom. After removing the original hull section I glued some plastic card framing to support the new section:
Pic 047:
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The hull is too narrow at the stern and will need to be built out to meet the sponson supports:
Pic 048:
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I have cut out a bulkhead to the outline of the transom and glued that in place. The transom will be glued to this bulkhead later on:
Pic 049:
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Here are the transoms for both versions undergoing more work:
Pic 050:
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Checking the transom for fit. It was necessary to cut a slot into the bulkhead behind so that the lower "box" did not stop the transom sitting snugly:
Pic 051:
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The transom was then glued in place and the hull covered in plastic card. Eventually it will be filled and sanded:
Pic 052:
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Progress has been steady with a lot of time being spent on the sponsons:
Pic 053:
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Although it looks like there are raised lifts, these sections will be cut out and new lifts cut from plastic card. This will allow me to add the underside detail to the lifts much more easily. It also allows the option of lowered lifts. Apertures for the hangar doors still need to be cut out:
Pic 054:
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Next, I turned my attention to the hangar openings and doors. The top edges of the outboard openings will need to be trimmed down by the thickness of the flight deck. This differs between the two builds as the flight decks are constructed from different thicknesses of plastic card:
Pic 056:
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Plastic card has been glued to the rear of the outboard openings. The inner faces will be trimmed and detailed they are glued in place:
Pic 057:

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Doors have been cut out and will be scribed and glued in place later:
Pic 058:
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Plastic card has been removed for one of the lifts and the area to be cut out for the associated hangar opening but I won't be cutting the opening just yet. Eventually, the hangar opening sub-assemblies "should" slide into the holes and the edges of the gaps will be overlapped by the edges of the outer opening:
Pic 059:
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Sections of the Enterprise bow have been glued to the underside of the flight deck. This has been done mainly for strength as the bow section will get a pounding when it gets shaped:
Pic 060:
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Today I managed to get some sanding done on the hulls of both builds. Here is the aft section of the full-hull build. Once all sanded, filled and sanded again, I will make and fit the keel. Rudders, props, bilge keel and stabilisers will be made and fitted towards the end of the build:
Pic 061:
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When I made the HMS Queen Elizabeth, I fitted the bulbous bow before I had shaped the stem and had problems getting it to the correct slim profile. As a result it ended up with a stem that was too rounded. This time I will be shaping the stem first and fitting the bulbous bow afterwards:
Pic 062:
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I can't do too much each day due to the effect the vibration from the sanders has on my hands so the sanding will take many sessions. Here are both builds after the first sanding session. The progress on the full-hull build is more advanced than the waterline version with the latter having a lot of plastic still standing proud of the hull where the cutaway begins:
Pic 063:
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I had another long sanding session today and apart from the bow of the full-hull version, it is almost ready for filling over a large proportion of the hull. Here is the aft section which will probably be filled first so that I can complete construction of the sponsons, insert the hangar openings and clean up the of the flight deck in readiness for the walkways:
Pic 064:
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Last night I managed to get most of 05 Deck installed on the Forward islands of each build. The front bulkheads haven't been fitted yet as they are not straightforward (not that anything seems to be straightforward with these islands):
Pic 065:
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I have done a little more sanding on the hulls but I am not happy with the waterline version. I have ringed a problem area where the cutaway is too angular on both sides. I will need to get the razor saw and cut a chunk out and construct a more rounded profile. I am much happier with the full-hull version though:
Pic 066:
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That is all for now.

 

Dave

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This is awesome!  For some unaccountable reason I didn’t see your PoW at Telford, despite going past the Airfix stand (“Vulcan? Meh... whatever!”).  I cannot imagine the pure engineering problems of rigidity and alignment on a scratch build of this size.

 

I assume the plans were from the builders?

 

[When you said you were doing two, for a moment I thought you might be going along the same provocative route as the ‘cats & traps’ version of PoW [to be fair, adjacent to a Big Betty in the real configuration] on display at the FAA Museum]

Edited by Ex-FAAWAFU
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The problem with rigidity was the reason for having the Enterprise hull within. I didn't have much confidence in a traditional construction like this:

Prince_Of_Wales_350_111.JPG

 

Having used the Enterprise model when I built the QE model I knew the method worked. I wasn't going to try anything new for the PoW. The PoW model was displayed at the back of the Make and Paint tables on the Saturday at Telford as Airfix didn't want to give the impression that a QE Class carrier was their "big announcement". However, on the Sunday it was moved to the main Airfix display just along from the Vulcan.

 

Yes, the plans were provided by the shipbuilders, Babcock. When I built the QE five years ago I asked if it were possible to get "cats and traps" drawings as well so I could make one for myself but I was denied them.

 

My main reason for the second version being a waterline job is that it is for myself to keep and I wasn't going to cannibalise another Enterprise kit just for me!

 

Dave

 

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Hi Kev, I buy the plastic card online from all sorts of places - eBay, Amazon and various modelling/craft/hobby websites especially Hobbies. I try to find the cheapest that is available but that is not always possible.

 

Dave

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As I have said previously, I have been building both at the same time as it is easier to manufacture some parts if done in unison, especially the islands. However, the waterline version will have some slippage as eventually I will be concentrating on the full-hull version. After a break away from the modelling bench for a few days, I got back to work yesterday. The whole session was spent working on the Forward islands and I am pulling my hair out as I construct the funnel and S1850M Radar tower:
Pic 067:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_120.JPG

 

Another view. As you can see, just like the Aft Island there are angles everywhere:
Pic 068:
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As with the rest of the island’s construction, the funnels are not straightforward. At the foot of the Radar Towers you can see where I have had to glue lots of small bits of plastic card. This is because I hadn't made the correct profile and have had to pack out the bulkheads:
Pic 069:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_124.JPG

 

The extra plastic card bits have been trimmed back and the tops of both structures have been covered:
Pic 070:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_125.JPG

 

I can't proceed with the various platforms without getting some filling and sanding done first. So, out with the filler:
Pic 071:
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It was a long sanding session last night:
Pic 072:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_127.JPG

 

Still a long way to go and the next step will be to add the various platforms and Bridge wings.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to work on the two islands due to a holiday in the Inner Hebrides and then the passing of my father. Although I haven't seen him for decades, it still came as bit of a shock and I wasn't able to concentrate on modelling for a few weeks. I did try to get some work done on the islands but to be honest I didn't have any mojo for them. I did get back to work on both builds eventually as I continued building up the hull forms and next Monday I hope to start the filling and sanding of the hulls in earnest.

To lighten the mood, I have decided to spend a little time on the air wings of both builds:
Pic 073:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_128.JPG

 

The aircraft shown are 12 x F-35B Lightning IIs, 2 x CH47 Chinooks, 2 x AH-64D Apache Longbows (all from Shapeways), 3 x MV22 Ospreys (Trumpeter) and 4 x Merlins (Airfix). They will be split between the two builds. Obviously, some of them are not standard complement of the class but will be seen operating from both carriers during their lifetimes. I have also got a Swordfish that will be used on my waterline version as a tribute to the FAA crews of the past.
My modelling mojo has been restored - at least for the time being and the past 24 hours have been very productive. Problems with my arthritic hands means that the sanding sessions of the hulls has to be limited to about half an hour for each hull. It is a long old slog but at least the profile is beginning to show:
Pic 074:
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All four hangar openings have been cut:
Pic 075:
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Close-up of one of the openings. Once all of the excess plastic has been removed, the hangar door opening should cover any blemishes:
Pic 076:
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All four hangar opening assemblies are dry-fitted. As you can see, I will need to fill the gaps at the edges with plastic card and then I can start filling the hull:
Pic 077:
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It was then time to work on the air groups. Painting is underway. Here are the Merlins, F-35Bs and two Chinooks
Pic 078:
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Ospreys, Apaches and Swordfish plus lots of rotors:
Pic 079:
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Another long sanding session today. The sanding was followed by a liberal coating of Isopon38 filler on the full-hull version:
Pic 080:
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Having put a lot of filler over the builds, it was time to get sanding. My arthritic hands means that I have to limit the sanding to about 60-90 minutes per day. Here is the bow of the full-hull version after the first sanding session. The different colour of the filler is very helpful in getting the bow profile right:
Pic 081:
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Midships:
Pic 082:
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The stern:
Pic 083:
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Transom:
Pic 084:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_148.JPG

 

Yesterday I did the second second sanding session. Most of it was concentrated on the bows and the profile of the waterline version is nearly done. The full-hull bow needs a lot more work though:
Pic 085:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_151.JPG

 

Returning to my modelling den, I got some more work done on the air wings. Here the Swordfish for the waterline-version has been painted and is almost ready for final assembly and decalling:
Pic 086:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_152.JPG

 

Swordfish decalled and top wing fitted. I still need to paint the cowling ring and the blade tips and then varnish the whole thing:
Pic 087:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_153.JPG

 

Cockpit canopies and windows of the F-35Bs and Merlins painted:
Pic 088:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_154.JPG

 

The air wings so far. The camera flash has washed out the colours a bit in this picture. Apaches and one Merlin were decalled and just need a coat of varnish to finish them. The F-35Bs were also given a single roundel. I have since painted the undercarriage legs of the F-35Bs white. Detailing of the Ospreys started although I am not happy with the colour scheme of those and may repaint them:
Pic 089:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_155.JPG

 

Just about finished with the painting of the air wings with a little touching up required. Some of the helicopters and the Ospreys require decalling and every plane and helicopter need varnishing.
A view of all of the aircraft. These will be divided between the two builds:
Pic 090:
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Swordfish and F-35Bs:
Pic 091:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_156.JPG

 

Merlins and Apaches:
Pic 091a:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_157.JPG

 

Apaches, Ospreys and Chinooks; the latter still need some rotor blades scratched for them:
Pic 092:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_158.JPG

 

Before I do any more sanding of the full-hull version, I want to make the keel. In tandem with that lot I will be fabricating two ski jumps and the various Flight Deck edge walkways and platforms for both versions. Starting with the keel, I cut out three lengths of 2mm plastic card:
Pic 093:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_160.JPG

 

These were glued together, a narrow channel and slot cut into the hull and the keel glued in place. I made two mistakes with the keel. It was too long and didn’t taper inwards towards the stern. I fixed the first problem but didn’t notice the other until the day before handover so I left it:
Pic 094:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_161.JPG

 

Leaving the hull to one side, I began making the two ski jumps. They are over 180mm long and 38mm wide. When I built the QE, I had the luxury of being able to adapt an Airfix HMS Illustrious ski jump. This time round I wasn’t going to break open a new kit so I scratch-built them.  Construction is fairly straightforward apart from a "knuckle" on the port side where the bulkhead tapers in to join the edge of the hull:
Pic 095:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_162.JPG

 

I glued bulkheads inside the jumps to support the ramps:
Pic 096:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_163.JPG

 

Here is a view of the "knuckle". The triangular piece of plastic card was cut off the port bulkhead and glued on the INSIDE of the ski jump. A further piece will be glued on top of that flush with the bulkhead in due course:
Pic 097:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_164.JPG

 

Dry-fitting to the Flight Deck in order to check the angles:
Pic 098:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_165.JPG

 

The ramps have been glued to the bulkheads. The forward section of the ramps still need to be completed but I have glued strips of plastic card along the edges of the bulkheads in readiness for the next stage:
Pic 099:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_166.JPG

 

Leaving the ski jumps to dry, I have turned to the port side walkways of both builds. The walkways are constructed from plastic card and Plastruct. The inner half of the walkways have slots cut in them where ladders go down to the next deck:
Pic 100:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_167.JPG

 

Here are the components for each walkway. Two lengths of Plastruct and five pieces of .25mm plastic card.The slotted Plastruct is glued to the underside of the wider, longer plastic card. When dry, the slots are cut out and the other "L" Plastruct is glued onto the plastic card flush with it's slotted partner forming an elongated "U". When dry, the thinner plastic card strips are glued into the channels and left to dry. Once dry, the slots are cut out of the upper plastic card. The plastic card underneath is trimmed and sanded:
Pic 101:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_168.JPG

 

Here they are after construction. I will cut the outboard slots for the life rafts later on:
Pic 102:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_169.JPG

 

Here is one of the walkways dry-fitted to the flight deck. The underside of the slots will be boxed in once the walkways have been glued in place but that won't be done until much later in the build:
Pic 103:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_170.JPG

 

That's all for now.

 

Dave

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More work on the walkways of both builds last night. The stern, quarter and starboard side walkways were cut from strip. They are slightly oversize to allow trimming later on:
Pic 104:
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Forward walkways:
Pic 105:
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Midships walkway adjacent to the Aft Island. This walkway will be more complicated to construct as it will have a lower mid-section in between two higher ends:
Pic 106:
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All of the other sections of walkway have had slots cut out where necessary and plastic card glued top and bottom. They will need some trimming and sanding before fitting:
Pic 107:
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I got the walkways cleaned of excess plastic card by trimming and sanding. I also finished closing up the ski jump ramps. I made some bilge keels from a sandwich of plastic card. I also made a pair of rudimentary anchors and four stabilisers:
Pic 108:
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With those out of the way, I started work on the prop shafts. I am using metal rod with poly tubing forming the bearing end of the "A" brackets:
Pic 109:
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Someone asked how I manage to organise these builds. Well, I have a rough idea of what I have to do and when things have to be done although I sometimes change the order of things due to boredom, forgetfulness or a crisis! The only aid to help me keep track of things is my use of storage boxes to keep assemblies safe and away from the rubbish bin:
Pic 110:
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Turning to the builds, I modified some USS Enterprise propeller blades to the shape of the QE class blades and have cut out some pieces that will form the "A" Brackets:
Pic 111:
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I got some HMS Illustrious life rafts from the spares box and adjusted them for the configuration I need. During this session, I realised that HMS Queen Elizabeth's actual life raft fit is slightly different on the port side to that shown on my builder's plans. I will need to adjust the port side walkway as a result:
Pic 112:
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I also spent some time getting the bays for the boats ready. I had intended to detail their interior but decided not to as most of it won't be seen. As it turns out, the boxing-in of the boat bays was a time consuming affair and I should make it a much simpler and quicker task on the second build. This is by using single pieces of plastic card with the bay opening cut out of them rather than framing the bay opening with separate pieces of plastic card. We will see.

 

In the end I reduced the amount of time spent on boxing-in the boat bays by about two-thirds. The result is much tidier too:
Pic 113:
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Time to get back to the hull itself. After the first session of filling and sanding there were a lot of pits and holes that needed sorting out so out came the Isopon38 filler again:
Pic 114:
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Leaving the hull filler to dry, I turned to the hangar openings and spent some time detailing the bulkheads between the outer and inner openings:
Pic 115:
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Of the four bulkheads, no two are the same so they all received varying levels of detailing. I can get on with the painting of the interior of the openings and hangar doors now. Once dry, they will be slotted into the hull:
Pic 116:
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Last night I spent time on the hangar doors. Rectangles of plastic card were scored:
Pic 117:
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The doors were then glued to the rear of the inboard openings:
Pic 118:
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One of the inboard openings dry-fitted to the outboard opening. Once painted, these two sub-assemblies will be glued together. Don’t do what I did and paint the hangar openings in different colours to those used later on in the build:
Pic 119:
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I also did the final bit of boxing in of the ski jumps:
Pic 120:
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After some initial sanding of the ski jumps, I applied filler to the edges and curved front:
Pic 121:
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Lots of sanding and they are almost finished:
Pic 122:
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A pair of watertight doors on the inboard bulkhead and they are now ready for fitting to the Flight Deck:
Pic 123:
spacer.png

 

The plastic card on the underside of the walkways was a bit uneven in areas so out came the filler:
Pic 124:
spacer.png

 

Walkways sanded and ready for fitting. The extra detailing of the walkways will be added later in the builds:
Pic 125:
spacer.png

 

A landmark was reached last night when I was able to start painting the ship (as opposed to the aircraft). Alright, it was only primer and on only a few items but it is a start. The hangar doors will be painted with H127 US Ghost Grey and the deck between the openings will be painted H27 Sea Grey.

 

This turned out to be a mistake as I eventually used Colourcoats paints for the rest of the build so these had to be repainted. The ski jumps got primed too:
Pic 126:
spacer.png

 

More progress with the hangar openings. The doors and inner bulkheads were sprayed with H127 US Ghost Grey:
Pic 127:
spacer.png

 

Once dry they were masked up and the decks sprayed with H27 Sea Grey:
Pic 128:
spacer.png

 

On the bulkheads containing the doors, I traced an outline of where they met the inner section bulkheads and trimmed away the excess plastic card. I then scraped away the paint ready for glueing. The bottom right one still has to be done:
Pic 129:
spacer.png

 

Here is the first one glued in place. The scribed lines on the doors were emphasised with a pencil:
Pic 130:
spacer.png

 

All four are now glued and ready for installing in the hull:
Pic 131:
spacer.png

 

Still a fair bit to do to the hull before they are installed but I did carry out a dry-fitting to ensure they fitted okay:
Pic 132:
spacer.png

 

Close-up of the forward openings. On the waterline model (top) you can see where I had already added an extra layer of plastic card below the opening to make the fairing in of the openings that much easier later on:
Pic 133:
spacer.png

 

I have returned to the islands briefly. Here I making up some fire lockers that are situated around the islands - there will be 2 for the Forward Island and 4 for the Aft Island. The longer bits of plastic card are "feet" and the smaller bits are there to help in fixing the lockers to the sloped island bulkheads:
Pic 134:
spacer.png

 

Here they are glued in position on the Aft Island.
Pic 135:
spacer.png

 

It was then time to take some progress report photos of the full-hull build with most components in position:
Pic 136:
spacer.png

 

Walkways have been taped into position:
Pic 137:
spacer.png

 

Another view:
Pic 138:
spacer.png

 

Lift areas. Sanding of hull still needs to be finished:
Pic 139:
spacer.png

 

The bow:
Pic 140:
spacer.png

 

The stem of the bow still needs "sharpening":
Pic 141:
spacer.png

 

That's all for now

 

Dave

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It was time to continue work on the Aft Islands of both builds. The major work would be the walkway that goes under the bridge windows and around each side.  The walkway under construction:
Pic 142:
spacer.png

 

The starboard side is almost complete and vents have been glued in place just above the walkway. I have also glued fourteen roofs of the lighting hoods around the island:
Pic 143:
spacer.png

 

View showing both sides of the two Aft islands:
Pic 144:
spacer.png

 

Time to work on the ends of the starboard sponsons. The sponson bulkheads have been cut out:
Pic 145:
spacer.png

 

Sponson bulkheads were glued in place. The Hangar opening assemblies were also fitted with scrap plastic card filling any gaps:
Pic 146:
spacer.png

 

The lifts were cut out and ready for some detailing on their undersides. I won't be replicating every beam but will add just enough to look the part:
Pic 147:
spacer.png

 

Detailing underway:
Pic 148:
spacer.png

 

After hours of work, I have finished the detailing of the underside of the lifts and they will be fitted later in the build after painting:
Pic 149:
spacer.png

 

The cleaning up of the hangar door areas is progressing well. Here is the forward hangar opening:
Pic 150:
spacer.png

 

And here is the aft hangar opening:
Pic 151:
spacer.png

 

Another mammoth sanding session on the bow. The profile is getting there but I still need to remove a fair bit from just under the vertical bulkheads. That can't be done until the forward sponsons on each side are plated in - and they can't be done until the walkways are fitted:
Pic 152:
spacer.png

 

Prior to installing the walkways, it was time to get the filler out to clean up the edges and joins of the Flight Deck:
Pic 153:
spacer.png

 

That's all for now.

 

Dave

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Then it was time to get working on the walkways. Here the stern walkway has been fitted:
Pic 154:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_232.JPG

 

View from above:
Pic 155:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_233.JPG

 

This is the walkway located forward of the forward lift, adjacent to the Forward Island:
Pic 156:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_234.JPG

 

The walkway between the two lifts is made up of three parts:
Pic 157:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_235.JPG

 

The walkway abaft the aft lift. Note the slots which provide stair access to the openings and doors within the sponsons:
Pic 158:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_236.JPG

 

Here I have started to box in the underside of the slots. Since taking this photo I have blocked the ends with plastic card:
Pic 159:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_237.JPG

 

Here I am adding the structures where the life raft chutes deploy. There will be three to port and two to starboard:
Pic 160:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_238.JPG

 

It was now time to do one of the more complicated parts of the build, namely the forward end of the port side sponson and the other sponsons/platforms that merge with it. Here I have started construction of the 30mm gun platform that will be located forward of the port walkway. Note that even this not symmetrical:
Pic 161:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_245.JPG

 

The gun platform has been glued in position but the underside is not finished. I have also started on the Vulcan Phalanx platform. As with a lot of this build, I can't build each part in isolation and just stick them on:
Pic 162:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_246.JPG

 

I have extended the port sponson and started to "plate in" the underside of the gun platform:
Pic 163:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_247.JPG

 

The gun platform has now been merged with the sponson and I then worked on the underside of the Phalanx platform:
Pic 164:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_249.JPG

 

Another view. Note that the underside of the Phalanx platform slopes down slightly from back to front:
Pic 165:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_250.JPG

 

Filler time!
Pic 166:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_251.JPG

 

And after the filler has gone....:
Pic 167:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_252.JPG

 

The starboard side. Since taking these photos I have blocked off the sides of these structures:
Pic 168:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_239.JPG

 

 

That's all for now.

 

Dave

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Time to start on the bulbous bow. As you can see from it’s profile sections, it is quite a complex affair:
Pic 169:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_240.JPG

 

I cut out 2mm thick plastic card to the rough shape of the sections. As the sections were not thick enough, I had to add extra plastic card to each:
Pic 170:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_241.JPG

 

The sections were glued together and you can see the sandwich of thicker and thinner pieces of plastic card:
Pic 171:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_242.JPG

 

I marked out the section on the bow that needs to be removed to accommodate the bulbous bow:
Pic 172:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_243.JPG

 

The bow after sawing:
Pic 173:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_244.JPG

 

The bulbous bow and the two platforms that wrap around the stern:
Pic 174:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_253.JPG

 

The two platforms were installed as was an extra platform on the transom. The transom platform alone was constructed from 18 pieces of plastic card! Filler was applied around the deck edge:
Pic 175:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_254.JPG

 

After sanding smooth the filler, I started work on the sponson extensions each side of the lifts. The extensions are not all identical in size and shape:
Pic 176:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_255.JPG

 

Aft extensions done:
Pic 177:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_256.JPG

 

Forward extensions done:
Pic 178:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_257.JPG

 

Aft lift glued in place and filler applied topside. I have started adding a little detail to the sponson bulkheads:
Pic 179:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_258.JPG

 

It was now time to work on the walkway forward of the starboard sponson. I glued plastic card along the edge of the hull at flight deck level:
Pic 180:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_259.JPG

 

The walkway at this area is a complicated shape and has now been glued in place. I need to plate in the underside and merge it in with the sponson. Originally, I was going to have both lifts in the raised position but now I am going to have the forward lift in the lowered position. Currently, it is dry-fitted:
Pic 181:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_260.JPG

 

The bulbous bow has been sanded to the approximate shape and drilled to take a long piece of 6mm plastic rod. The rod fits into a hole drilled into the bow. It will need a lot of fairing in with plastic card and filler:
Pic 182:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_261.JPG

 

Gas turbine air Intakes scratched:
Pic 183:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_262.JPG

 

Three in position outboard of the Aft Island location:
Pic 184:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_263.JPG

 

Discs of plastic card were punched out to make the gas turbine exhausts that sit on top of the funnels. The smaller, upper discs are not concentric but off centre:
Pic 185:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_264.JPG

 

There are hundreds of small intakes, vents etc all over these ships and here I am adding a few to the islands:
Pic 186:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_265.JPG

 

Other side of Forward Island
Pic 187:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_266.JPG

 

The Aft Island which has also had a couple of triangular structures added:  
Pic 188:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_267.JPG

 

That's all for now.

 

Dave

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I also added "lights" to the underside of their hoods on the sides of the Aft Island:
Pic 189:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_268.JPG

 

The Forward Island still needs the external platforms to be added:
Pic 190:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_269.JPG

 

View from the bow. I am quite pleased with the shape of the bow and my decision to leave off the bulbous bow until very late in the build means it is much better than the bow of my HMS Queen Elizabeth build. I still need to build the walkways in this area and cut out the anchor recesses:
Pic 191:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_270.JPG

 

Last bit to do on the hull for the time being was to start work on the fairing in of the bulbous bow. I had to cut away a little of the sides of the hull and applied some filler:
Pic 192:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_278.JPG

 

View from astern. I still need to add another platform on the port side of the transom on which sits the AN/SPN-41 Instrument Carrier Landing System (ICLS). I also need to add a landing stage:
Pic 193:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_271.JPG

 

Some fiddly bits now as I started to construct the 12 aircraft servicing points located in the catwalks. I cut up some squares of plastic card first. They were then sandwiched together, with 4x3 and 8x2 blocks. Final shaping will be done after fitting to the catwalks:
Pic 194:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_273.JPG

 

Lengths of square plastic rod was used to represent the fuel hose cabinets and glued into the catwalks. The rectangular block next to the "FP" is one of the many Fire Points located in the catwalks:
Pic 195:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_274.JPG

 

A couple more aircraft servicing points outboard of the Aft Island. These two had additional stowage next to the fuel hose cabinets. Now that I have fitted the aircraft servicing points I am not totally happy with their size as overall they are about 25% too short. If I have time, I might alter them:
Pic 196:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_275.JPG

 

I turned to the Forward Islands and started to construct the platforms and bridges:
Pic 197:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_276.JPG

 

Platforms were added aft of the funnel and a small one added just forward of the funnel. When I built the QE I missed this small platform out! Hopefully, I am making a better job of things this time round:
Pic 198:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_277.JPG

 

When I built the QE I used the S1850M Radar from the Airfix HMS Daring kit but I noticed yesterday that it has the wrong number of panels (five instead of four). I guess I could have filled the panel lines and rescribed them but I preferred to scratch-build one from plastic card:
Pic 199:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_279.JPG

 

I also scratched the rest of the radar as well and it was fitted to the foremast:
Pic 200:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_281.JPG

 

I have been busy adding platforms to the port side of the Forward Bridge:
Pic 201:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_282.JPG

 

I have been busy with the Aft Island as well, adding movement boards and started on the traffic lights:
Pic 202:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_283.JPG

 

DISASTER! Today (2nd October) I hit my head on a low beam in my cottage and I suffered severe concussion, double vision and I couldn’t even walk safely outdoors. Suddenly, my ability to model had been severely curtailed and my work for the next two weeks would have to be done with one eye closed! I contacted Darrell Burge at Airfix to tell them that what had happened and that our original agreed deadline of 21st October 2019 would not now be met. I did assure Darrell though that I would get the model finished in time for SMW 2019, Telford.

 

More progress on the Forward Island where I have fitted the various platforms/walkways to the starboard side. Radar platforms have been added to the foremast and the starboard bridge wing glued in place:
Pic 203:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_284.JPG

 

The two extensions to the foremast were fitted:
Pic 204:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_285.JPG

 

The walkway around the bridge has been fitted. I made this in one piece but when it came to final fitting, I cut it to make fitting much easier. On top of the bridge I have fitted an Electro Optical System (EOS) pod. This is actually a part from an Airfix Type 45 kit, one of the few non-scratch-built items in this build:
Pic 205:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_286.JPG

 

Here I have started to add narrow strips of plastic card to the edges of the various platforms:
Pic 206:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_287.JPG

 

View of both islands. The Aft Island has two Thales AS6000 HF Antenna which also came from the Airfix HMS Daring kit. I did scratch-build two of these but as I had a brief from Airfix to use Airfix parts wherever possible, I have kept them for my own build.
Pic 207:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_288.JPG

 

The Forward Island has now been completed as much as possible before painting:
Pic 208:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_289.JPG

 

That's all for now.

 

Dave

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It is now time to get down to some serious painting – at last! Here is the Forward Island after a coat of primer:
Pic 209:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_290.JPG

 

Here is the Aft Island:
Pic 210:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_291.JPG

 

Both together along with the ski jumps of both builds:
Pic 211:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_292.JPG

 

Time to start painting the top coat of light grey. Originally, I was going to play safe and use Humbrol H127 Satin US Ghost Grey applied with my seven-year old Harder & Steenbeck airbrush - the same setup as when I built HMS Queen Elizabeth. However, I ended up using a newer Harder & Steenbeck airbrush and an Aztech AZ7778 and for paint I used Colourcoats NARN52 (M01) - RN Light Weatherwork Grey (BS 381C 676). Here I have just given the Forward Island it's first coat:
Pic 212:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_293.JPG

 

The coverage of the paint is very good but I will still apply a second coat:
Pic 213:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_295.JPG

 

The Aft Island after the first coat. You might just be able to make out some filler on the Flyco where I hadn't noticed a hole in the join of the plastic:
Pic 214:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_294.JPG

 

Leaving the painting for the moment, I turned to the stern where I started building the last two sponsons for a Phalanx CIWS and the SPN-41 ICLS Azimuth Transmitter (the box on the right hand side):
Pic 215:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_296.JPG

 

These two together were one of the most complicated parts of this build - and there have been many. The main problem was that the original shipbuilder's drawings that I have does not show the SPN-41 ICLS and platform, only the Phalanx CIWS platform. I had to work out their combined construction using photographs:
Pic 216:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_297.JPG

 

Another complicated area was the platform for the Phalanx CIWS at the head of the starboard sponson. Here is the void that needs filling. I have just made the bulkheads which are of differing angles and depths:
Pic 217:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_298.JPG

 

Here I have "plated in" most of the bulkheads and applied filler:
Pic 218:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_299.JPG

 

The "plating in" of the forward starboard platform for the Phalanx CIWS has finally been completed and most of the filling and sanding has been done:
Pic 219:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_300.JPG

 

Another piece of geometric madness in this build (and there are many) is the small walkway that wraps around the hull just in front of the port Phalanx CIWS platform. It is a "Z" shape and this part of it is made up of eight pieces:
Pic 220:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_301.JPG

 

The next part has been added. Note the cut-out on the outboard corner. This was not in the original design for QE but has been added since she entered service. An M134 Minigun or a GPMG is mounted here (not sure which but it seems to be the former). The outside of the walkway here has additional plating:
Pic 221:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_302.JPG

 

View from the rear:
Pic 222:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_303.JPG

 

Glued in position. The small platforms beneath the doors have also been fitted. I will fit the supports for those after the platform has been painted:
Pic 223:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_304.JPG

 

The location of the anchor recesses was marked on the hull and I have started to cut them out. They have to be a lot deeper, wider and taller. Note that the forward walkways either side of the bow are not fitted yet. This is because the bow section is the only area where I can hold the build safely and the walkways would only get damaged if fitted now:
Pic 224:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_305.JPG

 

Talking of the forward walkways, here they are. The longer one is the starboard walkway whilst the smaller one is for the port side. Note the pair of whip aerials on the starboard walkway. HMS Queen Elizabeth had one aerial there (the aft one) when she first went to sea although she does have the rotating mechanism for two. I decided to fit two complete aerials even though they are slightly overscale:
Pic 225:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_306.JPG

 

The rest of the walkways are almost complete. On the port walkway of the real-life HMS Queen Elizabeth, the five life-raft stations have been given metal shelters. There are also two shelters like this on the starboard side. I can only think that they are there to prevent damage to the life-rafts by F-35B exhausts as they come over the deck. Of course there could be another reason but I can’t think of one. I have made the bulkheads for the shelters but still have to make some roofs:
Pic 226:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_307.JPG

 

That's all for now.

 

Dave

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I have completed most of the fiddly work now. The hull needs a lot more sanding though and last night I worked on the fixings for the base. It gave me the opportunity for a photo-op to show the build up to now. The ski jump, islands and forward walkways have not been glued in place yet:
Pic 227:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_308.JPG

 

It is only when it is on the kitchen worktop that you get a good idea of the size of this thing:
Pic 228:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_309.JPG

 

The Forward Lift area still needs some detailing but that can't be done until after painting:
Pic 229:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_311.JPG

 

Although my previous post shown an almost fully-assembled ship, I have deconstructed it again to allow final sanding and filling of the hull:
Pic 230:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_312.JPG

 

The landing stage at the stern was added and the underside has been sanded to the profile of the hull and is ready for filling:
Pic 231:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_314.JPG

 

I spent a lot of time filling and sanding small blemishes and whilst doing so I noticed that the keel extended back a little too far. I had to hack 5mm from the end and it was then filled and sanded. One thing I did miss and fail to correct was the fact that the trailing edge of the keel should taper inwards to a point:
Pic 232:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_315.JPG

 

The bow is looking better but there are a few niggly "kinks" in the hull that need levelling:
Pic 233:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_316.JPG

 

Filler around the stern:
Pic 234:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_317.JPG

 

Leaving the stern to dry, I made some locating pins for the islands. This was necessary so that the model could be transported with the islands removed and relocated easily. Since taking this photo, I have chamfered the top of the plastic rod. I may glue .5mm magnets to the Flight Deck and islands for extra security:
Pic 235:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_318.JPG

 

The Ski Jump has been glued in place:
Pic 236:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_319.JPG

 

The aft section of the Ski Jump is a very shallow slope and was made up from thin plastic card which was filled and is ready for the final sanding:
Pic 237:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_321.JPG

 

Last step was to carry a final check of the hull, fill any remaining blemishes and sand ready for priming.The final step was to glue the forward walkways in place and get the airbrush out. The starboard side of the bow section after spraying with primer/filler. The coverage is pretty good:
Pic 238:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_322.JPG

 

Starboard side midships section. The aft lift and the dock for the starboard RIB proved to be bit of a pain to get covered properly:
Pic 239:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_323.JPG

 

The aft section:
Pic 240:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_324.JPG

 

Stern section. A fair bit of attention with the filler will be required where the transom meets the hull:
Pic 241:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_325.JPG

 

Port side midships section. Once again, the boat docks were difficult to cover with the airbrush so I may use a hairy stick for the first of the light grey coats:
Pic 242:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_326.JPG

 

Starboard side bow. A little filler is required around the bulbous bow but apart from that it looks pretty good:
Pic 243:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_327.JPG

 

Time to prime the Flight Deck and it took a lot of spraying:
Pic 244:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_328.JPG

 

The aft section of the Flight Deck. The walkways were another area that was difficult to cover:
Pic 245:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_329.JPG

 

BTW, by now the side effects of my severe concussion had eased and I was able to model using both eyes again. I could also walk without problems and was able to drive. Things were almost back to normal again but I still had a tight deadline to meet!

 

That's all for now.

 

Dave

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Starting to look like a ship now...
Pic 246:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_330.JPG

 

Turning to the underside, I fitted the bilge keels. Not an easy task as the hull shape isn't perfect:
Pic 247:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_335.JPG

 

Having filled the bilge keel joins, I lightly sanded the whole ship ready for more filler:
Pic 248:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_336.JPG

 

Flight Deck sanded and filled - again...:
Pic 249:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_337.JPG

 

Priming, filling, sanding repeatedly is a necessary evil and sometimes you think you are making things worse. Here is the centre section after light sanding:
Pic 250:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_338.JPG

 

The bow showing some small digs which still need filling. The sanding of the Port forward walkway is finally finished and it is ready for painting:
Pic 251:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_339.JPG

 

The aft end of the ship where there wasn't too much filling needed:
Pic 252:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_340.JPG

 

I gave the whole ship another coat of primer/filler and the finish is looking rather smooth. However, there are still minor blemishes that need sorting (such as you can see here to the left of the anchor recess) before I do the top coats:
Pic 253:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_343.JPG

 

Rest of the underside:
Pic 254:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_344.JPG

 

Aft section of the Flight Deck. A light sanding and it should be ready for top coats:
Pic 255:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_345.JPG

 

View from the other angle:
Pic 256:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_346.JPG

 

A rather smooth looking ship:
Pic 257:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_347.JPG

 

After yet another bit of filling and sanding, I finally got the anchors fitted. I also drilled some hawseholes forward:
Pic 258:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_349.JPG

 

And drilled some aft:
Pic 259:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_350.JPG

 

The decks and platforms of the islands were sprayed with Colourcoats NARN54 (RN Dark Deck Gray):
Pic 260:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_351.JPG

 

A lot of time was spent masking off the island decks so that I could paint the top coat of light grey:
Pic 261:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_352.JPG

 

Both islands were sprayed with Colourcoats NARN52 (RN Light Weatherwork Grey):
Pic 262:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_353.JPG

 

The hull got a first coat of Colourcoats NARN52 (RN Light Weatherwork Grey):
Pic 263:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_354.JPG

 

As did the walkways and platforms:
Pic 264:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_355.JPG

 

View of the aft section:
Pic 265:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_356.JPG

 

That's all for now.

 

Dave

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The Phalanx CIWS and 30mm Guns also got a spraying. These came from Airfix HMS Daring kits:
Pic 266:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_357.JPG

 

Two ribs had Plastruct rod glued to them so that they can be attached inside their bays within the sponsons. Also in the picture are the four stabilisers which having been sanded to shape and will be fitted at the end of the build:
Pic 267:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_358.JPG

 

Pics 268 & 269 Removed

 

Lift chains were made from aluminium mesh strips have been cut and will be fitted after painting. Also in the foreground is the centre platform for the transom. It is from this platform that ladders go down to the landing stage on the waterline:
Pic 270:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_360.JPG

 

The Mainmast components. I still have a bit of sanding to do as well as adding a bit more detail:
Pic 271:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_359.JPG

 

All the little boxes and platforms seem to affect the airflow of the airbrush and I have been finding it difficult to paint this large build without getting areas of dry paint. This has necessitated a lot of work getting rid of the paint "grit". Here is the bow after treatment:
Pic 272:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_361.JPG

 

Forward starboard sponson:
Pic 273:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_362.JPG

 

Middle starboard sponson:
Pic 274:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_363.JPG

 

Aft starboard sponson. My next few painting sessions will be split up so that I don't try and paint the whole hull in one go:
Pic 275:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_364.JPG

 

I have painted the islands, removed some "grit" and resprayed them. There is some touching up to do but they look okay. Here is the Forward Island:
Pic 276:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_365.JPG

 

The Aft Island needs a bit more tidying up than the Forward Island:
Pic 277:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_366.JPG

 

And so it goes on and on:
Pic 278:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_367.JPG

 

No painting today. However, I spent quite sometime designing and printing off some decals. Apologies for any optical illusions that the yellow/black stripes may cause you! I have printed off two sets of island decals and I will be trying a new fixative for the first time. If it works okay then I will spray the rest. If not, then I will use Microscale Liquid Decal Film:
Pic 279:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_368.JPG

 

BTW, the test decals that had been covered with fixative spray failed miserably but the ones covered with Liquid Decal Film passed the test.


The transom of the ship showing the addition of the final three platforms to which ladders will be fixed later:
Pic 280:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_370.JPG

 

That's all for now

 

Dave

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Very early in the build, I painted the hangar doors, inner bulkheads and deckhead with H127 Satin US Ghost Grey and the deck with H27 Matt Sea Grey. However, I have since decided to use Colourcoats paints instead and I have had to repaint them:
Pic 281:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_371.JPG

 

I made the mistake of masking off the hull in readiness for the red but it was too early and the tape started to remove the light grey. Rather than cause more damage, I removed the tape, made good the damage and have left the light grey to cure properly:
Pic 282:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_372.JPG

 

Apart from my fuddled brain, I use this high-tech piece of equipment to keep tabs on this build - a notepad. Two items (Bridge window wipers and PTBs) were only ever going to be fitted if time permitted but to be honest, by the time this list was made, I had already decided to leave them out. Lift chains have been cut out and need painting and I now have six out of ten domes to make:
Pic 283:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_373.JPG

 

Mainmast, domes and Cobham Type loop antennae after painting and ready for fitting:
Pic 284:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_374.JPG

 

Life-rafts painted and ready for fitting:
Pic 285:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_375.JPG

 

Phalanx CIWS and 30mm guns painted and ready for fitting:
Pic 286:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_376.JPG

 

Ribs painted and ready for fitting inside boat bays:
Pic 287:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_377.JPG

 

Aircraft handling vehicles and crane painted and ready for fitting:
Pic 288:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_378.JPG

 

The Shapeways Chinooks I bought for this build didn't have rotors. I have adapted some 5-blade Sea King rotors although they are a bit on the narrow side. Still, they will have to do:
Pic 289:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_379.JPG

 

Lots of lovely painting today. First of all, I masked off the upper hull, rubbed down the lower hull (again) and resprayed the primer/filler:
Pic 290:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_385.JPG

 

First coat of the hull red (in this case Colourcoats RN19 - Royal Navy WW2 Antifouling Red). I had thought of using other paints but felt happiest using this:
Pic 291:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_387.JPG

 

Rudders and stabilisers were not forgotten:
Pic 292:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_388.JPG

 

The first coat of red was left to dry, lightly sanded to remove a couple of minor runs and then the second coat went on:
Pic 293:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_389.JPG

 

Masking tape was removed and I am delighted with the result. The black boot topping will be done next:
Pic 294:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_390.JPG

 

That's all for now.

 

Dave

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Boot topping time! The boot topping was given two coats of Colourcoats Matt Black and the masking tape removed. The stern has a few places where the red has been lifted by the masking tape. Note that I still have to paint another coat of the light grey which I decided to leave applying until the boot topping had been done:
Pic 295:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_392.JPG

 

The starboard side turned out pretty well with virtually no bleeding. The red at the bow needs raising to meet the boot topping though and there are a couple of places on the red where the paint has been lifted by masking tape but nothing major:
Pic 296:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_393.JPG

 

On the port side there is a problem. I knew it was going to happen because when I took off the masking tape after painting the red, I realised I had sprayed the red too low. Easy to fix though:
Pic 297:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_394.JPG

 

At the bow, you can see where the boot topping doesn't quite meet up but that will be put right when more light grey goes on. The yellow masking tape is staying on to protect the paintwork on the bulbous bow as it has proved to be a handy resting point during the build:
Pic 298:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_395.JPG

 

Although I still have to do tidy up the boot topping, it really makes a difference now it is on. After putting the boot topping right I will spray another coat of light grey and paint the Flight Deck:
Pic 299:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_396.JPG

 

Back to the islands now. The inboard side of the Forward Island after the decks had been given a second coat of dark grey, the funnel uptakes were painted H56 Aluminium and the name boards painted H9 Gloss Tan. The radar has also been painted black. Some of the light grey will need touching up:
Pic 300:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_397.JPG

 

The outboard side of the Aft Island having been given similar treatment to the Forward Island:
Pic 301:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_398.JPG

 

This is a picture that was actually taken before the last one and shows both islands from their other sides. I still have a bit of painting to do and cleaning up will be necessary before decals can be applied:
Pic 302:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_399.JPG

 

Another view of them in their rightful position:
Pic 303:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_400.JPG

 

Here the Flight Deck has been painted on the starboard side and I am working my way along the port side. Since taking the photo I have sanded down the Flight Deck ready for another coat later today:
Pic 304:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_402.JPG

 

The islands were cleaned up enough to allow me to put some decals on. A couple of the windows on the Aft Island have peeled back a bit but were put right later:
Pic 305:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_403.JPG

 

The other side still needs bridge windows but the "Ich Dien" ship's badge transfers have been applied:
Pic 306:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_404.JPG

 

I applied another coat of Liquid Decal Film to the remaining decals to prevent damage to those. I have printed off another set bridge of windows to replace the damaged decals and they will be applied this evening.


When I had built QE I used decals for the Flight Deck markings but they take so long to apply that I decided to paint the markings for this build:
Pic 307:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_407.JPG

 

I sprayed the first coat of white but I then hand-painted the second coat. The removal of the masking tape took half an hour and reveals a little bleeding here and there. I still have to paint the line that runs from the top of the ski jump to the stern:
Pic 308:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_409.JPG

 

A bit more progress as I painted the white "P" on the Flight Deck and the dark line running the length of the Flight Deck. The masking has finally been removed from the walkways and I have a bit of bleeding to deal with there:
Pic 309:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_410.JPG

 

I had to put two more coats of Light Grey on the hull so it was masking time - again! This time I used the Tamiya stuff that come with a length of polythene (550mm deep) attached. It is expensive (£8 for a roll) but has proved to be perfect for masking this ship. I applied a length of standard masking tape along the boot topping and lay the "poly" masking tape just under the edge of the standard tape. I then cut the polythene BEFORE unfolding it using a scalpel and NOT scissors. The Flight Deck was also masked off:
Pic 310:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_411.JPG

 

The lower masking tapes were removed. One drawback I found with the "poly" masking tape is that it is not really suitable for re-use as it is because it is very low-tack and doesn't really stick a second time. However, you could use traditional tape to attach it:
Pic 311:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_412.JPG

 

That's all for now.

 

Dave

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I decided that the red of the hull was looking rather shabby as it had suffered quite a bit since it was painted. Some of it had lifted from masking tape use so I decided to repaint the whole thing again. Here the hull has been masked off with the "poly" masking tape - only took a minute instead of at least ten. The hull was filled and sanded and a coat of filler/primer applied:
Pic 312:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_413.JPG

 

The first of three coats of anti-fouling red was sprayed on and left to dry:
Pic 313:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_415.JPG

 

Away from the big stuff, I have made two life-raft shelters for the starboard side and they have been primed ready for a light grey top coat. I am also making some domes and some ladders from plastic card. I need twenty of those.

 

That's better! You can just make out the life-rafts that have been glued inside their shelters along the walkway:
Pic 314:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_416.JPG

 

The scratch-built prop shafts and 'A' bracket components have been assembled. Props from a Tamiya 1/350 USS Enterprise have been reshaped to the profile of the QE class props and painted:
Pic 315:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_417.JPG

 

I painted the shafts with Alclad Chrome but they are too bright and will be overpainted later. Note that the larger aft 'A' bracket legs are slanted forward on the QE class:
Pic 316:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_418.JPG

 

The 'A' brackets have been painted with anti-fouling red. They are longer than necessary so that they can be trimmed back to fit snugly on the hull:
Pic 317:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_419.JPG

 

The prop shafts have been laid onto the hull to give you an idea of how they will look. I need to drill holes in the hull for the shafts to go into. Once they and the rudders are fitted I will tidy up the red paintwork and respray the black boot topping:
Pic 318:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_420.JPG

 

The photo of HMS Queen Elizabeth I had been working from to mark out the warning yellow striping on the Flight Deck showed the Forward Lift without a "box" at the aft end. However, I was looking at another photo of QE today online and it shows a "box" was added eventually. I added one too:
Pic 319:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_422.JPG

 

Another view from above:
Pic 320:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_423.JPG

 

Since taking those pictures, I have spent a lot of time touching up areas of overspray and bleeding in the walkways. I have also done some work on the Flight Deck but hopefully, I can rectify it's many issues by Friday. As for the remaining construction, I have to make 6 domes, that's all. Everything else (such as guns, aircraft, props, stabilisers, mast, radars et al) is finished (except for some decalling) and I have a big box of bits waiting to be glued on once I have finished faffing around with the painting.

 

I corrected a problem with the Aft Lift warning lines. I had painted some of them in the wrong place:
Pic 321:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_424.JPG

 

I thought I would do a comparison with the waterline version which I have had to stop in order to get the full-hull build completed in time for Telford:
Pic 322:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_425.JPG

 

I ended up respraying the Flight Deck and now need to tidy up the edges. I have also fitted the 3 Phalanx CIWS and 4 30mm guns:
Pic 323:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_426.JPG

 

I have also fitted 20 ladders with a few left to do. The islands light grey paintwork was tidied up and decalling is now finished:
Pic 324:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_427.JPG

 

The diagonal warning lines were applied. I don't like them much and if I have time I will remove them, sand down the paintwork and apply new decals. We will see...:
Pic 325:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_428.JPG

 

That's all for now.

 

Dave

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The decalling of the aircraft was completed yesterday:
Pic 326:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_429.JPG

 

The sharp end of the ship. A bit of touching up of the Flight Deck grey is required but it is looking okay:
Pic 327:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_430.JPG

 

The aft end:
Pic 328:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_431.JPG

 

A view from the other side:
Pic 329:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_432.JPG

 

The rudders were fitted and I now need to make good the damage around them and the 'A' brackets. Unfortunately, I have almost run out of red paint but luckily I have an order of fresh paint on the way:
Pic 330:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_433.JPG

 

I wasn't happy with the striped decalling on the Flight Deck so I removed it all. Here I have masked off the yellow area so that I can sand it back before repainting it and applying new decals:
Pic 331:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_434.JPG

 

Here I am decalling the Lift warning lines and I have fitted a pair of HF Loop antennae aft of the AS6000s. HMS Queen Elizabeth was built with a pair of Cobham Type HF Loop antenna aft of the AS6000s and when I built my QE model they were taken from the Airfix HMS Illustrious.

 

HMS Prince of Wales has been fitted with a different type of annenae (Comrod NVIS HF230L-N) and HMS Queen Elizabeth will be getting her Cobham Type antennae replaced by HF230L-N during her first refit. Despite this, I used the Cobham Type from HMS Illustrious again as the difference is minimal and only noticeable to nerds:
Pic 332:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_435.JPG

 

Nearly completed:
Pic 333:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_436.JPG

 

The Forward Lift and it’s chains need to be fitted.
Pic 334:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_437.JPG

 

Everything has been glued on now, including aircraft and the ship has been mounted on it’s proper base:
Pic 335:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_438.JPG

 

Pic 336:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_439.JPG

 

Pic 337:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_440.JPG

 

Pic 338:
Prince_Of_Wales_350_441.JPG

 

Pic 339:
POW_Completed_019.JPG

 

Pic 340:
POW_Completed_020.JPG

 

Pic 341:
POW_Completed_023.JPG

 

Pic 342:
POW_Completed_026.JPG

 

The handover of the model to Darrell Burge (Head of Brand for Airfix at Hornby Hobbies):
Pic 343:
POW_Completed_024.JPG

 

As I said at the start of this build thread, this model was commissioned by Airfix for display at SMW 2019 (where the last six pictures were taken) and it's final home will be the Hornby Hobbies Visitor Centre in Margate.

 

If you have managed to read through this whole thread or even followed me through the build on the ATF, I thank you all for your staying power.

 

Hope you enjoyed the journey that began with a single step (or a single sheet of plastic card).

 

Dave

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