Dancona Posted October 13, 2020 Author Share Posted October 13, 2020 (edited) Thank you Chewy, you are very kind, but I suspect that my efforts will soon be eclipsed, don't forget we have Andrewa, Crispin and Bootneck beavering away with RN flat tops, all of which are looking extremely good ! Another quick update on “the project”, one way of measuring progress is, I suppose, the weight of the beast, and it’s definitely getting heavier. I have been concentrating on the port side and the complex geometry of the flight deck overhang, one thing that I hadn’t appreciated until recently is that the break in the line midway down the ship in plan view (where the deck starts to taper towards the stern) does not correspond with the change in surface in side elevation (where the underside surface kicks up towards the stern). Took me a while to figure it out after spotting a distinct kink in the depth of the vertical surface on the edges of the overhang in the photo on page 29 of the “Anatomy of the Ship” book. Managed to get it to all work out with the sections and added some hefty bits of 3mm material to make sure, (I hope !) it doesn’t go anywhere. One thing I am trying to do is to make sure that where I have a crisp change in plane that the intersection is supported on both sides and properly defined, I want to try and get nice clean lines that stay in the right place without too much filler. I’ve been adding extra sections in the bow area to make sure that the skin will be properly supported, I reckon if I keep on going like this it won't need skinning, but will need a small engine hoist to move it ! There are some interesting little problem areas on the bow, one of which is the twisting surface which forms the sides of the flight deck at the bow and also incorporates an emergency conning position, the tricky bit though is the lower curving (in two planes) intersection with the bow flare, not quite there yet but getting close. I have obtained paternal permission to post some of the family “line book” pictures that were so familiar to my younger self and no doubt responsible for my current madness, firstly, the man himself, my father next to an HAS 7 very much the crunchy Naval aviator, and looking remarkably like my younger brother, which is obviously where all the “crunchy Naval aviator” genes went. A couple of nice shots of Battle class HMS Dunkirk (I believe) with Victorious behind. Victorious in Capetown 1961 Thanks for looking and the all encouraging comments (numpties being actively avoided) Cheers David Edited October 13, 2020 by Dancona 17 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longshanks Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 Very impressive... Are you going to be able to lift if as the build continues?? 2 hours ago, Dancona said: (numpties being actively avoided) That's good to know Avoid the numpties and stay safe Kev 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefy66 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 Must be getting serious now the screwdrivers are out never mind the Glue and masking tape it's on to the screws nuts and bolts seriously good stuff here Stay Safe beefy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunzo Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 Lovely clear shots of the 'Battle'- just what I've been looking for! les 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 5 hours ago, Dancona said: ... the man himself, my father next to an HAS 7 very much the crunchy Naval aviator, and looking remarkably like my younger brother, which is obviously where all the “crunchy Naval aviator” genes went. God, you’re not joking; replace the Whirly with a Sea King (& ditch the dodgy pirate boots!) and that really could be S. Even the way he’s standing / holding his head. Victorious is looking stunning. Great work. c 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancona Posted October 14, 2020 Author Share Posted October 14, 2020 20 hours ago, beefy66 said: Must be getting serious now the screwdrivers are out Ohhh yes ! to hell with soldering next stop arc welding, 💥 20 hours ago, gunzo said: Lovely clear shots of the 'Battle'- just what I've been looking for! Very glad to be able to help Les, I think I have one of Cassandra (C-class) coming alongside Vic during Operation Vantage, I will post it when I find it ! 19 hours ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said: God, you’re not joking; replace the Whirly with a Sea King (& ditch the dodgy pirate boots!) and that really could be S. Even the way he’s standing / holding his head. Yeah, spooky isn't it, at least we know what he is going to look like in a few years though 🤣 23 hours ago, longshanks said: Avoid the numpties and stay safe I know 🙃, actually I may be a closet numpty ! Cheers all David 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunzo Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 55 minutes ago, Dancona said: Very glad to be able to help Les, I think I have one of Cassandra (C-class) coming alongside Vic during Operation Vantage, I will post it when I find it ! Anything with a MkVI gun director would be handy (that's the glass windowed one with radar dish ears). Excellent progress- that is about as far as I got with mine many moons ago (I cheated with carved foam). Then came fatherhood!! Les 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damoore46 Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 I realize that I am very late to this party, but I have to say that I am new here, and this is one of the most dynamic undertakings that I have ever seen. Great job on this, and I will be following as close as I can. David 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancona Posted October 19, 2020 Author Share Posted October 19, 2020 Hi Les On 14/10/2020 at 18:08, gunzo said: Anything with a MkVI gun director would be handy (that's the glass windowed one with radar dish ears). I'm still trying to find Cassandra, Im sure its on a CD somewhere, is there any particular ship you are interested in ? Do you have any pictures of your carved foam Vic ? (could you be tempted to finish it !) 😊 On 17/10/2020 at 02:35, damoore46 said: I realize that I am very late to this party, Welcome aboard David (excellent name by the way), In fact you are not late at all, the decent booze is still intact , as are the canapes and no elderly relations have done anything inappropriate yet ! This is going to be a very looooooong party, thank you for your kind comments, though I must confess that it doesn't feel very dynamic at the moment, I will be glad when I have got through all the Blacksmithery, hopefully not long now ! Cheers gents David 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Our Ned Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 "...Cassandra (C-class) coming alongside Vic during Operation Vantage ..." - this one, perhaps? https://d22zjv5wdpfhk.cloudfront.net/fr/s3/fr-web-content/fr-forum-assets/threads/22944/Hms_Cassandra_Refueling.jpg?max-width=900&max-height=700&quality=90 - although by the time of Op Vantage, she had a Mk 6M director, not the original MkVI (or Mk 6) which Gunzo mentioned. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunzo Posted October 19, 2020 Share Posted October 19, 2020 Any shot of a destroyer showing her undies is a beautiful sight. That is a lovely shot of Cassandra with loads of helpful detail for Victorious. Actually, I'm gathering info for a Daring class build sometime in the future and anything related to the bridge and wings armaments is useful as several classes post war carried relevant fits. My thanks to you both. Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancona Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 On 19/10/2020 at 12:29, Our Ned said: this one, perhaps? That's the fella, I think I've also got one from the "line book" of Belfast coming alongside, evidently whoever was driving her at the time was an ex -Destroyer man who refused to accept that cruisers should be driven more sedately, I will see if I can find it and post it ! Actually Dad spent a few weeks aboard Cassandra as a watchkeeper as they were short of one at the time and being ex-MN was qualified, also was a watchkeeper on Victorious, (I think he rather enjoyed that) ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancona Posted December 8, 2020 Author Share Posted December 8, 2020 The big Vic rumbles on, or “Whoops I did it again” After becoming increasingly dissatisfied with my quarterdeck, it just didn’t look quite convincing enough, and finding a few more images that contradicted some of my earlier assumptions I took the decision to start again, it seemed a pity to invest so much work into this project whilst allowing annoying niggles to remain unsorted. I’m glad I did, the planking is now finer, the desks stowed in the alcoves are much more substantial less school like and there is much more piping and wiring in evidence, also as my father pointed out, on quarter deck MK 1 there were no squadron boards in evidence, I gather 825 were rather proud of theirs, featuring the hunt for the Bismark (the first successful strike which was actually flown from Victorious), and the heroic Channel Dash episode. There are still a few things to do, like the pillars and ceiling (lots of structure and pipes) before it becomes permanently embedded in the ship proper, I will post some more soon as things have moved on a bit further with that as well, there is no chance of this thing ending up on the shelf of doom, it just wouldn't fit !!! Cheers David 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 21 minutes ago, Dancona said: After becoming increasingly dissatisfied with my quarterdeck, it just didn’t look quite convincing enough, and finding a few more images that contradicted some of my earlier assumptions I took the decision to start again, Wow. IMHO the first was magnificent, but in this second version things look even better! I must say David, you are certainly brave in repeating all that work and I admire your determination, but can understand thos moments we all get from time to time. I'm having similar doubts about the front bridge area of my Vosper build (almost insignificant compared to this build) and am close to concluding I need to start that part again. Just can't get it to look right. What an inspiration this build is! Terry 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntPhillips Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 Awe inspiring build indeed, I'm not sure why, but Victorious is my favourite post war RN carrier, I actually have a couple of Airfix kits in the stash one of which is currently part built in the "shed of doom", the intention is to build one in the as rebuilt configuration and the other as post-refit complete with the "Alaskan Highway" deck extension. I'll be sure to follow along and keep an eye on your build, and with your permission hopefully pinch a few ideas that I can incorporate into my small scale versions, the detail in your quarterdeck is astounding. Happy modelling Ant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 1 hour ago, Dancona said: David, that is a superb upgrade; they’re all good, but you can practically smell that for’d corner of the lobby by the hatch down to whatever was below (steering gear stuff? I’ll have to dig out my books!). Top, top work. 825 have every right to be proud of their battle honours. When the powers that be were pondering which squadron to re-commission for the Wildcats, I lobbied hard for 819 (another squadron dear to your Father’s heart, I know) - Taranto squadron and all that. But even I had to acknowledge that Bismarck & the Channel Dash are equally worthy history! Ark & 820 were very proud of her Bismarck battle honour, too; not many of them around. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longshanks Posted December 8, 2020 Share Posted December 8, 2020 What can I say..... Always better to have a practice run Superb work Stay safe Kev 1 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancona Posted December 16, 2020 Author Share Posted December 16, 2020 On 08/12/2020 at 11:34, AntPhillips said: I'll be sure to follow along and keep an eye on your build, and with your permission hopefully pinch a few ideas that I can incorporate into my small scale versions, Ant, please be my guest, (though I can't guarantee that any ideas I have ever had are worth pinching), and thank you for your kind comments ! On 08/12/2020 at 11:51, Ex-FAAWAFU said: you can practically smell that for’d corner of the lobby Ah yes Crispin, you have spotted the carefully applied pin wash representing a visit by the ships cat !!! Thank you one and all for your kind comments ! Just a quicky (update that is), I finally got the quarterdeck buttoned up and permanently attached to the main lump, together with the rest of the stern, the Port side is now a bit more advanced though I need to sort out all of the boat bays etc before adding the hull surface. Firstly the bits, I added some structure and a few pipes to give a sense of gribbly bits to the quarterdeck area where visible, plus a bell turned up out of a bit of brass, this is the most important bit of the ship, because according to family legend the real one was turned upside down filled with"holy water" and a very little David was Christened in it, unfortunately I can't remember a thing about it, it would have helped a lot !!!!!!!!! For a relatively brief amount of time I had a handy "stern module", but it soon found itself permanently incorporated. Better get on with the starboard side !!! Cheers David 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 Great update David. I especially like the shot showing the roof area with all the overhead piping and trunking and stuff (or whatever it's called in naval terms!). This model is going to look rather splendid I reckon. Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longshanks Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 Don't you love it when a plan comes together Looking great Kev 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beefy66 Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 4 hours ago, Terry1954 said: I especially like the shot showing the roof area with all the overhead piping and trunking and stuff (or whatever it's called in naval terms!). Yes and me that has given me an idea for my GZ build not having any info for that thank you great details BTW Stay Safe beefy 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alun Gallie Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Fantastic work. My late father served on the Vic from commissioning until September 1945, so a build, albeit of earlier appearance, is definitely on my ‘to do’ list although probably not as ambitious as this. My other project at moment is turning his memoirs of those years into a proper published book for family, the Vic had a pretty interesting war. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 great work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancona Posted January 25, 2021 Author Share Posted January 25, 2021 Alun and mick, thank you for your kind comments, and Alun that sounds a remarkable feat to manage the entire war on one ship, she certainly had a remarkable life, as I should imagine did your father ! I never imagined that one day I would be inviting people to look at pictures of my chopper online, but now I have, I feel that I am now at least partially qualified to enter Parliament ! I now have an embryo airwing, the first of many little aeroplanes (I believe that Victorious had a permanent deck park of 14 aircraft at this time, so this is the start of a major job in parallel to the vessel herself). This is one of the lovely little (about the size of a large insect) Whirlwind HAS 7s that Wotjek Benzinski supplied me with, with markings for 825 Squadron circa 1961, there were 8 aircraft embarked, numbered from 310 to 318, with no 313 (it was felt that making anyone fly in an Alvis Leonides engined helicopter, (that also was renowned for a dodgy clutch) was bad enough, but painting a big 13 on the front was asking for trouble). And in its natural habitat, down aft on the Port side !! One interesting thing that I found out was that due to the lack of power, weight was a major issue and many aircraft were flown without side doors to lighten the aircraft as can be seen below, whilst the winch was normally only bolted on for SAR/planeguard duties. Anyway, the first of many, I may do a Sea Vixen next, it’s quite nice to divert oneself with the odd aeroplane, and I’ve got a lot of odd aeroplanes to do !! Thanks for looking Cheers David 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longshanks Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 Good to see progress especially with your wonderful chopper Kev 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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