HMS Sheffield (cruiser) which 1:350 kit is nearest, for conversion?

[bootneck]

Hello everone,

 

The first warship I spent any time on was the cruiser HMS Sheffield, whilst she was part of the reserve fleet and Portsmouth.  I have wanted to build a 1:350 scale kit of this cruiser for ages, decades in fact; however, the only kit produced was a resin one and I couldn't afford it, and it has been out of production of ages.   I've been hoping that one of the mainstream plastic kit producers would have come along by now and produced a kit of her in plastic.  I'm now into my 72nd year and I don't think I had better wait any longer so, I am going to have a bash at doing a conversion from some other kit.  I've got too many stalled scratchbuilds to want to do another s/b yet.  I don't know which is the best to use though;  I would assume the kit of HMS Belfast would be nearest but, as I haven't bothered to obtain plans or anything (thinking a kit would come along eventually) I don't know which is best to use.

Basically the point I am making is to ask, which kit; if any, is best and nearest to Sheffield could I use with minimal chopping, filing and heartache?

 

cheers,

Mike

[grahamwalker]

In all honesty you would be better scratch building on than trying to convert Belfast, if using Belfast you could only use the hull after heavily modifying it the rest is scrap imo. 

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I agree with Graham. It would be easier starting from a clean sheet and building what needs built rather than trying to bend your mind around trying to retain bits of Belfast.

 

Besides nominally being Town class cruisers, they have very little in common, sharing almost nothing except the types and positions of the main gun turrets. Belfast was one of the last with her funnels well aft and a general built-up-aft appearance whilst Sheffield was an earlier sub-class with the funnels well forward and everything topsides arranged differently accordingly. Add in the usual concerns about portholes, belt armour placement, torpedo protection etc etc there's nothing but a set of crappy Trumpeter turrets and guns you'd probably want to update anyway left!

[bootneck]

Thanks Graham and Jamie, it's probably why I haven't attempted anything about it before. I'll carry on with my carriers and spend some time doing some research into it.  I wasn't on the Sheffield for very long but I loved every minute of it.  A ship with big guns, to me they were, so a bit of nostalgia came to the fore.

cheers,

Mike

[Circloy]

Being the city of my birth, & life so far, all 3 HMS Sheffield's hold more than a passing interest & I've too have had a desire to build a model, not just of the cruiser but of all three and have built up a small reference library.

 

I gave up on the WEM 1/350th a few years back due to the price they were fetching.  l'Arsenal showed masters for their 1/350 version at Telford 10 (or more) years back but I've never seen one for sale. I did fall lucky at Bolton in 2019 when Starling had a 1/700 on their stand which after an exchange of modelling tokens found it's way into my bag.

 

If you've not got them I can recommend the following books:

 

ARMS & ARMOUR PRESS MAN O' WAR 5 - TOWN CLASS CRUISERS - RAVEN ROBERTS 1980 - Aimed towards the modeller this covers the whole class but Sheffield probably has a bigger dedicated section than any other. Contains drawing of the camoflague used at various times. (Cardback)

Town Class Cruisers by Neil McCart - Good general history of the whole of the class. (Hardback)

HMS SHEFFIELD: LIFE AND TIMES OF OLD SHINY By Ronald Bassett - Detailed history of the first Sheffield from construction, through war service to it's ultimate demise. The fact I bought a second copy after I loaned my original out says how much I recommend this book. (The first did eventually return) (Hardback)

Shiny Sheff: The Story of the Three HMS Sheffields: Story of Sheffields Fighting Ships by Alistair Lofthouse - much condensed history of all three ships (Cardback)

 

Additionally I've also a card kit/book available from eastern Europe that could be useful as plans (two scales 1/400 & 1/200) I think I've the 1/200 - there are a few available on the 'bay.

 

Sheffield City Archives research guide with various links - downloads as pdf file

 

Edited August 3, 2020 by Circloy
added link

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Mike, like you I also wish to build an HMS Sheffield but I work in a different scale to you, 1/600 being my preference. I'm aware of the differences between a Belfast and Sheffield hull but I'm still intending on an Airfix HMS Belfast conversion. I've got a few Belfast kits and hulls (I buy them for parts and have three leftover hulls at present) so if I botch a hull modification I can write it off to experience and try again. I'm also happy to scratch build decks, structures etc as required, which you've said you don't want to do this time.

     I must stress here that my build of HMS Sheffield is still in the "Plan To Do Sometime In The Future" file, not in the "Imminent Commencement" or "WIP" files. I've just started a build of HMS Jamaica from combined Airfix Belfast and Tiger kits.

     To me the most important part of a ship or model ship is the hull, and as yet I haven't been able to scratch build full hulls. I model mainly in Airfix at present so I know little about other brands of kits. If you do decide to convert a Belfast kit and can only use some of the kit parts it seems to me you have still saved some work over scratching everything. And what's left over may be able to be used for other builds in the future. Those are my thoughts, anyway. Sorry to ramble on so much. HTH. Regards, Jeff.

[bootneck]

Hi Circloy and Jeff,

 

thanks for you input, I am already accepting that this will have to be a scratchbuild.  I do have the Ensign series publication on the Town class and it has a couple of photo's showing Sheffield whilst in reserve at Portsmouth.  I am fine with scratchbuilding a completely new upperworks, it's the hull shape the screws me each time.  If I did use a Belfast hull, scratchbuilding the rest, does anyone know what specific changes would be required?  I can work on the belt armour, portholes/scuttles and the top plates if I knew what was needed to be done and where.

 

cheers, and thanks,

 

Mike

[Circloy]

3 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

Airfix HMS Belfast conversion

Airfix magazine - Feb 1977

[Graham Boak]

You could always start - in 1/600 - with the Airfix Tiger hull and transplant the Belfast rear, which doesn't match well.  Much of the decks and fitting can be retained, with a segment removed from between the funnels and not inconsiderable work on superstructures.  The Belfast hull has bulges and is basically unusable.  However all this is probably less work that a complete scratchbuild.  By all means use the Airfix article as a guide - I am in my (currently stalled) work on HMS Newcastle.  The one other tip I would give is do not try to squeeze the Belfast deck into the Tiger hull - it does go but will create hard work with the width of the bridge/hangars area.

[Seahawk]

As per the Airfix Magazine article I did actually get as far as removing the bulges and shortening the hull of an Airfix Belfast for my HMS Sheffield build.  Not a quick or easy job, even with the enthusiasm of youth.  Would have been even more difficult if I'd been waterlining it at the same time.  I accepted that very little of the Belfast upperworks could be used (not even the funnels) but reckoned that it would provide a lot of detail parts (turrets, main, secondary and AA armament, boats, directors and HACSs, torpedo tubes, hangar doors, Carley floats).  However my build has, like Graham's HMS Newcastle, been stalled for some time (in my case, over 40 years).  Ditto HMSs Liverpool, Southampton and Edinburgh.

 

And our expectations weren't so high in those days.

[grahamwalker]

You could try rescaling one of those card ships to 1/350 then use as templates for plastic card. it was  the bow shape that stopped me from trying

[Chewbacca]

I did manage to complete an Airfix BELFAST to GLASGOW a few years ago, which like SHEFFIELD was a Southampton class Town.  It is do-able and I would say a lot less work than scratch building the entire hull (acknowledging that once you've removed the bulges and shortened the deck, almost everything else is scratch built anyway!

 

Interestingly, I'm reading the Conrad Waters book at the moment (recommended) and he points out that even the turrets in BELFAST and EDINBURGH are slightly different to the earlier sub-classes.  The Southamptons had Mk XXII turrets whereas BELFAST and EDINBURGH had Mk XXIII.  Now, whilst the main difference was all below decks in that the Mk XXII mounting was a short trunk that only went down 2 deck levels and the Mk XXIII went down to the hold deck, the gun housings were visually slightly different as well.  On the Mk XXII, where the front plate of the gun housing meets the roof, it is a curve whereas the MK XXIII has a sharp angle.   I must confess I didn't notice when I did GLASGOW although in 1/350 it would be more obvious (though not difficult to correct)

Edited September 4, 2020 by Chewbacca