HMS Hood May 1941

[Modelholic]

I'd imagine the 4.5" option for myself as well.

Ages ago I picked up a Trumpeter Queen Elizabeth cheap and part built so the 4.5" (and maybe bridge superstructure) are there.

Tom

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday All, here's another report on my meager progress with HMS Hood  in May 1941.

    One problem with a break in the continuity of the build is that I forget why some parts haven't been added yet. One of these was the conning tower. That's the oval shaped structure at the fwd end (right end in the photo) of the superstructure. I couldn't think why it wasn't glued on so I did just that, plus also glued on the next level of the superstructure. Then I remembered why not. 😠 Those four vertical pieces attached to the front of the conning tower. I'm not sure what they are - vents, air intakes, trunking of some sort - but they're not part of the original kit. I had to add them, and it would have been easier to do so while the conning tower was still free. Oh well, I managed. They're a bit rough and probably not EXACTLY correct, in size or position but they'll do.
     The top of the conning tower wasn't a particularly good fit, in fact it didn't. Fit, I mean. So a bit of sanding was required at the sides of it towards the rear. When it did finally go in there was a bit of a gap at the front. So out with the filler. A rangefinder still has to be fitted at the top of the conning tower.
     Just behind the conning tower are the platforms for the fwd quad .50cal machineguns, one on either side. These are scratch additions to the build. It took me a bit to work out what to do there. Again, what I've made may not be exactly accurate but I think I'm close.
     The funnels are glued in now, plus that structure between them. The top piece is scratch built. The kit had a searchlight tower there, which was gone by May 1941. The dinghies (one hidden behind the fwd funnel) I originally mounted on the deck, but later I realized they were mounted on skids overhead. So I fixed that error, as you can see.
     Well, that's it for now. Thank you all for your interest, comments and responses. Stay safe, and regards to all, Jeff.

[steve5]

enjoying this build mate , looking forward to more .

[Aayin1941]

Still amazes me how much detail can be put on a 1/600 ship. Simply put: Jeff, you the man! 

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Rob, thank you for your kind comments, but I feel I'm just an average modeler. However, I enjoy what I do and that's rule no1. Those that do rigging and tiny PE parts are the true masters (not meant to be gender specific 🙂) I feel. But again, thank you. Regards, Jeff.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday All, I think I've got the bridge structure of HMS Hood May 1941 sorted.

Besides modifying the superstructure platforms supplied in the kit I've had to add two new ones.
     The Admiral's signal platform, or flagdeck (middle of the red/brown corticene covered decks) were sponsoned out slightly at the rear, for two HACS to be fitted (not fitted yet). The Admiral's bridge (lowest of the grey decks) has the deck extended forward and 'wrapped around' the Admiral's bridge itself (those three black windows).
     The next level up is the fore-bridge, and in the centre of it the compass platform which is raised (internally) five feet. The fore-bridge level  had the existing sponsons enlarged, plus some side screens extended up to the next level, which I think is the torpedo control position. This level had its platform extended rearward and raised a little. Confused yet? So am I, and I had to decipher and work on the bleedin' thing. 😀 To make matters worse, alterations were made here all through her life it seems, which the plans I have (from Anatomy of the Ship - HMS Hood) incorporate and I had to work out what was applicable for 1941 and what was not.
     At the top are the two new levels. Photos of the ship show they exist but only the forward platform (air defense position added in 1936) is dotted on the plans I have, and I have no knowledge of what was fitted here. I've basically interpreted these levels from photos of other models. The extreme upper rearward platform you see here is just dry fitted at present, as is the centre pole of the tripod. I've decided to replace this pole and not use the supplied part. The supplied part is 2mm wide so I copied that without checking my diagrams, and drilled holes into the decks accordingly. Silly me, you'd think I'd know better by now. It looked too heavy duty so I checked diagrams and decided 1.6mm rod would have been better. No problem, I simply cut off the 2mm rod level with the deck and drilled 1.6mm down into it. It's also dry fitted here.
    Next job will be the mods to the control top, or spotting top. The platform at the rear has to be reduced in size while still preserving the starfish it's mounted on. Airfix has molded these in one piece, just to be difficult. 😁 Still, I think I managed to do a passable job of it. That'll be in the next post.
    So that's it for now. Stay safe, and regards to all, Jeff.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday All, here's my next update on HMS Hood, a bit more work on the fwd tripod.

I've fitted the two brace legs of the fwd tripod. The centre leg is longer as it will fit up into the spotting top. As built HMS Hood had two platforms mounted on the centre leg, above the bridge. First up was a searchlight platform (removed in 1939) and above that the torpedo lookout platform. In 1927 this was enlarged and reclassified the searchlight manipulating platform. Much later this platform was reduced in size, and its purpose from then on is unknown to me. That's it there on the tripod's centre leg, and I've decided to still call it the torpedo lookout. As Hagrid in Harry Potter would have said, "It's got to have a name! 😁" As you can see, it's a tight fit in there, and fitting those braces underneath it was, errr, fun. You may have noticed in earlier photos that the model is currently screwed to a block of wood. The block is longer, wider and heavier than the model, allowing me to lay the build on it's side. clamp it in a vice etc. It's like having another hand to hold it. This made the job quite a bit easier. But photographing this platform was another matter. Because it is so small the camera auto-focussed on the cutting mat, even when the model was lying on it's side. So I placed some small blocks under the platform, to bring the 'background' closer to the subject (the platform). This seems to have worked. I plan to paint the underneath of it tomorrow.
     This tripod arrangement, and the bridge modifications, has taken me quite a lot of time. Mainly working out what to make, and the order in which to fit it to the build, particularly with the tripod. But I'm slowly getting there. I hope to finish the spotting top soon. 
     So that's it for now. Thank you for your interest. Stay safe, and regards to all, Jeff.

[Adm Lord De Univers]

Top notch work there Jeff. As an aside I plan, in many a year's time, to do a series of boats from victory to dreadnought as I find the changing designs fascinating. I've never seen this before but I can see a rudimentary KGV bridge shape in the 'ood now (photo above) as the spotting top usually dominates my eye around these parts, though it might just be the beer and warm weather talking...

 

David

[Modelholic]

The KGV's dispensed or integrated all the gubbins in between the bridge and B turret into one structure. It was (to all accounts) a lot roomier and weather proof.

Would the three windows at the bottom of the pic be the admirals bridge?

Tom

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Thanks guys for your comments. And Tom, yes the three windows are the Admiral's bridge, but according to Ted Briggs (a survivor) VAdm Holland sat in the captain's chair on the compass platform during the action in the Denmark Strait. Regards, Jeff.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday All, didn't I say I'll be fitting HMS Hood's spotting top next? I lied. (I think another Arnold said something similar a while back. 🙂) Actually, I think I'm screwed. Well, I hope so anyway, I've spent the last couple of days making them.

     AFAIK all multi-screwed warships that I've made models of have left and right-turning screws, but annoyingly nearly all the Airfix kits that I've done have either one or the other, but not both. HMS Repulse is an exception. So I decided to try to make my own screws. The HMS Hood Association says that the screw diameter was 15 feet, which equates to 7.5mm at 1/600 scale. This is the size I've made them. The screw hubs are from Evergreen 2mm round stock and the blades are from 0.25 x 3.2mm Evergreen strips, no. 106. As you can see, one is still on the round stock. Perhaps I should have left them all on the stock for now. They need tidying up and painting, which would have been easier with something to hold onto. Oh well, I'll know for next time. For a first time (discounting my trials) I think they look OK. I'm happy with them anyway. I've included a couple of kit screws for comparison.
     And in case you were wondering, NO, I'm NOT going to make screws for the ship's boats! 😁 But maybe I'll get the spotting top done over the weekend. 🙂
Well, that's it for now. Stay safe, and regards to all, Jeff.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday All, HMS Hood 1941 now has her screws fitted, all outward turning.

    The screws are all painted the same colour, but I had different lamps illuminating either side of the model for the photo. After gluing the screw blades to the hubs (centre bit) and before painting them I re-inforced the join with a dab of 5-minute Araldyte epoxy glue on either side of the join. Besides re-inforcement this served another purpose also, to get the faring in of the blade to the hub. The photo angle shows this (some were better than others), plus that I think I got the angles of the shaft struts reasonably consistent. And how I fared in the keel skeg to the rudder. It also shows that my boot topping could be improved a bit, but I think I'll ignore that, and quit while I'm ahead. 
     Well, it's back to doing a bit more with the spotting top. So stay safe and regards to all, Jeff.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday All, My 1941 version of HMS Hood is probably due for another dry fit test, so here it is.

     Not all of the pieces are 'pushed home'. The row of four boats across are glued in but the others are still dry fitted. I still have a few fiddly items to source, make or add - main mast, three octuple pompoms, four quad .50cal machine guns, three HACS, searchlights, fairleads, hawser reels, winches, paravanes, Carley floats, bonnet covers etc. I'm actually making four winches right now, that's them on the wood blocks in the background. I've also got to paint a blue and red roundal on the crown of 'B' turret. I've still got a bit to do so I guess I'd better get on with it.
     Thank you for your interest and responses. Stay safe, and regards to all, Jeff.

[Adm Lord De Univers]

Looking good Jeff, and good work on the props too.  I'm still not sure about the look/feel of a non-red hull (even though this is correct), but at least it's not green!

 

David

[Knb.1451]

Your work impresses me immensely, unfortunately I've had to put my projects on hold for a move to my new job.

[beefy66]

This is really coming along Jeff.  👍

 

Stay Safe

beefy

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Guys, thanks for the comments. I was initially unsure about the grey antifouling colour but I think I like it now. I've got used to it anyway. But I made a point of having it a little different to the upper hull colour. Otherwise I could have just painted a black stripe on the grey plastic and left it at that, which I didn't want to do. Whether the colours are exactly accurate I don't know but I'm happy with it.

     And Knb, I've been wondering how your USS North Carolina was progressing. I'm looking forward to you taking it up again. Regards, Jeff.

[Martian]

I think you are right about the grey anti-fouling colour Jeff. The is a chap on YouTube doing a build of the Trumpeter 1/200 scale HMS Hood (The Model Shed). He has done a lot of research and has come up with grey as being the colour used.

 

Martian 👽

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Martian, and thanks. I can't claim credit for the colour, it was Jamie from Sovereign Hobbies I think, and the HMS Hood Association seems to support it now. Regards, Jeff.

[foeth]

Discovery was by Frank Allen of the HMS Hood website, Richard Dennis went in the archives and has written a report of his studies

 

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0730/0927/files/WW1_WW2_ships_bottoms_V1.pdf?v=1607064831

Edited June 8, 2021 by foeth

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Foeth, thanks for clearing that up. Regards, Jeff.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

On 6/1/2021 at 3:25 AM, Adm Lord De Univers said:

As an aside I plan, in many a year's time, to do a series of boats from victory to dreadnought as I find the changing designs fascinating.

Gidday All - David, I meant to comment on this earlier. I think that plan of yours would be very interesting. Would you continue right through to HMS Vanguard? It would result in quite a few models I would think. I'd like to do a similar thing with battlecruisers, initially RN ships, starting with HMS Invincible. Whether I ever do though is doubtful, too many other projects bouncing around inside my head clamoring for priority.

      I've been doing fiddly stuff on HMS Hood. I've made and fitted three pairs of fairleads as the model only comes with two, at the extreme ends of the ship. I've also made eight electrical winches, not fitted yet, and next I plan to make some hawser reels, paravanes and add more Carley floats. Not worth another photo as yet.

     Thank you all for your interest. Regards, Jeff.

[Adm Lord De Univers]

Morning all,

 

I meant to say earlier too, thanks foeth, its lead me down a rabbit hole, but very interesting. All my ships I built as a teen are wrong, but there you go...

 

And yes Jeff, I've found that with Armo (link ) and Kombrig you have pretty much every important one to Dreadnought. Obv this must include battlecruisers, with Kombrig and a Flyhawk Invincible leading the way earlier on. All 1/700 for shelf space. I went on a splurge when lockdown first came so QE/Warspite onwards to complete first, up to a 1/450 Hasegawa Vanguard. 30 british battleships by my reckoning, if only I could find an 1839 Nemesis...and bend time to my will. I blame both Burt's and Friedman's excellent series on british battleships.

 

David

[beefy66]

2 hours ago, Adm Lord De Univers said:

I blame both Burt's and Friedman's excellent series on british battleships.

 

I know what you mean just took delivery of the Burt books that is why not much modelling getting done to busy reading in the sunshine for now.  

 

Stay Safe

beefy

[steve5]

nice jeff , keep her coming .