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Frog Battle Class Destroyer 1/325 scale


CGP

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Hello, I am a relative newcomer to building model ships and photo-etch. As they say, there is a first time for everything. As the title suggests my current project is the Frog Battle Class Destroyer which can be made to depict HMS Cadiz. The kit has a small amount of detail making it quite easy to modify. So I intend to turn it into a representation of HMS Gabbard, after her 18/11/1950 refit (which was completed on 17/01/1951).

So far I have modified the kits midships gun deck to reduce the overhang, the part had two mounting points for twin mounted 40mm Bofors guns (which HMS Gabbard did not have) these were removed and replaced with two scratch-built vents to look like the original ship. The gun deck aft of the funnel (which housed two single 40mm Bofors guns) has had ribbing made from 0.020" X 0.025" styrene microstrip added to approximate the original. From looking at my source material it looks as if I have added too many ribs.

 

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The bridge is still a work in progress and it along with the bridge wings is being made out of styrene sheets. The original kit supplied part for the bridge has too much of an overhang and does not include bridge windows, The Atlantic models photo-etched kit is being used for adding these, as well as other detail for the rather spars kit supplied single 40mm Bofors guns, railings, lifeboat davits, etc.

 

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The deckhouse and gun deck on the bow may need extending? The director supplied by Frog is modeled off of the American Mk 37 director which is incorrect for the 1942 battles, Model Monkey has a 3D printed British Mk VI director in the correct scale, which is on its way from across the pond. I do also have the Shapeways 3D printed Twin 4.5" Mk 3 guns in Mk4 mount and quintuple 21" torpedo tubes. The only ordnance missing is the two twin 40mm Bofors guns in STAAG Mount Mk2, which may have to be scratch built if a 3D printed example cannot be sourced in 1/325 scale. Any ideas as to where they can be sourced would be appreciated? Also, any suggestions on which brands and colors of paint can be used for accurately painting a Battle Class Destroyer? Interestingly a friend of the family served aboard HMS Gabbard and he remembers the upper decks (which were coated in a nonslip material called Semtex) being painted grey. I am not too certain whether the photographs added will work but fingers crossed.

 

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The portholes have also been drilled out and at the moment certain things are not stuck down for ease of painting.

Edited by CGP
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Hi CGP,

 

Looks good so far 👍

 

I've got a similar build going on in between other projects, I've purchased both the Atlantic Models etch set and Simon at MicroMaster has printed me the ships boats and floats together with the main armament, quintuple TT's and anchors all in 1/325 scale, I also plan on getting the Model Monkey directors too. 

 

I'm not aware of anyone doing the STAAG's as yet but Black Cat have recently released some Hazemeyers, so I'm hoping they might have a go at  the STAAG's too. I was planning on dropping a line to Ben at Black Cat to see if he'd consider resizing from 1/350 to 1/325, although I'd also consider 1/350 as close enough if not.

 

Here's a pic of my progress:

2021-04-27_10-46-14

As you can see I've replaced the Frog decks with Plasticard and rebuilding the bridge block is my next step  and probably the reason the build has paused lol 😉

Happy modelling

Ant

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7 minutes ago, AntPhillips said:

Hi CGP,

 

Looks good so far 👍

 

I've got a similar build going on in between other projects, I've purchased both the Atlantic Models etch set and Simon at MicroMaster has printed me the ships boats and floats together with the main armament, quintuple TT's and anchors all in 1/325 scale, I also plan on getting the Model Monkey directors too. 

 

I'm not aware of anyone doing the STAAG's as yet but Black Cat have recently released some Hazemeyers, so I'm hoping they might have a go at  the STAAG's too. I was planning on dropping a line to Ben at Black Cat to see if he'd consider resizing from 1/350 to 1/325, although I'd also consider 1/350 as close enough if not.

 

Here's a pic of my progress:

2021-04-27_10-46-14

As you can see I've replaced the Frog decks with Plasticard and rebuilding the bridge block is my next step  and probably the reason the build has paused lol 😉

Happy modelling

Ant

Ant,

 

These are the STAAG twin 40mm in 1/325th scale
https://www.shapeways.com/product/M6G44Y9EC/1-325-rn-twin-40mm-bofors-aa-guns-set-x6?optionId=185171311&li=marketplace

 

Cheers

 

Geoff

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Perfect, thank you both, had not noticed those so have just ordered a set.

Ant good luck with the bridge, the angles of the slope on the bridge are quite difficult to recreate. I found the model created for the video game War Thunder quite useful for viewing the bridge from different directions, something difficult to do from photographic prints. Currently debating weather to get the Admiralty Draughts for HMS Gabbard from the National Maritime Museum to help further with detailing (they are quite expensive to get scanned and then printed, but would be very useful).

 

The only down side with the Shapeways 21" torpedo tubes is that they are quit tall and clash with the walkways, I took a Dremel tool to the mounting points on the deck and they are still to tall. 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

An update on the work conducted over the last week or so, mainly to get it ready for a coat of Halfords grey primer. The screw/propeller shafts have been installed to the lower hull along with the rudder.

 

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The funnel has been partially assembled with the top being opened using a dremel tool and then sanded to shape, the Sirens and platforms from the photo etch kit will be added before painting.

 

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The Twin 40mm Bofors guns in Mk2 STAAG mounts arrived from Shapeways last Tuesday and they are perfect, even sitting at the correct height without modification.  I also re shaped the vents as the originals I made where a little wonky.

 

 

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Everything is just dry fitted at the moment and I am still thinking about paint colours too. IWM has a full hull model of HMS Camperdown which I am using to fined the correct colours, as the model has not been photographed threw a glass case. Dose the Real life colour Royal Navy paint set contain a similar colour to the grey of the HMS Camperdown model?

 

I am still not too certain on the best way to go about painting her.

 

IWM photo of full hull model of HMS Camperdown:

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30018193

Edited by CGP
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Following on from last week's update, I looked into my reference material and found that the funnel platform appears to wrap around the aft section of the funnel, as opposed to just a short section. The 0.020" X 0.025" styrene microstrip was used to create the platform by gluing two strips together. These were then glued to the funnel and cut to shape with filler to hide any gaps. Styrene microstrip was also used to create the attachment for the two antennas that go on either side of the funnel. luckily the railings for the Mk V twin 40mm Bofors mount supplied with the Atlantic models photo etch kit were long enough to go round the edge of the newly created platform, so were repurposed for the task. The funnel platform on the real ship appears to be made from grating, but a solid representation suits my purposes. It is hard to find any good photographs showing a ladder to access the platform. However Norman Peters model of HMS Vigo (held by the National Maritime Museum and photographed in British Destroyers J-C and Battle Classes by Les Brown) has two ladders one on both sides of the funnel (one on the port side connecting to the antenna mount, and the other on the starboard side running parallel to the funnel, ending at the platform).

 

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(Photograph of HMS Gabbard around  1950-1952)

 

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(Picture of HMS Solebay page 85 of Battle Class Destroyers by Patrick Boniface)

 

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An interesting note on Mk V twin 40mm Bofors mounts on HMS Gabbard, according to Patrick Boniface's book HMS Gabbard had two Mk V twin 40mm Bofors mounts fitted to the Midships gun deck between the years 1947 and 1948. Earlier photographs of her in 1946 (as evidenced by the lack of Mk II STAAG mounts) appear to show two vents in the location of where the Mk V mounts would have had to have been installed in 1947.

 

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(Extract from Battle Class Destroyers by Patrick Boniface with photographic prints of HMS Gabbard taken in 1946)

 

The Monkey Models Mk VI director arrived on Monday and should look good once installed on the model. Instead of increasing the gun deck high to fit the 3D printed 21" torpedo tubes I have elected to sand down the torpedo tubes height and remove the mounting points on the deck. I have also ordered the Micro Master Squid Anti Submarine Mortar Mk IV and have a set of five 40mm Bofors guns on Mk VII single mounts in 1/325 scale on their way from Black Cat Models. The entirety of the kit has now had a coat of Halfords primer.

 

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Edited by CGP
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