HMS Onslow destroyer

[PF Naughton]

"Bucket" is that pronounce "boo-kay"😜

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday all, I have another report on HMS Onslow. I've been working on the shelter decks, or 'B' gundeck and 'X' gundeck if you like. Plus a bit more filling and sanding of the hull. Here they are, below.

     The hull is still a bit rough but I think it's as good as I can get it. In front are the two shelter decks, shown here inverted (upside down) to show the extra internal supports. These are for contact area to glue them to the hull decks when the time comes. They still need some locating pins added plus busying up with scuttles, door hatches etc.
     The fwd shelter deck on the left gave me quite a bit of bother. I have a couple of simple line drawings I'm working off, plus a set of card model drawings and some photos of other models of the ship. The trouble was that they didn't always agree with each other. The few photos I have were of limited value due to their size and clarity. I made a few mistakes too, needing correcting but I think I have something close now. Those two rectangles of styrene mounted on the decks are guides to help position the shelter decks correctly.
     Well, that's it. Not much to show, but most of my time has been working out the fwd shelter deck, rather than actually doing it. More to follow soon I hope. Thank you for your interest. Stay safe in these times. Regards, Jeff.

[Bandsaw Steve]

She’s coming along really well Jeff. I’m hoping to see this one on the WASMEx tables in 2022. 
👍

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Steve, thanks and that's the plan. But with only 6 1/2 short months to go I'd better get a move on. She won't be very big or impressive, only 175mm long oa. I have another debutante model for next year, my 1941 version of HMS Hood, plus another part-built small destroyer (HMS Hardy 1940) I plan to finish during the next KUTA GB. After that, well I've got a few ideas but they'll have to wait the results of November's GB Bunfight.

     Will any of your WIPs be contenders for WASMEx 2022? And surely we're not letting Teen Bandsaw (nee Baby Bandsaw) off the hook? Regards, Jeff.

[S-boat 55]

Thats some pretty large cosmetic surgery you're doing there, impressive as well, 

 

You're braver than I am  

[GrzeM]

16 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

another part-built small destroyer (HMS Hardy 1940) I plan to finish during the next KUTA GB.

The Onslow is cool and goes very well but... the Hardy!!!! Hardy is my dream, I think about making Hardy of the 1/700 IBG Hotspur or Glowworm. Can you show your Hardy? What plans do you use? I'm excited!

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday GrzeM, this is as far as I got before it stalled.

I'm converting an Airfix 1/600 kit of HMS Hotspur. The top line drawing is from a book I have and the lower drawing (plus a plan below it) is from the internet. I also downloaded some pictures from the net of the ship and other models of it.

     Actually this is my second attempt at the HMS Hardy conversion (and my fourth build of the kit). With the first I realized some alterations were required only after it was too late to make them. So I started again, the first attempt becoming a whiff. The foc'sle deck extending aft a bit was one of the alterations required, and you can see that I've done the sides of that here, but not the deck yet. The quad .50cal machine guns re-sited on bridge wings and the front of the bridge overhang fwd were other alterations required. I've not done them yet. HTH. Regards, Jeff.

[Our Ned]

Other differences from Hotspur, as well as the longer hull (additional 14 feet, which, I think, was partly ahead of the foc's'le break - hence the extension shown - and partly further aft), included the wider and longer after deckhouse (to accommodate the flotilla staff) and the tripod foremast.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Ned, I always thought that all the ships of the class were the same length, flotilla leaders included. My early references didn't differentiate between ships of the class. This seemed strange to me because I would have thought that the extra deck houses and the fifth gun would have needed a longer hull to support the extra weight.

     After reading your post above I decided to check their respective lengths individually, and you are correct - an extra 14 feet oa, which equates to 7mm in this scale. Damn! 😩 It now means I have to lengthen the hull, which would have been easier without the decks glued in. Also I didn't know about the larger aft deck house. That won't be too difficult, as it's not glued in yet But lengthening the hull at this stage - Hmmm. Still, I'm grateful you mentioned it, I'd have hated to have learned of the length issues after completion. Many thanks. And I've got about six weeks to work out what I'm going to do.

     Regards, Jeff.

[Adm Lord De Univers]

3 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

But lengthening the hull at this stage - Hmmm

Having seen your magic at work redefining the Onslow's hull all which ways, I wholeheartedly believe you'll be able to lengthen one no problem, even in two places and slightly progressed. In fact I'm slightly surprised there isn't off-cut pieces of hull lying around to just slot in.

 

Personally, I would either tell people their eyes are wonky if they told me it was 7mm short, or change to another class member. Then again, I don't have your skills or mettle to correct. Good luck!

 

David

[Modelholic]

Are there any other destroyers you want to build that are 7 (scale) mm shorter than Onslow? 

If there are you could keep that hull and start over with another Tribal class hull.

Tom

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday, and thanks Gents. I don't think lengthening amidships would be a problem if the deck wasn't glued in, I would be able to get at both ends of the reinforcing beams I'd glue in lengthways over the join/extension section. Just as I typed this an idea came to mind, probably triggered by your staggered join suggestion David. While I don't think I can get the entire deck out I might be able to cut out a small section to gain internal access, at the join, which would have much the same effect.

     Another idea for extending I had was to keep the hull intact and extend it from the stern, but that would be difficult and messy I think, considering the hull shape under the counter and that I've already added the shafts and rudder. I think I'll still go with lengthening amidships. I've got about six weeks to think about how I'm going to do it.

     Your idea Tom is also a good one, and if I hadn't already extended the foc'sle deck rearward I would do the build as HMS Glowworm. My original OOB build was going to be her until I learned that she carried ten torpedo tubes, not the standard eight. I believe she was the trial ship for the pentad (quintuple) mounting. Hence my OOB build became HMS Greyhound, to free up the name 'Hotspur' for my second build.

    Thanks for your interest, ideas and comments Gents, much appreciated. Regards, Jeff.

[GrzeM]

Cool! The Hardy's rear deckhouse was indeed wider and longer as in many other flotilla leaders.

Also the bridge had some forward extension, balcony-like one.

 

Good drawing of Hardy is here:

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-57285

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday All, I thought I'd better post a progress report on HMS Onslow, to show the build is still on the go, albeit slowly. I've decided that the hull is as good as I'm likely to get it so I've started slapping on some paint. The upper hull is now done. The blue is Hu109 (I had it in stock), the white is Revell matt5 and the dark grey is Hu67, if the lid number can be believed. The white seems to have gone a little creamy in colour, the same problem I had with Humbrol white in some previous builds.

     The paint tin shows what I plan to paint the anti-fouling on the underwater hull with, Hu73. I have several tins with this number on it but they're quite different coloured lids, and sometimes the tin lid differs in shade with the paint inside. I'm finding now with Humbrol paints it's a bit of a lottery as to what you get. I think I've mentioned this before. Oh well, they cost me money so I'm going to use them.
    In front of the hull are the deck houses, all unfinished at this stage. The two larger deck houses ('B' and 'X' gundeck) you've already seen. In front of 'B' gundeck is the bridge I'm making, also incomplete. In fact all you see here is unfinished at this stage. In front of the bridge structure are the bridge wings being made. These will carry signaling lamps. The funnel is being made too. And that grey blob of plastic is the original bridge that came with the Cossack kit. To be fair, the molds are quite a few decades old now, plus there were differences between the bridges of the Tribal class and the 'O' class.
     Anyway, that's it for now. Thank you for your interest, responses and comments. Stay safe in these times, and regards, Jeff.

[Faraway]

6 minutes ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

Oh well, they cost me money so I'm going to use them.

Ah, a man after me own heart.

Jon

[steve5]

coming along nicely jeff .

[beefy66]

Great progress there Jeff always very interesting information coming from your build. 

 

Stay Safe 

beefy 

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday guys, and thanks. I hope to get the anti-fouling done tomorrow. Regards, Jeff.

[GrzeM]

Very well done superstructures! Impressive!

[PF Naughton]

Hi, your build is looking great 🙂

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday All, Thanks for your comments and interest. Here's a small update on HMS Onslow. I painted the lower hull and boot topping a few days ago, and I've attached the shafts, screws and rudder earlier this evening. I've used the Cossack kit screws as at 4mm diameter they're a bit small for me to scratch build, but I made my own shafts and struts. I've re-inforced the glued joins with 5 minute Araldyte epoxy glue and will touch up the paint tomorrow. The rudder is a kit part too. It needs a little trimming but I'm not sure I want to risk the screws while doing it. Usually I would attach the shafts at about this stage of the build but leave the screws until nearly the end, but on this occasion I attached the screws to the shafts before attaching to the hull.

     As stated before, close-up photos show warts and all.    I've also been working on the bridge structure but I won't post a photo until I've done a bit more on it. So that's it for now. Again, thank you for your interest. Stay safe, and regards to all, Jeff.

[Bandsaw Steve]

Looking good Jeff. 👍

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday All, it's wine o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, time for another update on HMS Onslow. I'd hoped to have a bit more progress to show but I guess minor progress is better than none at all. Two fire brigade call-outs since Friday evening chewed into my time a bit.

     The screws, shafts etc are painted now, plus the rudder reshaped a little (thanks Adm Lord de Univers for the drawing). Everything you see here is dry fitted at present. The funnel needs a grill made for it, and the bridge structure has progressed a bit. It still needs more doing to it, though. The deckhouse aft of the funnel will have the quad pompom AA gun platform mounted on it. I've not done that yet. The smaller deckhouse further aft will have a platform for a searchlight on it, and a 20mmOerlikon gun tub on either side. I've started that but might redo it. Don't know yet.
     Well, that's it for now, my wine glass needs filling and it won't do that itself. Stay safe, and regards to all, Jeff.

[Faraway]

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday All, it's wine o'clock again 🍷, on another Sunday evening, and a pitiful amount of progress on HMS Onslow to show for the week. As I've said earlier, a lot of my time is spent deciphering drawings and planning my methods, rather than actually making stuff. Well, that's my excuse anyway. 😁 Plus I intend to jumpstart a stalled build of mine, HMS Hardy in this years' KUTA GB, and I've been considering how to go about lengthening the hull. More on that later.
     Anyway, back to HMS Onslow. With scratchbuild ships of mine, if the deck will be a different colour to the bulkheads (deckhouse walls) that sit on them I like to paint them separately, before attaching them. But this can present problems in that styrene cement won't stick to enamel paint. So inside the deckhouses I like to add extra 'walls' for gluing to the deck below. And to get the deckhouses in their correct positions I like to glue pieces of styrene to the decks as guides. But at my preferred scale (1/600) these have to be in their EXACT position, and a ruler and pencil mark is not accurate enough I find. So here's how I go about it:-

     I make my guide pieces and place them into the inverted deckhouse with a spacer inside to make the guide piece stand a little proud (pokes out a bit) of the inverted deckhouse bulkheads (walls).    See below, this is the aft deckhouse, or 'X' gun deckhouse.

     The two guides are those bits of styrene, second in from the left and right, standing slightly proud of the rest. The spacers under them are slightly thinner so they will fall out easily later.

     I now apply a bit of glue to the exposed face of the guides and then glue the assembly to the deck, making sure the deckhouse is exactly where I want it. Because the guides were standing a little proud it means the deckhouse won't accidently be glued to the deck prematurely. You can see the slight gap between deckhouse and the deck below it in the photo below.

     When the glue is dried I simply lift the deckhouse off the model, leaving the guides in place for the final positioning of the deckhouse later, after painting.

Below is where I'm up to. 

    You can see all the positioning guides glued to the upper decks now, three each for the fwd and aft deckhouses and one each for the small midships deckhouses. I plan to do the same for positioning the bridge structure to the fwd deckhouse.
     I've made the pompom platform, still to be glued to its deckhouse abaft (behind) the funnel. Further back is the searchlight platform with its two Oerlikon guntubs, glued to its own deckhouse.

     Well that's it for now. Stay safe, and stay tuned for another exciting episode later. Regards, Jeff.