HMS Rodney Build Log - 1/200

[andyelbac]

1 hour ago, foeth said:

So I guess now would not be the right time to mention that actually none of these stiffeners were present on that frame? 😱 It was used to load torpedoes; these were put on the frame, then angled upwards and the torpedo was lowered into the ship vertically (warhead up). (I have a great pic that so far I didn't bother to upload to my website). A bit different for e.g., Hood, that had a very wide loading hatch in front of the breakwater.

Party Pooper! 🤨 Actually, it's good to know it's real purpose. I suppose I could just position it upside down on the deck. Come to think of it; is it possible that the underside was braced?

[andyelbac]

8 hours ago, johndon said:

Very nice work on the ladder frame.  I will admit to missing some of the smallest PE parts of on my 1/200 Iowa a couple of which I found pretty much impossible to pick up with tweezers.

Thanks. Luckily Pontos give you a few spares, which is just as well. The Carpet Monster fed on a few. The biggest issue with the small parts is, as you say, picking them up with tweezers. I'm going to try my wax pencil in future; see if that makes it easier.

[andyelbac]

6 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

Gidday, that PE stuff is waaaay out of my league. You're doing a superb job of this. Regards, Jeff.

Thanks Jeff. I seem to be on a roll with the pe. I'm just thinking that there's only so many times you can roll six on the bounce....and the etched crane is lurking on the horizon!

[andyelbac]

8 hours ago, psdavidson said:

 Your patience must be the stuff of legends

 

If not then the number of times I have drilled out the scuttles should be!😁

[andyelbac]

9 hours ago, Faraway said:

My hat is off. 

I think I’d have quietly become a jibbering wreck trying to assemble that.

Jon

Cheers Jon, although it was touch and go with the tiny bits!

[andyelbac]

A few more deck fittings completed over the last few nights; three Wild Cats and two Cats Heads:

I also completed the conversion of four Oerlikon tubs. These had Pontos PE decking applied inside the tubs. Does anyone know if the decking shown is steel or are those wooden treads shown on the PE?:

Two of the tubs have additional etched undersides with support struts. These two sit on top of what I presume are lookout enclosures, complete with blast shields. These two lookout enclosures sit on what I think is the Conning Tower Platform, which itself sits on top of the Shelter Deck:

 

 

Here's a part of the superstructure layout as displayed in Man O'War 3 showing the Shelter Deck and Conning Tower Platform:

 

Also completed were more Pontos hatches and various ammo boxes:

 

I then turned my attention to two types of deck winch. Pontos refer to them as Winch A and B (six in number) and Winch C and D (4 in number). Winch C and D first; this was a simple swap out of the moulded rope drum with a Pontos machined brass one:

 

 

Winch A and B (the same but handed). This retains a few moulded parts but is essentially made from Pontos etch and brass pieces. Here's the Pontos instructions:

 

 

 

 

 

I actually "upgraded" the Pontos winch by replacing the etched cable or pipework with 0.4mm lead wire:

 

Finally, some etch deck hatches:

 I also completed some more of the dazzle scheme and will post photos once I've laid down a little more paint.

[S-boat 55]

Looking at your recent posts I can only say envy, envy is what I have, you're doing a stunning job on all the details, it'll really make the model multi 'layered' when your finished,  

[andyelbac]

11 hours ago, S-boat 55 said:

Looking at your recent posts I can only say envy, envy is what I have, you're doing a stunning job on all the details, it'll really make the model multi 'layered' when your finished,  

Thank you. Still feeling nervous about elements to come though:

1) Painting the superstructure and making sure I understand and apply the demarcation lines between the colour schemes correctly;

2) The etched crane looks VERY complicated;

3) Masts; painting and aligning to make sure they are straight and level in all directions;

4) Rigging; which I have never attempted before;

5) Applying the wooden deck (another 'first').

Other than that it's a walk in the park!😁

[Faraway]

Looking at your PE work, I don't think you have anything to be nervous about.

Painting.....can always be done again, just use thin coats.

Crane.....given your current skill with PE, you'll walk it.

Masts.....are they plastic or brass, I would recommend brass, far more rigid.

Rigging....get some Bob's Buckles, they make anchoring to any surface a doddle.

Wood deck....you'll be surprised how easy they go on.

 

You'll be fine.

Jon

[andyelbac]

4 hours ago, Faraway said:

Looking at your PE work, I don't think you have anything to be nervous about.

Painting.....can always be done again, just use thin coats.

Crane.....given your current skill with PE, you'll walk it.

Masts.....are they plastic or brass, I would recommend brass, far more rigid.

Rigging....get some Bob's Buckles, they make anchoring to any surface a doddle.

Wood deck....you'll be surprised how easy they go on.

 

You'll be fine.

Jon

Jon, you always give me confidence about what's ahead. Thank you. The masts are brass, so hopefully that will prove advantageous over the plastic kit masts. We shall see.

[Faraway]

1 hour ago, andyelbac said:

The masts are brass

If they have yardarms to be fitted, you’ll need to think about soldering not gluing 

Jon

[robgizlu]

Ouchy good as usual - the level of detail remains enviable

Rob

[andyelbac]

Hi All, 

Just a quick update as many of you are probably thinking "another big ship build abandoned mid way through!". It's true that this is a much larger job than I anticipated (who knew that a five foot kit with extra pe and wooden deck could take so long!!)😁. However, it hasn't been abandoned, nor have I reverted back to unfinished armour models; let's just say that life has a way of throwing curve balls into your path when least expected. As a result I have been unable to spend anywhere near the hours I was previously doing. The good news is that I have almost finished the port side dazzle scheme. I just need to spend a few more hours tidying it up and then will post some photos. The starboard side is also progressing and is about 70% complete. I'm looking forward to being in a position to paint the boot toppings and lower hull (a relatively easy job after the dazzle scheme), just as soon as I can empty the trap under the kitchen sink to recover an essential part of my airbrush (curve ball)! Hoping then to post some updates end this week, early next.

[andyelbac]

Here we with a few shots of the port side dazzle scheme. It was more complicated than I anticipated but I'm reasonably happy with it. Let's say it's my interpretation of Rodney's dazzle scheme. Given the lack of perfectly square side on shots, I suspect there will always be some variation between how modellers might interpret the size, location and actual shape of the various coloured sections. Unlike the rabbit hole I went down with the scuttles, I'm considering the port side dazzle scheme done! Hopefully I can finish the starboard side sometime this week and then start on the lower hull

 I'm actually now starting to look forward to doing some more PE (mental, isn't it?)😁

 

 

 

 

[Faraway]

2 minutes ago, andyelbac said:

I'm actually now starting to look forward to doing some more PE (mental, isn't it?)😁

I know exactly what you mean.

That paint scheme looks very good, 👍

Jon

[ArnoldAmbrose]

39 minutes ago, andyelbac said:

Let's say it's my interpretation of Rodney's dazzle scheme.

Sounds like a plausible convincing argument to me. 🙂 And as Jon ( @Faraway ) above says, it looks very good. Regards, Jeff.

[S-boat 55]

That looks mighty fine to me, 

[robgizlu]

Great job on that scheme - neat and tidy!

Rob

[andyelbac]

Here we are with the finished dazzle scheme:

 

 

I think it will look better when I have applied the anti-fouling paint and the boot toppings. I'm not looking forward to painting the lower hull, just because of the sheer size of the job (makes me wish Sovereign Hobbies did their anti-fouling in a rattle can!). I plan to apply the anti-fouling first and then finally the boot toppings. Then a quick mask and paint of the turret barbettes before anticipating the application of the wood deck. A big moment I think. Those who are (or were!) following this will have noticed the drop off in posts over the last three or four months. I talked about life getting in the way (which was true), but looking back I also think I lost enthusiasm for the project. Hands up; I just didn't appreciate how big, in so many ways, a kit like this is to build. Some days I just sat looking at the hull and not being able to muster the energy to push on. I'm not sure I will be able to get back to the quantity of posts I was uploading at the start of the build but I do feel like I have broken through a mental wall by completing the dazzle scheme on the hull. Hopefully the posts will become a little more regular from this point. On another note, before my enthusiasm fell of a cliff I managed to screw up one of the Pontos etched pieces. I ended up purchasing a replacement sprue. Whilst it took Pontos some weeks to respond to my enquiry, I did finally manage to get the replacement sprue ordered, and at the reasonable price of just $10 (incl postage), which seems very reasonable, although not as reasonable as it would have been if KamiKwasi hadn't crashed Sterling!

[Faraway]

👍Nice paint job.

Jon

[Xtof P]

I'm definitely impressed! How many tins of Sovereign Hobbies paints did you calculate for this scheme? I might try those somedays, but i have to plan a bit in advance because those paints are not so easy to get here on the continent 🙄

[andyelbac]

3 hours ago, Faraway said:

👍Nice paint job.

Jon

Thanks Jon!

[andyelbac]

1 hour ago, Xtof P said:

I'm definitely impressed! How many tins of Sovereign Hobbies paints did you calculate for this scheme? I might try those somedays, but i have to plan a bit in advance because those paints are not so easy to get here on the continent 🙄

I allowed three cans of each, and I think that was probably one can too many. It goes a long way.

[Rich75]

Glad your back underway again, it is a massive project but coming together really nicely, all the little pieces are like separate models that's why you can spend ages looking at ships, there's so much going on, don't give up!!

[andyelbac]

 

Thanks. I certainly won't be giving up. Pride alone will get me through to the end. One things for sure; once the old girl is finished I plan to have a nice break finishing off my stalled armour builds. I have the Iowa, Hornet and the new Yamato kit in 1/200 under the bed as well as the Type VIi UBoat in 1/48 and they will almost certainly now be reserved for retirement (possibly)!