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HMS Wren, V&W Class Destroyer


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G'day all;

 

Here's my finished Showcase W&V Class Destroyer.  The kit was my first ship and I must say I enjoyed it, though the learning curve was steep.  Initially, I struggled with some of the PE as can be seen with the searchlight station for example.  However, as I went on I became more comfortable with it and by the time I got to the railings and the other finishing bits and pieces I was more confident.  I'm indebted to many who contributed in the WIP thread who offered guidance and references, as well as encouragement.  Here's the WIP thread:

 

 

The Wren was the last of her class to be launched, the remainder being cancelled at the end of the First World War.  In constant activity from the start of the Second World War, she spent time between convoy escort, support of the Narvik operation, Carrier escort and Minesweeper protection.  Consequently, she was one of six in her class that did not get her wartime refit to either long or short range escort, and it was in her as-built configuration (excepting the bridge conversion) that she went to the aid of two minesweepers off Harwich which came under attack from German bombers on 27th July 1940.  The enemy aircraft switched their focus to the Wren and the accompanying HMS Montrose and she was struck by two or three bombs, one of which penetrated her decks and broke her back.  A total of 37 of her crew lost their lives when she sank.  Thankfully for me at least, my grandfather who was the Chief Stoker on Wren, survived.

 

The photos:

 

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Cheers.

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On 7/17/2022 at 7:55 PM, mick b said:

BZ Mark, very neat and love the subtle weathering.

 

Mike


Thank you, I learned very quickly that my usual 1/48  aircraft weathering techniques and style were overkill in this scale to my eye.

 

On 7/18/2022 at 2:27 AM, Ngantek said:

Magnificent work Mark. Really sharp build of all that tiny fiddly stuff. All that work you've done highlighting makes the detail really pop without looking stylised. 

Andy


Thanks, it’s quite a surprise working in this scale how much less is more, err, if that’s how I can put it.

 

7 hours ago, Maginot said:

Lovely finish. Linoleum decks? Interesting.


I followed the kit directions on that, I don’t know for sure that’s what the Wren had in 1940.  I do know that she never had any of the major refits or conversations most of her class had, and that the cortiscene was still in use in the 30s.  I must admit, I liked the aesthetic too.

 

Thanks for the comments to all, much appreciated.

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On 7/24/2022 at 4:46 AM, DaveH said:

That's a great build 'n finish...

 

DaveH

 

On 7/24/2022 at 5:28 AM, Autle said:

Great back story, great build and superb paintwork, Wren's looking good.

 

14 minutes ago, Rich75 said:

Great job, poignant back story, thanks for sharing 👍 looking forward to the big one!

 

Thanks gents, appreciate the comments.  There’s another destroyer in the pipeline for practice before I take on the big one!  

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