HMAS Vampire (1917); Tamiya 1/700

[Ngantek]

It was always my intention to try and squeeze a cheeky little destroyer build into this GB if I was able to finish my first one, but the it occurred to me I'd stand a better chance of getting it finished if I were to start sooner!

 

Since I'm already building HMS Hermes, it seemed fitting that the destroyer be HMAS Vampire, who while escorting the carrier during her final voyage, was also sunk. Vampire was a flotilla leader of the old V class, produced at the end of the first war, and while old, these ships were capable and contributed throughout WW2. Vampire herself had been transferred to the Royal Australian Navy between the wars and served in the Mediterranean initially. However, by mid 1941 her age was beginning to show and was released to Singapore for a full refit. I suspect that is when she was given this scheme:

 

 

Vampire was present at the sinking of the Prince of Wales and Repulse, and continued to serve in the Indian Ocean until her final voyage alongside Hermes in April 1942.

 

I'm fortunate that Tamiya make a relatively new kit of this very ship, and while I haven't got on top of how much her final configuration differs from that in the box (the camo scheme at least is for an earlier period), I don't anticipate a lot of modifications.

 

 

This is a 'proper' Tamiya tool, rather than a repop like the o class. The kit looks really nice. The moulding is sharp and the masts are remarkably slender. I may even opt not to replace these. Tamiya have done that propellor thing they do, with the main armament locating into pliable sleeves to allow them to rotate. Flags (which look rather large) appear to be printed on tracing paper, which may look a little cartoony, but we'll see.

 

There's something very satisfying to me about these simple little kits and their nice compact boxings.

 

Limited start has been made, the bottom hull is trimmed and glued, I think I'll leave the deck dry fitted for now before I decide whether it will be easier to paint in isolation

 

 

Ships are so satisfying to build, none of this misery of having to fuss around with cockpit painting right at the start. 

 

Andy

 

 

[ArnoldAmbrose]

46 minutes ago, Ngantek said:

Vampire was a flotilla leader of the old V class,

Gidday Andy, actually she was a standard V & W class, HMAS Stuart was the Leader of the Scrap Iron Flotilla. The Leaders were a little bit bigger and had a fifth main gun. I'm reading a book about them now, a prezzie from SWMBO. They certainly earned their keep during the war. And you are right, it looks a very nice kit.       Regards, Jeff.

[CliffB]

6 hours ago, Ngantek said:

There's something very satisfying to me about these simple little kits and their nice compact boxings.

 

I'll second that 

[Bertie McBoatface]

8 hours ago, Ngantek said:

Misery of cockpit painting right at the start

 

Quite right. Instead we have the delight of the whole model being as intricate as a cockpit and being visible at the end  which is much better value in my view. 🙂

 

This looks like a nice kit. Good choice. Welcome!

[Ngantek]

On 12/01/2023 at 00:48, ArnoldAmbrose said:

Gidday Andy, actually she was a standard V & W class, HMAS Stuart was the Leader of the Scrap Iron Flotilla. The Leaders were a little bit bigger and had a fifth main gun. I'm reading a book about them now, a prezzie from SWMBO. They certainly earned their keep during the war. And you are right, it looks a very nice kit.       Regards, Jeff.

Ah thanks for the info Jeff. The V&Ws are very confusing! I don't have much on this class, and what I do tends to be limited and touch on them as a side note (e.g. generic books on WWII escort destroyers). She seems to have been in the first batch of 'Admiralty flotilla leaders', but the design was standardised and the 'regular' Vs were relatively unchanged. It does seem that the Thorneycroft- and Cammel Laird- build leaders were significantly heavier, and apparently the first batch were subsequently re-rated as ordinary destroyers in 1920. I'm (as usual) only really learning about it once I decide to make the kit, so having seen the quote below on the V&W destroyer association website I'm going to smile, nod, and discreetly sneak away from making any more rash statements on the subject 😄!

Quote

The veteran members of the V & W Destroyer Association argued fiercely about whether the Flotilla Leaders were "real" V & Ws since they were larger and better equpped  than the standard V & Ws.

I'd heard about the Scrap Iron Flotilla and their exploits in the Med, so will see more about what I can learn about the subject!

 

 

On 12/01/2023 at 08:24, Bertie McBoatface said:

 

Quite right. Instead we have the delight of the whole model being as intricate as a cockpit and being visible at the end  which is much better value in my view. 🙂

 

This looks like a nice kit. Good choice. Welcome!

Thanks Bertie! There's a certain predictable (and at times rather wearisome) path to aircraft modelling, and too many carefully fettled trailing edges, wingroots and fuselage seams in a short space of time causes them to lose appeal to me from occasionally. Ships (possibly by simple virtue of being less experienced with them), seem to get to the good bit right away, and the nice self contained nature of all the individual superstructure builds seems to lend itself, to me at least, to rather more mellow, unrushed rhythm to the whole experience. Aircraft, I always seem to spend a lot of time being impatient and doing 'this annoying bit' to get to the next stage. Suffice to say, I'm enjoying the change of scenery for now, and particularly enjoying it in the context of this GB, where I can have a lovely time sticking bits of ship together, while seeing some great naval aircraft being built without having to actually do it myself!

 

On with Vampire, I've been looking a little more carefully at pictures, and there do seem to be a reasonable number of changes required. The Tamiya kit is coy about placing their configuration at any point in time, and I haven't gone any great length to do so myself, although my feeling is that it's pre-war. Here's the kit scheme:

 

And here's a photo from March of '42:

 

And this one, I'm not so sure of, appears to be at a similar period.

 

At first glance, a list of changes that stand out:

• The lantern tower between the torpedoes has been moved just in front of the aft funnel. The shape of the tower seems roughly unchanged.
• The aft torpedoes removed and the new platform extended to mount a pair of guns. Possibly 2lb single pom poms (if so, were fitted Jan5th 1942 according to proceedings below)?
• I think one can just make out a pair of depth charge rails at the stern. These appear to have been in place in 1940, so I think I'm going to assume what I'm seeing is them still there post refit. I can't make out any other depth charge paraphenalia around the ship, although possibly there are some throwers in place of the aft torpedo tubes, afore the X turret superstructure?
• Various repositioning of ship's boats and carley floats.
• The upper bridge seems to have been squared off a little, and fitted with 'cushons' (some kind of anti-splinter protection?).
• a pair of 2x guns fitted on the bridge wings. These appear to be .303 lewis, or possibly .5 of some kind?
• Aft mast has been removed, theres some kind of pole or mast abeam of the the X turret perhaps.

 

There are further wrinkles though. The tamiya kit has a '7.6cm mk1' gun on the platform between the aft funnel and the forward torpedoes; I'm guessing this is a 12 pounder AA. I can't see it on the later photos, and it was common, it seems, to have a 4x.5" machine gun mount there on V&Ws early in WW2. Possibly that's visible in the picture. However, the notes of proceedings of the Vampire (found through this thread) suggests the following:

• A 12 lb gun was installed at Alexandria way back April 1941, and

  Quote

  The two Oerlikons were installed “during the last refit … on the old 0.5 machine gun platform”, according to Enclusure No. 1 to the“Report of Proceedings 9th April, 1942”, by the Senior Surviving Officer, HMAS Vampire, 10 April 1942, which is in the UK National Archives in ADM 199/623. This same report notes that the 12-pounder, the pom-poms and the Oerlikons engaged the Japanese aircraft on 9 April.

• A pair of Oerlikons astern the aft tunnel I can readily believe although can't make them out in this March photo, but where then was this 12 pounder? I know it wasn't uncommon to see these in place of torpedo tubes in various destroyer refits, but there doesn't seem space here; the twin single pom pom tower protudes too far aft.
  • The world of warships 3d model (however randomly unreliable that is) has a rack of depth charges and some throwers the that 'ex- rear torpedo' station. There's an oerlikon or perhaps bofors on that platform aft of the funnel. EDIT: I think that's a Breda 20mm pinched from the Italian armed forces. There's talk about using it successfully in the proceedings (however no mention after the Singapore refit, and I'm tempted to infer that it was thereafter removed for lack of ammunition), and @Wez's great video has a fair amount of talk of other ships in the Scrap Iron Flotilla (namely HMAS Stuart in this case), using the same weapon with much success. Side note, as you'll hear in the video, the crew believed it caused the Italian Navy to fire on each other in the night-time confusion at Matapan, where the distinctive multi coloured tracers of the Breda being fired by the Stuart at one Italian Cruiser caused another to follow suit.
  •  
• This 12 pounder I'd readily believe was discarded in the Singapore refit if not for the fact that it was apparently used during the final action.
• EDIT:

  Quote

  During the war the second torpedo mount was replaced with a 12 pounder anti-aircraft gun.

  source: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C56505. I can't see it or indeed think how it could fit in, but that would be a standard modification, so makes sense.

• Also in those proceedings, there's talk of, on Jan13th 1942, a vickers gun on the quarter deck (along with the twin lewises in the wings). Perhaps that's what we can see to the left of Y turret

So some changes that shouldn't be too difficult, some head scratchers and a lot of reason to do more faffing and less building! Again!

Thanks very much if you're still unfortunate enough to be reading at this point, I guess to summarise any help from the audience would be appreciated on:

1. Comments/suggestions on the above photos and speculation on what we're seeing
2. Deck! I guess would be home fleet grey at this point in the war? However; it looks lighter here. If the rim of the deck were the same colour as the hull (which I guessed at 507C..) that would make it white!? Doesn't seem like a silly idea in the Indian ocean but did such things happen? I see it listed as a possibility on @Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies's RN color guide.
3. Camouflage I know little about. 507C/ b5? there are distinct shades as shown here, but how much of that is weathering, it's hard to tell.... some B6 perhaps?

 

So there we are, no progress, much procrastinating! Phew, and with that I will proceed to close all 752 internet tabs, never to be seen again.

 

Andy

[Wez]

Plenty of the V&Ws were converted to escort destroyers for convoy use, I've always been curious about these vessels and wondered what changes were made to them for their escort role (lose the torpedoes and some boiler space given over to fuel)?  Viperous in the first part of The Cruel Sea was one such of these vessels.

 

Good luck with Vampire!

 

Anyway, as you mentioned the Scrap Iron Flotilla, hopefully this will be of interest...

 

 

 

[bigbadbadge]

Good luck with this one Andy, got the IBG H class and very impressed especially how small it is, will make a cracking project.  In fact gone a bit mad and got yhe Airfix Leander and a Frog HClass too.  Good grief what have you and @ArnoldAmbrose done to me😉

I'm grateful 

Chris

[Bertie McBoatface]

5 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

Good luck with this one Andy, got the IBG H class and very impressed especially how small it is, will make a cracking project.  In fact gone a bit mad and got yhe Airfix Leander and a Frog HClass too.  Good grief what have you and @ArnoldAmbrose done to me😉

I'm grateful 

Chris

 

Group builds can be very expensive if you aren't careful with your impulses. I spent a fortune last year inspired by the buzz.

[bigbadbadge]

13 minutes ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

 

Group builds can be very expensive if you aren't careful with your impulses. I spent a fortune last year inspired by the buzz.

Hi Bertie,  I wouldn't mind but I'm not even in this one😄  I have wanted to build a ship for a while now .

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

2 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

I'm not even in this one

...yet.

[Ngantek]

On 12/01/2023 at 17:26, Wez said:

Plenty of the V&Ws were converted to escort destroyers for convoy use, I've always been curious about these vessels and wondered what changes were made to them for their escort role (lose the torpedoes and some boiler space given over to fuel)?  Viperous in the first part of The Cruel Sea was one such of these vessels.

 

Good luck with Vampire!

 

Anyway, as you mentioned the Scrap Iron Flotilla, hopefully this will be of interest...

 

 

Yeah, they made various different 'fits', with standard adaptations for AA work, long range Atlantic escorts (as you say a boiler for some fuel), and just general upgrades. Again, I'm very much not an expert, having learned only recently from a few unfocussed books and some residual memories from playing Aces of the Deep 30 odd year ago!

 

That video is wonderful, thank you so much for posting; it's long so I only just got around to finishing it. I'd approached Vampire from the Hermes angle, but her exploits in the Med are worth a focussed study alone!

 

8 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Good luck with this one Andy, got the IBG H class and very impressed especially how small it is, will make a cracking project.  In fact gone a bit mad and got yhe Airfix Leander and a Frog HClass too.  Good grief what have you and @ArnoldAmbrose done to me😉

I'm grateful 

Chris

Glad you like the look of it. I really enjoyed their Hunt kit, and it appears to me that the more recent G,H,I ships are something of an upgrade in terms of kit design. It is a slippery slope, I hope you enjoy the older ones as well!

 

8 hours ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

 

Group builds can be very expensive if you aren't careful with your impulses. I spent a fortune last year inspired by the buzz.

This one in particular is an embarassement of riches. The only positive is there are so many great builds it's impossible to keep up with all the shiny stuff.

 

 

 

[bianfuxia]

I can't answer any of those questions because I just smashed my HMAS Vampire out as an OOB - but it's a lovely kit and I look forward to seeing what some actual research can do to it!

[Chewbacca]

On 12/01/2023 at 16:31, Ngantek said:

On with Vampire, I've been looking a little more carefully at pictures, and there do seem to be a reasonable number of changes required. The Tamiya kit is coy about placing their configuration at any point in time, and I haven't gone any great length to do so myself, although my feeling is that it's pre-war. Here's the kit scheme

 

But that's the great thing about ship modelling.  Most ships have a life if 25-30 years and undergo multiple refits when they were modified.  So not only can a single kit offer up multiple build opportunities, but researching those different stages in  their lives is part of the fun 🙂.  Even when you know the subject well (I have served in a number of the ships that I have built/are building), it's still a critical part if the hobby.  Much less so with aircraft where other than markings one Spitfire Mk V us the same as any other Spitfire Mk V.

 

Equally though it is annoying when after you complete the build, you discover that what you believed to be a reliable source has a key photo incorrectly dated.  Not that that's ever happened to me of course...

[ArnoldAmbrose]

51 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

Equally though it is annoying when after you complete the build, you discover that what you believed to be a reliable source has a key photo incorrectly dated.  Not that that's ever happened to me of course...

🤣LOL🤣. Me neither although I've heard that it can happen to mere mortals. 😁

But seriously, yeah, so many of my models I've discovered have errors. Ignorance can be so blissful. 🙂   Oh well  .    .     .

But I agree with you in that one kit can be used for a variety of vessels, either sister ships, similar vessels or of different time frames.

Regards, Jeff.

[Ngantek]

2 hours ago, bianfuxia said:

I can't answer any of those questions because I just smashed my HMAS Vampire out as an OOB - but it's a lovely kit and I look forward to seeing what some actual research can do to it!

It seems pretty nice for sure. 'Research' is massively overstating my 'random Internet search approach though!

 

1 hour ago, Chewbacca said:

But that's the great thing about ship modelling.  Most ships have a life if 25-30 years and undergo multiple refits when they were modified.  So not only can a single kit offer up multiple build opportunities, but researching those different stages in  their lives is part of the fun 🙂.

I agree. It's always much more of a rabbit hole than I expect it to be though!

1 hour ago, Chewbacca said:

Much less so with aircraft where other than markings one Spitfire Mk V us the same as any other Spitfire Mk V.

Hehe don't let the seafire or Martlet guys hear you say that 😆

54 minutes ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

But seriously, yeah, so many of my models I've discovered have errors. Ignorance can be so blissful. 🙂   Oh well  .

Yeah perhaps the joy is to be found in building in the wilfully ignorant style eight year old versions of ourselves! 

 

Andy

[ArnoldAmbrose]

1 minute ago, Ngantek said:

Yeah perhaps the joy is to be found in building in the wilfully ignorant style eight year old versions of ourselves! 

Could well be and I used to do that but as I'm mainly an Airfix 1/600 ship builder I've exhausted that option. But with more avenues of research open and a greater knowledge base available through the forum's members there's a lot of satisfaction in saying "I'm calling this DONE" if you've got it right (or at least close). 🙂 

 

7 minutes ago, Ngantek said:

Hehe don't let the seafire or Martlet guys hear you say that 😆

🤣🤣

 

     Regards, Jeff.

[Bertie McBoatface]

8 minutes ago, Ngantek said:

Yeah perhaps the joy is to be found in building in the wilfully ignorant style eight year old versions of ourselves! 

 

There's a lot of truth in that. 🚸

[Ngantek]

Bit of progress, some primer, some 507C, very thin, and built up to give some wear (Vampire looks plenty beaten up to me, despite being only a few months from refit). Unfortunately, I just bought some more etch gubbins that could go into this kit, so it's probably not very efficient painting now. Ah well!

 

 

 

There appears to be a thin stripe of darker paint around the edge of the forecastle (maybe whole?) deck, which matches hull-deck seam of the kit. I'm just a bit worried that painting it like the real thing will just look like forgot to paint the hull top ledge! On the fence rail about that one.

 

Some annoying lazinesses that will need remidal work, but painty progress is always a significant moment!

 

Andy

 

[Ray S]

This is a good start on this Vampire. It is a great kit (I built one a few years ago with White Ensign's photo etch) and was very happy with the result. 

 

There is a great lot of information being given in this thread too about the ship series, so a big 'thanks' to those who have contributed to this confusing area.

 

All the best with the build, Ray

[Ngantek]

4 hours ago, Ray S said:

This is a good start on this Vampire. It is a great kit (I built one a few years ago with White Ensign's photo etch) and was very happy with the result. 

Yeah I found your build the other day, but sadly the photos have gone. Would always love to see it. Both this and the Hermes were supposed to be quick OOB, unresearched builds, and now I've mountains of books and 'ideas' for modifications left right and centre! There's quite a lot that I've seen since starting the kit, some of which I have as generic aftermarket, some of which I can scratch, and other bits that I'm at a loss as to how to make, so ordered that PE as well! 

 

4 hours ago, Ray S said:

There is a great lot of information being given in this thread too about the ship series, so a big 'thanks' to those who have contributed to this confusing area.

Hear hear! One of the great things about this site, I don't think I've done a WiP thread that hasn't benefitted the build through contributions from members with important info, useful tips and so forth. 

4 hours ago, Ray S said:

All the best with the build, Ray

 

Thanks Ray. Inspired by your build, I've been having a go at the rails and barriers and they're all kinds of a mess! More practice with the brush needed!

Andy

[Ray S]

@Ngantek, thanks for letting me know about the photographs vanishing, that was in my TinyPic days and it went the same way as Photobucket I think, anyway I gave up with them due to incessant advertising that they kept crowding the page with. I have replaced the photographs now with some from Flickr instead.

 

I have started using finer rigging now that that which I used last time, it seems heavy handed to me now.

 

The link if it makes it easier for you to find:

 

 

I suddenly horribly realised that was just over 10 years ago, crumbs, doesn't time fly?

 

All the best, Ray

[Bertie McBoatface]

2 hours ago, Ngantek said:

Both this and the Hermes were supposed to be quick OOB, unresearched builds, and now I've mountains of books and 'ideas' for modifications left right and centre!

 

Ain't that the truth. It's always a learning process posting here with so many well informed and helpful members.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

11 hours ago, Ngantek said:

Both this and the Hermes were supposed to be quick OOB, unresearched builds, and now I've mountains of books and 'ideas' for modifications left right and centre!

Gidday Andy, so it's not just me then. 🙂 Most of my builds become more complex than I originally intended. But I think you'll find that it's worth it in the end. And what you've done looks great. Interesting to see a model of a ship who's exploits I'm reading about now.

Regards, Jeff.

[Ngantek]

7 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

Gidday Andy, so it's not just me then. 🙂 Most of my builds become more complex than I originally intended. But I think you'll find that it's worth it in the end. And what you've done looks great. Interesting to see a model of a ship who's exploits I'm reading about now.

Regards, Jeff.

 

For sure, I'm a strong believer in the view that the build and research process is the 'reward' and while it's nice that it usually ends with a nice model on the shelf, that's kind of secondary. Ships seem to attract a particularly acute form of research 'rabbitholeishness' it seems.

 

It's a disservice to the ship and her company really, to focus less on her Med service, which should make for fascinating reading from what little I've gleaned so far. I'd point you again to the collections of her proceedings which may add some detail or colour to your reading. I don't doubt the other ships of the flotilla's are available, access and preservation of these records, at least online, seems laudably better in Australia. I've enjoyed reading these, but so far only been picking the odd morsel of interest. The tone often seems to be a shade more forthright and to the point than those of other ships I've read, a little less reading between the lines is required, perhaps a product of its RAN flavour; Capt. Waller raised his flag on the Vampire on occasion and therefore pops into the proceedings from time to time. 

 

Much more reading to be done! What are you reading at the moment, I'd be grateful for any recommendations on the subject?

 

Andy

[Ngantek]

On 19/01/2023 at 15:32, Ray S said:

@Ngantek, thanks for letting me know about the photographs vanishing, that was in my TinyPic days and it went the same way as Photobucket I think, anyway I gave up with them due to incessant advertising that they kept crowding the page with. I have replaced the photographs now with some from Flickr instead.

 

I have started using finer rigging now that that which I used last time, it seems heavy handed to me now.

 

The link if it makes it easier for you to find:

 

I suddenly horribly realised that was just over 10 years ago, crumbs, doesn't time fly?

 

All the best, Ray

Thanks for updating those links! Sorry I never got around to saying so, it's a lovely build. Rigging looks really nice to me, but I know the feeling, who doesn't look back at builds from way back and cringe a little?! I'm still undecided about 1/700 rigging, the most in-scale fine stuff can't be got to droop so I'm not sure what the best method is.

 

 

This one's been ignored a little, partly because I was waiting for some aftermarket, and didn't want to go painting everything before deciding to re-do it all.

 

Lots of various gubbins; the nice V&W PE fret for this kit by White Ensign is pretty comprehensive. Given the V&Ws were a pretty varied class even before they went through 30-odd years and a vast range of modifications, both standard and irregular, for a wide range of divergent roles; it's almost impossible to make a comprehensive PE set.  In this case, since the kit is of the very ship I'm making, a lot of it isn't necessary (although I'm actually amazed quite how many modifications I'm making given it's the same ship!).

 

There's some useful bits and pieces from Starling as well, various oerlikons and splinter shields and what not.

 

In the meantime, I got further bogged down trying to come down exactly on her configuration in around March '42, since I was still on the fence about exactly what we're seeing in the pictures (see above).

 

I think I've got it pretty well down now, thanks in part to some great work on a thread I stumbled upon on the model warship forums. Running to 17 pages and correlating what's being said (often referring to specifics in pictures with broken links), with what I've found, the photos, the proceedings and so on; it's actually been quite a job sorting the facts from the theories-presented-as-facts (the tell, I'm starting to suspect, is in the supercilious tone of delivery), but I think I'm happy with the final analysis. Essentially (I'll put here in case anyone else stumbles on this with similar questions!), we know from the proceedings and crew accounts that,

• She was stripped of 'all AA' before her refit in Singapore in Aug-Dec 1941, interrupted by the outbreak of war in the east
• She had a 12 pounder HA that was used both in Prince of Wales, Repulse action on 10th December 41, and the Hermes one on 9th April 42.
• A pair of single pom-poms were added in January '42
• She had twin lewises (which had in the past been in the bridge wings) in January '42, and a single vickers 'on the quarterdeck'
• A pair of Oerlikons were added 'in her last refit' on the 'old .5 cal platform'.

A lot of this is rehashing what I said earlier, but I was at a loss as to where the 12pdr could be. It was common to fit it in place of the aft torpedoes, on a circular nest at deck level (indeed it seems that when first installed in April '41, Vampire had this very configuration); however, this is generally with the original slender splotlight tower between the torpedoes, and the wide platform mounting 2 pom poms that can be seen in March'42 doesn't leave much space.

 

Investigating the pictures, I think I'm clearer about what can be seeing, and frankly this is better summed up by some good discussion on the forum thread I linked. But a good theory is, there are two configurations 'post refit'. One as she likely was during the action on 10th December, as we're probably seeing here:

• Likely the 'standard' 4x.5cal vickers turret on the platform aft of the aft funnel. (the shield of that turret matches the 'creased wing' shape protruding to the right of the funnel in this picture; and it would be a standard weapon for that location).
• Searchlight platform moved between the funnels. New wide platform in its place, apparently empty.
• the twin lewises in the wings are pretty clear to see
• 12 pounder I suspect is in place of the aft torpedoes, i.e between the new platform and the x turret superstructure. can't make it out.
• There's a lovely model of this configuration here.

 

By March, we have this photo

• A pair of single 2pdr pom poms on the aft platform. I suspect the platform is a pair of circular ones, offset perhaps ~30 degrees from beamwise, with the starboard further forward. asymmetric platforms don't seem to have been uncommon on war fit V&Ws.  The offset is hard to be sure of, but it looks like it to me.
• The offset also solves the issue of the 12pdr to some extent, since it frees up space astern. There's a square, symmetrical object above the carley float just astern of that platform, which I agree is probably the shield of a 12pndr face on, (or from behind)
• Oerlikons on the platform astern of the aft funnel are harder to make out. I think there's something like one to the right, then possibly one obscured by a white thing to the left.
• This white thing is apparently a canvas tent, either as a windscoop to send air into the engineering spaces, or possibly a shelter for the gunners. Someone posted a better picture.
• 
• I think the same configuration exists in this picture,
• 
• There only appears to be one pom pom, but the propsed angle of the platform would lay the two guns in a line, obscuring the further one. Astern of it does appear to be a 12pounder with the characteristic angled shield. I wasn't convinced by this in the past, but I think I believe it now. At the end of the day, there are enough reports of the 12pounders, oerlikons and pompoms being used in the final Hermes engagement, that I think it must be somewhere and the evidence is strongest for here.

 

So yes another rabbit warren I've fallen down, but at least I'm more happy with Vampire and her various configurations through the war (which I haven't discussed here).

 

But it did mean that I finally got around to doing some actual bleeding modelling! Whoohoo!

 

Etchy etchetchetch. My neck hurts. That menhir you can see behind the aft funnel is that funny canvas tent roughly hewn out of sprue. It looks a bit big, but equally that platform is coming down a bit, so I'll wait to resize it.

 

 

The two new platforms are bit of an extrapolation based on what I think I'm seeing; what I think can and can't fit, and what's available in the etch set. Neither of these platforms are designed for these stations but I think they make sense. Still lots of little greebly bits to add, but I'll need to solve some complicated 8 dimensional logic puzzles to work out whether to add them yet and when to paint what.

 

Lots of little modifications to the kit, for example, inclining the old interwar 12pounder and adding a splinter shield.

 

So there we are, stuff is happening, but all of the builds are starting to butt up against the perennial barrier of needing to get the airbrush out.

 

Andy