HMS Cochrane in WW2

[ArnoldAmbrose]

       Gidday All, earlier today I completed one of my current builds, a whiffed version of the Airfix 1/600 scale HMS Nelson kit. This build was done as a GB on the ATF (Airfix Tribute Forum). Following the 'Admiral name' theme of the donor kit class I named the ship HMS Cochrane, after Thomas Cochrane who achieved the rank of Admiral of the Red. I believe he was the inspiration for the RN captain Jack Aubrey in Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin series of novels.

        Those of you familiar with the RN battleships Nelson and Rodney will know of their unusual turret layout - nine 16-inch guns in three turrets all sited forward of the bridge structure. I decided to do a model using Nelson as a donor kit but with the more traditional "two fwd one aft" turret disposition. I know I'm not the first to do this but hopefully my model here differs from others enough to give a personal take on the conversion and not be a copy of the work of others before me.

       While it's possible and allowable for 'anything goes' with a whiff I have a personal preference for plausibility in mine, as much as I know anyway. As a result I put quite a bit of thought and planning into mine and I think I enjoy this almost as much as the actual modelling itself. Hopefully I've come up with something practical and viable. Although the ship I've modelled was built quite a few years before WW2 I've modelled her as she might have appeared early/mid WW2, with a greatly enhanced AA outfit but without much in the way of electronic improvement - radar.

       Anyway, here she is, my take on a possible battleship HMS Cochrane.

 

And a couple of close-ups, one a little bit blurred:-

 

And for those wishing to compare the actual ship with the whiff:-

My model of HMS Nelson was done almost OOB many years ago.

 

There are more photos further down the thread.

 

I won't go into the modifications I made, that was mostly covered in the build thread I think:-

 

Thank you all for your interest. Stay safe, and regards, Jeff.

[bissyboat]

Beautiful work. You must be dead chuffed Jeff. HMS Cochrane is a masterpiece. ⚓🙌

[stevehnz]

That looks awfully good Jeff, the last photo of her with Nelson is quite telling & shows her lines better than your early more detail oriented photos do, any chance of a lower angle photo to show her lines better?

Steve.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

2 hours ago, stevehnz said:

any chance of a lower angle photo to show her lines better?

Gidday Steve, do you want a broadside photo or from a bit further fwd or aft? Regards, Jeff.

[stevehnz]

Roughly broadside but maybe a bit toward the bow, it flatters their sterns don't you know.  

Steve.

[ArnoldAmbrose]

43 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

Roughly broadside but maybe a bit toward the bow,

What the heck, have all three. 🙂 Saves me deciding which to post.

 

 

I've probably made the pitch of the screw blades a bit coarse but at least I've got left- and right-turning screws. Also Airfix have the shafts entering the hull a bit too low I think. I'll bear that in mind next time.       Regards, Jeff.

[stevehnz]

Thanks Jeff, any excuse to see more of her is worth while, I really like the shape you've arrived at. The first shot shows that a treat, even the last shot is not too unflattering.

Steve.

[Bertie McBoatface]

Oh I like this. I think it's much better than the original. Well done for build and imagination 🙂

[Rich75]

Jeff, that's a beauty, the classic layout suits it so much better top class 👏 

[beefy66]

Cracking build Jeff the conversion work has made her look much more menacing and attractive at the same time.

 

Stay Safe

beefy

[Ngantek]

Whoops missed one! Beautiful work Jeff, and and interesting redesign, and it's an attractive ('42ish?) scheme you've put on it. Really nice!

 

Andy

[ArnoldAmbrose]

8 hours ago, Ngantek said:

it's an attractive ('42ish?) scheme

       Thanks very much for your comments, guys. I quite enjoyed it, in part getting the old grey matter ticking over to get her as plausible as I could, to me anyway. The colour scheme pattern is loosely based on Jamie's ( @Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies - thanks) scheme of HMS King George V in 1943 although the colours themselves were to use up what Humbrols I had in stock. The light blue is a bit more greenish than I had in mind but that's a risk with Humbrol enamels now I find - what appears on the tin lid doesn't always accurately portray what'll appear on plastic. But then, being a whiff I could get away with it.      Regards, Jeff.