Airfix Leander and Rothesay conversions

[Gondor44]

I'm not a big naval vessel buff which is why I started this topic as I need help! I have several Airfix 1/600 ships, four of them being Leander ships. I have a couple of detail sets that I bought from Shapeways for an Ikara conversion ser and a Rothesay conversion st, both by Bogeys Bits. The Ikara conversion set is fairly straightforward as the Shapeways page for the set had some usful pictures as to what went where, however for the Rothesay conversion there are just pictures of the parts and nothing more.

I am also intending to get a couple of sets of etch brass by Atlantic Models at the end of the month to help detail both ships. If all goes well the last two Leanders will be a Gun armed Leander and an Exocet/Seacat Leander.

The only references I have are

     Modern Combat Ships 1 "Leander Class" by Cdr C.J.Meyer OBE,RN Published by Ian Allen

     Leander Class Frigates by Jim Allaway Published by HMSO

I have read and looked through both books several time and still have very little idea about the vast majority of what is what and what should be on which class or batch of ship and at what time of their life, let alone knowing what types of radar or anything much of anything else.

I am not completely clueless though, I do know what a 4.5" gun turret generally looks like and what a LIMBO is and looks like, but a lot of the rest is beyone me.

Maybe a lot of the parts at the edge of the ship is just bollards

 

Gondor

[EwenS]

There are photos of most (all?) the ships of the Whitby & Rothesay class frigates here. 

https://www.navyphotos.co.uk/Frigates type 12 Whitby and Rothesay class/webpages/index40.htm

 

And Leanders here

https://www.navyphotos.co.uk/Frigates Leander class/webpages/index15.htm

 

To try to help you understand the development process the lineage is as follows:-

 

Type 12 frigate - 6 Whitby class plus 2 for India

Type 12M frigate - 9 Rothesay class plus 2 for New Zealand and 3 for South Africa. The RN ships were modernised from the mid-1960s losing one of the two Limbo mortars and gaining a helicopter hangar and flight deck for a Wasp HAS.1.

Type 12I - 26 Leander class for RN plus 2 for New Zealand. Built in 3 groups with the last 10 with a wider beam (the Broad-beamed Leanders). Modified in 1970s with Ikara (8 ships), Exocet (7 ships + 1 conversion cancelled) and Seawolf/Exocet (5 ships)

 

The Wiki pages on each class should help with the timeline of changes to each class.

[EwenS]

I should have added a link for this book, if you can track down a copy.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leander-Class-Frigates-History-Development/dp/0905617568

 

 

[Gondor44]

16 minutes ago, EwenS said:

I should have added a link for this book, if you can track down a copy.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leander-Class-Frigates-History-Development/dp/0905617568

 

 

Now that looks like it will be really useful

 

Gondor

[ArnoldAmbrose]

 

12 hours ago, Gondor44 said:

Maybe a lot of the parts at the edge of the ship is just bollards

Gidday Gondor, I did one of these yonks ago, OOB, and have another in the stash. This era of warship is not my forte but yes, the double studs along the edge of the deck are bollards, and the little rectangles on the edge of the hull represent fairleads I think. Regards, Jeff.

[Gondor44]

9 hours ago, ArnoldAmbrose said:

 

Gidday Gondor, I did one of these yonks ago, OOB, and have another in the stash. This era of warship is not my forte but yes, the double studs along the edge of the deck are bollards, and the little rectangles on the edge of the hull represent fairleads I think. Regards, Jeff.

 

That's what I thought, although I was makeing a joke there as well.

 

Gondor

[Gondor44]

On 5/18/2023 at 5:59 AM, EwenS said:

I should have added a link for this book, if you can track down a copy.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leander-Class-Frigates-History-Development/dp/0905617568

 

 

 

I tried to buy that but got a refund after paying for it and being told it was being dispatched so I had thought great, only to get the rug pulled out from under me as it were. Found and bought a copy from eBay, had to pay £8 more so not happy about that but at least I will have a copy.

 

I have also been looking at Atlantic Models 1/350 Type 12M frigate - Rothesay kit and am tempted, however that would be for later but it does show me the differences between the Leander and the Rothesay so perhaps getting drawings may be a good idea? Saying that I have no idea where to go for the best pland for what I am wanting to do

 

Gondor

[Chewbacca]

I served in two Leanders (ANDROMEDA (Sea Wolf) and PENELOPE (Exocet) and one Rothesay (LONDONDERRY) and am reasonably familiar with all of the design changes so will help if I can.  A key point that I would make is that you cannot say "I will build an Exocet Leander" or "I will build a Rothesay".  Even when these ships were brand new, they were all subtly different with different close range fits, different sensors, aerials and so on.  Leanders in particular were updated with additional close range batteries post June 1982.  So pick a specific ship for each class/type, pick a specific period in their history and start modelling from that!

 

I finished a conversion to LONDONDERRY earlier this year that might help you although bear in mind that I was modelling her during her trials ship days so nothing like any of the other Rothesays!

 

 

[Gondor44]

Thanks for the link @Chewbacca. Yesterday evening a fellow modeller from a different site to this sent me some information which has lead to me buying some reference material which should help me with the conversion. I am hopeing that I will be able to find enough photographs of a particular ship to make a representative model as I am aware that each ship was unique as both equipment and requirements changed no only throughout the life of each ship but also the build of ships that were ostensibly in the same batch and supposedly meant to be near identical.

 

Regards

 

Gondor

[Gondor44]

One of my new reference books arrived today, hopeing that another three will arrive over the next couple of days.

 

 

Only had a flick through it so far but it looks as if there is a great deal of useful information that I can use.

 

Gondor

[Gondor44]

Yesterday and today I have received three books, Encyclopedia of the Modern Royal Navy, Second and Third Editions and Britain's modern Royal Navy. All three are by Paul Beaver and were recommended to me by a friend, I have also a copy of the First edition of Encyclopedia of the Modern Royal Navy on it's way to me.

Also ordered yesterday and ow in the post from Atlantic models are two sets of etch brass for the Leander, sort of looking forward to getting these and sort of not looking forward to them due to the thinness and size of a lot of the parts and looking forward to hopefully manageing to make the ships look better than with just bare plastic.

 

Gondor

[Chewbacca]

You'll be glad that you ordered the PE.  More than any other genre of modelling, I think PE can really enhance model ships and transform them into a replica of the real thing.

 

In the days (decades?) before the advent of PE, I remember trying to put guardrails on the 1/600 Leander using stretched sprue.  It wasn't pretty!

[Gondor44]

My order from Atlantic Models of two sets of Etch for the Airfix Leander ships has arrived! Looking at the size of some parts I'm not sure if I should be glad or worried.

 

Gondor

[Gondor44]

Ordered a pair of parallel pliers to help me with the etch brass. My thinking is that the railings look very flimsy and easily wrinkled so parallel pliers with a flat surface should help cure that if it happens.

 

Gondor

[Gondor44]

Ordered a couple of items from Starling Models today, gun turrets and a County class update set, I have one in the stash and the update looks better than what I got from Shapeways. Now got to start thinking about what to put the ships on

 

Gondor

[Gondor44]

I received some resin detail sets from Starling Models today. A pair of Twing 4.5" N6 Mounts which will be used with my Gun Leander and my Rothesay conversion when I get around to it. To make up a minimum order value I ended up buying their HMS Devonshire detail set. I am so blown away with the level of detail that I decided to take a few pictures.

 

First an overview of the largest block of parts

 

 

Now some zoomed in shots

 

Sea Slug Launcher

 

 

 

No idea but I think it could be a 20mm Oerlikon

 

 

More bits

 

 

Humphrey?

 

 

 

Ships boats and Davit's general view

 

 

And close ups

 

 

 

I think they might look better with a coat of Grey Primer to bring out the detail which will happen tomorrow so I will post hopefully better pictures then.

 

Gondor

[ArnoldAmbrose]

15 hours ago, Gondor44 said:

No idea but I think it could be a 20mm Oerlikon

Gidday Gondor, it certainly looks like it to me. Regards, Jeff.

[Gondor44]

As promised, Prime Time 

 

Overview to start with

 

 

A bit closer.....

 

 

Closer still.....

 

 

Above  is the Sea Slug launch cradle and Sea Cat launchers on the right side of the picture. Far easier to see that yesterday without the primer.

 

Below you can see the buisness end of the Sea Slug launch cradle and the 4.5" turrets

 

 

Ships boats and Davit's

 

 

And finally the Wessex

 

 

 

Apart from a very little bit of layer showing on the sides of the Wessex which should easily be hidden by paint, and the fact that the photo is enlarged, remember the parts are in 1/600 scale, I am even more stunned and feeling a little bit intimidated and scared that I will mess the parts up.

 

Gondor