HMS Victory Airfix 1:100, 32,24,12 pounders construction

I have started putting together the Guns on HMS Victory, first of all I soaked the sprues in warm soapy water for 5-10 minutes and then set them aside and allowed them to dry thoroughly.

Next I removed 60 gun barrel halves(parts 14 and 15), trimmed off the plastic that attached the guns to the sprues and glued the two halves of the barrels together. With each gun I took a bit of time to ensure both sides of the barrels are aligned correctly, and  I was careful not to apply to much  glue, however the barrels still require scraping with a scalpel along the seam lines when dry.
After this I looked at the gun carriages, removed the 5 pieces, trimmed them and assembled them,I made sure the sides were square and that the gun barrels sat in the carriages at the same angle.
 The 32 pdrs barrels and carriages are the same size in this kit as the 24 pdrs, this is just a result of rationalization in the kit design,but in 1:100 scale the size difference is barely noticeable.
After 6.5 hours work, all 30 of the 32 pdrs and their carriages have been assembled, the seam lines on the barrels have been scraped with a sharp scalpel and the muzzles have been filed with a circular file.

Next, I repeated the process for the 30 x 24 pdr guns, this took only 5.5 hours as the process of assembly was refined and became increasingly efficient,I also stopped scraping the seam lines on the barrel on the part that rests upon the gun carriage as they will not be seen. Below the 60 32 and 24 pdr guns assembled.

Below in a close up of one of the above guns, you can see how I have drilled out a hole in the plastic on the breech of the gun to thread the restraining rope through. I have only done one, until I work out how visible this part of the model will be when assembled,thers no point wasting time putting in details that nobody will ever see !
 However some of the visible 12 pdrs on the deck will need super detailing,ropes, blocks and tackle etc.

Next I assembled the 24 x long barreled 12 pdrs and the 20 x short barreled 12 pdrs. Four or the short barreled 12 pdrs were missing one of the rests that sit on the gun carriage.These had to be replaced with plastic of the right diameter from my spare parts box.
 Over 20 hours of work later the assembled 728 parts that make up the formidable 104 gun battery are pictured below.

The guns have now been boxed up, prior to spraying and additional detailing.

HMS Fearless 1:600 scale more photos

 A few more photographs of the super detailed 1:600 HMS Fearless model. I think they are an improvement on the previous set.
They were taken in natural daylight with an oil painting I am currently working on as a backdrop.
 I plan on using models to help with the composition of some of my marine paintings in future.
Watch this space !

HMS Fearless photographed with a backdrop of one of my unfinished seascapes,the landing craft to the right looks particularly convincing 

Shot of the LCVP's being lowered

Close up detail of the Seakings and flight deck area

Diorama of HMS Iron Duke Type 23 Frigate in 1/700 Scale

Recently  I was commissioned to make a diorama of HMS Iron Duke as she appeared in 2009 off the coast South America.One of her roles on this deployment was the seizure of narcotics.

The kit chosen for this diorama was the excellent White Ensign Models 1/700 scale, resin and brass etched kit of  HMS Norfolk. The detail is good, but it needs some alterations to represent  Iron Duke as she appeared in 2009.

Firstly I needed to replace the Vickers 4.5 inch gun on the HMS Norfolk kit,  it is of the older rounded style gun housing and can be seen here in the background.  I replaced this with part of the Dragon 1/700 kit of HMS York, this has the newer angular Gun housing, shown above in the foreground.
The gun barrel is ok for an injection moulding of this scale, but is not suitable for a model of this quality, so I shall be replacing it with 0.3mm or 0.4mm diameter brass micro tube. This will greatly improve the scale feel of this component of the ship.

This Project is on pause at the moment whilst I await the release of the new 1:350 type 23 kit from Trumpeter and decide whether to make the larger model instead.

HMS VICTORY Airfix 1:100

I have started looking at the build of HMS Victory,  by Airfix,(ex Heller) 1:100 scale, both sides of the hull are crisply cast with good detail. In this scale the hull alone is about 2 feet long.
 One of the first jobs has been to get an estimate for a display case which will be essential to protect the model during and after construction.
For an oak framed case, with toughened safety glass, the cost including delivery is around the £800.00 .
I use Timbercraft Cabinet Displays of  Towcester for my work, although they are not the cheapest, they are good quality cases;  www.displaycases.co.uk

I feel this is an absolutely essential investment for a project of this size and quality.
 Secondly the plastic Vac form sails that come with this kit will be replaced with linen sails at a cost of about £100.00, as will some of the kits rope/thread for that of a superior quality.

One the most obvious flaws in this kit is the thickness of the injection moulded hull. When you look at the gun ports you can see the walls of the ship are not thick enough.

The Styrene strip below will be fixed around the inside of the gun ports,  making the walls of the ship look much thicker, the thickest strips are for the lower deck, the thinnest for the upper deck, the quarter decks are left as they are.