Calling all RN County-class fans

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Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by dick » Thu Nov 27, 2025 5:36 pm

Thank you for posting those photos of Ough's model. For those with an interest in the subject, note the grey bottom and the shade of that grey. Looks like he has depicted draught marks also which is really very interesting indeed.

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by Steve Sobieralski » Thu Nov 27, 2025 11:37 am

For anyone who may be interested, I have reposted photos of Norman Ough’s famous and fantastic drydock model of HMS Dorsetshire during her 1936 refit. The photos were originally posted many years ago by Mike E. in my long dormant build thread of a 1/192 scale model of Dorsetshire, but at some point in time, along with most of the photos in the thread, they had disappeared. After 20 years I have finally finished the model and will be posting pictures of her soon. I have also been going back through the thread and restoring as many of the build photos as I still have, and received permission from Mike to repost his Ough model photos. Here’s the link:

viewtopic.php?p=1087372#p1087372

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by Vladi » Fri Aug 08, 2025 3:28 pm

Hello, for those interested in HMAS Australia in her summer 1942 fit I just published my completed model incl. colour profiles by Brett Morrow. Hope you�ll enjoy!

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by Vladi » Mon Jan 20, 2025 4:00 am

Hello Oddball, I�m not an admin but I suggest you start your own WIP thread in Works in Progress and ask the admin to move your post there.

Happy building :thumbs_up_1: !

Mod Edit: Moved to here: viewtopic.php?f=59&t=395154

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by Guest » Sun Dec 29, 2024 3:14 am

tjstoneman wrote:The WEM instructions for Sussex depict her after the repairs and changes following the bombing and subsequent fire in Glasgow in 1940. One major change was to replace the pole mainmast with a tripod one, stepped further forward (just abaft the catapult) and the after control (superstructure) moved abaft it. Devonshire and Shropshire retained their masts in the same location as when completed, but they were replaced with tripods during the Second World War. Devonshire's "X" turret was landed and replaced by multiple 2pdr mountings during a late war refit; Shropshire retained hers.

As with most warships, particularly major ones, there were many variations in configuration of any particular ship during that war, and so reference to photos is essential for an accurate model.
Thank you for your reply!!! I have read a lot indeed about the (whole) class, so I am aware about these differences. As for Sussex, I am trying to copy WEM's kit (I suppose that it is fairly accurate), but for the other two, the references I gathered are sparse... My intention is to built Sussex as close as possible to the WEM kit (I think it is 1942), Shropshire as before delivered to the RAN and Devonshire at any moment between 1941 and 1943. My main "grey point" concerns the shape of the latter's secondary guns deck.


Thanks again!!!!
DK

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by tjstoneman » Sat Dec 28, 2024 3:08 pm

The WEM instructions for Sussex depict her after the repairs and changes following the bombing and subsequent fire in Glasgow in 1940. One major change was to replace the pole mainmast with a tripod one, stepped further forward (just abaft the catapult) and the after control (superstructure) moved abaft it. Devonshire and Shropshire retained their masts in the same location as when completed, but they were replaced with tripods during the Second World War. Devonshire's "X" turret was landed and replaced by multiple 2pdr mountings during a late war refit; Shropshire retained hers.

As with most warships, particularly major ones, there were many variations in configuration of any particular ship during that war, and so reference to photos is essential for an accurate model.

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by Guest » Sat Dec 28, 2024 12:14 pm

Greetings to all and best wishes for the coming New Year!!!!

This is my first post here, although I am following the forum for a long time. I recently obtained an interest for the Counties, and have built already six of them (Kent, Berwick, Suffolk Norfolk, Dorsetshire and Australia).

Now I am trying to convert Aoshima's Norfolk to Sussex, as I do have WEM's instructions (but not the kit). As the conversion of the gun deck is rather difficult, my intention is to make resin copies of the (scratch) gun deck and the bridge, in order to make in the future a Shropshire and a Devonshire.

The few photos and profiles I found online, suggest that the three ships were almost identical, with minor differences in their aft superstructure.

So my question is: Were there any differences between the three ships (other than their A/A suite) that worth to be dealt with in 1/700, and if any what were these???
Thank you in advance!!!!

DK

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by PaulC » Sat Nov 30, 2024 6:55 am

Kasec: I am building the SS Model London kit. However, I cannot find any photo reference for the ship in 1945. Is there any photo for 1945?
There is the film footage from the Eastern Fleet in 1945.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g74ma4vxYDA&t=314s

London can be seen at about 3:13 minutes. Here's a combined screenshot. Of course it's from a video so is not too crisp.
London colour 1945.png
On the deck forward of the breakwater beingsteel, is there any photo reference?
There is film footage that shows this. Here's a screen shot from the Youtube video linked below.
Fore-deck WW2.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJIp7kQ8D0o&t=101s
Photos in 1946 show a much lower freeboard than the 1943 photos such as this one, which is similar to the model
In the Eastern Fleet video, at 2:02 you can see Suffolk. I don't think the freeboard looks any different. London's bulkier superstructure may make it look lower at first, but I don't think it was. I improved that somewhat on my model by adding a waterline plate. What I did wrong though was to do the wood deck as unpainted, whereas apparently it was painted dark grey! Too late! :doh_1:
London model (2).jpg

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by Kazec » Sat Nov 30, 2024 2:36 am

I am building the SS Model London kit. However, I cannot find any photo reference for the ship in 1945. Is there any photo for 1945?
PaulC wrote:
Also, the freeboard is noticeably lower (though London had overweight issues after reconstruction, so maybe that's not too bad?) and the deck forward of the breakwater is printed as wood planking rather than steel.
,
Photos in 1946 show a much lower freeboard than the 1943 photos such as this one, which is similar to the model
Image

On the deck forward of the breakwater beingsteel, is there any photo reference?

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by G-Opt » Tue Oct 22, 2024 1:46 pm

Thanx, guys; good to know.

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by dick » Mon Oct 21, 2024 1:08 am

The official record lists Dorsetshire without Type 286P 27/7/41 but with it 1/8/41 and without Types 284 & 285 on 1/8/41 but with them 8/8/41. The official record often lagged slightly behind the actual fitting dates.

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by Brett Morrow » Sun Oct 20, 2024 4:56 pm

The image of Dorsetshire at Trincomalee and this poor scan (likely not seen before) suggest that the forward DCT was fitted with 284 antenna ASF at the time of her sinking.
Attachments
03.42.jpg

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by EJFoeth » Sun Oct 20, 2024 4:18 am

My radar book lists: WC290 by May 1941 (X-frame like the type 286), type 284 listed by June 1944 and 2 x type 285 by November 1941. Now, the type 284 year sounds suspect but I have no images of her to confirm it was fitted when sunk...

Dorsetshire radars

by G-Opt » Thu Oct 17, 2024 9:07 am

What type of radar(s) did DORSETSHIRE have when sunk in April 1942?

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by PaulC » Sat Sep 21, 2024 12:10 pm

The model is 1945. And I just realized it represents her after a 1945 refit in which she got 4 single Bofors 4 mm in addition to a few other AA changes which are depicted in the kit.

That means the 1943-45 disruptive camo scheme is out of the question. Straight G45 with the B20 hull panel is the only one applicable. :doh_1:

But FYI, I understand (from a Britmodeller thread) that it was actually documented that her scheme post-1943 refit was actually G10 (507A 10%) and B55 - two tones only, though photos tend to look like 3, probably due to lighting effects. But there's no documentation of a third.

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/ind ... don-~1943/

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by FFG-7 » Fri Sep 20, 2024 11:11 pm

what time period does the model represent?

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by PaulC » Fri Sep 20, 2024 11:04 pm

Yup I know....World of Warships models.

I actually got the kit by mistake. I had ordered a Bretagne to build as Provence, but the seller joined the reciprocal club and mixed up the last 2 digits of the kit number - Bretagne ends in 26, while London is 62. When I got the package, suprise! London it was. I decided to keep it and the seller agreed. (Who knows when Flyhawk will get around to theirs?!)

I'll have to live with what I can't fix! LoL!

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by FFG-7 » Fri Sep 20, 2024 8:44 pm

& there is issues with the full hull as most files to do the 3d printed full hulls come from war games not naval drawings.

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by PaulC » Fri Sep 20, 2024 5:42 pm

The one I got is waterline, but they do have a full hull version.

Re: Calling all RN County class fans

by FFG-7 » Fri Sep 20, 2024 3:46 pm

full hull or waterline?

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