The Ship Model Forum

by **ModelMonkey** » Tue Nov 04, 2025 10:27 am

Brilliant!

by **Maarten Sch�nfeld** » Mon Sep 02, 2019 5:46 am

More update photos. Biggest remark is that the PE deck supports appeared too tall, needed to be reduced by 1mm from the top! All cable reels and ventilators were added next.

I added the ship's boats: the two 32 ft cutters below the superstructure deck were ok for me, there is not much to be seen from them anyway. The larger boat on port near the crane is another matter: it should be a 36 ft launch, but it measures out to be 40 ft. I took out one thwart amidships reducing the length by 3.5mm, now it looks fine.

Ahead of it lays a 16 ft dinghy, not visible on all photos. It is from Admiralty Model Works, and so are the 30 ft gig on the superstructure deck, and the two 35 ft fast motor boats on starboard. I painted these AP507B, as these seem different in tone than the colours on the hull. Paint needs still some touching up of course.

I also altered the 'Cornwall' nameplate into 'Suffolk', by scraping and sanding the letters away, and cutting new letters from .005 inch Evergreen sheet. I think I will add a ship's crest too from scratch.
Now on to detailing of the bridge and the aircraft hangar!

by **Maarten Sch�nfeld** » Fri Aug 23, 2019 2:45 pm

Thank you, Jim!

It is really an enjoyable build because... the Trumpeter kit is basically sound! This makes the conversion straightforward.

If the basic kit would be off in many places, you would run into these all the time, making the conversion a drag, while correcting the basic errors - if possible. In fact my correction of the hull scuttles was the largest correction I made, but that affected hardly any of the modifications.

So, hooray for Trumpeter, for getting us this time a better kit!

by **JIM BAUMANN** » Fri Aug 23, 2019 1:32 pm

Well done Maarten--looks like sharp work

JIM B

by **Maarten Sch�nfeld** » Fri Aug 23, 2019 12:36 pm

Thanks, Jabb and John!

by **JCRAY** » Fri Aug 23, 2019 12:03 pm

Great Effort! Thank you.
John

by **Jabberwock** » Fri Aug 23, 2019 7:24 am

Looking nice and neat

Cheers. Jabb

by **Maarten Sch�nfeld** » Fri Aug 23, 2019 6:04 am

Conversion of the new Trumpeter Cornwall kit to HMS Suffolk May 1941. My build is really beginning to look like the real thing.

For earlier posts on this build look on the Trumpeter Cornwall posts on the Main Forum.

by **Maarten Sch�nfeld** » Wed Aug 07, 2019 4:27 am

After further looking at many photos I think I found another inaccuracy in the kit: the aircraft catapult deck does not sit on two closed superstructures, but only the rear one is closed from the sides. The forward one is supported by pillars with diagonal braces to prevent the deck from swaying. However, in case of the Cornwall, I think also the rear one is an open structure...

To make it look better I decided to cut the deck up just behind the aft funnel, and left and right from the catapult track. As you also get some inside view on the catapult itself (ok, it is obscured by the deck) I decided to detail the catapult itself too, with some guessing what it might look like. The ample planked deck area from the kit proved to be a blessing in disguise!

I worked also further on the shelter deck (also called superstructure deck). I decided to re-use the planked areas around the 4" gun mounts from the kit, transferred to their new positions. I also have revised the gun crew shelters, taking all the notes into account.

by **Maarten Sch�nfeld** » Sat Jul 27, 2019 3:36 am

My next issue with the Trumpeter kit: the portholes (scuttles) in the hull.

It seems the designer had no idea about the frame locations, only the five most forward scuttles behind the anchor hawse pipes happen to be correct, the rest is useless. I had to fill them all and drill new ones, port and starboard are different as with most ships. Note in particular the series of small scuttles on port, where the seamans' heads are located.

Also the lower row of scuttles with blanking plates sit incorrectly, and the plates are too large and too thick, so I replaced them all with discs of 1.2 mm diameter. A few will need to be opened up again though, based on photos.

To get everything right for the Suffolk I used the inboard profile plan from 'Man o' War 1 - County class cruisers' as a basis, rescaled it to 1:350, and checking carefully with photos. This layout differs slightly from ship to ship, but is generally usable for the Kents. The Londons and Norfolks are again different though.

by **Maarten Sch�nfeld** » Sun Jul 21, 2019 1:46 pm

Another minor point on the Trumpeter kit: the 8" turrets are apparently correct in outline (even better then those in the Exeter kit), but are lacking most external details.

Please see what modest details I added to make it look better. Note also the two PE doors added on the octagonal superstructure for the X turret: these are shown in the kit instructions, but are missing in the kit! I added these from WEM standard PE, to remain in line with the rest of the kit.

by **suffolk1928** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 1:19 pm

- Rails are now fitted, I left them until last as they get knocked when fitting other parts. Transporting the model (2m long!) is tricky, have to have superglue packed and ready.

This reminded me that my Grandfather (served on HMS Kenya and HMS Ulster) always made the point of calling them 'guard rails' - he said hand rails were for cruise ships

Great to see so much interest in the County Class Ships - always think they are interesting with all the modifications, no two ended up the same

James

by **Maarten Sch�nfeld** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 8:46 am

Jack G wrote:Maarten, great build on your Suffolk. What template did you use to scratch the upper area of the bridge (It's pretty much square)?

Hi Jack G, Thanks!

I used as reference 'Man 'o War 1 - County Class Cruisers' from Raven/Roberts, mentioned already a few times. The drawings are pretty close to 1:350 coincidentally. In fact the upper levels all have a square rectangular structure of 15mm x 10mm, but the decks dimensions are all different.

by **Jack G** » Tue Jul 16, 2019 6:58 am

Maarten, great build on your Suffolk. What template did you use to scratch the upper area of the bridge (It's pretty much square)?

James, what a beautiful big scale Suffolk. Looks very distinctive in the camo scheme.

I've drilled out my lower portholes and am figuring out how to delete the belt armour...

by **Strategos Augustus** » Mon Jul 15, 2019 2:44 pm

suffolk1928 wrote:Here are a few more photos of the model in later stages of construction - I've now realised I've never actually taken proper photos of the finished model!

There is a build log here: http://www.deansmarine.co.uk/index.php?topic=172.0

I think that funnel platform looks right!

The Captain's report on the Bismarck action is online somewhere (possibly on Hood association website), this refers to the bridge being covered but the structure being too weak and being damaged by the ships 8 inch gun blast - so may have been revised again.

The camouflage is based on Raven's warship perspective & photos - I think that the pattern was changed a few times, becoming progressively simpler each time.

Re: an earlier comment - I have done the 4 inch gun crew shelters with open backs, as on HMS Belfast

James

I'm guessing you omitted the hand rails to make handling it easier?

by **suffolk1928** » Mon Jul 15, 2019 12:37 pm

Here are a few more photos of the model in later stages of construction - I've now realised I've never actually taken proper photos of the finished model!

There is a build log here: http://www.deansmarine.co.uk/index.php?topic=172.0

I think that funnel platform looks right!

The Captain's report on the Bismarck action is online somewhere (possibly on Hood association website), this refers to the bridge being covered but the structure being too weak and being damaged by the ships 8 inch gun blast - so may have been revised again.

The camouflage is based on Raven's warship perspective & photos - I think that the pattern was changed a few times, becoming progressively simpler each time.

Re: an earlier comment - I have done the 4 inch gun crew shelters with open backs, as on HMS Belfast

James

by **Maarten Sch�nfeld** » Mon Jul 15, 2019 11:30 am

I managed to create something representing the whistle platforms and the tyfon sirenes.

by **Maarten Sch�nfeld** » Sun Jul 14, 2019 2:31 pm

suffolk1928 wrote:Here are some photos of a model of Suffolk I completed a few years ago in 1/96, if this is any help with your details. Depicted as close as I could get to May 1941. I based this on the drawings in the Raven & Roberts "British Cruisers of WW2", I think has a good line drawing in addition to that in the man o' war book. Also used photos from those books and the imperial war museum online photo collections. This also shows the higher position of the sirens on the forward funnels (distinguishing her from Cumberland).

One notable error in the model is that the bridge was covered by this time, I haven't been able to find good drawings of this modification though. The photo is also missing the guardrails which have now been added.

Hope this is of help,

James

Hi James,

Thank you for these photos! I wish you had more of them, they are really a great help! I indeed use also that book 'British Cruisers of WW2', the drawing of Suffolk therein is apparently an earlier version of the drawing than in 'Man o'War 1', but they are clearly related.

I agree that the bridge was covered by that time, apparently is was covered already a year earlier at the time of Operation Duck, as can be seen in this front view.

by **suffolk1928** » Sun Jul 14, 2019 11:38 am

Here are some photos of a model of Suffolk I completed a few years ago in 1/96, if this is any help with your details. Depicted as close as I could get to May 1941. I based this on the drawings in the Raven & Roberts "British Cruisers of WW2", I think has a good line drawing in addition to that in the man o' war book. Also used photos from those books and the imperial war museum online photo collections. This also shows the higher position of the sirens on the forward funnels (distinguishing her from Cumberland).

One notable error in the model is that the bridge was covered by this time, I haven't been able to find good drawings of this modification though. The photo is also missing the guardrails which have now been added.

Hope this is of help,

James

by **Maarten Sch�nfeld** » Sun Jul 14, 2019 6:51 am

In the previous round I mentioned the shields around the Quad Pom-pom platforms. This is what I managed to make of that.
I also added the bulwarks around the Lower Bridge level (instead of railings in the Cornwall). Note I also deleted one of the searchlight pedestals and relocated the other one. Again all according to the Raven/Roberts drawings.

I'm considering to alter the crew shelters to have an open backside, similar to those in the Belfast kit. That will leave part of the back wall standing, providing a logical place to put the ready ammo lockers against. Good idea?

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