Hello everyone.
I have only just discovered this website after casually browsing info. for Ark Royal IV model.
I've already constructed an Ark Royal IV model at the scale of 1/144. This makes it 6ft.7in. in length and 15in width. Draft of 5in. Approx 100Lbs. weight.
It took me approx. 12 years of painstaking work from Scratch. Ie: No plans and very few ready made parts.
I was unable to obtain plans due to confidential constraints at the time, and very few ready made parts due to the scale.
However, I had many books and personal photographs, as well as MEMORY to go on. ( I was ships crew for three years ). Photographs were scaled up using known sizes of items within the pictures. Ie: Height of a man @ 6ft.
The main hull is of solid wood, constructed as per the "bread and butter " system from the keel to deck four, then 2in.x1in. short wood lengths around the hull and up to flight deck. The island is of 1mm. ply and plastic card.
Everything is as accurate as I could manage including rotating 965Q aerials.
Info. for an earlier question in this blog. ( 965 were either single for Frigates or doubled up for larger ships. P for single and Q for double ).
Up top weight and radar definition dictated which ships had which ).
Model Ark has four shafts driven by four electric 12v motors and twin rudders, all to scale.
The funnel, deck edge cranes and masts are constructed from Plas strut and card. Again accurate in design and size.
The flight deck markings are accurate as well as a total of 13 aircraft ranging from Simitar, Vixen, Gannet, P1127, Buccaneer and Phantoms.
Not to forget a Whirlwind and Wessex helicopters. These depict all the different types of aircraft that served on Ark during her lifetime.
The Phantoms were Tayima kits. The Gannet and Scimiter were Vacu. formed kits and the rest hand made.
Markings on aircraft were formed from press lettering 3mm. high and hand painting.
Unfortunatly Model Ark has been laid up for about four years now, but will not be scrapped ! Now that I have retired I hope to bring her out of mothballs this winter, repaint etc. and put her back in water.
If anyone would like to see pictures etc. please contact me via e-mail at
c.schiraldi@hotmail.co.uk and I'll do my best. .... Don't all rush at once !!
Regards to all.