Calling all HMS Repulse & Renown fans

[Richard Durham]

With Tamiya’s release of a 1/700 HMS REPULSE, nicely timed with Steve Backers new book on British Battlecruisers of the Second World War, it is time to start a thread for these two famous warships. Dig out those ship photos and post them, put up some kit reviews and let’s see some builds! All the best. Rich

[RNfanDan]

...more changes on the way!

[JIM BAUMANN]

I built Repulse in 1/700 some years back

I addressed some of the issues....

anyhow

here is the link to the build up:

http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/sh ... pulse.html

JIM B

[MartinJQuinn]

Thanks for all that info Dan - nice to see you posting on a regular basis again. Repulse has always been one of my favorite ships, but I didn't know there were so many inaccuracies in the existing kits.

I was going to buy the Tamiya kit, but when news of the Trumpeter 1/350 kit leaked out, I decided to wait. A Repulse in 1/350 would be awesome!

By the way, AR posted this in the main forum, I thought it worthy of reposting here, for anyone building an "as sunk" Repulse:

Type 286 radar was fitted to the Repulse at Freetown in August 1941.
Located at the rear of the AD platform on a short pole mast.

And also this post that Dan Blackburn posted on Steel Navy

HMS Repulse wore the dark/light scheme of 507C and what one authoritative source has economically described as "black". Black may not serve well on a scale model however, and in my own mixing experiments (I cannot use petroleum-based enamels here) with PollyScale and other Acrylics, I've come very close to AP507C with a base of gull grey and white, while using a very dark British Ocean Grey, further deepened with black, for the countershade color.

As far as her pattern, it apparently changed in 1941 between its initial application and the time of the ship's loss on 10 December. From photographic references, it appears the bulkhead of the starboard gunhouse shelter extension (the roof of which supports the ship's aftermost 4-in. single HA gun) was black earlier in the year but 507C by the time she reached Singapore.

If the patterns both port and starboard were the same, then this would also apply to the port gunhouse extension. In photos taken of the ship after receiving her Type 284 main gunnery radar at Rosyth in midsummer, and a number of 20mm Oerlikons, the panel had been repainted in light. A late-year photograph taken of the ship leaving Singapore on its final sortie also reveals her port gunhouse extension bulkhead to be light.

After disengaging from the Bismarck chase, Repulse briefly put into Halifax and then steamed back to home waters, escorting an inbound convoy en route. A photo taken of her during this passage reveals the dark starboard bulkhead, and I believe her time at Halifax was too brief (and her recall too urgent) to have undertaken a repaint.

Hope this helps...?

Dan, when did Repulse repaint out of 507B/507C into her new pattern? I've seen a photo labeled late 1940/early 1941 that still shows here in 507B.

Also, I've noticed in the new Shipcraft book, the color profile of Repulse seems to show not only 507C and black (or very dark neutral gray) but white on the sides of the two forward turrets and on the hull amidships. Does anyone know if this is correct?

[RNfanDan]

Thanks, Martin--

There's very little currently being offered in the Repulse kit market that is not the shopworn 1941 version. Pavel has just recently created an upgrade components set for the Tamiya kit, which should give modelers a viable alternative to scratchbuilding their own post-1938 "fixes".

Dan

[Richard Durham]

Dan, Can you provide some information about the superstructure deck colors for REPULSE at time of loss. The Tamiya REPULSE kit color guide indicates two different shades of grays for the superstructure deck colors. Lighter forward and a darker deck color aft as I remember. In short, what should the superstructure deck colors be? Thanks, Rich

[RNfanDan]

...when did Repulse repaint out of 507B/507C into her new pattern? I've seen a photo labeled late 1940/early 1941 that still shows here in 507B.

I believe it was first applied around the time her #3 triple 4" mounting was being replaced by a pompom. While I cannot pin the date any closer, I suspect this was done in late January-early February, 1941.

...in the new Shipcraft book, the color profile of Repulse seems to show not only 507C and black (or very dark neutral gray) but white on the sides of the two forward turrets and on the hull amidships.

AR is perhaps the man best equipped to answer both these questions, but to my knowledge the ship was not wearing three shades of camo on her port and starboard sides. My own information is based on AR's Warship Perspectives Camouflage Volume One. If there was a third color applied, it may be of interest to modelers building their 1941 Repulse kits.

[ar]

To Dan,
If your drawings are based on the kit, then I'm a little confused. The aft shelter deck drawings 1039/41 should have the wing deckhouses exchanged port to starboard. ie the large house should be located on the starboard side, and a deck lower The drawing shows it to be on the port side. Unless I am reading it wrong. Which I may be.

[ar]

Alan,

The edit was made out of respect for your position and privacy. Please accept my apology. Perhaps I might be able to pass along my information through LB?

Thank you.

I hold no position of any importance.
My knowledge of Repulse is no better than that of many others.
I would think that Maurice Northcott knows far more than I on this matter. Try him first, I believe that he reads this board.

[MartinJQuinn]

Here are a few links that might assist those building Repulse:

http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_di ... e_1916.htm

http://warship.all-model.com/HMS%20Repuls.html

The first link is the website Maritime Quest, and online database of ship photos. On the Repulse page, you can clearly see the enlarged structure on the starboard side of the aft superstructure that Dan refers to in his post.

I also found a gent scratch building his own Repulse.

[Jean-Paul Binot]

There have been no less than eight commercially-produced models of HMS Repulse released to date:

>snip by moderator<

Of these eight models (the Airfix/MPC/Frog kits are the same moulding), only one is evidently meant to depict Repulse in a guise OTHER than the ship's 1941 or "as sunk" appearance. In addition, NONE of these models appear to be anatomically correct for their intended configurations.

I am no expert of 1941 Repulse models, but it seemed to me that both recent card models (GreMir and Fantom) were remarkably more accurate than anything else ever offered.

Would anybody be kind enough to point items to be corrected in these?

[Mike_in_Vancouver]

Excellent news regarding Trumpeters 1/350 Repulse! It may be up to the 1/350 Hood Standards, and it should even be better! If they will pay attention.

In reply to a comment I made over on Steelnavy about Trumpeters lack of quality and acccuracy, and how it took the HMS HOOD website to assist them in the 1/350 Hood. John from White Ensign has replied.

He has informed us that White Ensign has provided Trumpeter with WEMS's documentation and their Repulse master pattern after WEM decided they would never produce a 1/350 Repulse

"we supplied our 1/350 Repulse master pattern, and appropriate plans, to them for this kit. Yep--it was obvious that we were never going to produce it in resin due to the costs involved, so we made sure all you folks were going to get one anyway! So if they adhered to what they were sent, it should be accurate. Let's all wait and see."

Truly excellent news and I hope WEM is envolved with future work this way keeping them on Track. I believe in the US Navy it is a Bravo-Zulu. Don't know what the Canadian navy uses.

[angeleyes]

anyone can help with the colors on the Repulse deck as she was in 1936 (all white scheme)?Obviously the no-wood areas.

[Sylvain Auger]

Angeleyes,

The metal decks were painted in AP 507 A like most British warships of the time. As of today I haven't found any evidence that superstructure decks were in linoleum. Wood decks were left unpainted.

Cheers

[angeleyes]

Thank you for your help Sylvain.One thing only: I don't know what AP 507 stands for so i couldn't figured out the shade.I presume is some sort of mid-Grey but can you tell me which standard it is so i can look it up or can you provide me with a equivalent or something close in Humbrol?

[MartinJQuinn]

Thank you for your help Sylvain.One thing only: I don't know what AP 507 stands for so i couldn't figured out the shade.I presume is some sort of mid-Grey but can you tell me which standard it is so i can look it up or can you provide me with a equivalent or something close in Humbrol?

507A was dark grey. For more, go here.

Humbrol 27 might be a good choice, though the real color was darker.

[Sylvain Auger]

The best Humbrol match for AP 507 A is Tarmac #112 but it is discontinued. You can still find some from online vendors though.

[MartinJQuinn]

From a postcard I recently won on e-bay. Obviously the caption is wrong, it's certainly not Tiger - it's either Repulse or Renown in an interesting camouflage pattern. The question is, which one?

[Tim Stoneman]

REPULSE wore that camouflage scheme 1917-1918

[RNfanDan]

From a postcard I recently won on e-bay. Obviously the caption is wrong, it's certainly not Tiger - it's either Repulse or Renown in an interesting camouflage pattern.

Martin, only a part of that Repulse scheme is camo. The "barber's pole" funnels were intended as recognition marks (like Saratoga's stripe and Yorktown's "Y"), because early in their careers, she and her sister Renown were virtually identical in appearance, even at moderate distances.

Glad to see you post in this thread!