The Ship Model Forum

Currently there are some kits of British armoured cruisers available in 1/700 - the Drake class and Monmouth class by Combrig.

I thought about building one of the surviving ships of the Drake class in their 1917/18 fit: with dazzle camouflage and 6 in guns moved to the upper deck.

I found only one picture of Drake herself, which you can find at the end of this pdf-file:

http://splash.wessexarch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/hms-drake-undesignated-site-assessment-final-version-with-figs.pdf
(but not here?? http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/hms_drake.htm)

Does someone has more informations? Especially interesting would be photos with dazzle camouflage, the best candidates would Leviathan (not of her in 1915 with this pattern on the funnels!) and King Alfred, but because the other ships were sunk in 1914 and early 1917, respectively.

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National Maritime Museum

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/displa ... 04#content

http://www.mediastorehouse.com/pictures ... etail.html

Seeking more photos you can help me?
The color can be used for Good Hope?

Thanks
Giampiero

As far I know non of the Drake class ships ever had the Victorian scheme (black hull, buff funnels etc.), when they were completely finished. They all had grey hull, superstructure, funnels etc.

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Ciao Martin.

Thanks for your info, today I have found the follow photo.

the bottom of each page you will find the numbers with more photos but only King Alfred
Leviathan have the Victorian scheme


http://www.agenziabozzo.it/navi_da_guer ... o_1903.htm


http://www.agenziabozzo.it/navi_da_guer ... e_1902.htm


http://www.agenziabozzo.it/navi_da_guer ... o_1914.htm

http://www.agenziabozzo.it/navi_da_guer ... a_1914.htm

You could see on both photos with the Victorian scheme that some equipment, e.g. 6 in guns, are missing. Both ships were not completed yet, when the photos were made. The Royal Navy changed their colour schemes about the same time, as the Drake class was in built.

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Ok thanks ,what kind of gray (Humbrol , or Wem?)

Ciao
Giampiero

I would guess something similar to 507B of the 2WW period.

/Edit:
I do not use Humbrol any longer and I have not used WEM colours. I would use perhaps the Vallejo 161

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I have found an answer to my own question:

HMS King Alfred had in 1918 a dazzle pattern and the 6 in moved to the upper deck. There is a photo in "British Cruisers of the Victorian Era" by Norman Friedman (p. 283)!

Very cool! I guess that the conversion of the Combrig kit should be not that difficult!

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Does,anyone know if there is a Duke of Edinburgh class kit in 1/700.

Much different than the Drakes.

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In Drydock:

1/700 USS Maine ACR-1 (Combrig)

The Duke of Edinburgh class is as far as I know not available. This class is similar to the Warrior class, which is also not available.

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Some of the dazzle patterns of the Drake and later classes can now be found at the IWM site (dazzle section) . So far I have seen Achilles, Shannon, Minotaur, Duke of Edinburgh/Cochrane, Antrim, Carnarvon, Devonshire Cumberland/Berwick, Cornwall/Donegal and King Alfred. Interestingly the cruiser/carrier Vindictive is catalogued under her original name, HMS Cavendish. This probably means that the decision to paint her up in dazzle was taken before she was renamed.