The Ship Model Forum

Hi all
I got back into modeling earlier this month after not doing it for maybe 20 years, and thought: What the heck, I'll start off hard. Decided to get HMS Campbeltown (the bravest little ship ever) from Flyhawk.
I'm getting close to the finish line, and have learned a lot by this small kit. Tiny parts are tiny, avoiding brush strokes is difficult, maybe I should have assembled the hull and superstructure before painting (I got a very visible seam when placing the superstructure, not sure how the lower hull will end up).
PE is interesting to work with, never done that before
Also I saw that the aft funnel was crooked. Luckily that was superglued on the deck paint, so I managed to pull it off and fix it.

I'm not sure I'll end up doing the rigging, the mast is so thin I'm scared it'll break. Any tips or tricks there?

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Previous: 1/700 HMS Campbeltown, Kelly, Dido
Building: A few airplanes
Future builds: Yes, there are lots

Looks good. For the mast, replace with brass.

As the mast seems pretty simple, brass/metal rods would be best. But it's not a lost cause if you stay with plastic - I rig using the kit plastic masts and yardarms most of the time (having PE brass yardarms backing the plastic yardarms help) and usually manage to keep the masts straight. Just make sure you attach the lower non-mast attachment point first, then pull up until the line is taut before placing it against the yardarm and tacking in place with glue. Depending on the material, you can make the lines even tighter afterwards with careful application of heat, though be careful.

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De quoi s'agit-il?

Welcome! Looks good so far.

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- Greg

Sitrap

Since last time I attached the lower hull. It was a mistake to not do this sooner. Got glue stains along the joint, and some sanding of the joint wouldn't hurt. Getting the thin black line to work was also difficult, it ended up running up the masking tape, requireing trying to fix it by the smalles brush I have, trying to ignore the colour difference. I guess it shows that I don't look at other peoples brains for my job


In any case, it shouldn't be to worriesome in the long run, as I intend to make a diorama for it at some point.

I even managed to loose one of the screws. After searching for what felt like an eternity, and starting to wonder how I could scratch build it, I got a great idea. Getting the mop out and searching through the dust proved effective.


Next up is 20mm guns and handrails.

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Previous: 1/700 HMS Campbeltown, Kelly, Dido
Building: A few airplanes
Future builds: Yes, there are lots

The build is complete, all that remains is some more painting, rigging and some weathering.
The handrails were NOT easy, and in some areas ended up with ugly looking glue stains. I also chipped off some of the paint on the handrails (I prepainted them on the fret). So a fair bit of touch up work is also needed. On the next model, I'll certainly adjust the build-paint-assemble-paint sequence.

The 20mm Oerlikon guns look to be a bit too big for the buckets they sit in. There's a nudge in the bucket for the gun mount to sit in, but the rear end of the gun goes right up to the rails. Not sure if a smaller gun would be that easy though.

I pursposely didn't install the anchors, flag pole and railings on the bow. In the pictures from the St. Nazaire raid, the anchors and flag pole aren't there, and I assume they were removed to save weight. It looks like there are some railings, but most seem to be missing. Presumably to make it easier for the commandos to get off the ship and down on the dry dock gate

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Previous: 1/700 HMS Campbeltown, Kelly, Dido
Building: A few airplanes
Future builds: Yes, there are lots

Stephen Halden Beattie (VC) has hoisted his command flag, now that his ship is finished and ready for the St. Nazaire raid (which will be its own project down the line).


I'm not terribly happy on the weathering. Rust is fine I guess, but the brown wash looks to be a bit too heavy compared with historical photos. However, during testing, the underlying paint would tend to strip off if I let it dry too long or was too agressive on removing the excess. I should probably invest in a spray can of varnish or something.
Anyway, I'm happy overall considering my inexperience. It was fun


The next project will be perhaps the unluckiest ship; HMS Kelly, also by Flyhawk. That should go a lot better.

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Previous: 1/700 HMS Campbeltown, Kelly, Dido
Building: A few airplanes
Future builds: Yes, there are lots