The Ship Model Forum

Just kicked-off my next model. An early HMS Hyperion (H97) H-class destroyer converted from the 1/700 IBG HMS Hotspur with some other bits added. There are lots of photographs of the vessel: the paint job with the daker hull (presumably during service in the Mediterranean) caught my eye. Not sure about the Flotilla markings on the funnels: two black bands on the aft funnel and one on the forward; although if memory serves me correctly one of these might be red, if anyone has knowledge of the correct colours please correct me. My Big Book of Destroyers has gone AWOL.

These IBG kits are super little models. I know from experience to saw the hull off the sprue as side-cutters can distort the soft plastic as it comes off. Note the bijou little PE anchor: it'll look a lot better when it's sprayed.

Here are some more tiny parts for the model. The PE/plastic Vickers AA guns are a nice feature as are the well detailed quad torpedo tube sets and bridge wings. Some of the brass parts may need to be tweaked into shape before they are glued onto the ship.

I've added flotilla markings on the aft funnel and glued on some more of the photoetched parts. A very straight forward build so far: no missing parts and everything fits. I might even add some signal flags if I can wrap up this kit in the next couple of days.

That's HMS Hyperion almost done. Just got to glue on the jack staff, ensign staff and some signal flags. Like the 1/700 I-class destroyer I built recently the hull bowed (you can see daylight under the bow) after I fixed the deck and superstructure on to the model. Unfortunately, I didn't have any steel bars small enough to fit on the inside of the hull bottom to stop this warping. Sometimes, planting the hull in a polystyrene ocean with a nice big bow wave is the only way to hide this. Otherwise, a nice little kit built and painted in about a dozen hours.