WIP: 1/700 HMS Sussex

[Oddball]

Hi again!!! In my previous posts I was not logged in (sorry for this), so now on I will use my nick name...

This is the point I have reached so far with the Sussex. Nothing is glued, as my intention is to make resin copies of the gun deck and the bridge structure and to use them for a Shropshire and a Devonshire in the (near - I hope) future.

Please feel free to comment!!!

[Oddball]

Hi all!!!
Some progress for my Sussex: Bridge, aft superstructure and new gun deck, are now completed, as well as, some of the basic painting. Nothing is glued yet.

Hope you like it, even though there are some minor inaccuracies (i.e. the catapult's base).
Please feel free to comment.

P.S. @ Admin: If it is not proper to post progress in this thread, please move it to the proper place.

DK

[JIM BAUMANN]

Hi oddball-- to MW

what is the starting point kit and scale--that must have vanished in the previous postings

I built HMS Sussex from a WEM kit way back in 1998...

rotten old 35 mm images- scanned -the resized--hence no quality of image !

cheers Jim B

[Oddball]

Hello Mr. Baumann,
Thank you for the comment. The basic kit is Aoshima's HMS Norfolk in 1/700.

I have seen your Sussex in Shipcraft's book and it was really an inspiration for me.

I am basing the conversion to the old WEM's kit instructions, which I am trying to copy as best as I can (I will be happy if my model's accuracy ends up to 85%).

Greetings from Greece!!!
DK

[Oddball]

My Sussex conversion has just finished:
Colors used: Vallejo paints (my interpretation based on chips from T.S.D. 1502/43) i.e.: 507a= Dark Sea Grey 991, 507c= Silvergray 883, B5= French Mirage Blue 900).
Brass rod masts.
P/E by Tom's Modelworks and Eduard.
Rigging:

• Stays: 0.08mm fishing line. Halyards: threads taken from a (Cleopatra style) wig.

Hope you like it... All comments are welcomed!

DK

[JIM BAUMANN]

Good evening OddBall

OddBall wrote;

>>> Hope you like it... All comments are welcomed! <<<

Herewith my personal biased opinion! ==> it iss intended to be helpful

Overall the model looks nice at first sight; and you did a lot of work on it.

My critique in the main is that the rigging and masts are -with respect- the weakest part of the model


I don't like brass for masts-its really too soft and cumulative load from rigging can pull them out of alignment -even when its stretched sprue
never use plastic masts--even un-rigged they can ' grow ' towards light or heat...

-I am much preferring stainless steel tube or stainless wire wire
( Albion Alloys in UK ) and hypodermic needles ! ( ...Date a Doctor/veternianry or nurse... !)

Spars in this scale need to be muuuch thinner-
-if you consider a a flag hoist yard arm in real life is say 75 mm in diameter

in 1/700 that needs to be 0.1mm (!) now that can be done--

( check out master models 1/700 tapered spar sets ( e-bay or online seller )

But in 1/700 under-scale is always better than over-scale
even a thin coat of paint will add thickness that would translate to say 20 mm in real life

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't think a County class ship would have had (as far as I know)
rigging going from the top of the ensign staffs to upper masts

Ensign staffs-- compare the thickness of anything with a 1/700 figure
If one uses the plastic kit items that could translate into flag poles say 24 inches wide in real life!

( maybe for in harbour dressing overall with signal flags! )
The ensign staffs are not structural members for rigging

if there are fore and aft lines going to masts-( some shipsdo have them )

-then they would be secured at the base of the staffs
( in real life to a deck ring/ eye)

Rigging thickness is the enemy of small scale models

I have yet to see anything finer (that is user friendly) than stretched sprue
( maybe some tungsten wire--but it cannot be persuaded to sag as far I know)

even the 0.047 mm 'modelkasten' nitinol wire is more than twice as thick as stretched sprue

Here is the link my step-by step stretched sprue tutorial -------
right here at Modelwarships.com
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=37536&p=242274#p242274

If you can aim at riggin density as in this image of Sussex

( step away from the screen until the image on screen is as large as your model.....)

You will have nailed it!!

[Oddball]

Thank you for the reply and the really constructive comments as well!!!!

Actually, I prefer criticism, as in my view is the only way to improve! So, I fully accept your comments and I am writing the following just to clarify my approach and in no case to argue:

As I am rather novice in ship building (my "expertise" is in 1/72 armor) and as I said in my previous post, I will be happy with accuracy at any degree higher than 85% (I think that I reached this).

As of the thickness of the masts: I used brass rods (Albion) of 0,8 and 0.5mm diameter, been aware that they are off-scale. The reason is that brass is the only material I have managed to solder, in order to achieve enough rigidity to resist the tension of the rigging.

Stressed sprue: I tried several times in the past with this, but I was unable (so far at least) to get satisfactory results. If I was better with this, I should have add the lower rigs to the funnels.....

Finally the rigging itself: The wig thread I used, is finer than 0,03mm, which I think is fair enough for the halyards (and easier to handle). For the stays, I am using the fishing line, just to make evident the difference in thickness from the halyards (0,08mm is the thinnest one I managed to find so far). Both materials are liable to stretch with heat, which is a very useful characteristic.

Thank you once more!!!!!
Dimitris