HMS Nelson 1/700 Tamiya

[Goodwood]

Took these a little bit ago. She's the first ship that I've ever built in 1/700 scale that actually ended up being reasonably presentable, partly because I used a rattle can on the deck and picked out the gray bits with a very fine brush. Unfortunately a few bits and bobs still had to be sacrificed to the carpet monster, and she got rather badly mauled due to unexpected contact with a left elbow that necessitated reconstruction of the aft mast and reattachment of the topmast on the bridge.

Still, it's a little point of pride for me and it's what got me back into model ship building after doing a heap of tanks (and some of those are still in the go). She's also a bit rough due to the use of ordinary brushes instead of my still relatively new airbrush, and a lack of enthusiasm for cleaning up the parts prior to assembly.

[kylewoody]

I like very much! Always thought that class of ship looked very sleek and fast - reminiscent of a Ferrari GTO or Corvette with a long front end.

Kyle

[Goodwood]

Oh, I quite agree, those '70s era Corvettes are underrated in my opinion (though I do hear they're a to maintain).

I've got her sister, HMS Rodney, in the stash and might give her a go after finishing USS Yorktown. The instructions apparently spell out how to assemble her as she was in 1945, so that means it'll only be a two-tone scheme (deck tan and some light color, not sure which). And apparently her boat deck was wood, where Nelson's is steel, so that's more I'll have to mask off. Again though, this'll be an OOB build (as was Nelson), though thanks to having learned a few lessons so far, she'll be a bit prettier.

[Haijun watcher]

(Mods, I accidentally posted as a guest before I realized I forgot to login, so if you see a duplicate post before or after this post, please delete it)

My original post was:

From what particular time period was this two-tone paint scheme? Just after her commissioning? Was there any particular reason why you didn't use her multicolour dazzle camouflage as seen in the Tamiya catalogue or the kit instructions?

[Goodwood]

Well, the answer to that is twofold, yet simple: my brush skills aren't that great and this scheme was on the box top and also in the instructions.

[warspite63]

.... so that means it'll only be a two-tone scheme (deck tan and some light color, not sure which).

Actually, HMS Rodney retained her disruptive pattern until scrapped in 1948 - there are pics of her being towed to her final berth, with the camo still evident.

[Goodwood]

That's Nelson in the images, wearing that KGV-esque scheme; it was in the instructions.

But your point shows what I know about these ships, as much as I like them, which is somewhere between bugger and all. Actually, after having looked over the instructions some more after posting that comment, I think the stock Rodney kit (as well as the box art) may be from before the outbreak of hostilities. The foremast isn't there, the mainmast is significantly different (and taller) from later in the war, and she's quite a bit lighter on the anti-air front. Being the OOB hipster than I am, that's how I'm going to build/paint her.

The only question is, of course, what colors to use for the camouflage and the steel horizontal surfaces.