WEM H.M.S. Barham 25.11.1941.

[zs180]

P.S. the ladders on the funnel side have since been straightened and the dust-particle removed from the cap grille...

[JIM BAUMANN]

Phew!!!


JB

[Bangor lad]

"Next I will move on to the most complicated phase this build � the bridge with its complex tripod structure." Now if that isn't probably the most understated quote on this forum I don't know what is!

[MartinJQuinn]

"Next I will move on to the most complicated phase this build � the bridge with its complex tripod structure." Now if that isn't probably the most understated quote on this forum I don't know what is!

Indeed.

I have a 1/2 finished PitRoad Barham in the stash. After seeing what you've done, I want to set if on fire.

[marijn van gils]

Fantastic stuff!!!!

Looking forward to that bridge�

Cheers,

Marijn

[Strategos Augustus]

It all looks very slick. We are spoiled to have two Barham projects concurrently.

Looking forward to your next update!

[zs180]

Thank you very much, gents.
Time is moving on and sometimes I feel I will never finish this model.
There is some minor progress perhaps worth noting, though.

I prepare inclined ladders to each location as I go. Here are some pictures showing the ones leading to the pom-pom platforms.

I began to tackle the most most intricate phase of this build � the bridge. First I dealt with the shelter deck. The splinter shields were cut off and replaced with ones made out of aluminium sheet complete with reinforcing strakes and supporting gussets. The deck has been cleaned of any fittings - more precise representations of these have been fabricated and prepared.

In this picture you can see the ones belonging to the shelter deck ready to be painted AP507C.

The next tier of the bridge structure is the conning tower platform. It seems that every single splinter shield has to be replaced in this build and the one on this platform was no exception.
Left: the original kit part, right: the part used from the WaveLine kit, with splinter shield cut off deck thinned and opened up for two inclined ladders.

I used the trusty old aluminium sheet for this purpose and numerous gussets reinforced this platform from under and from the inside of the splinter shield. I refined the slits on the conning tower itself � the result of this will hopefully more apparent after painting. The DCT atop the conning tower was modified, too. One of the watertight doors was opened on one side.

[MartinJQuinn]

Your usual brilliant work - I love those open W/T doors!

[zs180]

The signal platform came next. Splinter shields have been replaced again and as this plaform was probably covered by corticene I added some tie-down strips of scrap PE � the pattern is admittedly imaginational. The (somewhat overscale) loops on the floor are anchor chain links cut in half and will hold the signal halyards so that they can be doubled as in real ships and will only have to be glued to the yard. Very nice PE signal flag lockers from Artist Hobby were also added.

The supporting braces came from Trumpeter�s PE fret supplemented by scratchbuilt ones under the after surface. The small searchlight platforms attached to the braces on the sides have also been scracthbuilt around a piece of fine mesh used as a floor.

[zs180]

Wow, Martin this is one fast reply! Thank you very much.

[JIM BAUMANN]

That is very very good-- precise and sharply executed
It IS coming together!

Best wishes
JB

[bismarck builder]

Zs180
Sir you rock attention to detail outstanding my uncle was a survivor from the sinking
carry on
gary r

[zs180]

Jim, thank you! I hope I can accelerate this build now (at least to some extent).
Gary, wow, it's moving to experience something so personal in connection with a model one's building.
I will try to devote the same attention to detail for the rest of this build.

[zs180]

With the aim of depicting HMS Barham just prior to her demise I had to rely heavily on a relatively high-res starboard view because it seemed to be the most recent I could find. Upon studying it repeatedly for a long time I could detect numerous alterations not seen in pictures taken just some months previously. For instance I found that she probably landed her seaplane and consequently no barrels for the aviation fuel were carried anymore. Richard Price draw my attention to something I would never have noticed myself: the latticework supporting the rear portion of the signal platform seems to have been extended aft. I deemed it interesting to include this feature never before seen in any model of the ship and went on to fabricate it. Admittedly some artistic licence was called for because the side view just could not include enough detail but I find the end result convincing.

With the signal platform in place:

Next tier of the bridge was the admiral�s platform, the triangular shape of which was also widened and extended forward during the ship�s last months. It originally had canvas-covered railing, but this was replaced with a splinter shield, so I duly cut it off and replaced it with aluminium sheet complete with an outward-facing flange. Tie-down strips were again simulated, openings cut for two inclined ladders and an elaborate bracing was added to the underside using L�Arsenal�s nice PE set of perforated beams. The L-shaped housing of the navigation lights are of a somewhat unconventional shape. To scratchbuild them with folding sides took me more than an hour and three unsuccessful efforts � they are so tiny (about 1,5 mm long).

With the admiral's platform in place:

[zs180]

Next I started to work on the next tier � the compass platform. It is important to get it right because it is one of the most important part of the ship. While both WEM and WaveLine did a good job depicting this complex-shaped structure, in my quest for more detail I cut off all the splinter shields � as can be seen in the pictures below (left - WEM part which has an upward-sloping floor - decided not to use it, right - WaveLine part devoid of splinter shields):

and tried the alignment of the tripod mast with this part in place (note that no tier is glued to its place yet).

My next task will be to refine the compass platform.

[Joe Simon]

Really great work you are doing on this!

[bismarck builder]

hi Zs180
where did you get the Very nice PE signal flag lockers from Artist Hobby
i've looked up & down the internet and can't find hide nor hare
great build
gary r

[zs180]

Joe, Gary, thank you!
Gary the signal flag lockers are from Artist Hobby's set British warships deck fittings, AH 170034.
This is a rather useful set containing not only six signal flag lockers but night lifebuoys, washdeck lockers, hatches (among them quarterdeck hatches with framing for canvas) and skylights in three styles.
I have bought it from HobbyEasy but they don't seem to carry it at the moment. I couldn't find it at other retailers' web shop either.
If you want to have one keep looking for it and hopefully it will surface somewhere, maybe on ebay.

[JIM BAUMANN]

ahoi Georg

I just wrote to Gary with this suggestion

needs a small bit of scratch-building for the foot supports

use some 1/350 (pierced ) grating ( from companionway or similar PE)
glued to a suitable strip of styrene with sharp edges with black painted face
then glue on pre-painted grating
add feet
Voila!
flag locker!
should work...

gotta try it myself now!

Barham is of course looking razor sharp!

JIM B

[zs180]

Jim, very ingenious solution to the flag locker problem.
In my practice however I am inclined to use all the good quality aftermarket upgrade available because in my view there is still enough opportunity to scratchbuild things and my builds tend to be very lengthy anyway, so I embrace every solution to reduce building time without compromising the quality of the end product.