I have gone over what material that I have, which is not very much.
To get the aft superstructure correct you MUST get the "as fitted" plans.
The added item between the bridge and the fore funnel appears to be an open enclosure within which two spare floats for the F111F seaplans were stowed.
As far as I can see the catapults were NOT raised, and there would be no reason to do so.
Dino Carancini wrote:
.I don't have "British Cruisers of WWII" yet, still looking for it but as you know it's not so easy to find a copy for an affordable price, I just found British Battleships and hope to get the one on the cruisers soon.
Laurence as you know I'm using the drawings in that russian pubblication and the profile Morskie for extra documentation on the few parts in common with the Exeter.
In the russian pubblication there is only a profile of the Exeter as built, the other drawings ar for the Exeter in 1941, this forced me to use the photos to represent all the changes from the original configuration to the 1939 fitting.
There are a lot of small modification from the launch to 1939:
- the roof of the aft superstructure near the director changed sometime before the Plata battle ( this isn't represented in the Matchbox kit ).
- catapults have been elevated and are on the top of a rectangular structure.
- the cover near the torpedo tubes was extended to the stern because the deck was too "wet" at high speed or in rough sea.
- mounts of the the searchlight platform near the aft funnel changed a bit.
- a small platform was added betwen the fore funnel and the fore superstructure, this platform is still cause of trouble for me and I've not built it yet ( this isn't represented in the Matchbox kit ).
In addition I suppose some change of position of some vents on the deck, but I'm not ure about this.
Dino