Battlefleet Models Tramp Steamer in 1/700

[JIM BAUMANN]

Hi Chaps!

Its a long weekend here in the UK-( Mayday Bank Holiday)

So I thought I would use the 'spare' day to make a start on BFM's new little 1/700 tramp steamer Drumgeith.
( Having a small break from my Admiralty Modelworks HMS Courageous build!)

The kit parts can be seen here:

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=40848

The hull is a fine, flawless casting with a perfectly smooth even surface.

Maybe too flat for my tramp steamer!

Having experimented with implying plating in warships via pencil lines lightly smudged worked well on Mary Rose ...

http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/sh ... eview.html

and HMS Queen Mary

http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/sh ... eview.html

as well as plating with scotch tape on the BFM Hog Islander

http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/sh ... eview.html

I thought I would try something different this time.

To give the impression of the plates being alternate thicknesses I did exactly that.. laying on fine strips of BECC vynil tape following the sheerline as per the plans in the PN Thomas Book British tramps- a most excellent publication!!

To allow smooth runs of plating, I removed the cast-on anchor hawsepipe holes and the rubbing strips, both of which will later be replaced with scratchbuilt items of wire.

Using coloured vynil strip allows one to eyeball for symmetry and parallels in the runs .

Despite initial misgivings that the effect may be overscale ( which of course it is!-...what is not in 1/700!?!)

I used the same tape to simulate the hinged scupper doors on the well-deck bulwarks

Once the first coat of paint was on it started to look promising....

I shall now concentrate on the superstructure--more reports soon!

Jim Baumann

[Capt652]

Hi Mr. Baumann,

If you don't mind, what kind of tape are you using, and assuming that you are painting over it, what prep and paint works over tape so everything sticks?

Timm

[Islander]

Hello Jim,
I am REALLY looking forward to seeing your progress. This is a great treat. I have learned so much from your and others' builds. (In fact I am trying to incorporate many of the tips and tricks in a build a dio of Combrig's HMS Montagu "On the Rocks" - my first Combrig kit - and am quite pleased with the results).

Cheers,
John

[Olaf Held]

What about removing the tape after painting? Trying to build up the in/out-strakes of the plating just with layers of paint?

Happy Modelling ~ Olaf!

[M�LDERS]

Looks already great! The plates seem to be in scale.
It definitely looks promising!

sticky topic!

[aleccap]

I must admit then the mystery of the tape must continue until Jim come back with an answer to this one, also could Jim please tell me what that metal thing is ? I'm still using fingers and tweezers that ping off my small plastic parts all over the carpet.

[Secondo]

Hi Jim and hello everybody
Excellent work so far: if I were in you, I wouldn't mind the overscale effect: it has to be so, otherwise the plating would be invisible!
Anyway the idea of Olaf Held seems inspiring too. Maybe we could look forward to paint the bands with a slightly different tone so that they could be more visible... I will make some experiments

[JIM BAUMANN]

@ Capt 652

>>> what kind of tape are you using, and assuming that you are painting over it, what prep and paint works over tape so everything sticks?<<

I am using BECC Vynil tape--available in the UK from http://cammett.websds.net/

looks like this:
http://www.alwayshobbies.com/Store/Mode ... -$4-Sheets

It is flat and matt, selfadhesive and nonshrinking with no prep needed for overpainting.

I have used it with great success in the past on a variety of models-the oldets being from 1992- with no sign of degradation or movement .

That said--I always use a tiny drop of CA at each end-just in case...!!

@ Olaf...

Yep--maybe that would work also--except this particular tape sticks like a demon-, may work with correct width masking tape though...

@ alecap

Aha! I always insert a No 6 or No 8 stainless selftapping screw into the underside of my models, onto which I then clip the powerful springloaded clamp--means I do not have to hold the actual model until I need to mount the ship in her sea...more later!

@secondo

indeed-- The plates will be washed very slightly to bring out the differential levels--although it works quite well already!

JIM B

[Quincy]

I am in awe so far of your build Jim!



Bob Pink.

[JIM BAUMANN]

Hi Guys

Some more progress has been made...

Work on the superstructure proceeded apace- it is a simple ship-( no guns!)

I carved off the cast on doors- although they are nice I reckoned I could get a sharper look with PE doors- especially as I was having my doors in varnished timber!

The boat support platform castings were thinned down with a blade- and cut back slightly--this allowed a thin styrene strip to be installed- which hid any imperfections in my paring blade-work!
The over length ends were trimmed back in situ by holding the ship side-on to a small metal anvil- which gave a good cutting surface whilst permitting access without damaging the ship.

The inside faces of the bulwarks had the bracing represented by strips of 1/500 PE handrail glue to inside face at a slight angle- and the top join backfilled with white glue and paint

The Bitumen strips that are painted at the base of all vertical surfaces where they adjoin the decks were represented using a sharp pencil!

I wanted to show the vessel with some sails set... but some research and contemporary paintings do not quite corroborate... by 1910 Cargo vessels relied on their steam plant for propulsion solely....

However I have heard and read of some of these early vessels using the fore and aft canvas as steadying sails in a following or beam sea to reduce athwarsthips rolling....

As such I needed to show the vessel in a ... following sea!

To this end I also needed some lower hull showing... alas missing in a.... waterline model...!

Styrene strip to the rescue!

The following sea was made using automotive polyester bodyfiller ( smelly--work in well ventilated area)...( Isopon P38)

BUT- it has the advantage of setting within 10 minutes--allowing rapid progress with long swells

In the photos the pink bits are the bodyfiller peeping through--the white stuff is artists acrylic texture paste, this has a finer structure and sets much slower--permitting longer working times.

The ship is now afloat, bowling through the sea at a heady speed...(!?) and will have her rolling dampened by some canvas set fore and aft.

More progress soon!

Jim Baumann

[aleccap]

Please excuse me while I pick my chin off the floor, that's looking fantastic Jim, and please don't take this the wrong way, you're good, darn good, and I am now wondering if you're in fact actually getting even better with these incredible builds of yours. NO this is not worship either, its just one person making a passing comment.

[Harry @ BFM]

Looking really good Jim!

Cannot wait to she her with sails.
Ater all that is why I made this kit.
And I found another jewel of a ship with sails, in a book that arrived today.

Thanks for doing an online build of the kit.

Should be a review here at ModelWarships soon.

[Avery Boyer]

Looks excellent Jim, looking forward to seeing this one shape up!
And Harry,
I must say that Battlefleet models has the best overall, and certainly most consistent casting quality of any resin company on the market, tied only with Combrig. In my experience, I have never had any issues with casting flaws on any BFM kits, which simply cannot be said for 99% of companies on the market! I swear the next model I build will be a BFM kit since they are all a delight to assemble. Keep up the good work!
Most Sincerely,
Avery "Battling a badly cast model" Boyer

[Harry @ BFM]

Thanks Avery, Much Appreciated!!

[Quincy]

Yes Harry, your kits are top notch in my book.



Bob Pink.

[Harry @ BFM]

Thank you, Bob.

Jim, what colour are you using on the deck?

[JIM BAUMANN]

Hmmnnn

There is a degree of supposition and guesswork here!

Bob Wilson used red oxide.( but it was a guess!)

I wanted something visually less harsh--so I made a mix of Brown and yellow to make
an ochre shade that is found on vesels of that era( I think!)

here is a similar colour on a contemporary paddler


but they could just as easily have been painted green!

JIM B

[roy allen]

The trouble with deck colours or any other part of a ships colour scheme is always hard data.
A good example is HMS Fawn, a coastal survey ship. White hull and superstruture, buff funnel and mast with black tops.
Just like all the other survey ships at the time, with just one exception that made her for an eighteen month period unique.
That was because she did not have green scuppers and boot strikes but burgundy red.
you wont find that data in any books or documentation no matter how hard you look.
As modellers we try to replicate the real thing but due to the lack of data we sometimes have to go with gut instinct.
I don't think you'll have any complaints with your choice of deck colour Jim. It looks right so is right

Roy

[Cadman]

Sharp looking Jim. I agree the sails will make this an even more interesting ship.

[JIM BAUMANN]

small update...


Funnel logo was downloaded from this incredibly useful web-site:

http://flagspot.net/flags/gb~hfmo.html#rajhmudie

This was re-sized in Serif 8.0 and printed on to white decal sheet on the PC end-to- end, and after
application to the new coppertube funnel the join in the decal was hidden underneath the steam pipe!
The two main cowl vents were the BFM items reworked, hollowed and drilled.

The remainder of the tiny deck vents were made from cored solder; deck drilled to insert.
Winches are BFM items--very nice and will have some operating rods and wheels added yet.

Masts are the supplied tapered brass items, the cargo-spar bases and the block platform were made of small pieces
of adapted scrap PE-with the supporting gussets being made of paper.

The previously removed resin hawse-pipe mouths were remade with brass wire and the nice kit anchors installed.

The next stage will involve adding small details to winches , binnacle and wheel aft, davits and boats, followed by the remaing railings and sunawning frames...

More photos soon

Jim Baumann