Calling all RN Abdiel-class fast minelayer fans

[D-Boy]

Finally won this old Matchbox kit in 1:700 scale at auction and it just arrived in the mail. First impressions: typical Matchbox kit, with vague castings and thick lines. Nonetheless, something to work from.

Can anyone provide some sources that will help me assess the secondary armament on this kit, ro the need for other improvements? My sense is that the AA weaponry could be significantly upgraded with parts from another RN kit, or the PE market. Sources for alternate parts would be welcome.

I'd love to know more about what I'm looking at with this kit and your experience with this model.

Many thanks.

Daniel

[maxim]

There is a Profile Morskie about HMS Abdiel and HMS Ariadne (N� 20)

Ariadne had:

2 x 102 mm (4 in) twins
2 x 40 mm Bofors Hazemeyer twins
6 x 20 mm twins

WEM has 4 in twins (PRO 7001) and the 20 mm twins (PRO 7037), Niko Models has 102 mm twins (ZW 7019B) and 40 mm bofors twin (ZW 7018U)

For the PE crans etc. I have no idea.

[Rick E Davis]

HMS ARIADNE while serving in the Pacific with the USN, had three USN pattern twin Mk I 40-mm mounts ... two on the aft deckhouse in the old positions and one superimposed over # 1 twin 4-in mount. The exact camo she wore in the Pacific is in some debate (USN colors or what).

If you can find it, Warship #17 (January 1981) has an article on breaking-up HM Ships for scrap and on pages 62-63 is a nice overhead view of ARIADNE in February 1965. ARIADNE was laid-up soon after the war and was never modified while in "mothballs". Many wonderful details can be seen in this photo as they had just removed any coverings and prior to any major cutting. I would scan and post, but that would likely cause copyright problems.

[D-Boy]

Great and wonderful leads - thanks to you both!

[Phil R]

There is also ,the old Warship Profile on the Abdiel class minelayers.I believe that it has some line drawings of the Ariadne included .I don`t know where you can get one from,as they are long out of print.

Regards Phil

[maxim]

There is also ,the old Warship Profile on the Abdiel class minelayers.I believe that it has some line drawings of the Ariadne included .I don`t know where you can get one from,as they are long out of print.

Yes, it contains drawings of Abdiel and Ariadne

There is a Profile Morskie about HMS Abdiel and HMS Ariadne (N� 20)

[Laurence Batchelor]

This is the fellow:



Easily available from ebay, abebooks, bookfinder websites etc.
LB

[D-Boy]

This is the fellow:



Easily available from ebay, abebooks, bookfinder websites etc.
LB

Thanks, Laurence! Nice to have a specific lead such as this.

Has anyone experienced any difficulties getting Matchbox plastic to glue up? I've used several different types of plastic cement on the initial hull constructions, and nothing seems to set very quickly. The parts were washed in dish detergent prior to attempting assembly.

[Steve Sobieralski]

I obtained as many of the Warship Profiles as I could get ahold of when they were originally published back in the early to mid-seventies. The one on the Abdiel class, with its double-size fold-out artwork, was one of the best, and Abdiel immediately became, and has remained, one of my favorite ships. Over ten years ago she was the subject of my first scratchbuilt ship model which can still be seen at the old SMML website:

http://smmlonline.com/articles/abdiel/abdiel.html

I have always thought the Abdiels had more in common with destroyers than cruisers, but I guess most people group them with cruisers, and Norman Friedman has included a section (an appendix) on them in his recent British Cruisers book.

According to Friedman, Ariadne was refitted twice after WWII, but was never redeployed. According to Raven and Roberts, one of the refits included modernization of her AA armament.

HMS Manxman can be seen as the German raider in the 1953 film "Sailor of the King".

[D-Boy]

I obtained as many of the Warship Profiles as I could get ahold of when they were originally published back in the early to mid-seventies. The one on the Abdiel class, with its double-size fold-out artwork, was one of the best, and Abdiel immediately became, and has remained, one of my favorite ships. Over ten years ago she was the subject of my first scratchbuilt ship model which can still be seen at the old SMML website:
http://smmlonline.com/articles/abdiel/abdiel.html

Such a clean and lovely scratch-build. Well done! Have bookmarked the page for reference! Thanks for posting, Steve!

[JIM BAUMANN]

posting on behalf of Peter White;--

Peter writes:

.... I am attaching two pics of the Apollo as she was in 1953, when I served on her.
Which may be of interest to you.
She is acting as "Chase Boat" to HMS Eagle Wile she was flying Supermarine Attackers.
Hence the fully manned boat swung outboard.
Also note the practice of sheeting over ships boats ,light AA armament etc.
If you think these pictures would bee of interest could you please arrange to have them shown in the
Calling all Abdiel & Ariadne fans"l section of the Model Warships Forum .....

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

here goes! ( if anyone needs these images at the full size re-- just contact me

Jim Baumann

[Shingen]

Hello. I am new to this board, so I need to somewhat introduce myself. I have not been typing much on fora for the last ten years due to joint ills. I used ot be a regular on other fora.

I have three questions on the Ariadne.

1st: Could anyone point me toward a good set of drawings on a photo walkaround for a Hazemeyer 40mm installation? None of my references show a close-up.

2nd: Does anyone have a more complete rundown of the radar and masts installation for the Ariadne? The Profile only mentions 291 and the 271/273 lantern on the foremast, along with the 285 installations on the directors and the Hazemeyer.

3rd: Does anyone have a handle on the colors used in 1943? The Profile book has two pictures in trials and I have found only a couple more on the web. From these, I have convinced myself that the lightest color is not white. I think the darkest is either G10 or B15, and the medium looks like either G20 or B30 (depending on the darkest). I do not know if the lightest is B55, G45, MS4A, or AP507C. I do not know what the deck color is.

I am not ready to paint the Matchbox kit according to their instructions -- a little too pink and purple. I figure, though, that a couple of 4" twins from a scrapped Tamiya HMS Hood, some twin 20mm from a parts kit KGV, a few radar aerials from WEM 'spares' (KGV does not need the 285 and 282 arrays for May 1941, for example), some spare railing from a similar source, and a little bulkhead and (if I can get the references) scratchbuilding for the Hazemeyers and such, and the kit would be a pretty little thing.

Thank you!

.Mark Shannon.

[Quaestor]

3rd: Does anyone have a handle on the colors used in 1943? The Profile book has two pictures in trials and I have found only a couple more on the web. From these, I have convinced myself that the lightest color is not white. I think the darkest is either G10 or B15, and the medium looks like either G20 or B30 (depending on the darkest). I do not know if the lightest is B55, G45, MS4A, or AP507C. I do not know what the deck color is.
Mark Shannon.

I'll bump this because I'd like some input on colors for Ariadne, just as Mark asked for nearly three years ago.
A quick look through Raven's "Warship Perspectives" volumes gives me nothing on this class of ships.
TIA

[Quaestor]

Cheers David
Very useful.
Surfing the web since posting above, I found the painting instructions for the WEM 1/350th Abdiel kit.
Between that and your post, I should be all set.

[dick]

Are we talking about this Ariadne scheme?

[Quaestor]

That is one possibility.
I'm also considering doing Abdiel, with the more angular camo pattern as shown in the WEM 1/350th instructions alluded to just above.

[dick]

The scheme shown in the Ariadne photo is said to have been B15, B30 and B55 which, given the relative tones seen, is perfectly plausible.

[Quaestor]

Cheers Dick; much appreciated

[Quaestor]

During most of 1944 Ariadne served with the USN in the Pacific; notably at Wewak and Leyte.
Does anyone have a photo of Ariadne while with the USN?
It's tempting to think that Ariadne wore US colors (like Victorious two years before) while with the US 7th fleet; wouldn't that make for a distinctive model?
TIA

[maxim]

This was the camouflage pattern of Ariadne in the Pacific:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ariad ... elayer.jpg

Typical British pattern.