Calling all Chinese Chih Yuen-class (致遠) (Zhiyuan-class) protected cruiser (1886) fans

[Timmy C]

Actually, I think Chih Yuen and Zhi Yuen are the same ship, as is Ching Yuen and Jingyuen - the spellings are due to the old Wade Giles versus the new Pinying transliterations. See list on Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beiyang_Fleet

For the larger ships, Les, perhaps you're thinking of Ding/Ting Yuen and Zhen/Chen Yuen, the two German-built battleships?

[Lesforan]

The two Ellswick cruisers are the ones referred to in your link under "1894 Composite Fleet". Chingyuan and Zhiyuan.

Actually Zhendefu made a kit for at least one of the German-made ships, but in the fairly odd scale of 1/300. These models are, frankly, pretty crude if built OOB. They filled a market niche like that filled by early Lindberg ships of the 1960's: "Box scale", parts for building a powered (but not remote-controlled) model. The Lindberg kits were a better effort in terms of detail and quality of castings, hence the need to "heavily rework" them to produce a presentable model.
They must have been intended as something for kids to build for the local duck pond. Nothing wrong with that, if that is what you want.

Although I built both of these Ellswick sisters, I only put one in the Gallery. The two models were identical in appearance, save for the name on the display stands.

[maxim]

You are correct, but I think you misread my post. The ships I would convert would be Zhiyuan and Jingyuan, not Chi Yuan and Ching Yuan. The latter were much larger ships, similar to USN battleships USS Maine and USS Texas of the 1890's.

Timmy C is reight: Zhiyuan and Jingyuan is only to modern spelling of Chih Yuan and Ching Yuan, I was talking about the Armstrong built protected cruisers. Chi Yuan is a different ship. She was a protected cruiser built by Vulcan in Germany. Her modern spelling is Jiyuan.

The two battle ships Dingyuan/Ting Yuan and Zhenyuan/Chen Yuan are much bigger than the two Elswick cruisers you want to convert. And the two Chinese Elswick cruisers are much bigger than the two Spanish ones:

Length
Ting Yuan: 310 ft
Chih Yuan: 267 ft
Isla de Luzon: 197 ft

Width
Ting Yuan: 60 ft
Chih Yuan: 38 ft
Isla de Luzon: 30 ft

Displacement
Ting Yuan: 7335 ts
Chih Yuan: 2310 ts
Isla de Luzon: 1038 ts

Armament:
Ting Yuan: 4 x 12 in, 2 x 6 in,2 x 6 Pdr, 2 x 3 Pdr, 8 x 1 Pdr, 3 x 14 in torpedo tubes
Chih Yuan: 3 x 8.2 in, 2 x 6 in, 8 x 6 Pdr, 2 x 3 Pdr, 6 x 1 Pdr, 6 Gatling MG, 4 x 14 in torpedo tubes
Isla de Luzon: 6 x 4.7 in, 4 x 6 Pdr, 2 x 1in MG, 2 MG, 3 x 14 in torpedo tubes

There is no obvious candidate for a conversion of Chih Yuan, she is not one of the later "standard" Elswick cruisers with very similar hulls, weapons etc., which were mainly built for South American navies (plus some some for the Japanese and US Navy).

[Lesforan]

Maxim,

Thanks for the information. I was going by the fact that two kits were marketed showing two different names for these ships, plus a reference in Anthony Preston's book "Cruisers".

The dimensions you gave me for the Spanish cruisers will be very helpful if I get an opportunity to make the conversions. Seems I may have to take out a section of hull.

Les

[maxim]

In Warships for Export by Peter Brook and in Warship 2004 (the article Armstrong's Contribution to the New United States Navy by Peter Brook) are simple profile views of Isla de Cuba as built and of Isla de Cuba after refit with two funnels.

I think the conversion could be difficult, the Chinese cruisers have double the displacement of the Spanish ones.

/edit: Some time ago I had used the Zhengdefu kit of Chih Yuan plus some additional information to scratch built her in 1/700:





This was my first scratch built ship, far from being perfect.

[Lesforan]

Nice job, Maxim!

Les

[Timmy C]

The same company (S-Model) that recently made the 1/700 Ting & Chen Yuen in regular plastic is also doing the two Elswicks.

[maxim]

The same company (S-Model) that recently made the 1/700 Ting & Chen Yuen in regular plastic is also doing the two Elswicks.

Do you have a link to them? I have seen only parts for the earlier pair of protected cruisers built by Armstrong, Chaoyung and Yangwei. It would be very nice, if S-Model release other Chinese ships of this period!

[Timmy C]

It's on the Sonicmodel board, which I can only access very intermittently for some reason (Great Firewall of China?), and right now is one of those times when it won't come up, so I can't give you the URL, sadly

[AllianceModelWorks]

only 10 left after passing some out to friends.
I have some bronco's 1:350 listed. if you buy this and any of those, and mentioned you heard it on this forum, I can give you free shipping on these.
They are kinda a bit*h to ship alone

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0366786177

[Captain pugwash]

Here's me cruiser of the Peiyang Fleet Cruiser Chih Yuen in 1/350 scale.







Just crew to add.

[Lesforan]

Quite a handsome little ship!

Les

[mrwawa]

Slightly off topic, I am building S-model TSI Yuen (German builded Protected cruiser)

i am painting mine in 1894, and it called for Grey color..... hummmmm.... anyone knows what kind of grey??

also Maxim, your scratch built 1/700 Chih Yuen, the color of your mast and funnel are different. it seems your mast in buff and your funnel it's mustard yellow... ( maybe it's my ME Type 42 eye...)



any input will greatly appreciated.

thanks...

[maxim]

Slightly off topic, I am building S-model TSI Yuen (German builded Protected cruiser)

i am painting mine in 1894, and it called for Grey color..... hummmmm.... anyone knows what kind of grey??

also Maxim, your scratch built 1/700 Chih Yuen, the color of your mast and funnel are different. it seems your mast in buff and your funnel it's mustard yellow... ( maybe it's my ME Type 42 eye...)

I do not know anymore, why I have painted them differently. How long wooden masts were in use?

[mrwawa]

Me too, I don't know Chih Yuen. but Tsi Yuen has 3 masts, 2 wooden and 1 steel. when it arrived China, Chinese removed the two wooden one, and opt for 1 mast.