1:700 WEM Type 22 Frigate HMS Broadsword

[BritishForcesModels]

A big hello to everyone on this Sunday afternoon.

This is my first public build and my first using a resin model. Being somewhere between an amature and an intermediate modeller, this kit appears quite daunting, not because of complexity, but because of the different material used and the new techniques I will have to learn along the way.

I will start with the contents photo:



As can be seen from the photo, there are many resin parts, a wealth of photo-etch details and a weapons sprue.
I will look closer at the photo-etch as the build progresses as there are two areas which need addressing first.

The first area is the lack of decals. I thought that they may have been forgotten, however, after speaking to John at White Ensign Models, I have found out that there are no decals included due to the cost of producing them. WEM do however stock sheets of 1:700 Royal Navy decals from Hawk Graphics which I am about to order.

The second, and perhaps the most worrying for a modeller like me is the bottom of the hull which is going to need smoothing down. This can be seen in the next photo.



And so, after setting aside the evening for some modelling, I have already hit a brick wall and my first question.

What is the best method for dealing with this ?
This has probably been discussed elsewhere, but it would be handy to have this information here in the post so that any future amature like myself can have all the info required in one place.

In the meantime I will start tidying the smaller pieces and test fitting them....wish me luck !!

John

[Timmy C]

I built my first real resin kit just recently, and I think you chose a much wiser first kit than I! (admittedly, I didn't have a choice in the matter)

Regarding the hull bottom, you may not even have to worry that much about the bumps. If you're going to be putting her in a seascape, you can probably hide most, if not all, of the defects with the water, depending on your method.
Otherwise, I would just secure a big piece of sandpaper on a flat and stable surface and run the hull along it in circles until the troubled section is flat.

[taskforce48]

John,
Welcome aboard! In 1/700 with such a small area and amount of fairing to be done, I would think the best method would be sandpaper on glass. Get a good size piece of glass and tape the sandpaper down the rough side up. You can use progressive grits as you get closer to where you want to be. Then just simply work the hull over in a figure 8 or at least a circular pattern checking your progress every few complete passes. You want to be careful because even though you are using a flat surface, because of the way you might hold it you could go too heavy in some spots and too light in others. If the glass isn't handy, I know some folks go for a piece of Steel/Aluminium plate that's at least 1/8 of an inch thick. If you go slow and take your time, it's almost impossible to over do it.

HTH and keep the pics coming!

Matt

[BritishForcesModels]

Thank you for your replies, they are very usefull.

However, I must confess to overlooking one of the fundamental rules of model making.....ALWAYS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS !!

While I pondered my problem over a cup of tea, I thought I would have a quick look at the instructions. There, staring me right in the face, was a full description of how to sand the resin base down !!!!

How stupid do I feel ? However, a valuable lesson has been highlighted for anyone else starting out in model making !

Now, where have I put that wet and dry ?

John

[Rob]

I've built a couple of 22s.

If you are going for a seascape (and i recommend it) don't take off too much from the bottom of the hull as this class of ships have a high freeboard.

As resin dust is nasty stuff, you are better doing this job by wetsanding and wearing gloves. Sand in a circular move, clockwise then anti-clockwise and make sure the number of circles are the same, that way you will avoid crowning.

Foibles on this kit are that the location pegs on the superstruce parts often do not ine up with the holes in the deck. This is especially a problem with the hanger so you may want to cut these pegs off, but test them first.

When it comes to fitting the hanger, be prepared for the seam it leaves, this joint is quite big and will need attention.

Cheers,

Rob

[BritishForcesModels]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the heads up with the Type 22. Have just completed leveling the hull using the technique yourself and a couple of others suggested and I am very happy with the result. I have been tidying the other parts but am giving it a rest for tonight while get some reference photos.

I had a look at your 22 on Finewaterline and am very impressed. I hope I can produce something similar.

One thing that does spring to mind are the photoetched railings....did you fit them before fitting the superstructure ? It looks like it would be quite tricky fitting these if the structure was already fitted.

As for the base: it will be on water, but in a harbour setting. My ultimate aim is to produce a diorama representing HMS Dolphin and Portsmouth Naval Base ( but I will leave that for another thread when the time is right ).

Right now my priority with my modelling is to produce 4-5 ships of various sizes. With a Type 22, a 42, a45 and an Invincible class carrier built, I will be able to use them for working out measurements for the diorama. Because of the sheer size, I will have to build a representation as opposed to a scale model of the Harbour.

Anyway, I will post more pictures and write a bit more when I have progressed to the dry fit stage.

John

[JIM BAUMANN]

Welcome to Modelwarships.com John!


a few hints and tips....


watermaking...--including my own methods

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=37923


applying the PE railings....
golden rule--do not apply them in long lengths-

-brass and resin/plastic do not have the same co-efficient of linear expansion!

ergo apply smaller sections...

read here!

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=37612

I have written a number of articles on how I built my models

have a look here--you may find something useful to glean...!


http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html


When you get to rigging... --fortunately your chosen model is not over endowed with rigging

have a look here:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=37536


cheers

Jim Baumann--at the other end of the UK !

[BritishForcesModels]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the welcome

As for the rest of your post...all I can say is WOW !!

Thank you so much for the wealth of info. I have not had a chance to look through them yet, but I will get round to it tonight after I have finished placing some orders.

I know what you mean by collecting models faster than you can complete them. I currently have 5 Type 42, 2 Type 45, 1 Type 23, 2 Carriers, HMS Ocean, 8 oberon class subs, 1 Type 22, a Wessex, Tornado and 5 Dodge Monacos.

Good times ahead !!!!

John

[Rob]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for the heads up with the Type 22. Have just completed leveling the hull using the technique yourself and a couple of others suggested and I am very happy with the result. I have been tidying the other parts but am giving it a rest for tonight while get some reference photos.

I had a look at your 22 on Finewaterline and am very impressed. I hope I can produce something similar.

One thing that does spring to mind are the photoetched railings....did you fit them before fitting the superstructure ? It looks like it would be quite tricky fitting these if the structure was already fitted.

As for the base: it will be on water, but in a harbour setting. My ultimate aim is to produce a diorama representing HMS Dolphin and Portsmouth Naval Base ( but I will leave that for another thread when the time is right ).

Right now my priority with my modelling is to produce 4-5 ships of various sizes. With a Type 22, a 42, a45 and an Invincible class carrier built, I will be able to use them for working out measurements for the diorama. Because of the sheer size, I will have to build a representation as opposed to a scale model of the Harbour.

Anyway, I will post more pictures and write a bit more when I have progressed to the dry fit stage.

John

Thanks John. I did fit the railings after the bridge and you are right that it is tricky. I started the railings under the bridge wings, fitting them at a 45 degree angle and pushing them vertical. I did both sides before adding the rest of the railing at this deck level. I would probably not do that again but would fit them before the bridge.

I'm half-thinking about doing one of Woodward's 22/42 combos (Broadsword and Coventry) so this is a kit I am likely to revisit.

cheers,

rob

[BritishForcesModels]

Hi Rob,

I think fitting the railings before the superstructure is the way forward given the tight confines and my lack of experience with photo etch.

I like your idea of a pair of 22/42. I know that HMS Brilliant was out there but not sure who she paired up with, It would be nice if it were Cardiff or Exeter ( no disrespect to Coventry/Sheffield but they have been modelled many times before and it would be nice to see one of the more un-sung Type 42s ).

Had a quiet day of it today. Will get my act together and progress Broadsword some more tomorrow.

John

[BritishForcesModels]

Well, it has been a busy few weeks but thankfully the Jubilee holiday gave me a chance to work on Broadsword. The hanger bay was tackled next and that was when I realised the poor fitting that Rob warned me about in a previous post.



To make matters worse, the resin sprue was attached to the roller door.



The roller door really caused me a problem because removing the sprue also removed the detail from the lower slats. If my skills were up to the task I would probably scribe the slat lines but unfortunately my skills are not that good. I therefore decided to completely remove the lower 3 slats and model the door as if it was slightly open.



Next came a lot of sanding and a good helping of model filler to make the hanger sit right and to cover up the huge seem.

After my endevour with the hanger I turned my attention to the area at the stern of the ship below the flightdeck. It was at this point that I realised a piece had snapped off the rear of the hull and was nowhere to be found. A very small piece of plastic card was used to replace the missing piece and hold the flightdeck level. The etched rails were added before fitting the flightdeck and yet more filler and sanding.

[BritishForcesModels]

After the ordeal of the hanger bay I thought I would turn my attention to the bridge. Looking at the next photo you can see where the deck ends and the excess resin begins......right ?........WRONG !!!!!



The deck actually carries on for a further 4-5mm under the excess resin !!! Naturally I chopped it off inline with the excess resin. Plastic card once again came to the rescue.



You might also notice excess resin on the bridge windows. This was a real pain to tidy up!!

After much frustration I decided to get the airbrush out and do some painting. This went much more smoothly than the previous hours of sanding and tidying.





The next task will be to apply the deck markings and Seawolf markings before fitting the etched railings.