I have been toying with the idea of trying to emulate the famous John Prothero-Thomas, who ( 100% scratch) built the fabulous model of HMS Minotaur in 1/ 384 scale.
.... except I wanted to make life much harder for myself and do it half the size in 1/700...!
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JPT's model :
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However--rather than follow slavishly in exactly the pioneering and well trodden foots-steps of Mr JPT...
I will be trying to build a model of the virtually identical sister ship HMS Agincourt
which has slightly taller funnels set at a rake!
I am deeply indebted to Mr John Prothero Thomas for freely sharing his knowledge and working drawings. without which this model probably would not have been started( and hopefully by the end of this thread will be completed!
)
Interestingly-- Agincourt survived -albeit it a much altered state until 1960 !!! as a floating coaling hulk
( in itself an interesting prospect to make a model of! )
( Images from websites 'world naval ship forum' and 'Battleships and cruisers' )
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However I plan on building my model HMS Agincourt prior her re-armament when she received un-equal size gunports and reduced top-rig--
I like the purity and symmetry of her early incarnation!--when she still carried yards on all masts
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Mine will be in her absolute heyday when she was flagship of the channel fleet
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The hull is to be carved from solid wood- a fine piece of 50 year old teak ( I guess it must be seasoned well by now!!!)
-mainly because I want to have solid anchorage for the extensive and complex rig- those five(!) masts are happiest being immovably located in a solid hill--such as resin or hardwood.
- a hollow styrene carcass hull would not in my view give the required strength...
I am also happy carving hull shapes from a blank--I have previous form for this enterprise in my youth..;
==> when I was 17-18 years old I earned myself sufficient money for my first MG sportscar by carving and selling half hull models--using nothing cleverer than a Stanley knife and sandpaper.
*(some of the un-sold ship-models I still have --see below)
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HMS Agincourt History round-up @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Agincourt_%281865%29I made some external cross-sectional shape templates in styrene sheet based on JPT's drawing--which in turn is based on the original NMM plans of Agincourt and having rescaled to 1/700 drawings, flipped , reversed and re-sized photos to 1/700 --
I felt a start needed to be made!
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a useful small version of NMM Agincourt plan has appeared in print in a book
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These days I like to get a project moving with greater alacrity than pure hand-whittling -- so resorted to mechanical aids in roughing out the shapes
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From looking at photos in side elevation is easy to assume that the ship had one long deck
==> ( such as found on he 1860 HMS Warrior!! ) -however there is a distinctive fore and poop deck-- with high Bulwarks atop of which there is the hammock stowage .
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Having HMS Warrior a mere 17 miles away is very handy--as Minotaur and Warrior were close contemporaries -and many aspects of fitting out are likely to be very similar
On Agincourt's hull the mid section had to be carved out--I did this with saw cut for and aft and carved the centre out with a 'Stanley' Knife and eventually pared the center deck flat.
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the sharp--yet higher up , very bluff bow was quite tricky to carve
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The fwd guns had cutaways either side
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Thereafter the deck "planking" made of Evergreen N-sale car siding--was added and glued on with slow-set CA
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This will be cut back and sanded flush with the hull.
That is the tangible progress so far .
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I intend presenting the ship on the opposite tack to JPT's model motor-sailing on Port tack ( as in this World Naval ship forum image)
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More soon I hope!!
Jim Baumann
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- but it was never perfect.
