The Ship Model Forum

I would like to share with you an account on the construction of my 1:700 Combrig HMS Tiger.
She will be shown on a common seascape with my recently completed SMS Derfflinger that some of you might have seen.
The diorama will feature the two ships in early 1919 - SMS Derfflinger at anchor with HMS Tiger steaming past her.

Contrary to what I have posted before this is intended to be a much more detailed account on this build, so it will inevitably become
a lenghty one as alas, I am a slow builder with limited time for my hobby.
I hope however that the ones who persevere will find something enjoyable or useful in it.
I am through the planning phase and acquired all the stuff deemed necessary for the build.

As you can see the hull has been screwed to its temporary base and the kit parts are surrounded by the eleven photoetched frets of the prodigious Artist Hobby update set as well as two sets from WEM and ten from Flyhawk and Lion Roar.
The Artist Hobby set also includes replacement main turrets of resin plus turned brass barrels for the main and secondary armament.
I plan to use some Admiralty Model Works boats and aircraft.

The printed reference can also be seem in one of the pictures - besides the books featured I have collected a number of photographs from the internet. Jim Baumann has kindly sent me some others.

I will rely on the pictures of the models built by Vicent c.f. Lau, Mike McCabe and John Werler in the first place, as they feature a state of the ship more closely related to the one I intend to depict than the others I could find, but studied photos of every build I came accross throughout my search. I would like to thank everybody for making accessible images of their superb models.

The pictures will be shot by my Canon EOS 450D camera but will have to be reduced in size to conform the rules of this forum.

George Pék

Oh my...

I know I am going to learn SO much. This is going to be a master class on building 700 scale warships... I can't wait...

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Bill Livingston
Cambridge

Yeah, what Bill said. Will be watching this with much interest!

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Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

A don't miss tutorial is in the works!



Bob Pink.

Bookmarked. This will be a benchmark for the ship I am starting for a group build, if you do not mind me attempting to poorly imitate your work.

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- Chris

1/700 Saratoga w/Pontos (Needs paint)
1/700 Potato w/Kurama (On hold)
1/700 Murdertorpedoboat Ooi

I'm looking forward to following this, sounds like a great diorama idea.

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Vlad

This will be most interesting to watch-- your precise and methodological approach is inspirational...!

( especially when compared to my gung-ho/ wing and a prayer approach )


I am hoping that you wll enjoy the build of this fine ship


JIM Baumannn

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....I buy them at three times the speed I build 'em.... will I live long enough to empty my stash...?
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

IPMS UK SIG (special interest group) www.finewaterline.com

You are so well prepared! Looking forward to see your built.

I am a bit embarrassed here - just hope to live up to your expectations.
This is the state I intend to depict:

I don't share the common view that the majectic appearence of this ship has been spoiled by the alterations that took place after Jutland - on the contrary - the more substantial bridge structure adds quite a lot to her appeal in my opinion and the short mainmast fitted to the derrick stump does not make her look unbalanced.
I started with measuring the freeboard and compared with the drawing in the Burt book it seems to be spot on - initially I though it would be too high. I glued a plate of styrene of 0,5 mm thickness to the bottom of the model because it will be surrounded by the seascape at least that high.


Then the styrene was faired into the hull by sanding with 200, 1000, 1200 and finally 2000 grit wet-and-dry sandpaper.

I took the opportunity to alter the shape of the cutwater to make it flare forward towards the waterline as it should.
Before

and after correction.

(this is a blurry image but the difference can be seen)

Head's up: Artist Hobby's turrets are a little on the small side. Mine leave a rather large gap in the barbette. I'm not sure if I'm going to try to fix that issue or use the larger Combrig guns. The huge barbettes look goofy with the AH replacement turrets.

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- Chris

1/700 Saratoga w/Pontos (Needs paint)
1/700 Potato w/Kurama (On hold)
1/700 Murdertorpedoboat Ooi

PetrolGator, thanks, I'm well aware of the problem and plan to use the AH turrets widened with strip styrene glued to their circumference. They are higher than the Combrig ones and feature nice armour plates on theirs tops, that's why I opt for using them. Btw the Combrig ones seem to be a bit on the small side too, that's I was a little disappointed when I saw that the AH turrets are even smaller in diameter.

I had a similar feeling when I built my Combrig HMS Tiger in 2010... I thought about getting replacements but in the end decided to leave as is.



I have learned a lot since then... and could see myself being tempted to building another Tiger at some point, particularly of this vintage, which is why I will be following this carefully...

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Bill Livingston
Cambridge

That's kind of how I feel as well. I think I'll be using a similar solution. Also: The PE bridge tower has some fit issues. In most places, it's VERY nice and tight, nearly seamless. However, I had some issue with a gap on one of the platforms when I glued it to the rest of the tower.



This may be due to my error, but another annoyance with the kit. Still, I love the Tiger enough to trudge on... might try raising her a bit like you did, though, it'll be the first time I've really used a lot of strip styrene.

Bill: Love your Tiger.

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- Chris

1/700 Saratoga w/Pontos (Needs paint)
1/700 Potato w/Kurama (On hold)
1/700 Murdertorpedoboat Ooi

Regarding the turrets, my solution was modification of the Combrig turrets: I crafted the armor plates out by file.

I recognised (recognized for Americans) that my previous post is full of typos - apologies for that.
Bill, I have read about your trials and tribulations with your Tiger - I admire your persistence.
May I ask whether you have ever returned to correct that bent mast and yard?
Yours are one of the finest cage aerials I have ever seen.
Your Renown is mighty good as well.
In fact I wonder what exactly you want to learn from me.
PetrolGator, I can see what your problem is although I'm not there yet.
In similar situations I always find ways to disguise the error of the manufacturer (or myself) by modifying the angle of the bend or by filling the gaps with putty or white glue - the AH set still seems very useful and miraculously detailed to me (before actually using it). It especially comes in handy for the 1918-early 1919 fit I try to depict. There's a reasonably well built model on the AH website bristling with these goodies, so it's doable!

Next I started to mask the strakes on the hull when I realised that the top row of portholes is too high and parallel to the deck, not the waterline, as it should be. I filled the portholes, sanded them smooth and drilled another row underneath.

I promise I will not post every day, it's just that I have made some progress.
All the portholes in the hull sides have been redrilled, the armour strakes masked and the side sprayed with Mr.Surfacer.
I have to make some refinements but I think I managed not to overdo it - these strakes are only just visible in the close ups of the original.

Hi all,

well, this project has suffrered a serious setback. Let me tell you what had happened:
About two weeks ago I had almost finished the detailing if the ship's sides when I thought It was time to determine the exact positioning on the permanent base (next to Derfflinger).
The build was advanced this far:

I drilled the holes and tried to secure her to the base by screws to ensure that this process will be smooth when the ships is ready. I had two screws of slightly different dimensions and finally the larger one had been screwed into the bows causing it crack and finally break off. I ended up with a 4 cm section of the bow missing. I quickly realized that this hull will not be fixed - the detailing would not have been possible to restore, so I tossed it in the trash. Within fifteen minutes a new Tiger model along with the Artist Hobby detail set had been ordered from WEM and with a help from a friend, Greg Gobl who generously lent me his Tiger I could recommence the build the very same evening.
It goes without saying that this was a severe blow to my morale (and bank account).
It was hard to get through the same phases again but this time I tried to reach new levels of accuracy. Almost all scuttles have been redrilled.
I painted the holes black betore attaching the rings or bulkheads:


A also tried to depict the narrow strip covering the line where the side armour had been faired in the ship's sides by masking and applying spray primer:


To add to my bad luck this time I managed to knock down the lower third ot the cutwater.
It was not easy to fix, as this section was already modified and paper thin, thus susceptible to damage.
I decided to drill two holes, glued two thin injection needles into them, added a suitably bent piece of stretched sprue and built up the missing section out of superglue gel:

It turned out reasonably well - mind you I had to limit my sanding and puttying to the very extreme end of the hull the other surfaces
being packed with intricate detail.
I think after these mishaps the build gained a new momentum.

George Pék

Cracking a hull apart would, I can imagine, put the brakes on anyone's train. The fact that you went ahead and plowed on, at the same time resolving to redouble your efforts, speaks highly of you.

Of course, then the modeling gods had to go and throw you another curveball.

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Sean Nash, ACG (aircraft camo gestapo)

On the ways:
1/200 Trumpeter HMS Nelson
1/700 Tamiya USS Yorktown CV-5

In the stash:
1/35 Italiari PT-109
1/35 Tamiya "Pibber" Patrol Boat
1/350 Trumpeter USS Yorktown CV-10

I can celebrate - I surpassed the state of construction of my previous effort in this 2.0 version.
Here's what I arrived at:


Maybe I studied the pictures of the original too long. Upon noticing that the casemates had a grab rail (doubled on the actual casemate gun installations, single between them) I knew I just had to add them - I have never seen them on any model of any scale before.
This was the PE set used:

And this the result (sorry about the poor photos):



In the following picture I show what's been done to the sides of the hull:

1. armour strakes represented by spray primer (will be hardly visible when painted)
2. steps out of cutting a WEM ladder to individual rungs and gluing them to the ship's side (faintly visible in this not-so-perfect picture)
3. small fairlead (Flyhawk)
4.5.6.7. portholes (Artist Hobby and Flyhawk, big and small, with and without rigols). I attached these because the ones AH provides are really very fine (and tried to make them thinner by sanding). I know Jim Baumann won't like them and he's probably right, as there was no such protruding ring around the portholes in the majority of real ships. I don't think I will utilize them in my next models - using them now can be regarded as some kind of tribute to the oriental style of modelmaking - attaching insane quantities of PE parts throughout, doubtless attractive, but sometimes producing exaggerated details.
8. the aforementioned strip covering the edge of the armour belt
9. a recess of unknown significance - scribed in nonetheless
10. grab rail (Lion Roar)
11. ladder (WEM)
Besides the above, I thinned down the fo'c'sle deck overhangs over the casemates and added a door, an open window and four fairleads to the stern.
And finally a picture to show the general appearance - not yet much changed from what the kit originally provided, but improving.


George Pék