WEM H.M.S. Barham 25.11.1941.

[zs180]

There is a pair of vents on the deck behind the funnel base which are represented only by a slip of resin � around it I built up the vent out of PE mesh and styrene sheet.

My next task was to decide which funnel I would use (owning three kits I do have a choice). I chose the one from the WaveLine resin kit (the one in the middle).

I cut away all molded-on detail, hollowed out the top of the funnel about 1 cm deep, added some PE walkways to the inside, glued the thinned-down plastic funnel-top (taken from the Trumpeter kit)

on top then painted the inside black.

To fabricate my own steam pipes proved to be quite daunting. I used Albion Alloys� 0,4 mm Nickel silver tube for this purpose. There are nine pipes and while the rear three are straight, the ones attached to the sides of the funnel were a pain to get right.

[zs180]

I used Rainbow�s �fixing ring of flues� (it must be a kind of medicine, ha-ha) designed specially for the purpose of attaching pipes.

I pulled the tiny PE rings over the pipes and superglued their extensions into pre-drilled holes on the funnel.

Next I turned my attention to the searchlight platforms and their supporting towers. I decided to fabricate my own platforms along with their bulwarks because the ones from kits all suffered from the known flaw of being thick and shallow. First I cut the floor of the platforms from a PE sheet with an anti-slip texture (which is grossly oversize, I know, but will be hardly visible with searchlights attached).

The bulwarks were made of aluminium sheet. I deviced a new technique here. It�s always been a problem how to replicate bulwarks with an outward-sloping upper edge. Previously I did this by glueing a strip of stretched sprue the outer top and sanding it flush with the top. Using aluminium sheet provided me with a much better way of dealing with this problem. I took a strip, folded the upper 0,1 mm outward and then I could even form round bulwarks from this without the outward edge being distorted.

IMG_6739.JPG (34.65 KiB) Viewed 2175 times

[zs180]

It can obviously stretch and thus keep its shape. I think the bulwarks made this way look quite convincing.

Here the foremost searchlight tower is shown next to the other two. I spotted a hiatus between it and the funnel in photographs so I had to affix it via spacers.

IMG_6733.JPG[/attachment [attachment=6]IMG_6734.JPG

Supporting stanchions and piping was added followed by the steam pipes on the sides which didn�t turn out quite as even and parallel as I had hoped but by no means am I willing to touch them again.

[zs180]

Was it worthwhile to spend so much time and effort on detailing the funnel? I think yes.

I will add the funnel cap grille and two ladders next, then detail the pom-pom platforms.
This update tries to make up for the months gone by with no news by over-explaining every tiny step � I hope someone will have the persistence to read it through�

[EJFoeth]

Superb work! I really like the flange on the splintershields at 1:700 scale; well done!

[JIM BAUMANN]

Good to see some new progress!
You are forgiven fro summer pause ;

a ship tour of the USA...!


Congratulations

JB

[MartinJQuinn]

Your work on the funnel is amazing! You are going to give Richard Price a run for his money!

[Bangor lad]

Superb work!

[LE BOSCO]

Was it worthwhile to spend so much time and effort on detailing the funnel? I think yes.�

Me too a superb work as always with you
I like it
cheers
Nicolas

[Gabor]

Even this "small progress" is

[Joe Simon]

Very nice!

[totally_random_man]

brutally convincing!

[marijn van gils]

The time and effort on the funnel is very much worth it I think! Just wonderful!

Great tip on the bulwark edges! Good to know aluminum sheet will conform to such curves. Thanks!

Cheers,

Marijn

[zs180]

Thank you all my friends for your kind words coming from some of the best modellers I know.
Martin, I don't want to compete with Richard, I don't think my humble work even compares to his. Richard's building process involves a much greater percentage of scratchbuilding which is one of the finest I have seen. When I was working on the steam pipes I kept an eye on his rendition of the funnel. I must admit his pipes turned out much nicer and it cannot be entirely blamed on the diffrence in scales.
But it's nice that Ricard and I have been able to cooperate during the build thus helping each other achieve a greater degree of realism.

[zs180]

I add pictures of the finished funnels (inclined ladders will be added after painting). Instead of using the PE funnel cap grille provided in WEM�s upgrade set because I deemed it to be overly thick I drilled twenty tiny holes into the funnel top and built up a funnel cap grille out of 35 pieces of 0,1 mm diameter copper wire.

[Bangor lad]

Absolutely stunning work.

[steinerman]

Really fabulous work! You are a true artist! Can you tell me why you used nickel silver for the piping instead of brass?

[marijn van gils]

That funnel cap grille is just crazy!
In copper wire� I hope you don't bump it, because that must be terribly fragile!

[zs180]

Dave, Larry thank you very much.
Larry I just happened to find a suitable diameter of tube in my stash so went on to use it for the steam pipes without any further ado.
They were surely harder to bend than brass but at least kept their shape thereafter. I do agree that using brass instead would have made more sense though.
Marijn, yeah, regarding that I have since removed and re-installed the funnel umpteen times I'm trembling with fear every time I touch it.

[zs180]

Detailing of the pom-pom platforms has been finished. A small, semicircular platform was fitted underneath extended right up to the floor of the pom-pom platform. Dark rectangles can be made out in the picture of the ship from the respective period - I presume they can be some kind of vision slits and built the structure to match the photograph (this is a detail missing from every plan). The original clunky splinter shield was cut off and a new, thinner one was constructed out of aluminium sheet complete with internal braces and reinforcing rim on top. I had to cut out the splinter shield at places to make room for the searchlight towers and ladders to fit. It�s certainly different from the Profile Morskie plan but there�s no knowing how this detail looked in reality. Inclined ladders leading to the platforms are fitted only temporarily for the sake of the photographs.
In the following two pictures the platforms can be seen without the funnel for clarity.

And with the funnel and inclined ladders in place (everything temporarily attached without gluing and will be disassembled for painting) :

Next I will move on to the most complicated phase this build � the bridge with its complex tripod structure.