Calling all RN Dido-class (1940) fans

[Speedydan]

Hi all.
Thinking of building hms Hermione, Rodney and ark royal in the Mediterranean (op halberd?). Hermione generally described as overall medium grey. However some pics from iwm suggest top of guns & ? Top Turrets a darker grey - what do others think? Maybe 507a? It�s pretty convincing on some, but less so in other pics - ? maybe brighter sun so in some pics it looks same colour even though darker paint?
Cheers for any input
Dan

[EJFoeth]

The first pic clearly shows a wavy pattern over the gun barrels, so there is certainly a light/dark scheme applied. The paint on the top of the A-turret even looks a bit weared-down. In the third pic you can actually see that the darker paint is not added exactly ending on the top with tiny bits on the vertical surface.

[Speedydan]

Thanks ej.
That was my impression too. One more question... Any thoughts on x turret in picture 2. Do you think that vertical surface with the sticky out bit on (rear starboard aspect if turret was in neutral rear facing position) is also darker grey or a trick of the light due to the differing angle meaning it looks the same shade as the turret roof/angle? I suspect its just a trick of light looking at y turret below but not sure.
Cheers dan

[EJFoeth]

For X-turret it's tricky but I'd say darker. For Y-turret I see no large difference between the turret roof or this particular cover and it appears to transfer to the near-vertical surface. I would go for dark.

(But actually, I'd do Euryalus for its magnificent camo pattern )

[Speedydan]

Euralyus would add some colour to the grey Rodney and ark royal... very tempting!

[ch hoeltge]

Hello, I'm building Flyhawks Naiad. My question, which type of gun is part GB-1 5?
Maida SHOULD HAD there a 4 in gun, but the plastic part looks different to this.

Greetings Christian

[Michael Potter]

You have a good eye for kit detail. Flyhawk HMS Naiad part GB01-5 appears to be this 47mm gun: < https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QF_3-pounder_Hotchkiss >

Do you see part GB01-5 in the Naiad kit instructions? This part is half the size of a 4-inch gun at 1/700.

[maxim]

According to Profile Morskie had Naiad a 4.7 cm Hotchkiss gun behind the after HACS. The gun is not visible on the photo in that Profile Morskie, but it was very small, i.e. it could be not visible.

What is the evidence that Naiad hat a 10.2 cm gun? This gun was on board of those Dido class ships, which did not got five 13.3 cm turrets, e.g. Dido, Phoebe, and Bonaventure are described to have had a 10.2 cm gun. Naiad was completed with five turrets.

[Michael Potter]

The 47mm gun is in Flyhawk HMS Naiad kit instruction block 8, abaft the aft HACS.

[ch hoeltge]

Thanks for your input.
I had the information from the english Wiki site, but after a closer look they also write it had 8 5.25 in guns which is then wrong.
So the the Flyhawk parts seems correct, but is there any replacement part availabe as the gun looks way oversized.

Greetings Christian

[maxim]

The 3-pounder Hotchkiss (4.7 cm) in the kit looks perfect for me.

It is this gun:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... N1915.jpeg

It is the part 5 here on the left:

http://www.modellmarine.de/index.php?op ... y&Itemid=1

[Alblyth]

Noting the family link earlier in the thread, Dido is high on my wish list as Dad served on her in WWII (need to do a bit more research on dates to pin down camo and fit peculiarities). My eyes don�t like working in 1/700 any more and the price of resin means for now I�m holding out for someone kitting the class in 1/350 in plastic - and hoping Flyhawk upscale their Naiad, that would get me going.

[CL40]

Noting the family link earlier in the thread, Dido is high on my wish list as Dad served on her in WWII (need to do a bit more research on dates to pin down camo and fit peculiarities). My eyes don�t like working in 1/700 any more and the price of resin means for now I�m holding out for someone kitting the class in 1/350 in plastic - and hoping Flyhawk upscale their Naiad, that would get me going.

There is a version in resin if you want in 1/350. currently on Ebay - HMS Sirius (sister of the Dido).

[Miguel]

There is a version in resin if you want in 1/350. currently on Ebay - HMS Sirius (sister of the Dido).

Quite nice model, I can recommend it but, don't buy it on Evilbay , HMS Sirius is much cheaper directly from ISW .only $187 USD
http://ironshipwrights.com/ships_350.html

Retail is $ 220 USD ,but when you pay ,then it will be a discount and final price of $187 USD.

Now that Flyhawk is jumping to 1/350 scale IMO ,a plastic 1/350 Naiad will appear on the future,but a precise date nobody knows ,could take few years from now.

[silverfoxcc]

Alblyth

Can you pm or email me please

Ron

[Speedydan]

Hi all.
Still slowly building hms hermione under air attack in med (flyhawk naiad). What equipment is in the tubs at gallery level on bridge? It�s numbered 3&4 on pic of instructions. Have had fun working out what all the other bridge equipment was (thank you ej foeth in the slipway blog for all the pics!) but not sure what is in these tubs. On John Haynes blog of his model of euryalus (later war fit with oerlikons) it looks like maybe a director (see pic) but not sure this was on hermione in mid �41 ib the med.
cheers
Dan

[EJFoeth]

From what footage I have of various Dido's these tubs contain pompom directors (as on the John Haynes model) or 20mm guns. When a 20mm gun was placed in the tub you'd typically see a guard rail. Many Didos had the pompom directors either moved to, or already as fitted out, in tubs midships near the quad pompoms, after this move the tub on the bridge is not always present anymore (configurations vary between ships; you'd find the 20mm gun there if the tub is still there and some ships never had this tub to start with). If I look at pics of Hermione from 1941 I do not see these midship tubs near the pompoms so my guess would be that the bridge tub indeed has a pompom director. HMS Euryalus definitely had a pompom director there.

[Speedydan]

Fantastic! Thanks ej. Will scratch a mark ii pompom director for them (thanks for pics of this on your on the slipway blog too!)
Cheers dan

[Mike W]

I have a question about HMS Naiad. I've read that HMS Naiad was repainted in 1941 with a Dark Grey hull and Light Grey upperworks. My question is, can the Flyhawk kit represent Naiad at that time without modification?

thanks
Mike

[tjstoneman]

There is a photo of NAIAD wearing the Dark Grey hull (and superstructure below foc's'le deck level and "Y" turret) and Light Grey upperworks scheme, captioned as 1941, available from the Imperial War Museum (https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item ... /205140571). The configuration appears to be the same as the Flyhawk kit. According to Alan Raven & John Roberts British Cruisers of World War Two (Arms & Armour Press, 1980), she had five single 20mm fitted in September 1941; this may have been after this photo was taken (it shows the positions abreast the bridge still carrying quad 0.5" machine guns).