The Ship Model Forum

Greetings Earthlings

With the outbreak of Covid-19 I thought I should follow suit and isolate me with pride, hence starting on the slumbering pieces I collected during last winter.

Initially I had no plans of “sharing” this build, not for egoism but more for my 4 year long burnout. I want to avoid activities that can create “pressure” for me -like posting on a forum and/or showing progress on spare time/hobby activities.

On the other hand, I have started to realize that I am a tad over my head with this project and need some kind expertise from veterans on a forum such as this. Its been over 20 years since I build a ship model and never on this scale. I have no plans on making any museum copy or even come close, still I want to add as much detail my knowledge and tiny workshop offers.

With that reasoning behind, I will try to post some updates as work continues AND ask questions as they arise

What this build consist of:
Trumpeter 1/200 HMS Hood

Custom Products Used in this Build
Model Monkey
https://www.model-monkey.com/
(Turrets and Funnels)

Pontos
http://pontosmodel.com/
(All Photoetch and resin-parts)


So, thirst thing first – gather information
Literature
Taylor, Bruce (2015) The Battlecruiser HMS Hood Seafort Publishing
If you want the full story of Hood this is a solid pick.

Roberts, John (2010) Anatomy of the ship – The battlecruiser Hood Conway Publishing
Loads of drawings, numbers and exploded views. This book is very handy of you want to place portholes, doors, reels etc. in a correct position.

Online sources
H.M.S Hood Association – great source for information, highly recommended.
http://www.hmshood.org.uk/

Calling all HMS “Mighty” Hood fans
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/vi ... hilit=hood
Some nice pictures and information gathered, as well are new findings being posted here (such as the change of bottom hull color).

On The Slipway – https://ontheslipway.com/
Evert-Jan Foeth build of Hms Hood in 1/350 is just breathtaking. A truly incredible detailed build down to every bolt.
Foeths build is also here on the forum,
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=104121

Pontosmodel 1/200 HMS Hood 1941 Detail Set
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/vi ... 6&t=162889
These pages I have found good when it comes to pictures and information about how some of the brass should be since the drawings included isn't crisp all the time.

Other builds that caught my eye
Jabberwock
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/vi ... od+1%2F200

Europapete
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/vi ... od+1%2F200

Greenglade
http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/vi ... 9&t=166478

YouTube builds =)
There are loads of builds on YouTube but here are three that caught my eye in one way or another.

Ron Calverley – Trumpeter 1/200 whiteout Pontos
Rons build is straight out of the box and he is in no rush when building so lots of talks and interesting notes, why rush when there is so much fun (=
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5EtVVQ ... nCalverley

The Model Shed - Trumpeter 1/200 w. Pontos
Here we are all in with hook, line and sinker. Details are down to the spot pretty much all the way and explained in a very pedagogical and educational way, highly recommended to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbw1QT2 ... eModelShed

AssieTrekkie – Trumpeter 1/200 w. Pontos
Last but not least on my “list”. AssieTrekkie have been building models for a long time and is somewhere between the other two I would say. Fast builder with eye for details.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1hxvI- ... sieTrekkie


Alright, with some neat knowledge obtained, and before the glue sniffing begins; we must create some order.
One stack of high society.


Four stacks of high society, neatly stacked =)


What I have seen most builders start with the hull so that’s where I went as well.
I choose to leave the hull plating as it is, it’s good enough for me.
Removed the degaussing cable/toil with a sharp blade, some minor cuts but that’s easily fixed with some putty.


Re-sized the hawser outlets.


Followed Greenglade and Jabberwork when building the “enclosed space” out of plastic and then adding putty.


Gave the shaft fairings a bit of putty and sanded down to what I think (?) is more accurate. Have seen this being done on other builds as well and most have commented that the kit shape seems a bit of. Not sure if the new look is accurate though. It looks better in my book and thats good for me.


And then it was off to adventure with the hull =)
No one can guess what’s inside, right?
A great friend of my have a decent garage so I invited myself (as always) and asked for some decent craftmanship (:


Hopefully we got the holes right. The glue does sit rock solid so I am not worried about it wearing of.





With the pedestals on it does look nice I must admit.



Then, I got bored with the hull and went on to the bridge/forward superstructure.
If it was this simple all the time to know what to add and/or remove


Some drilling,


and a new, ruff entrance from nowhere.


Plastic plate to fit the new floor from our entrance.


Walled rooms on from the underside. Didn’t measured down to the millimeter so probably some inaccuracy but once again; its good enough for me. Once the build is completed, I doubt much of this will be visible anyhow.


And here is the near finished product. There are some minor details left but nearly done.



Next was the cunning tower and chewing of some plastic.
First I was about to re-shape it to more accurate shape (more oval) but, that meant re-shaping deck and its planking as well and, uhm no. Not a project for me.




Then, I got bored doing superstructure things so went back to the deck and removing parts


After some filing on the wood deck around the barbettes the wooden deck came to rest neatly.


Somewhere around here, when doing the aft deck, I became unsure if all the parts of the wooden deck needs to be removed or if they can/should be left.

Here is fore- and aft deck side by side. Which one is right?
Or, does it matter?


Well, that sums it up for my first post on this forum. Hopefully I won’t get band (=
Happy winds and keep on sailing lads

_________________
https://www.mars-project.org/
The Marintime Archeology Discovery Of The Century

Slava Ukraini

Welcome Chippmunk,

I really look forward to following this, it's nice you decided to share your work and so far your work looks very neat, the Mighty Hood is a beauty, one question though, will you get a Resin replacement funnel for the Botched trumpeter one?

it must have taken quite some time to order everything in these boxes, as for your question regarding the deck, I have no clue

Grts Gerco

_________________
Under construction: KMS Bismarck 1/350

Either way is fine, as long as the plate of the bits is around deck level.



On the actual deck the plate of the bits goes down to the steel deck and the wooden deck was laid around it.

I welcome you, and your thread, hopefully, will kick me back into action!

Cheers, Jabb

_________________
HMS Hood, the big one!

I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure.

Not sure I'd brave enough to do all that surgery, but what you've done looks really good so far.

_________________
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

to modelwarships.com

My observations up to date;

1) You have armed yourself with a decent foundation of information.

2) You have organised your dust free parts storage very well !

3) You choose to make it better !
( removing material to create the undercuts...
==> its the kind of thing I do also-- = man after my own heart.

=========================================================

Now then... the 'Hood is a well studied and documented ship,
it was also a very large ship -- with a lot of stuff on it --
as a model--that will require tenacity , perseverance , and a positive attitude of ' adapt and overcome !

Posting in this most excellent forum does not--in my view put pressure on one,
rather I have found that the encouraging words of fellow modellers can spurn me on to get over when I am in danger of stalling-- , and the seemingly insurmountable always finds a solution.

In your Hood instance-- Mr Foeth is truly an authority-- and his uncompromising pursuit of perfection is commendable !

That said--it is never wrong to study the models of others for inspiration and getting re-enthused to
help push on to completion a large project!

On of my favourite Hood models to date, full of atmosphere...

is this 1/350 offering from my friend Nick Dogger

link http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htm


and an inspiring image!

_________________
....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

Ahoy readers

Thanks each and every one of you for the warm welcome, way above my expectations I must admit. A thankful surprise (:


IJNfan
Yes. When I ordered the turrets from Model Monkey I added both funnels as well. Not sure if both will be needed but better to be safe than sorry. After what I have found on various threads even the Model Monkey funnels seem to be a bit off so we will see what happens when we get there.

Yeah, sorting all the bits took its time for sure. I filed them all as well so they are ready to get glued right away. Some probably find it stupid doing that sorting but for me it was more like meditation and preparation for what to come.

EJFoeth
Oh my, “ask and you shall receive” =)
Thank you very much for the information. It made the decision easy for me to remove the wood. I also came the realization that I might have had removed a bit too much wood on places where it should be left, as below various storage boxes… Oh well, it’s a great learning experience for future builds.

Jabberwock
Thanks, and I do hope it will get you back into action. Your 1/200 HMS Hood is sure some inspiration for me

MartinJQuinn
Thank you. Hopefully it ends up alright once the color is on.

Jim Baumann
Thank you, I hope your observations ring true (;

You sure seem to be right regarding the sheer volume of information available. There is a lot out there, if you have the patience; something I tend to lack from time to time. That sheer volume of information can for me also be overwhelming since I want to do it all but my mind far from manage it, = can’t Compute. Which is spot on where my biggest challenge in life right now lies, I have to do with good enough and be satisfied with it.

Thank you very much for sharing Mr Nick Dogger’s build, that’s sure a beauty. Doing a diorama is something I would love to do for the hopefully coming models.

I think I should widen my view a bit since I more or less only have looked at other 1/200 builds thus far. There are quite some great 1/350 builds as well worth looking up.


Since last post there haven’t been much done. I started to work on some of the photo each that goes on the foredeck. I think I will do all boxes, wildcats etc. and see them fit on the wooden deck (both fore and aft). Once that is done, I can start adding the last details on the hull, glue the plastic deck and give it all a base coat. Hopefully the weekend will be calm so I can make some progress and share some pictures as well.

Happy winds and keep on sailing lads =)

_________________
https://www.mars-project.org/
The Marintime Archeology Discovery Of The Century

Slava Ukraini

Hi folks
A “hot” update for today’s work

Have done a bunch of various “stuff and things” for the fore deck and been dry fitting as progress moved on.






Having a hard time about that wooden deck and if I should have it removed under the boxes as well or re-add it =)


Over and out

_________________
https://www.mars-project.org/
The Marintime Archeology Discovery Of The Century

Slava Ukraini

Nice write up, great pictures. Looks really good!

Hello

Thanks Alex, and welcome to my thread of “try hard first build ever” =)

Today I had the afternoon over so a bit less done compared to yesterday but still, progress!

Worked my way upwards the forward superstructure, not sure about its name actually =)
There are tons of words in the navy vocabulary I have to learn with this, or possibly forth-coming builds

Anyhow, this is what’s been done today.


Upside-down and bottom part glued on.

The two bits fitted fairly good together. Just needs some putty around the edges and it will be good for the basecoat as well.

Which leads me to a question =)
Is it enough to wash all parts gently in tap water and soap before basecoat or should I do more, like using Photoetch Burnishing?
My first layer of basecoat will be Mr Surfacer 1200 or 1000 mixed 50/50-ish with thinner.

Hopefully there will be some more updates next weekend. Timetable looks promising at the moment anyway.

Happy winds folks

_________________
https://www.mars-project.org/
The Marintime Archeology Discovery Of The Century

Slava Ukraini

Welcome to the forums Chippmunk, your build is coming along very nicely. I really should get back on mine, haven't done much to it all summer. Regards, Pete in RI

Great start!

Have popcorn, enjoying the show.

_________________
Have fun, Monkey around.™

-Steve L.

Complete catalog: - https://www.model-monkey.com/
Follow Model Monkey® on Facebook: - https://www.facebook.com/modelmonkeybookandhobby

Popcorn!
That would be something haha =)
Been years and years since that was on the menu. I have to get some corn!

Thank you Europapete


Hi Folks =)

Sorry for the absence, life sometimes moves in mysterious ways

Work have been slow, but; still enough to post some pictures. Not much to boast about though (=


The degaussing cable is fitted. I had to add a bit more glue on a second turn as i noticed some "bubbles" between brass and hull on various places along the hull. Not sure if it would have been visible after paint and weathering but better safe than sorry. I came 2.5 cm short on making it all the way around. Luckily Pontos include some extra for suckers like me haha


I tried to ad details to the forward portholes as i have seen some of the more skilled builders do this. Mine came up a bit short but still, i hope it will ad a bit to the details and still be tiny enough to blend in or not be visible at all after some paint. My apologies for the dark picture :p


Jabberwock have in his build used brass rod to strengthen the rudder, i think it is sound advice so i first used a drill.


And then added the brass rod.

Obviously i did cut it afterwards to make it fit beneath deck level

Jabberwock also put some plastic sprue inside the hull at the propeller shafts to make them be at a more correct angle and stop them from the possibility of dropping inside the hull. This too sounded as good advice. Think i would enjoy working at a security company haha.
First i took hollow PVC plastic parts and attached them with super glue when the angel was "right". Then i added some more minor plastic rods at the end so they wont be able to drop inside the hull once it is enclosed.


I glued on the 3 deck parts and then started to grind down various edges to get the surface even, or near enough even since the wooden deck is going on later in the build.


And that is were i stand for now, a bit more grinding to do. Then, perhaps it is finally time to ad that first coat of base color !


Happy winds and keep on sailing lads

_________________
https://www.mars-project.org/
The Marintime Archeology Discovery Of The Century

Slava Ukraini

Nice work Chipmunk! Beware though, life isn’t the only the moves mysteriously, scale modellers do so too, and every single time they do something beautiful shows up! When I see all these terrific builds I can only scratch my head and wonder how you all do it. Your work is neat, the degaussing has been done Nicely. I only wonder why the degaussing doesn't follow the hull at the bow? Is there still a plastic part missing that should represent the heightened part of the upper hull or doesn’t the hood in 1/200 include it at all?

I had the same problem btw with the degaussing on 1/350 but its nice that these manufacturers provides a little overlength (be it pontos or eduard), as for bubbles, they show, takes a lot of effort to remedy after the pointwork though!

_________________
Under construction: KMS Bismarck 1/350

Ahoy gents =)

Time for another minor update.

IJNfan
Yeah, life indeed moves in mysterious ways (;
Regarding the degaussing cable at the bow – I am a mere simple man who only follow instructions from the HMS Hood Association and/or Pontos ;D
The plastic part you refer to is removed from the hull to make the model justice.


http://www.hmshood.com/hoodtoday/models ... ter200.htm


Realizing I am a bit short on pictures, I will try to write a great story instead (=
After washing the hull thoughtfully with water and a tad of soap I applied the first layer of basecoat using Mr Surfacer 1200 mixed with roughly 1/3 Thinner. First time I used Mr Surfacer and surely not the last; what a great primer.

After drying for a day I sanded down some scrapes and minor bumps I found on the hull. Mr Surfacer is great when it comes to spot issues and sand down. Really good stuff.

I am a bit unsure if the deck needs to be 100% flat since the wooden deck will be added. What do you expert thinks, will this be visible?



Anyway, next up was adding the next base coat. This time Vallejo White Surface Primer. Yes I know, White?
My plan is to start with light colors and tone her down step by step. Till this day I have always done the other way around; starting dark and adding lighter colors. This model however, is way bigger than anything I ever have laid my filthy hands on before so I thought I should try something new. In addition to this, I will probably make her a bit lighter than “correct” but I will also add a bit more weathering effects than correct after which I think, or rather hope; will end in a good tone once completed.





I had some splatters with the airbrush going white. Probably I went a bit heavy on the thinner. Due to this the hull got a bit shady so perhaps I give it another coat with white. Once the white is done and dusted I will switch from the current 0,6 needle down to 0,2 and add thin lines of black in the darker parts and then, then we go grey full scale =)

Happy winds lads

_________________
https://www.mars-project.org/
The Marintime Archeology Discovery Of The Century

Slava Ukraini

Hhmmm.....I still have not painted my hull yet, so will be watching your technique with interest! Looking good so far. As long as the deck joints a level you shouldn't have an issue with the wood deck. Try using a piece of scrap deck wood over the joint area for practice and see how it looks. Regards, Pete in RI

Well, hopefully the technique i opt for will be interesting enough, not saying it will be any good though (=

Regarding the deck joints - i probably should fix that since its not entirely even all around, better to be safe than sorry, and better doing it while it still is in fairly good grasp.

On other news, MORE PAINT!

I gave the hull another go with the white primer, not the best pictures though, this model is a tad big ^^



That was yesterday so just above 24hours dry time till next layer, now switching from Vallejo to Tamiya. I had some thought about either XF-1 Flat Black or the XF-69 Nato Black. Decided go fot the latter since it is a tiny bit less black than the flat one. Switched to my smalest needle for the first time and apparently its 0.15. Its TINY to say the least =)

My initial plan was to go light with the shading since thats what i have seen others do but me being me, and fairly new with airbrushing - i think i just might have overdone the shading. Instead of going over each line once i ended up going back and forth just for the fun haha

Anyway, the previously all white hull now loks more like ehm, something less war machine.
I give you: Zebra



Perhaps there will be more adventures during the weekend, time will tell

Happy winds lads

_________________
https://www.mars-project.org/
The Marintime Archeology Discovery Of The Century

Slava Ukraini

Looks just like the WW1 dazzle scheme! lol. Actually, once the home fleet grey is applied the shading will probably be just right.

Hood is quite a beast at 1:200 scale. Looking good so far.

Howdy folks

Europapete
I actually had to look that up since I had no idea to what you were referring to. You are sure right =) Some of those pictures looks spot on what I have created haha

Mr. Church
She sure is, thanks.


I have been doing some minor work on some of the fore superstructure, mostly adding details so pictures will have to wait a bit.
For the most time of my “spare hobby time” since last post I have been searching the internet for a good guide of how-to ad a good boot topping. Something I have never done before because this is my first ship model since childhood and they never got any paint.
So, I found this thread on Model Boat Mayhem https://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=22510.0

More precisely this post from Bunkerbarge
Spray the upper hull color, in my case good old Halfords grey primer for the upper section, then sit the model in the stand with the model on a large flat surface. Adjust the pencil height in your device to the top line of the boot topping then very lightly slide the base around your model gently marking the hull as you drag it. It doesn't need to be heavy as you move the pencil and it doesn't even need to be a solid line but it does need to be clearly visible. Once you have gone all the way around the hull the line should match up at either end and you can remove the model and lay masking tape above the line. Use thin tape to ensure that you can follow the line accurately then over lay with a wider tape and finally tape and newspaper to completely mask the top of the model. Then spray your matt black up to the masked line. When dry remove the tape and sit the model in the stand again. Then set your pencil to the lower edge of the boot topping and draw another line around the hull, this time you are drawing on the black paint. Again take the model out of the stand and mask above the new pencil line covering the top of the model completely with newspaper. Then spray your antifouling, in my case again Halfords red primer all over the lower hull.
When you remove the masking tape this time you get a perfect black boot topping seperating the red antifouling and the grey upper hull.

The tricky bit is around the stern but as long as you keep the pressure on the pencil gentle so as not to move it vertically you should get a perfect line. The great beauty of this technique is that it gives you a perfect shape boot topping line which, exactly as on real vessels, actually varies in width according to the shape of the hull. Around the stern particularly if you look at the boot topping square on you wil notice that it is quite a bit wider but if you look at it horizontally it looks to be of equal width. This is infinately better than using tape, which remains of an equal width and never looks correct when viewed horizontally.

For me this sounds as very clear advice for me being a newbie (=

Then over at the excellent site of H.M.S Hood Association i found this regarding the boot topping http://www.hmshood.com/hoodtoday/models/tips/hoodpaint.htm

Waterline:
The boot topping was black (and about 8ft tall). If striving for ultimate realism, please note that rarely were boot toppings perfect, nor did they remain pristine; over time, the lower portion of the boot topping would have become somewhat faded and less distinct. So, if you choose to weather below the waterline, remember to also weather the boot topping to match. See immediately below.

Below Waterline:
Everything under the waterline, to include the propeller shafts and rudder, was "Red Anti-Fouling Admiralty Quality". This was a medium to dark red lead paint. It was not as bright as the red used by the contemporary American nor as brownish as the colour used by the German Kriegsmarine. Something in the red oxide range (but not too brown) will work. Colourcoats NARN42 - Royal Navy WW2 Antifouling Red is an excellent match. Also note that this colour would have faded over time and would not have been reapplied as often as topside paint. As a result, unless you are modelling Hood as "freshly painted" you might want to slightly lighten and/or weather the underside with a bit of grey. Note that the actual propellers/screws themselves were bronze in colour.

Eight feet equals 243,84 cm. The term “roughly” does leave some space for own interpretation however =)

My model is 1/200 so that should get me down to 12ish mm, give or take.

Now, I only have to find out a good spot to place the darn line…
This is where I found myself lost, and since some days back been pondering on.
Is there a way to roughly know where the boot topping should be or is it pictures that applies?
I think I can come fairly close looking on other builds and pictures but I am in some doubt since that also could end up terrible wrong.

Anyone care to share some good advice for a lost newbie?

Have a nice weekend chaps and good winds (:

_________________
https://www.mars-project.org/
The Marintime Archeology Discovery Of The Century

Slava Ukraini