Calling all King George V-class (WWII) fans
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Cag
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Hi All,
Hi Bob, Richard is correct the prop shafts were in lower hull colour anti fouling, the boats depend on the time period you are thinking of modelling your ship, and depends on the painting of the ship at that time.
EJ Foeth has an excellent website on the slipway and he is working his way through the list of RN ships boats you might want to have a look at.
Ships boats were generally the main hull colour or associated camo colours, Richard might know better but I think the Admirals boats or Captains boats could be coloured green and blue respectively.
So it depends on when you're portraying the ship.
Hope that helps a bit
Best wishes
Cag.
Hi Bob, Richard is correct the prop shafts were in lower hull colour anti fouling, the boats depend on the time period you are thinking of modelling your ship, and depends on the painting of the ship at that time.
EJ Foeth has an excellent website on the slipway and he is working his way through the list of RN ships boats you might want to have a look at.
Ships boats were generally the main hull colour or associated camo colours, Richard might know better but I think the Admirals boats or Captains boats could be coloured green and blue respectively.
So it depends on when you're portraying the ship.
Hope that helps a bit
Best wishes
Cag.
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Bob the Stug
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Many thanks Dick
Hi Cag
Excellent and many thanks, i plan to do KGV as per her battering of Bismarck. Will have to leave off the AA placements, just hope the hunter deck allows for that?
Will have a look at the site you suggested
thanks bob
Hi Cag
Excellent and many thanks, i plan to do KGV as per her battering of Bismarck. Will have to leave off the AA placements, just hope the hunter deck allows for that?
Will have a look at the site you suggested
thanks bob
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Cag
- Posts: 229
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Hi All,
Hi Bob, you're welcome, that's quite a project as that kit is of KGV post refit, they removed the catapult to be replaced with the boats and put AA on what was the old boat deck.
The radar fit will be somewhat different too so a lot of work ahead, but not impossible.
Best wishes
Cag
Hi Bob, you're welcome, that's quite a project as that kit is of KGV post refit, they removed the catapult to be replaced with the boats and put AA on what was the old boat deck.
The radar fit will be somewhat different too so a lot of work ahead, but not impossible.
Best wishes
Cag
- Martocticvs
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
The Prince of Wales kit is a better base for early KGV, but as Cag says, totally doable, just a bit more involved! Good luck!
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SovereignHobbies
- SovereignHobbies

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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
This might help - Sprues E, F and G are different between the KGV and POW kitsBob the Stug wrote:Many thanks Dick
Hi Cag
Excellent and many thanks, i plan to do KGV as per her battering of Bismarck. Will have to leave off the AA placements, just hope the hunter deck allows for that?
Will have a look at the site you suggested
thanks bob

James Duff
Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
http://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk
Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151
Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
http://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk
Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151
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Bob the Stug
- Posts: 122
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Many thanks James.
Sorry for late reply. Will get hold of POW as well, should be good practice!!
Bob
Sorry for late reply. Will get hold of POW as well, should be good practice!!
Bob
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chazi
Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Hello everyone
I'm looking for drawings for shell platting of hull KGV?
I'm looking for drawings for shell platting of hull KGV?
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EJFoeth
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
The Brass Foundry (National Maritime Museum) holds them, three A0-ish sheets.
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dick
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Having now seen KGV�s D495�s, the colour of her bottom can be determined.
Until 1945 she was a Moravia ship (like Ark Royal). Moravia anti-fouling came in black or grey. Although her D495�s do not state whether black or grey Moravia anti-fouling was used during this period, various dry dock photos of KGV show the lower hull to be significantly lighter than the boot topping so we can say that her bottom was grey November 1940-1945. At her November-December 1945 docking at Sydney, Mason�s (Australian) anti fouling was used and the colour of this was recorded: grey. At her next docking, back in the UK, in February 1947, she reverted to Moravia and this time the colour of the Moravia anti fouling used was recorded: grey.
At her subsequent dockings the new Pocoptic anti fouling was used. No color was recorded. It came in red or black.
Until 1945 she was a Moravia ship (like Ark Royal). Moravia anti-fouling came in black or grey. Although her D495�s do not state whether black or grey Moravia anti-fouling was used during this period, various dry dock photos of KGV show the lower hull to be significantly lighter than the boot topping so we can say that her bottom was grey November 1940-1945. At her November-December 1945 docking at Sydney, Mason�s (Australian) anti fouling was used and the colour of this was recorded: grey. At her next docking, back in the UK, in February 1947, she reverted to Moravia and this time the colour of the Moravia anti fouling used was recorded: grey.
At her subsequent dockings the new Pocoptic anti fouling was used. No color was recorded. It came in red or black.
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Cag
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Hi All,
Hi Richard, once again thank you very much for that info it is very much appreciated that you post these new findings for all to see.
May I ask would it therefore not be too much of a stretch of the imagination to think that Prince of Wales, being built in the same yard as the Moravia hulled Ark Royal and being of the same class as the Moravia hulled KGV, would also be a Moravia ship?
Having seen her dry dock images showing a clear boot topping demarcation line, if she was a Moravia ship it would again be grey rather than black.
Thanks again for the generous gift of new information,
Best wishes
Cag.
Hi Richard, once again thank you very much for that info it is very much appreciated that you post these new findings for all to see.
May I ask would it therefore not be too much of a stretch of the imagination to think that Prince of Wales, being built in the same yard as the Moravia hulled Ark Royal and being of the same class as the Moravia hulled KGV, would also be a Moravia ship?
Having seen her dry dock images showing a clear boot topping demarcation line, if she was a Moravia ship it would again be grey rather than black.
Thanks again for the generous gift of new information,
Best wishes
Cag.
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dick
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
I don't know Sean. It is entirely possible but I think I'd want to know what was used on other ships at the Vickers yard in Newcastle around the time KGV was being built to see if it was the case that there was a pattern of ships from the same yard being given the same make of bottom paints, or likewise for other ships from Cammell Laird's at around the time Ark Royal was built.Cag wrote: May I ask would it therefore not be too much of a stretch of the imagination to think that Prince of Wales, being built in the same yard as the Moravia hulled Ark Royal and being of the same class as the Moravia hulled KGV, would also be a Moravia ship?
(DoY (same class of course but different yard) was a Clark's ship when built.)
Last edited by dick on Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Cag
- Posts: 229
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Hi All,
Hi Richard, thanks yes I'd agree, I've checked the Cammell Laird files I have but although a lot of makers names are in there unfortunately nothing for paint compositions.
Nothing in the Yard Managers build diary, except for Aranbee applications. Similarly the launch particulars contain nothing, so as you say perhaps a trend in similar ships completed within the same time period in the same yard may give us a better idea what was used.
The only other info is from eyewitness statements from the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse, but again its vague and usually described as red for both ships, but then we thought that a red bottom colour was the case for Hood Ark Royal and KGV!
Thanks again
Best wishes
Cag.
Hi Richard, thanks yes I'd agree, I've checked the Cammell Laird files I have but although a lot of makers names are in there unfortunately nothing for paint compositions.
Nothing in the Yard Managers build diary, except for Aranbee applications. Similarly the launch particulars contain nothing, so as you say perhaps a trend in similar ships completed within the same time period in the same yard may give us a better idea what was used.
The only other info is from eyewitness statements from the sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse, but again its vague and usually described as red for both ships, but then we thought that a red bottom colour was the case for Hood Ark Royal and KGV!
Thanks again
Best wishes
Cag.
- Martocticvs
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Fascinating! That's going to take a little getting used to, but looking forward to making the change to my 3D KGV when I eventually get back to work on her.
Re. DoY - do we know what colour the Clarks paint was?
Re. DoY - do we know what colour the Clarks paint was?
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dick
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Their anti fouling was red or blackMartocticvs wrote:
Re. DoY - do we know what colour the Clarks paint was?
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Bob the Stug
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Afternoon all
Very interesting info! I am about to build my first ever large scale kit, Tamiyas 1 350 KGV, plus a shed loads of extras.
Was going to paint the hull a dark red/brown, but it should now be light grey!
Can anybody point me at the best paint to use, i normally use lacquers on my Tanks.
Many thanks, bob
Very interesting info! I am about to build my first ever large scale kit, Tamiyas 1 350 KGV, plus a shed loads of extras.
Was going to paint the hull a dark red/brown, but it should now be light grey!
Can anybody point me at the best paint to use, i normally use lacquers on my Tanks.
Many thanks, bob
- Martocticvs
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
I'm not sure it should be particularly light - bear in mind (please someone correct me if I'm wrong), in the photo above where she has the damaged bow, I believe she was still painted in 507A/B Dark Grey, Home Fleet Shade, and the underwater hull does not look substantially different in terms of light reflectance. As we know that both areas are grey, it should be fairly safe to simply compare values from the black and white photos.
Using the photo above as reference, the upper hull has a value of about 65%. This photo is significantly over-exposed, but we know 507A/B (A and B being one and the same by this time) had an LRV of between 10 and 13%. The underwater hull has a value of roughly 60-62%, so I would suggest going just a touch darker than Home Fleet grey for this area (but definitely not a full shade, or even half a shade really).
Using the photo above as reference, the upper hull has a value of about 65%. This photo is significantly over-exposed, but we know 507A/B (A and B being one and the same by this time) had an LRV of between 10 and 13%. The underwater hull has a value of roughly 60-62%, so I would suggest going just a touch darker than Home Fleet grey for this area (but definitely not a full shade, or even half a shade really).
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Bob the Stug
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Many thanks
Will be using Tamiya paint as per there plans so will get a Tamiya colour chart to find a suitable grey
Will be using Tamiya paint as per there plans so will get a Tamiya colour chart to find a suitable grey
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EJFoeth
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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
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Last edited by EJFoeth on Thu Feb 17, 2022 11:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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SovereignHobbies
- SovereignHobbies

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Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
That's worth revisiting as a strategy as they haven't represented it very well at all... HMS King George V as fitted in the Tamiya kits was wearing Scheme A, the lighter grey not being an American-style neutral grey but a blue-tinted light grey called G45, and the darker grey not being a dark grey at all but a relatively saturated blue-grey called B20.Bob the Stug wrote:Many thanks
Will be using Tamiya paint as per there plans so will get a Tamiya colour chart to find a suitable grey
James Duff
Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
http://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk
Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151
Sovereign Hobbies Ltd
http://www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk
Current build:
HMS Imperial D09 1/350
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=167151
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Cag
- Posts: 229
- Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 7:37 am
Re: Calling all HMS King George V class (WWII) fans
Hi All,
Hi Evert Jan, many thanks for those pics, much appreciated as always,
Best wishes
Cag.
Hi Evert Jan, many thanks for those pics, much appreciated as always,
Best wishes
Cag.