HMS Cairo, scale 1/350

[Christian Bruer]

After a long absence from ship modelling I am back in the modelling yard with a conversion of Trumpeter's HMS Calcutta into HMS Cairo in her early 1941 outfit.

For a coversion into her 1941 configuration are the following modifications necessary:
- A shelter type structure aft of the bridge (housing for Type 279 air warning radar machinery and office?)
- A shelter structure in between the funnels (also a radar office?)
- Splinter shields an all 4" gun positions
- New fore mast platform and extended fore mast
- Type 279 air warning radar on fore and main mast

Other modifications and replacements of kit parts are:
- 4� Mk. XVI Twin Mount, North Star Models
- 2 Pdr. Quad PomPom, Black Cat Models
- 0,5� Vickers Quad, North Star Models
- HACS Mk. III direction finder, Micro Master
- 27ft Whaler, Micro Master
- 32ft Cutter, Micro Master
- 16ft Sailing Dinghy, Micro Master
- 8ft Carley Float, Micro Master
- 14ft Carley Float, Micro Master
- 36in Searchlight, North Star Models
- Bridge equipment, North Star Models
- RN anchors, North Star Models
- Paravanes, Black Cat Models
- Type 279 Radar, KA Models
- RN railings, Flyhawk

Some other modifications are done or are in progress using brass and styrene, like fore and main mast from brass rod, structure, pipes and ladders inside the funnels, steam pipes, replacing of bulwarks and splinter shields at the bridge and searchlight platforms, support structure below each bridge deck.
Still in progress, flag staff and davids will be made from brass rod, splinter matting from styrene, additional ladders from different PE sets.

The conversion is based on a few photos and information and because of the lack of more detailed information more or less guesswork and interpretation. I hope to come as close as possible to represent this elegant type of ship.

Happy Modelling, Christian

[taskforce48]

Welcome back

You are off to an amazing start, such clean scratch building always impresses me and makes me envious. Been seeing your posts on Facebook and glad to see it here now to better track along.

Keep up the great work!

Matt

[Christian Bruer]

Thank you very much for your warm welcome and your kind comment

Cheers, Christian

Welcome back

You are off to an amazing start, such clean scratch building always impresses me and makes me envious. Been seeing your posts on Facebook and glad to see it here now to better track along.

Keep up the great work!

Matt

[marijn van gils]

Great work Christian!
Very clean and precise job, both on the update sets and the scratchbuilt elements. That mast is a wonderful model in itself!

[Chlo� Plattner]

Absolutely top notch Christian, I so love to follow your built as it is extremely inspiring

[litvin70]

Excellent work! Very interestig build.

[MartinJQuinn]

Fantastic work. Very clean and very inspiring!

[maxim]

I am very curious on that conversion! The C class conversions are a very interesting subject!

[Christian Bruer]

Hello all,

thank you very much for your warm welcome and your very kind comments

[Christian Bruer]

Good evening all,
I added lately all the small details which brings a ship model to life, like ladders, flagstaff fore and aft, position lights. Next to this the last kit parts found it's place, like the structure in front of the 4" gun (a framweork to avoid firing into the superstructure?) and the loop aerial on top of the superstructure. The platforms for the Typ 279 radar are loaned from my spare parts from my Blefast. They fit quite nice with only slightly improvements because of the thinner mast.

According to my latest research the Typ 285 radar was fitted in January 1941. Unfortunately I ordered the HACS tower without the Typ 285, but hey, there are some Type 285 PE antennas left in the spare box.

Well, the main work comes to an end, there are just a few things to do before I can start the paintwork. But before I have to start the base to alinge the hull as good as possible.
Happy Modelling

[marijn van gils]

Great work Christian!
A great example of not just slapping a detailing set on a kit, but combining a kit, detail sets and scratchbuilding for the best final result!

Looking forward to the paint!

[Christian Bruer]

Great work Christian!
A great example of not just slapping a detailing set on a kit, but combining a kit, detail sets and scratchbuilding for the best final result!

Looking forward to the paint!

Thank you Marijn Indeed the combination of different accessories, kit parts and scratch build items make most fun in modelmaking and hopefully brings out the best result.

[Christian Bruer]

Good evening all,

Meanwhile I have added splinter matting I made from Magic Sculpt, 50 parts in total, along the bridge. Each part was individually made, with a size of 2,4 x 4,0mm.

[marijn van gils]

Nothing replicates the 'soft' look of matting like home-sculpted items!

[Christian Bruer]

Nothing replicates the 'soft' look of matting like home-sculpted items!

Thx for the thumb up Marijn
I used it for the first time and I was impressed by the softness without sticking to much to the fingers, great stuff

Meanwhile I got the Mk1 Design RN Radar Set what allowed me to complete the fore and main mast with the Type 279 radar. The fragile parts are nicely done and the fit of the parts was absolutely exact.

Now I am dealing with the Admiralty Disruptive Pattern she wore in late 1941. According to Raven it was 507A, 507C and MS3. But I am not sure about the dark tone?!

[MartinJQuinn]

Those radars look fantastic. Very clean work.

[marijn van gils]

+1! Great job Christian!

[Frank Spahr]

This is going to be a showstopper - extremely neat and crisp work and fidelity to detail, and great photography!

Looking forward to seeing the completed model

Frank