Escort craft Group Build November-January '07-'08

[Francisco P. de Nanclares]

Hi all, Gone:

That�s a fantastic build!!.

Congratulations.
Pachi.

[Gone Asiatic]

Hi all, Gone:

That�s a fantastic build!!.

Congratulations.
Pachi.

Victor Mike Tango!

[Edward Pinniger]

DE is perfectly fine

A Rudderow-class it is then - specifically USS DeLong, the old 1/300 Lindberg kit. Here's what I've done so far:

The basic hull + superstructure parts are assembled - the trademark Lindberg panel lines have been sanded off or filled in (except on the hull + main deck, where they've just been sanded lightly) and bilge keels have been added using Evergreen rod sanded to shape.
Moulded hatches + ladders have been removed ready to be replaced with PE (the rest of the moulded bulkhead detail - which isn't bad - has been left in place), I also intend to drill out the portholes and replace the splinter shields with styrene or brass sheet.

I don't really need another ship on the workbench at the minute, what with Hood, Hartford, Velox and Peder Skram, but I got this kit in the mail a few days ago and the Escort GB has given me the perfect excuse to start it... I also got a Trumpeter USS England yesterday, the two will make an interesting comparison when completed (I also have a Revell 1/240 Buckley but this will eventually be converted to a RN Captain-class frigate)

[JH]

Sure I will enter my HMS Bluebell which is currently in the works at around 75% complete.
I'll post images soon.

Jens

[Guido]

Checking in with my HMS Totland, Itasca-Class sloop, based on the 1/700 WEM kit. It's about 90% finished! I think a costal sloop qulifies as a subject.
It started as a on-the-side project and took away all attention from other projects: Lots of fun, really
Hope you like it!



Guido

[JH]

Hi Guido,
A fantastic build

Keep it going
Jens

[Edward Pinniger]

To Guido - your HMS Totland is looking very impressive! This is one class of ship I've never heard of, and I thought I was fairly familiar with RN WW2 ship classes.

Anyway, here are some more photos of my USS DeLong:


Splinter shields have been replaced with 0.3mm styrene sheet, internal bracing is made from very fine Slaters styrene strip. I've also made new splash shields/bulwarks from sheet but these need to wait until the superstructure is painted before they are installed. Steam pipes have been added to the funnel using copper wire.
Portholes and anchor chain ports have also been drilled out (rigoles will be added later using thin wire). If some of them look too big, it's due to the black paint I used to paint the insides of the portholes. Note that the Rudderow class didn't actually have hawsepipes for the anchor chains, the anchors just rested on the sides of the hull. I thought this was a typical Lindberg error until I looked at some contemporary photos and found that the real ships were like this too.


Etched brass doors, hatches and ladders have now been added, these are a mixture of WEM and GMM items. The kit's scale is described as 1/300 on the box and is very marginally smaller than this, around 1/305-310. 1/350 photo-etch is close enough in scale for me!
Turret barbettes have also been added using brass washers, and the mast temporarily attached. Props (not visible in photo) were replaced with spares from Trumpeter's USS England kit (this has a spare pair of props included)


The 5" turrets in the kit are awful - devoid of any detail other than Lindberg's infamous panel lines (recessed!) and not really the right shape. The best option would be to replace them with 1/350 L'Arsenal resin turrets or spares from a Tamiya or Trumpeter Fletcher-class (even if they're a bit underscale) but, being cheap, I decided to make do with the existing kit parts. I filled in the panel lines, reshaped the turrets slightly with a file, and added surface detail with styrene stock, brass wire and PE ladders.

More photos later when the hull is painted (the ship will be painted in MS.22 (overall light grey with dark grey lower hull). Note that all of this work was done a couple of weeks ago, not long after my first post - most of my modelling time is currently occupied building a 1/18 steam traction engine which needs to be finished in time for Christmas!

[Guido]

[nick]

Nice models!!!!!

[Francisco P. de Nanclares]

Goooooooodeveningeverybody!.

Here it is. SPS Canarias about 90/95% completed. Some parts scratchbuilt or modified from the US sisterships. Still lacking the hull numbers, safety nets, helo (already completed), and some other small bits and pieces. Next will go the seascape and showcase. This time I�ll try a more calm water and a high speed run. We�ll see how it turns out.

Hope you like it.
Cheers.
Pachi.

[Avery Boyer]

Fantastic work so far guys

[nick]

Cool looking model Francisco!

[Dirk Mennigke]

Hi Pachi,
well done

Dirk

[Francisco P. de Nanclares]

Thanks guys!.

Pachi.

[DanCinSD]

Not much more time.... and I have had a rather interesting change... I was going to do a 1/350 "england" but before I started I got out my partly built Tamiya kit of the "Bouge" and next thing you know I have been working on it... Maybe I can slide by with that as my entry for this since IT IS an Escort carrier!!
A pic in progress...

[Guido]

Hello, Avery!
With just three weeks left until the deadline I was wondering:
Do we just post our pics here? If yes how many and what are the requirements concerning views?
Guido

[Avery Boyer]

Yep, post your pics here. No requirments other than you have at least one overall view

[Guido]

That sounds easy enough!

[Edward Pinniger]

USS DeLong is nearly finished:


It just needs railings, hull numbers, weathering and rigging now. The 20mm guns are WEM photo-etch with brass wire barrels, 40mms are a mixture of kit parts, styrene stock and WEM PE, and the Hedgehog is scratchbuilt. Rafts are spares-box parts with scratchbuilt details. I also made a radar from scrap PE mesh along with a crow's nest from styrene tube.

I'll post some more photos when it's done!

[Francisco P. de Nanclares]

Hi guys.

This is my entry. Spanish Navy FFG Canarias. She still lacks the hull numbers, but I seem unable to get the right way to maake the decals, so, this how the model is right now: