Calling all RM Littorio-class fans!

[JIM BAUMANN]

1/350 Axis Models ROMA... mustering information....

OK guys

Now I have all the bits of the 1/350 Axis Roma resin kit...

I am planning my assault on this fine kit--but as ever... want just about every scrap of information I can lay my hands on...

I have a pile of books spread all over my home--all with markers on relevant ages--some of them in Italian--

Here is a link I found--makes interesting viewing....gives a good idea of what the finished model would look like in 3D

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur ... D%26sa%3DN

However... I am split between doing her in the splinter camouflage--thereby loosing/disguising the georgeous shape( duh!)...-- as intended....

or in her trials condition--weathered and streaked wonderfully
...with... well ...streaks..!!

as in this photo-review right here at MW.com
http://www.modelwarships.com/features/a ... a/roma.htm

I would like to portray the ship with the red/white aircraft recognition stripes on the bow-

-makes for a more interesting model in its case..

-BUT... was she painted with these stripes WITHOUT the splinter camouflage..??

Curious...!!

Hopefully some of our better Regia Marina informed colleagues could chime in here!#

the originator of Axis Models-Patrizio Carlucci--has alreday shown how splendid this model can and will look (here in 1/700)

http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html

Thanks in advance!!


Ciao!!



JIM BAUMANN

[Laurence Batchelor]

I offer my archives to thee!

I can scan carefully (i.e. without damaging the spines) anything in the Orizzonte Mare series on her there are 2 books I think if mem serves and I have a few other books on the RM and their BB's.

I also have some stunners of her right here in my photo library on the pc, (no doubt the close up is worth a pint? )
ohhhhh she's a real Italian beauty! Shame about the war record ahem!

*links removed by TimmyC - links to pictures no longer on that site*

[Dino Carancini]

Great, can't wait to see your Roma, just give me the time to get home from work and I'll check about the red/white stripes.

Have you the "orizzonte mare" books about the Littorio class? If not drop me a line by PM

Dino

[modelmanuk]

great link there so do you have the instruction from axis yet?

[Dino Carancini]

...here we are, Roma was launched on 09/06/1940, she was painted " grigio chiaro " ( light gray ) without stripes, this till 1942. She begun ready to be consigned to the Regia Marin on August 1942, for that time she was painted with her first camouflage scheme, with white on the bow and stern and red/white stripes on the forecastle, white color on hull was removed in 1943.

Dino

[RNfanDan]

Laurence, you have just posted the BEST %^$#&@ photographs I've yet seen of Roma! I feel eminently qualified to say this, as I have been hounding images of the Veneto class for weeks, in preparation for my own scratchbuild project!


To JIM (or anyone else possibly interested in such information):

Just a couple points to make Re: the "Meshes" site. Don't rely on the CAD graphics posted there, of Roma--they are of excellent quality and are overall very good efforts, but the hull configuration and certain details are NOT depicted correctly (again, I am on top of this because I am involved in my own current build).

1: Don't paint the lower hull in red anti-fouling. Just as the Axis master photographs show, use Verde Scuro (a shade of green), unless you're doing a half-hull build or otherwise obscuring the bottom from view. This color is not included in the WEM Colourcoats RM paint set and, indeed it seems nobody has bothered to research this color as an official shade. However, I have a recommendation from Giampero at Regia Marina, to use Humbrol #149.

2: If the Axis model remains unchanged from their CNC-milled aluminum master (the one shown on their site), you have a superb hull with which to work! Axis has it right, but the above-mentioned graphics do not. There are many subtle and complex details in the hull form, especially in the way the ship's armour belt and Pugliese protection was integrated into the hull. These details are beautifully rendered in the Axis aluminum master, but are missing or poorly rendered in those other images. I won't elaborate further here, but if you or anyone else would like more, I'll be happy to PM off-forum.

[Laurence Batchelor]

Laurence, you have just posted the BEST %^$#&@ photographs I've yet seen of Roma! I feel eminently qualified to say this, as I have been hounding images of the Veneto class for weeks, in preparation for my own scratchbuild project!

Well my door's always open to man of good taste such as yourself!

I'm sure I have more somewhere

[William Swan]

Jim,

my 2 cents worth (or 1 penny in your case)...

Don't do the splinter camo. This is far too beautiful ship to confuse the eye with. I always prefer to do my ships in a camo that does not confuse the viewer (who's almost always only me, anyway). My favorite USN camo is Measure 22 as it seems to make even the dowdiest bucket look fantastic.

WS

[JIM BAUMANN]

@ RNfanDan...

you wrote:
>.. unless you're doing a half-build or otherwise obscuring the bottom ...<

.....half-build.... hehehehe!




yep!--I shall be doing a waterline build--so will be grinding off 2 lb of resin on Friday...twice!!--hahah!!--my chum Nick is visiting to have his lower hull removed also...

@William Swan-

-I am leaning in your direction re: no camou--the ship is JUST toooo pretty to defile her lines with splinter.... I guess I could live without the stripes!!

Laurence and Dino et al... Thank you for your kind offers.

I have a brace of Orrizonte Mare's--the volume of the Littorio class I missed by pennies on e-bay recently....( Laurence--was that you selling...?) so if someone has one for sale, loan I would be a willing buyer--Laurence is willing to scan--but there is NOTHING like having the original!!

Thank you all so far for your insight and knowledge!

Any further useful pics or links will be much appreciated!!

Just have to finish my Mauretania first, complete the 1/192 HMS Victoria and then on to the ROMA, so I shall be starting in april I reckon.

Could do with a second set of ( verified!) plans, I have a small grey area(hohoho!) with the kit and the supplied drawing I wish to doublecheck....

back to the Mauretania for now..!

JIM B

[RNfanDan]

I just KNEW I was going to screw something up, today...

The term I intended to use is half-hull build!
I have since, corrected my post.

Dan

[Stefano]

...here we are, Roma was launched on 09/06/1940, she was painted " grigio chiaro " ( light gray ) without stripes, this till 1942. She begun ready to be consigned to the Regia Marin on August 1942, for that time she was painted with her first camouflage scheme, with white on the bow and stern and red/white stripes on the forecastle, white color on hull was removed in 1943.

Dino

Ciao Dino,
where did you find this info, exactly? Orizzonte Mare? TIA

[Dino Carancini]

Hi Stefano,

yes, I was looking on the first book about Littorio class. The dates are written as comment of some photos while about the red/white stripes there is a photo of the ship almost ready to be consigned that shows no stripes on the forecastle, obviously just one photo can't be a postulate, but I belive it is true because there were no need to wear aerial markings.

I'm still looking about the white on the camouflage, on the stern and bow, anyway it seems it was removed during 1943, as for some others Regia Marina ships.

I think, but I can only suppose it, that the three photos posted by Laurence probably show the ship in Trieste when she was ready to be put in service.

[JIM BAUMANN]

Ciao the Italy connection!

does anyone have a scale drawing of the main turret-'s -anywhere--either on-line or scannable....
Needed asap--tommorrow is 'Roma' day with my chum Nick--so need to have as much info as possible!!

Hehe!

Jim B

[Dino Carancini]

Here again, I cross checked my infos with "Navi e marinai italiani nella seconda guerra mondiale", there are some photos ( pag.276 and 277 ) that show the Roma without white on the hull.



The photos are not very clear but according with the info that Regia Marina removed the white from camouflage in 1942, as stated in the Orizzonte mare book, I think we can accept that there was no white on Roma hull in 1943.

[Dino Carancini]

Ciao the Italy connection!

does anyone have a scale drawing of the main turret-'s -anywhere--either on-line or scannable....
Needed asap--tommorrow is 'Roma' day with my chum Nick--so need to have as much info as possible!!

Hehe!

Jim B

Hi Jim, there is a superb Littorio profile in Stefano's site, just be carefull about the bow and the fore superstructure they differ from Roma design.

Here is the link at Stefano's site :

http://xoomer.alice.it/bk/

[Sean Hert]

Ciao the Italy connection!

does anyone have a scale drawing of the main turret-'s -anywhere--either on-line or scannable....
Needed asap--tommorrow is 'Roma' day with my chum Nick--so need to have as much info as possible!!

Here are some scans from my plans;


BTW- my plans show a truck and a car on the deck....

secondary top view-plan.jpg (35.12 KiB) Viewed 49828 times

[Dino Carancini]

BTW- my plans show a truck and a car on the deck....

In November during a hobbymodelexpo in Milan I saw a stunning 1/100 Roma and there were a car and a truck on the deck, I don't know wy yet, but I'll ask around. Maybe there were those two vehicles on the deck during her last travel before to sunk, but this is just my guess. Roma had a short life like Prince of Wales, but while Roma saw no action, POW had an intense life before to sunk.

[axis]

Jim,
If your interested i have used this company for my model flags and decals

http://www.modelflags.com

modelmanuk

[JIM BAUMANN]

Thank you all fo your helps so far!

Sooooo...--can anyone reccomend a trustworthy set of plans of Roma--or indeed a trustworty monograph of the ship?

@ Sean--whose plan do you have?-are there any cross-section views?

We waterlined Nick's Roma today--whoa--sorry RNfanDan...--she looks sooo very much more beautiful as a waterlined ship, slinky and elegant....alas rain stopped play( electric beltsanders/rain bad mix!)

When the rain stops....I hope to do mine.


Regards all

JIM B

[Laurence Batchelor]

If you can find them Jim and you have the money these are the best:-

There is sadly very little on the RM that is decent and in English I'm afraid:-

The more technical books are the Orizzonte Mare Old Series:-

Vol: 3 Part I Littorio Class Description

Vol: 3 Part II Littorio Class Activities



Immagini Series photo book for some nice pictures would be:-

Vol: A2 Vittorio Veneto Class


A complete list of all this series is on my server here:-

http://www.widdo.net/laurence/oz%20list.jpg

I'm willing to scan for you, though your right nothing beats having them in your hands, but if you want all 3, and quickly, you will have to buy from a 2nd hand Italian military book dealer, though they are cheapish in that country if you can find them

I have some other RM books I can go to for you, and many on the Med campaign which will have more photos, but nothing to my knowledge has decent plans. Have you enquired how much anything from the Italian Maritime Museum Plans Dept. would be? My experience things are normally not too pricey in Italy when I buy books from there.

ciao