Looks great Don. Is the Scimitar the HP Models kit or did you scratchbuild her?




Bob Pink.

Thanks Bob and Mike.
Scimitar is the HP kit of Steadfast which gives an S class in "as built" configuration.
After agonising for ages over what Scimitar looked like in 1940 I found a photo at the National Maritime Museum of her in late 1939. The only modification shown in the photos was the area at the break of the forecastle was plated in (as opposed to canvas screens). Very little was changed from pre-war appearance in the early months of the war, but almost mmediately after Dynamo these ships were modified to escort configuration. I also used the White Ensign gun shields from the V&W class photo-etch set, although the kit items were pretty good - a nice little kit.

Don
Interesting to hear the results of your research, also it's sort of what I had guessed so useful modelling information!

Mike

Here's the Express primed and ready for the finish color.





This is the Tamiya kit which is very well done.

I got the paint on, but I think it's way to dark. It's what the instructions called for, Tamiya light sea gray.

Hi Kenny:

Maybe use WEM's 507c . It is a lighter gray, it might be a good match for you.




Bob Pink.

I wish I could Bob, but I'm allergic to oil base paints. I can only use acrylics.

kenny
At the time most RN warships were either light or dark grey when in one overall colour, if you want a good light grey match I like Humbrol 147, just looking at a colour conversion chart now showed Tamiya XF14 as the best match to that one.

Mike

Hi Kenny

Xtracrylix XA1137 Light Gull Grey is quite a good match - if anything very slightly too dark. I presume that other acrylic manufacturers mix of this colour would be OK. I have also heard that Light Ghost Grey is worth looking at as a possible match.

Good luck.

Don

Good to se everyone in this, helping and building. We should have some good results at the end.

Don, that looks great , plenty of action and good sea effects. That S class is a good kit, I have a couple myself.

Kenny, I do believe you are my favourite. I have used Humbrol H147 like Mike, and I have written 507C on the lid so I can spot it straight away - there must be an acrylic counterpart in the Humbrol range.

And that curtain form Ikea - I have yards of it. The colours are a bit non WW2 so you may have to go over the sample with a permanent felt tip before a mat varnish. Cutting is the key to it so make sure you go along the line of fabric, and stick the edge so it does fray.

So, here's to another week of ground breaking dios.............

Peter F

This is the color I'm going to match. I found this on the Steel Navy website.

Kenny
In terms of scale effect you are better lighter than darker. The important thing is the tone, 507c has a very slight blue tinge, not as much as say US haze grey, but there all the same. Important thing is to avoid any of the slightly brown tinges you get in some greys.

To be honest I find the notion that a grey has to be spot on is a false idea, scale effect means it should appear lighter, especially in 700 scale, weathering would again alter the colour to a lighter shade. I'm afraid I think so much of this exact paint colour stuff is just hogwash. I haven't painted a ship in RN light grey in anything but humbrol 147 in years, nobody has ever commented it wasn't 'correct'.

As long as you feel happy with how it looks that is the important thing. It's a bit hard to tell the shade from a photo though.

Mike

Hi Kenny:


I forgot to mention to you that Pollyscale Acrylic Light Gray is an extremely close match to 507c. My Tromp in progress build is painted with this.



Bob Pink.

Thanks guys. I got something that I am happy with. I started with US 5-L which has a blue tint and darken it with Dunklegau 2. Here she is.



Would the hull numbers still be white or would they be black?

Looking good Kenny, hull numbers would be black

Mike

Kenny, I concur with Mike. Looking good!!!




Bob Pink.

Hello All,
Does anyone know where I can get either a V & W or Town Class destroyer?
I have looked at White Ensign, Pacific Front and Squadron for one, But no luck.
Any help is much welcome,
Cheers,
Bruce

Tamiya has issued a Vampire, which could be modified.
I am willing to bet that HP has them, but the research behind their models is questionable. Still this could be a starting point.
Guido

Depends what scale, or actually it doesn't, the only currently available model is the Tamiya Vampire, there is a photo of one built on my Dunkirk East Pier diorama, on the MSW homepage and just to the left there is a link, in fact the model is right there in front of you.

it's a good kit, for the price very good.

Mike

And if you want the photoetch, WEM have a dedicated fret for V and W.

Peter F

Just a heads up for anyone interested. Julys' Britain At War magazine has a 6 page article on the HMS medway Queen at Dunkirk.. £4.10 at WHSmith.

steve

To add a little bit of History to the Photo on Page 1 for those that are interested, I think the Sundowner was owned by Charles Lightoller who I believe was the highest ranked surviving Officer of the Titanic Sinking. I read his Bio a few Years ago where he discussed going over the Dunkirk on his little Ship and she was loaded so heavily that her Gunnels just cleared the Water....Cheers Mark

Looking at my original sketch for the dio, I will need 2 x Stuka dive bombers, and looking in the spares box I have a couple off DKM Elbe, a 700 scale HP a/c kit.

So, first cut off the canopy then dig out the cockpit with drills and knives. Next, colur the cockpit, and as shown, and at the same time fuselage surfaces.

Not shown, but next, fill the cockpit and above with pva glue which dries clear. Follow a template of what the canopy should look like.






I'll show the results once this has set............

Peter F

Because when the pva sets, it tends to settle, it is a case of adding to the canopies bit by bit until they are complete.

I have also continued with the ship building, and if you finally get a kit of Gracie Fields make sure you dry fit the upper deck to the lower as some sanding is needed. The fit at the moment isn't all that good so I have put some plastic rod in to fill the gap. Once the rails are on, which I'm doing it will start to look passable.

Note the two stukas will have to be suspended somehow over the happy scene. I am going away from rod painted black as it tends to show too much - perhaps light grey?






Peter F