For my money the best British battleship has to be the HMS Warspite, and just about everyone is waiting for bated breath for a 1-350 plastic release, for the time being though, the very old Airfix 1-600 is cheap and well ------- not much else I can say really, this seriously is urgent need of a PE kit, apparently the kit from WEM has several fitting problems especially at the stern, and would like to know what photoetch kit would be best to lift this old model, which also is full hull, and may have to consider sanding, filing, drilling all the above.
So if you can, the best PE set for this Airfix 1-600 scale HMS Warspite ?

Alec,

What was your source that the WEM set didn't fit? The finished example at MW by a true master using the set has nothing but praise for the photo etch and the results were outstanding:

http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/bb/hms/warspite-600-gp/Warspite-index.html

I have yet to build this model myself, pop over to modelwarship.com and read the write up by people that have built this kit using the WEM kit, which they say is a larger scaled up set used on the ''resin 1-700'' please don't get carried away with the idea that everything is a bad fit, I certainly didn't write that, so let us be clear on what we're talking about here, I wrote - from WEM has several fitting problems especially at the stern - and you wrote - WEM set didn't fit - so now can possibly find out what other PE kits would fit this 1-600 Airfix plastic model of HMS Warspite, after all, this was what I asked.
I have been hunting around for that author of the 1-600 WEM photoetch, and can't find it anywhere, I know for fact its there, or otherwise I wouldn't be so concerned.
The last thing I want to do is buy any sort of kit, then have problems, I'd rather read from the people that's actually used and built this then from the people selling it, obviously this goes without saying. The point now, where do I go from here regarding the PE kit ?

Hi Alec

Did this one a while back, but the only issues I can recall were with the sternwalk, It was a different shape to the kit (But the set is based on the WEM hull, which I beleive is better than the Airfix one) The Funnel platforms & the Funnel cap needed minor adjustment, but that might have been my lack of skill.

One thing to remember the Airfix kit represesnts the vessel 1939/40, and the WEM etch is for 1942-3. so unles you wish to convert the Airfix Kit to the slightly later fit (I don't think it is that big a deal) you will need 4 quad 0.5" vickers mounts, as the kit ones are very poor & none are included on the etch. Also stuff like the Radar fit would need checking.


I was quite pleased with my result, although if i built it again I would try and do something about the boats / searchlights/ deck details, and invest in WEM's resin twin 4" mounts. (The etch & the resin vickers mounts did make what detail there is on the kit look a bit bland & lifeless, but that is the issue of adding etch to older tooling.

Hope that helps

Si

Hello there, I suppose this is one of many problems faced by people building the Warspite, through 2 World Wars and so many re-fit its hard to batten this down to a certain year, the stern walkway is what you're referring to as apparently on the 1-700 resin model, its much sharper, therefore with the larger 1-600 filling and filing/sanding down is required, I would love to build this model, as the model itself is so cheap, its just knowing all the extras I'd need, and more importantly what those extras would actually be. So any help in this direction would be great, but as we know, I'll have to pick a year.

Hi Alec

WEM can provide for armerment needs, twin 4", quad 0.5" vickers and also carley floats. , check out their website, they are not hugely expensive. Apart from that very little is out their in 1/600th. For the open boats I seem to remember parts are provised on the etch, but for the motor boats, that will be a matter of superdetailing. Searchlights, I must dmit I haven't looked, but there may be larger 1/700th scale units, or small 1/400 - 1/350th that could be substituted for the kit parts, either that, or imporve the kit parts / scratchbuild.

You could of course decide to live with the kit parts.

It is really what you are going to be happy with and how badly you want to build Warspite and how much time you want to put into her.

the usual compromises of the Hobby

At the moment I am just hoping & praying for the promised 1/350th kit.

But good luck with her

All the best

Si