Hi Michael,

I am reading your work with interest as I am also building the same model. Great Work! I am puzzled with the gun barrels. The original trumpeter turrets do not have any internal structure onto which glue the gun barrels. How did you attach the gun barrels?

Hi Roberto, Apologies for not replying to your question. I have been away and not focuesed on this build. If you have already solved the problem then that's great. But your are right, trumpeter just requires you to glue the barrel into the turret which is why I guess the barrel doesn't look like anything in the pictures of the dreadnought. Since I was using the Master barrels I just took some short, fat pieces of sprue, drilled a couple of holes and made sure the barrels where square to the sprue and spaced for the turret. Then a I glued the sprue to the roof of the turret.
It is a shame that trumpeter made a mess of the barrels since the dreadnought '07 version didnt have blast bags. I hope that helps if you haven't already got there.

thanks
michael

After a summer hiatus, I have tried to get back to the build with a small piece of work on the weekend. I have added some boats to the superstructure and finished the spiderweb of mast rigging (or all that I am going to do anyway).

Oddly, trumpeter give you all the boats required for a fitted out dreadnought but have no place in the instructions for about a third of them and the for the rest they have created some strange stacking techniques. Fortunately the Kagero bible (again) set me right but unfortunately, other than rudders/tillers there is no etch for these parts and they do look a bit plain.

The picture is a bit askew but everything is straight.

cheers

michael

Hi Michael, looking really great, Very neat job on the rigging Michael. I presume that is EZ line you have used.

Keep up the excellent work,

Si

Hi Michael

Nice work on the rigging mate.

Cheers


Sean

Hi Michael,

Looking great! Love following these builds!

Thank you all for the kind comments. i should try and read my own blog more often and reply with more promptness. I guess I will get in the habit, hopefully sooner.

Progress is slow. I have finished most of what i want to do on the superstructure. i would like to add cage aerials like Simon's build but I haven't found a supply of the spreaders yet.

So I have been trying to add some detail to the hull. For me one of the most noticeable parts of the pre-war dreadnoughts were the deployable torpedo nets. In the kit all you get are thin rods to indicate the booms. (No nets, no shelf.. I think Trumpeter could have done a bit more here). The WEM photoetch set (admittedly for a later Zvezda model) doesn't have any brassy bits to assist either.
I have added some cabling to provide a bit more interest. Bob's Buckles tubes and eyelets were used to save making everything myself with the ever useful eze line providing the cables and they have worked out pretty well.



this all took much longer than anticipated but the other side should be quicker. I ran out of eyelets and have had to order some more. Once they are doen I can put paint on the hull and move this build a bit closer to launch.

cheers
Michael

Hi Michael,

Good to see some progress on your Dreadnought again. She is coming on very nicely indeed.

Si

Thanks for the support Simon. I have just over two months left to finish this for the Trumpeter campaign and i would like to get there, maybe without the aerials.

cheers

Michael

To be honest Michael, without the etched spreaders included inn the Ponos set I would not have tried to do the aerials that way.

Just enjoy your build mate, following with interest.

Si

This will be a good one to watch and you are doing a lovely job on her.....Cheers mark

Hmm, maybe you'll have this one done in time to start their new release this summer? I haven't seen any kit photos, but I'm sure that the two ships would look quite beautiful displayed together after you're done with them

Hi Michael I've been watching your build with interest and have a question: what are the white Evergreen strips on the side of the hull? I see them molded on the Zvezda kit hull and they're prominent in the Aots book - just wondered if you or anyone else building the Dreadnought knew?

Hi Mark,
Thanks for the support. I need it now to get it to the finish line. From the post below you can see I have made life complicated for myself.

cheers
Michael

Hi Jeremy,
Though I am fairly new to building ships (this is no.2) I do like the quirky nature of early 20th century ships. When you read how quickly they developed in to what became a standard there is a sort interesting hindsight view of dreadnoughts and pre-dreads along the lines of what the hell were they thinking. Big guns on the side, exposed guns on top of bigger guns...an expensive trial and error considering how quickly they became obsolete. But they make for great looking models.
Next on my list though is HMS Achilles for the Battle of Atlantic campaign.

cheers
Michael

Hi Jon,
To be honest I am the last person to ask for nautical details on ships. Hopefully one of the others can step in and answer that. But if I had to guess it would be a type of fender against smaller supply ships since they are all set at the waterline.

cheers
Michael

I have finally reached the painting stage for the hull. Having finished the detailing on the torpedo net booms I am painting it from the bottom. I am not sure whether it better to paint from the top or the bottom but i started from the bottom because it was easier. Having added all the detail to the sides of the hull it became a nightmare to mask for straight lines.
So far I have managed the red part and the waterline which is definitely oversized but I hope will allow some leeway when adding the gray.


And also added the shelves for the nets. They fit well for length and curve but not so keen to sit flat. I have had them off and on and I think the Artwox deck will probably sit over the edges and help hold them down.

Once I get it painted and the deck on progress should be quicker as the other sub-sections are complete and waiting to go on.
cheers
Michael

Coming on great Michael.

Like the rigging on the Net booms, very nice attention to detail. Look forward to seeing the maindeck go down.

As to the strips on the side of the hull, you may be right Michael, they do not go high enough to be "gash" chutes, but strangely they seem to follow the height of the armoured belt.

Si

Nice progress Muchael.

Great to see some paint on the hull.


Cheers


Sean

Having seen that other Dreadnought launched into service with nets and all I thought I had better get a move on or I will never get 1907 into service.
I completed the paint on the hull so it is ready for fit out.

The boom rigging mainly survived the airbrushing.


Next was the screws, I tried to thin them out a bit but the plastic was fairly soft so I didn't go to far

Painted them Alclad brass and installed


Next, my favourite piece. This is only the second ship I have built but this Artwox decking must be the ultimate timesaver compared to masking and painting.

Then the slow job of adding 54 coaling hatches. The tiny grey circles

Couldn't resist popping on the superstructure for a quick look


The last day has been about adding etched hatches. I took a leaf out a couple of other builds and posed some hatches open, especially the engine room hatches which sorely tried my patience.

The spar has been pulled from square by the mismatched tension in the rigging. I quick test shows it will straighten out (fingers crossed) when I finish the rigging.


There is still some details to go but I have until end of May to meet the Trumpeter campaign deadline. It will be tight if I try for the cage aerials. (I have a recent tutorial at hand - thanks Simon!)

cheers
Michael

You are very welcome Michael,

Great progress, she is really taking shape. love the attention to detail.

Si

She's coming along beautifully Michael. Looking real good

Later

Nice work Michael keep it up.

Cheers


Sean

Pretty new to the ship building side of the hobby but Michael i am learning a lot from reading this blog as i was reading a book that involved dreadnoughts and made me look at ships instead of my normal fair of planes and armour.

this model will be added to the must do collection shortly!

So would you say that the WEM and wooden deck for the Zvezda kit fit pretty well?

Cheers and keep going!

Alastair

Simon, Bruce and Sean,
Thanks guys for the comments.


Michael