As promised I have put some updated pics of my corvette in to my gallery. It was actually TOO sunny here today (which is very rare, and so some are a touch over-exposed I think).

The ship is getting close to finished. She needs 2 x lifeboats, 4 x Carley floats, her mast and rigging. Then just final paint touch-ups, crew figures and varnishing. Hmm - did I say she was nearly finished?!

Wow...that is some kinda work...especialy the weathering. If I had not seen the plastic stand I would have thought it to be a picture of the real thing...Keep up the magnificent work

does it come with different numbers? for doing other ships?

The kit comes with decals for K166, HMCS Snowberry. I wanted to do an RN ship though, so got a bloke to do a set for me. A lot of people model HMS Bluebell, but she was sunk with all hands just before the end of the war, and I really wanted to make one who survived!

If I got it I was tempted to make the K225, from the 1943 Randolph Scott film..

hi great bulid but if i may where did you get the mesh round the forrard gun mount from ???. its looks very good
cheers
dave

The mesh was part of a PE set from Great Little Ships. They do a huge range of parts for the corvette, and although expensive they are worth every penny. Problem is once you have one set they make the plastic look so overscale by comparison that you really need to get them all...

On the upside each PE set takes so long to assemble (for me, anyway) that the cost gets spread out naturally. About the only plastic parts actually left in this model are the hull, lower levels of the superstructure, the funnel and the larger vents. And all of those have had brass added too...

Cheers!

Fantastic. I echo Steve, if you hadn't shown the stand I'd have believed it was real. Just out or curiosity how long has it taken you up to now, and what additional sets all together have you used?

Oh, and I don't remember seeing you here before so welcome to the floaty guys place.

Thanks for the welcome Rodger

I started building her in Jan 04 - the real ships got built a lot faster! Kits I have used from the Great Little Ships range are:

9" Scuttle Set
Deck & Fittings Set
Type ‘C’ Bridge Set
Funnel & Mast Set
Rope Rails, 3’ 3" Pipe Rails, 4’ 3" Pipe Rails ~ lots of these!
Splinter Padding
4" Gun Mark IX Breech Loading Gun, Incl. Base & Spare Shells
Hedgehog Anti-Sub. Weapon
2 Pdr. Pom-Pom Gun with Bandstand & Ready-Use Ammo. Locker
20mm Oerlikon Guns with bases, mounts & Ready-Use Ammo. Lockers
Mk.II Depth Charge Set [with all rails, throwers & stowage chocks]

16’ Dinghy & Stowage (x2) are in the post
Oval Carley Floats ~ still to buy

And of course the Revell corvette kit too ~ one of the cheapest components of the build!

That's one heck of a model - before i saw the stand, i assumed that the pic was a reference photo of the real thing! The weathering looks absolutely convincing, and the colours are superb, really creating the illusion of reality. What paints did you use?

How does this kit go together? I have never head of it before, but now I'm thinking about getting one to compliment the Revell U-Boat i've got kicking around.

The paints for the Western Approaches scheme are from Whie Ensign Models, the Colourcoats range, the rest are mostly Humbrol enamels. I used enamels, Rustall and oil washes for the weathering.

The plastic kits fits together reasonably, a bit of filling and sanding needed here and there. The hull plates are far too heavily done, so I sanded down the entire hull early in the build to reduce that. Rivets were then added with white glue and a syringe.

The PE sets fit together beautifully, although some of the really tiny parts were a test for me! Only snag arises when mating the plastic sections to the PE, since Matchbox didn't work to such fine tolerances as David Parkins when he made his photo-etch masters.

Cheers!

Hmmm... seems like they may have cost less also, based on all those kits. I can just see me telling SWMBO, "but Honey, I really need the 9" scuttle set of it won't look right. Oh to ever be in the position, time, PATIENCE, and money wise to put that into a model. Bliss.

Again, it's a great job.

It is a lot of expense, you're right. But spread over 18 months as it has been it's not such a shock on the wallet. Not sure how SWMBO will react when I get the 1/72 U-Boat to accompany it mind - cos obviously that will need all the PE sets and the Czech Master interiors!

To say nothing of a spare room to display them in. If (when) she moans I will just explain that she's actually lucky, because I didn't buy the 1/35 U-Boat instead...

Btw - would you believe that the scuttle set comes with a brass ring and four wing nuts to fit INSIDE the outer frame?! I tried fitting a couple of those but they were driving me insane, and you can't even see them once the glazing is in (Kristal Klear). So I just used the outer frames and eyebrows.

D'oh my god!

It's beautiful! That wood deck! You use an oil wash to get that depth!? Man this is all I needed to see. I've been aching to buy one of these to go along with the 1:72nd U-Boat......oh man the temptation!

Graham it's gorgeous. Well worth the 18 months.


Just ....wow...beautiful.

Steve

Here's how the wood was done ~ as ever when using a new technique, it's worth practising on some scrap first!

1. Decking painted w. teak enamel, left to dry overnight.

2. Apply a THICK layer of oil paint, think I used burnt sienna or raw umber (can't remember I'm afraid).

3. Immediately remove this layer using a dry (important it is absolutely dry) brush. Keep wiping the brush on a dry cloth as you go.

4. Apply another layer of oils, this one doesn't have to be as thick. Use a mix of browns according to what type of wood you want to depict.

5. Leave this layer for 45 mins and then remove as you did in step 3. Go with the grain, using the brush to leave a woodgrain effect if possible.

That's it!

Thanks Graham,

I'll try this technique out, because I really like the results.

Steve

Graham

Outstanding !!!

The Flower is my favorite ship.
I've got about every reference & book on the North Atlantic in general & the Flowers specifically.

I have the Fleetscale/Sirmar 1/48 semi-kit (short f'csle) but haven't gotten much past cleaning up the fiberglass hull

And I recently got the Revell kit and am collecting the GLS sets a few at a time -- I have the deck, bridge, funnels/ masts, 4" gun, & 2-pdr so far. Like you said, hide the cost overtime & wifey will never know (hah!!) ...

I'm looking to do a different ship than the basic kit, something with a heavier AA variation. For the short f'csle version I was looking at Alberni during Operation TORCH 'cause it had a few extra 20mm. For the long f'csle, I haven't decided yet.

Anyway, just a great build & thanks for the description of the P/E-> wood process !!!

John

Thanks for the compliment John. I assume you have John Lamberts 'Warship Perspective' of the Flower? If not let me know, it has some good plans of the AA corvettes, I could scan stuff for you if reqd.

Although the instructions in the PE sets are some of the best I've ever seen there are one or two "gotcha's" I feel (for example in the deck set you are instructed to add the bow jackstaff early in the build. This is whitemetal and is almost bound to get snagged, bent and basically destroyed as you work on the rest of the ship...) If you like I will try and put together a list of the ones I encountered.

In any case drop me a line if you want any advice during the build. Enjoy the project!

Yours aye,

Graham

Graham... only one word.... WOW!!!!

This looks awesome, and indeed as if it is the real thing... what is actually the size of the ship?

Cheers,

Harm

She is in 1/72 scale, and so the kit is about 3 feet long overall. Big!

Graham good job mate
eric

Graham:

Thanks, I have Lambert ...

My build is a while off, probably not till '06 -- I have a few too many things on/near the bench already. I'll start posting here when I start, so look to throw a life ring then ...
.
One skill I must acquire is soldering PE. The last thing I soldered well was waterpipe - something my old eyes can see & stubby fingers can grab .....

John

Must admit I've used CA almost exclusively. My soldering skills are virtually nil! Only areas I did solder were things like the drum for the radar tower. That said even circular structures have held up perfectly well with CA, provided the brass has been properly annealed first.

regards

Graham

Graham,

First of all, I am sorry for only now been abble to welcome you and to make my comments on your build, but as ususlly said, better late than ever!

Your Flower is a great built and with lots of "evil touches" that I have been enloying on your gallery and website!
Been fortunate enough to have been on the last surviving Flower (HMCS Sackville) and must say that some of the usually skipped details are there on your model - congratulations on a wonderfull and masterly donne work!!

The upper works weathering is subtle but present (on such a wet boat like the flowers is a must!), the waterline weathering is the most reallistic that I have seen so far!

With all the respect and after the wonderfull job you've donne, I don't know if I am still on time for two suggestions regarding the "live waters" part weathering - bellow the waterline
1 - make some corrosion on the propeler
If you can take it out, make a mix of the colour you used, add about 50% white and with a toothbrush add little sprinkles on the propeler - small amount but would make the difference. Try before on a spare

2 - make some lighter shades on the red
You have donne a subtle weathering above, but you'll need to make something deeper to the red... just to break it - some little touches of deep green near the keel and some whiteish near the waterline, about a panel wide

But if you leave it as is now, it still looks great

Please Graham, keep us updated and posted on your work!

Skipper