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Ron, we obtained permission from Roman to host the V-108 files here. Go to the first post in Pt. V of the V-108 tutorial.

BRITISH NAVAL WEAPONS OF WORLD WAR TWO, The John Lambert Collection Vol. 1: Destroyer Weapons Edited by Norman Friedman Seaforth Publishing, 2019 25 cm by 29.5 cm format 240 pages Suggested retail GBP 40.00 Verdict: Building any British destroyer models soon? Get this! John Lambert, who passed away in 2016, was one of those men with a singular passion that only a small number of people will ever appreciate, but that small group will really appreciate his work. Lambert's passion was creating draughts (English spelling retained as a nod to this volume's English roots) of British naval vessels and weaponry, and he drew a LOT of them. British Naval Weapons Vol.1: Destroyer Weapons (BNW1) is the first volume in a series of books that will eventually be released by Seaforth, and if the first volume is any indication, modelers will want to keep a sharp-eyed lookout for subsequent editions. The first 63 pages of this BNW1 are a narrative that covers the development of British destroyer weapons from World War 1 through the end of World War 2, along with a survey of the changing realities of naval warfare that dictated that development. As the role of the destroyer evolved, so did the types of weapons they carried and the manner in which they were arranged aboard ship. This is described by editor Norman Friedman in an engaging style and accompanied by many black and white period photos. The heart of BNW1 though, without doubt, is the immense number of highly detailed draughts done by Mr. Lambert. The first twelve of these are of ships and include shipbuilder's drawings of common weapons. Naturally, a drawing of every British destroyer that ever served, including the ever-changing armament of each, is beyond the scope of practically any book. The twelve pages of ships' draughts are intended to be representative of the group as a whole and give an overview of how destroyer armaments changed during the time period covered. The drawings range from HMS Whitehall 1924 to HMS Caesar 1944. The remainder of BNW1 consists entirely of drawings of the weapons carried by British destroyers, beginning with main guns, e.g. the 4 in QF Mk IV of 1916, and on down to AA weapons, torpedoes, mines, depth charges, and other equipment including paravanes, range finders, and fire controls. It's all there -- and in extraordinary detail. The subject of the 2-pdr quad Mk VII M came up in a recent post here at MSW, and to demonstrate just how much information is packed into this book, there are six plates of drawings for this weapon and mount combination alone. There are over 30 individual drawings of the Mk VII M, including front, rear, left side, and right side elevations; plan view; oblique views; details of wiring; and detail views of just about every subsystem -- sights, training and elevation gearing, ammunition trays, you name it -- that formed part of the weapon. There seems to be no stone left unturned. And that's just one system. For anyone wishing to super-detail any British destroyer of this era, this book looks to be a real must-have. Highly recommended! CDC

BTW, a book I'll be reviewing soon here at MSW has four pages of drawings of the Mk VII weapon and mount. Watch for it!

All I can say is 😲.

Hey, Ron. Don't fret! You took on a fairly challenging project. My first couple of card models wound up in the trash, too -- there's a learning curve, to be sure. When you get around to feeling like another try, may I suggest having a crack at a free model? There's some good ones out there.

Cool! This site says that Mk VIIs were hand trained and elevated quadruple mounts with a crew of eight. Hope you can find more information about your particular gun.

Hello! I took the liberty of fleshing out your build log title a bit, as I'm sure that many members (like me, for instance) will have no idea what a "Vapor Rimac" is. Perhaps you know the story behind the unusual name?

I think that most people that see a really well-done card model up close can't help but be impressed by the level of detail possible with the medium. I understand what your detractor meant by his comment, though, and he probably didn't intend to offend. As for me, I harbor no illusions about the inherent value or long-term durability of my card models compared to their wood and plastic counterparts. But -- they're cheap to obtain and build in comparison too, which counts for something, besides which I just like the thrill of turning two-dimensional sheets of paper into works of art. We do this for fun, after all.

Umm ... shouldn't you of all people be saying something like "it's hours of great fun"? 😉

Welcome, Sean! Best of luck on your project. It's too late to do much about it at this point, but waiting on the gun port lids might have been advisable. In my experience, those things get knocked off easily, even in spite of my best efforts to avoid bumping them. Cheers!

Welcome aboard! We do hope that one day soon you'll feel comfortable enough here to let us in on your real name. Perhaps we can call you 'SF' for short in the interim? When you get around to building your model, feel free to start a build log in the 'Build Logs for SHIP MODEL KITS' section (be sure to read the pinned topics there). We look forward to seeing your project and wish you every success on the road to completing it. Cheers!

Welcome back! I just made the move in the opposite direction a few years ago.

Welcome aboard! I built the Midwest flattie kit as my second venture into wooden models. Your scratch-build looks very well done. I for one enjoy seeing something a little different being modeled, and your personal connection to the subject makes it that much more interesting. Cheers!

GERMAN DESTROYERS Robert Brown Seaforth Publishing, 2019 64 pages, 21 cm x 29.5 cm format MSRP: $24.95 (GBP14.99) Verdict: Wow! (Apologies in advance for the perhaps odd-looking cropping of the photos that accompany this review -- it is really hard for this old guy to take photos using a digital camera with one hand while holding a stiff paperback open with the other hand!) Call me ignorant, but I had not previously heard of the ShipCraft series published by Seaforth. But after reviewing the most recent addition to this series, German Destroyers by author Robert Brown, suffice it to say that I will be alert for further titles. There is a lot of information packed into 64 glossy pages here, along with plenty of illustrations. Forty destroyers were built for the Kriegsmarine beginning in 1934 (of which 25 were lost), and they were essentially all built to the same design, naturally with some modifications to newer units. The book starts off with a discussion of the design elements incorporated into both the class as a whole and to individual vessels or groups of vessels within the class. This section includes a discussion of the inherent weaknesses of the basic design, these being the result of a lack of German shipyard experience due to limitations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles coupled with a lack of time for testing and improving the type -- a mere five years between the time the building program began in 1934 and commencement of hostilities in 1939. This portion of the book is accompanied by many B&W period photos. The next portion of the book was something quite unexpected: a survey of the various kits available for the subject, in everything from 1/1250 scale on up to 1/250. The described kits included both newer offerings from well-known manufacturers such as Revell, Trumpeter, and Dragon, along with 'classic' kits such as those from Eaglewall, Heller, and Matchbox. I was pleasantly surprised to see that two card kits (those from Wilhelmshavener and JSC) were included in this section. Along with the basic kits, this section also reviews the various aftermarket upgrades that are available. The next section is a gallery of some really well done models. It made me want to whip out my credit card and buy some kits and PE detail sets -- but I know my limits (both to my skills and to my line of credit). The gallery is followed by three pages of paint schemes, shown in black and white but including a key for the various shades of paint. Don't worry -- English translations are provided for the German color names. The last section of the book is a lengthy treatment of the appearance of the type. This includes both a discussion of general appearance and a section on variations and modifications made to the different classes within the type. Attention is even given to such variations and modifications made to individual vessels, so that the modeler is really very well prepared to attempt a portrayal of just about any of the 40 ships. This section is accompanied by four pages of crisp drawings consisting of side profiles and deck arrangements. Finally, a list of additional references is given, along with a list of the 27 other titles in the ShipCraft lineup. Might have to get me some of those other works! I can't say enough nice things about this book. The writing, photography, line drawings, and printing are all first-rate, making the book worth every penny of its US$24.95 price tag in this reviewer's opinion. CDC