RGL

Yes, with torpedo nets, hopefully properly slung out. With regards to wood, I'd like to find something unique. I search continually for a reasonably priced Bluejacket Atlantic that does not require a second mortgage for shipping.

I would first like to bookend the battleships, the first and then the largest.

The basic kit is fairly simple but a good start. A simple google search will find heaps of other renditions of this kit and the other manufacturers, but no one else has done one on our closed forum. There is a heap of aftermarket, none of them with a complete set. I don't think I could complte the kit without the AOTS book.

The kit I got from Ebay from Russia which was the cheapest place in the world to buy it.

The aftermarket stuff was from everywhere, each of them having bits and pieces I need, including perfect 12pdrs and winches.

My apologies to the purists, but I'm doing plastic again. This time it's the Zvezda Dreadnought.

I won't bore you with the history, as it's been flogged to death on the internet anyway.

Over the last 6 months I've been storing up the kit and the aftermarket bits and pieces to build what I hope will be a decent rendition that is no where as hard as the previous two kits to bash.

Years ago I started building up the full collection of the AOTS books and this was the first book I purchased over the internet about 15 years ago.

I'm going to go for the 1907 build to keep in line with the age group of it's sisters in the bookcase.

OK, flags added, guns glued down, port and starboard side panels added.

I have pulled it off the base and will get around to getting a proper one then I will park the photos on the completed logs.

Overall it was a frustrating build that really took a lot longer than I thought but it kept me occupied. As you can see it's smaller than the Varyag and no where near the quality put up by the Artwox kit.

The last guns are 2 Maxims which sit amidships. I used some north Star Models ones which are a little bit small.

Nice work Dave

Thanks folks, nearly there, I have made up the flags and some navigation panels, and discovered I have lost the stern flagstaff, which I had to remake. As I was cleaning the desk the next project's box fell on my head, missing the Emden by inches. A bit foreboding really. She is impatient to be built.

I reckon 1 more day and I'll be finished. I just have to find someone to make me up a nice display board for her and the Varyag.

you know when you're almost finished and have to tell yourself to stop rushing?

The 10.5cm guns and 5.2cm guns are complete. You can see from the photos what Revel provided and how a bit of bashing works out. I did not put sights on the big guns as you could not see them anyway and the soft plastic is very hard to thin sufficiently.

They look OK on the dry fit.

I can see why hobby shops won't hold stock that's expensive and slow to move, I think that's why they invented the Internet. HMS Victory and Yamoto are favourites, Eastern Europe is bringing out some nice stuff in resin at incredibly high prices which will kill them eventually. Asia is bringing out stuff that is just stunning now, especially aftermarket, at very good prices but limited to IJN and a few other nations . The early 1900 ships are just very elegant and revolutionary between wood and steel.

I think we can now afford what we couldn't as kids and are not in such a race to finish one kit and move on to the next.

My AL Endevour was a rubbish kit that required everything but the bulkheads pretty much scratch or aftermarket. Maybe we, here on this forum are more patient, and I kind of consider the scratch builders the grown ups who have the skills and tools to make masterpieces. I'm just a bloke slapping things together.

Thanks for the likes and comments, I'm in the process of using the Dremel on the kit supplied gun shields to get them as thin as possible to place them on the deck guns.

Finally the props have been added and the scratch built prop guards, using chains from the eduard supposedly 1/350 chains for railings. Only some touch up to go on the ship, and I have removed the stern flagstaff as I will attach a flag to it. I still have navigation things to the masts.

Finally I have shown a photo of the ship in my paw to show some scale. Essentially this is a 20 year old kit that needs so much bashing it's tragic. Modern kits are a lot nicer but limited to what the big companies think will sell. I think I've really hit my limit of competence given there is so little of the original kit and the Eduardo stuff is fairly basic and unimaginative. It's a fairly obscure ship to the northern hemisphere where most kits are made.

I will use the gun shields from the kit and scratch build the rest. Wooden ships just have a nicer feel to them and the larger scale is so much easier to access but certainly not easier as it takes a lot more craftsmanship.

I have everything ready to go for my next build, but even with aftermarket it should be a hell of a lot easier.

Next if the boat boom, anchors (aftermarket), ships crest and addition of all the hatches for the guns as well as the little doors on the side of the ship.

also added the flybridge and the navigation lights to them.

Next is the gangways.

You can see from the B&W photos, the RAN took the nameplates, crest and stern piece.

Eduard did a nice job of both, but the stern piece is just a decal which I used regardless.

After a week of piecework, I have finally gotten to the stage where I can complete most of the hull. Regardless to say I was somewhat delayed when a blade handle flew out of my hands and hit the ship, causing me to do some repairs.

First off is the night rescue equipment. As you can see from the plans they are quite intricate, and from the second photo why one would have a go at replacing the kit provided stuff.

I use Zap, dipping a pin into a little puddle on a palette. Get some good quality double sided tape and cut it as small as possible on a small block of wood and place the pre bent etch on it and spray with Tamiya primer then whatever colour is needed. If you do heaps of it, it will save a LOT of time

Use CA to grip then you can add PVA afterwards, you can always touch up afterwards. I am in the process of adding all the exterior bits to my Emden now (apart from some repairs from a flying knife handle). It has taken two weeks of piecework to get to this stage. It comes together amazingly quickly once that's done.

I'm in.

Well done mate, great achievement

Just fantastic. What's next?

Yes, yes I'll go with that explanation I think. It's so bloody busy on the thing at the moment I might get away with it.

Today I have finished and thrown on the ships boats, as you can see from the first photo the kit supplied ones are not very nice so 7 of the 8 have been replaced with aftermarket. The steam gig was done fairly much to spec from the instructions. I was originally going to lash them *** but the scale is beyond me and the ship with this much close detail is  it is very very fragile.

 A bit more rigging to go on these then the homeward stretch.  

Thanks for the likes and comments.

Greg

Very nice work

OK, what's next? Dabble on the dark side?

Just love those sails

I pretty much use rattle cans, I find anything hand painted on is too inconsistent and thick for the scale but that's probably just my lack of skill. I tried Vajello and it was rubbish to work with. The washes are done by hand as are the dry brushing. I haven't weathered any of mine as they are supposed to be display only.

I haven't posted for a while as it has taken forever getting these davits done. The rear deck ones needed some rods so they will not snap off the side of the hull, then some washes to bring out the details. Next will be the ships boats then the rigging for the davits.