king derelict

Thank you Andrew. Getting towards the end run now Alan

Moving slowly forward. Partly because this was started so long ago I have rather lost the thread of what I was doing. I have lost my place a bit with the PE appropriate to Zinnia and I did miss the searchlight railings could have been installed from PE rather than the kit parts. Otherwise I think I am not too far off. I had a minor setback. The pill container is a nice comfortable base to work on the ship but it is a bit top heavy and inevitably I knocked it over. The only casualty was the mast which has been rebuilt using appropriate brass rod. My tip to prevent this (belatedly applied) is to fill the pill container about halfway with water. Photos of Zinnia are scarce but there is a line drawing of her towards the end of the Flower Corvette book which shows that Mirage got the details correct generally I have taken a bit of a pragmatic approach to the PE. A lot of the kit parts like the davits are very finely moulded and I think are better than toe 2D PE so I have taken the version I like best. Just because it has a PE equivalent doesn't mean I am going to use it. The railings of course. I think the PE railings step up the model all on their own. I used the kit 2 pdr aft gun; its really a nice representation. I used the resin 4 inch forward gun and the PE Lewis guns for the bridge wings. So far most of the details are added. Forecastle railings, anchor chains are the last parts. This means I am looking the rigging question in the face. The mast is a bit delicate. I should probably have remade the whole thing in brass. I may have to rethink it. Luckily Gators Grip glue is relaively easy tp remove and rework Some rust washes will be added but nothing too extreme. Zinnia never made any of the long Atlantic convoyes Thanks for looking in and for the likes and comments Alan

Thank you Mike; that's a good point about the matte spray. That would be my last task in the build Alan

This looks like a great idea. It should be a fun build with a presentable result. alan

A fabulous subject and it looks like a magnificent kit. I’ll watch with fascination alan

I’ve had good results with this too Alan

He certainly looks like he could carry his head under his arms! This is another Art Girona figure. From the Thirty Years War (1618 - 1648) he is a Spanish Arquebusier in the process of loading. It is another nicely sculpted piece. I’m toying with keeping the head separate during painting to see if it makes the work easier Alan

Work resumes on HMS Zinnia. I've started building up the detail with a mixture of kit parts and the White Ensign PE set although the PE is more appropriate to the later bridge configurations. I am going to use the kit parts for the aft gun tub and the forward bandstand. The PE really didn't improve the look although I will add the railings to the bandstand. Painting and some washes to weather a bit next. Zinnia did not last very long so I don't think heavy weathering is appropriate. Now I have to decide whether to rig the ship; something that I find difficult. I think some of it would be better done before the railing go on; the funnel stays for example. I just got the model kasten thread and I have the Uschi version too. I may have to try the funnel stays and see how it goes Thanks for looking in and the likes Alan

Nice work on the helo Mike Alan

The daffadar has been moved to a display shelf and now I'm working on finishing the Flowers and associated diorama. I did enjoy working on these figures so while the paint was drying on the ships I did open a package and fiddle a bit Thank you for all the likes and supportive comments Alan

Thank you very much Craig. I look forward to seeing your figure project coming together. Alan

Thank you Ken. I don't think he is going to win any tent pegging competitions with that lance tough. Alan

Thank you very much Jack. Your input was much ppreciated. Alan

Thank you very much OC. The camera is an unflinching critic too. I was pleased with my first foray into figure painting and I learnt a lot. I plan on picking up another one shortly Alan

Absolutely spectacular result. The model is beautiful. As always the log is an absorbing read and the photographs are a treat to see alan

I decided some more fiddling was necessary. I wasn't happy with the red stripes on the turban and sashes; they just looked painted on. So I went back and added a darker shade of red at the interface with the yellow and I think it improves things. Still some room for improvement; maybe I should have added something to define the line properly - next time. Unfortunately I see a bit of yellow to tidy up now I also used a tiny bit of putty to build up the wrist which was a bit distorted after the multiple falls and rebuilds. Its a little better. I cut the white metal guidon off the lance and replaced it with a piece of foil which is much better. I added the top of the lance to the figure and, again, due to the shifts in the pose of the figure it doesn't line up too well. It will have to be displayed showing the side view which isn't too bad. Possibly drilling through the hand and using a single piece of brass with the bamboo nodes added would be a better option. There is a second chance. I like this figure and I learnt a lot painting it so I bought a second figure and would like to try again and hopefully do a better job. I will touch up the turban and I think I will call these figures done. I want to complete the Flowers before attempting anything else. I get sidetracked too easily Thanks to everyone for looking in and for the likes and all the helpful comments. Alan

Thank you Ken; that's good to know. Its been frustrating enough having things pop off on this build. Alan

Thank you very much for the comment and the useful information about the bow fair lead. I’ve subsequently seen it and incorporated it in later builds but wasn’t aware of it back then. The reference book noted above doesn’t show it in some of the line drawings but some illustrations do, including the cover one. They don’t necessarily show the change in railing height. ive tucked this nugget away for use with the other RN destroyers that I have stacked away so many thanks again. alan

Thank you very much Craig. That looks generally useful so I just ordered it (28% off too). It never ceases to amaze me how much expertise and knowledge is on this forum. On this project alone I’ve benefited from suggestions about nail brushes, adhesives, clamps and paint. Thank you all alan

Thank you very much for the suggestions. I have Gators Grip (primarily for PE) but hadn’t thought of it. Like you I like the resilience instead of the brittle ca joints. I’m already thinking of doing another figure so I’ll give it a shot. It’s a lot easier to clean up than epoxy. I also have the MiG ammo version but I like the GG better we may have been somewhat at cross purposes too. I was also thinking about the best way to fix the figure to the painting base given its significant weight compared to a plastic figure. Thus the contact adhesive comment. The weight may be a bit much for gators grip. So far the heavyweight double sided tape is holding up. Alan

Thank you Mike. I revisited your Shimakaze build log. I enjoyed reading it at the time and the model and seascape are beautiful. I think the way the blues of the sea work to give an impression of depth is fantastic. I am rereading and making notes of the techniques alan

Thank EG. The balance hadn’t occurred to me but you are correct, it will help enormously. Many thanks. im thinking maybe a contact adhesive might also be worth trying to hold the figure on the base. Anything that doesn’t dry hard and then prone to cracking off. pennant ( or guidon possibly) is about to be cut off Thanks for the advice as always alan

Arggh - It happened again. Adding the last details to the Yellow Boy and the figure detatched from the painting base and landed hard on the work bench. Head, arms and base all separated again. I don't know if its the plastic pill container top that is the problem. maybe I should have roughed it up to key the glue. I used CA, Gorilla Glue and two part epoxy all with dubious results and an unexpected failure. This time I tried some heavy duty adhesive tape which I have used to secure larger ship models to a working base. Amazon.com: EZlifego Double Sided Tape Heavy Duty, Extra Large Nano Double Sided Adhesive Tape, Clear Mounting Tape Picture Hanging Adhesive Strips,Removable Wall Tape Sticky Poster Tape Decor Carpet Tape(9.85FT) : Office Products It is very tenacious and so far its holding up. I'm hoping in the event of a failure the tape will peel away rather than break away giving me a chance to save the situation. So once again the figure was reassembled and the details on the turban, sash and cummerbund added. I lightly sketched the areas to paint with a pencil which helped. The base was painted with Mig Sand and the rocks picked out. The sword was painted and added. One thing I have learnt (the hard way) is that these white metal figures are heavy. This is why the problem with fixing them to the base is such a headache but it also means that even details like the sword have weight and need to be supported well during the period that the glue is drying. Ask me how I know! I delved into my Woodlands Scenic supplies and added some burnt grass to adda little more interest to the base. The final touch was to add some dry brushed sand colour to the daffadars boots as this is not aimed at being a parade figure but more regular service. Generally, I am happy with the figure, the face came out quite well and the shading worked out. It would have been better f it hadn't been broken and reassembled so much. There are some minor shifts in the assembly which detract a bit from the final result. I think this one was harder than Nabopolassar; there are less guides in the scuplt to provide boundaries for the paint colours. So I am deliberating one last element of the model. The kit provides a lance in two parts for the figure to hold. At the start of the assembly I drilled the hands to hold the upper section but I am nervous about adding it. Its the weight problem again and bracing it while it dries. I think there are three options 1 - Go ahead and see what happens. Maybe use a third hand type of clamp to hold it while it dries 2 - Ignore the top section and let the figure be holding a lathi - a bamboo rod. 3 - Remove the pennant from the lance (its a significant part of the weight) and add one made of foil. Thanks for looking in, the likes and the comments Alan

The wooden deck painting is superb. The result justifies the work to achieve it. alan

This looks very interesting alan