Old Collingwood

Just an update folks minus pics though,   I started on the lower hull by giving it a good clean down and blast with a hairdryer to remove dust, then i diluted a bit of vallejo Mat top coat and procceded to hand paint the hull,  with the largest but managable brush I have to hand, I tried to follow defined areas with detail boundaries, and built it up in stages of thin coats added with the venerable hairdryer.

After a few coats it was covering quite well with just a light scattering of fine brush marks, these should rubb out with a cloth when its hardened.

OC.

Hey greg,  i'm loving the detail in the hull very sharp, what are you going to do with the anti fouling on the bottom, apply a mat varnish or similar?

OC.

I'm in the same boat with my attempt at Warspite. Doh!

Hey!  Are you going to post up your Warspite build, it would be interesting to follow

OC

hull looks great OC..........bow deck does too     are the anchor chains supposed to be white?

Hi,  yeah  checking the photos I have she did serve quite a time with white chains and was kept in that state for most of her active life.

OC.

Decided later today i will firstly reduce the width of an overhang that was there for the 1918 fit,    when she had more 6 Inch guns both forward and aft, in later life she had these overhangs reduced,  and planked over close to her hull sides, after doing this i will dry brush a light grey colour over her upper hull before highlighting her details with a dull white.

OC.

Looking nice greg very clean and as you say - good to get the main hull painting out the way,    always feels like an achievment when thats done,      is that AP 507C on the hull?  standard RN paint colour to help keep the temp down a bit on ship in hots climates.

OC.

Loving your progress greg - the armour plates look a treat, she has a great shape about here and no boubt quite daunting in her prime.

OC.

Looks good mate

Thanks greg,   Next stage will be to add the odd small additional things like the dropped ledge water break,  then I will  do a bit of light highlighting - dry brush style, then the hull will be turned upside down while i work on the rudders and props/shafts, then the attaching the transfer draught markings and finishing off the hull with a couple of flat clear coats the protect it, It will then be put away back in the box while I continue the deck section details etc.

OC.

More work on the hull today - I started by re drilling out the port holes that had been blocked up a bit by paint, I then had to re build the front fairleads by drilling and shaping with a round file, this took quite a bit of time and lots of re checking under the magnifier, after all the shaping and fidling was done i got out a fine sharp pencil and worked on the recess lines to create a bit of shadowing.

Here are a few pics folks - I think its going in the right direction folks?

OC.

Right folks - I have done the other stage in the camo colour on the hull,  basically just by putting some tape on the edge of the darker shade then applying the same thiness of acrylic with my brush,  a bout the same amout of coats was applied with drying stages by the wifes hairdryer, this is a Fantastic way of speeding the whole process, as it allows me to put coats on more or less strait after each other.

I removed the tape but as expected there are ridges where the two colours meet, but I should just be able to sand these down very lightly, when the paint has hardened fully,  I will then dry brush lightly along the edges to blend the two colours in, and also do some highlighting and a bit of shading to the hull.

Its great to see the hull 75% done as it was an area I was dreading

OC.

Hull Time again,   I had only painted the starboard side before with both camo colours, so to give my deck parts a break I decided to get the hull out and start masking up then painting the mid grey colour,  i painted by hand with a small brush and put on about 8 thin coats with hairdryer drying between coats so I could put on as many coats so quickly,  I have only the one shade on but will add the light grey tommorow after maskin up the reverse.

Hers are a couple of pics.

OC.

I did a bit more work today on the bow deck section completing putting the anchor chains in place, i then gave them a white paint coat.

Here is a couple of pics.

OC.

Better day today folks - back at the table,  it was anchor cable time,  I cut one from the fret tidied it up and offered it up to the capstan/chain plate and chain tunnel surround, I had to bend part of the end then - "Ping" as it snapped and part fell to the ground, I managed to find it and super glue it back together, then i sanded the end where it wraps round/under the capstan cap and finished off by adding a coat of dull white paint.

When it was dry i fitted it in place with a few drops of super glue.

A lot of work/time just on a simple single item but it does look good in place though.

OC.

Folks - I came this close yesterday to binning the model,  we have a few personal probs and i went over to the build table - but it just felt so unimportant  and it took all my worth to stop myself from chucking it in the bin.

I love this model but it was so nearly destroyed.

OC.

Carried on today with the bow section - I put the capstans on and applied a few coats of contrasting paint, I have also done a small amount of dry brushing to highlight some details and add a bit of an edge.

OC.

I know how you fell about the armour strips (remember by problems making them from paper strips) Its such a difficult situation either thay are too over done or nothing at all, it certainly pushes are skills and imagination.

OC.

Loving your work greg,  so much more complete when the deck and hull are married together,  my desision to do s much detail to the deck sections is just for my own convenience of keeping seperate small sections that i can get my small magnifier over on my work mat.

I love your idea to build Dreadnought as  she could have been considered the for runner to Warspite, so of particular interest to me.

OC.

You should be pleased, OC.  Looking great, IMO.  

 

RE:  The dreaded Carpet Monster.  Grab the vacuum and put an old stocking over the hose end, then vacuum the floor.  The lost bit, if it gets sucked in will be captured by the stocking.  Don't use a fishnet stocking... the holes are too big and it looks rather kinky. 

Thank you mark - the vacume idea is great but come to late I am affraid - the wife has already vacumed up and emptied the bag, and no way am i gonna go through our dustbin with a magnifier in "honey i shrunk the kids scenario"  I would be put in a mental hospital .

OC

I have to be honest I am quietly over the moon with my ability so far, yes its taking ages but I am learning new abilities with each task, its a completly different build from my old airfix 600scale Hood/Bismark kits I built when I was a teenager.

Im pleased folks

OC.

More progress on the bow section - i fitted the three sets of bollards then painted the  steel base around them deck grey, and the bollards light grey,  I have also decided to paint the anchor chain deck plates a deck grey colour instead of the red oxide anti rust color(as i dont have it and the captain wanted it uniform deck grey color)   the Hawse Pipe and surround as well as the Capstan and plate have been painted light grey.

I also decided to return to the rear block area and give the top rail fittings a light coat of black paint, as the real cables where black colour in real life.

Here are a few pics.

OC.

Carried on today with the Bow fittings including a few more hatch covers, two fittings towards the front of the bow that I have no idea what they are for, and the capstan wheel frames and wheels,  one became a victim to the carpet monster so my Warspite will just have to rely on two anchors in action - mind you i doubt all three would be in use anyway?.

Here are a couple more pics folks.

OC.

Comes up really nicely OC.

Thanks greg,  I have added the skuttle plates and the anchor chain plat guides since the pictures above, I have also added a few of the hatch covers.

OC

Managed to put some wood down on the Bow  section today, this was a careful job of cutting the deck from the backing strip, then carefully placing it as you only get one shot as the glue is so sticky,   it fitted quite well and any small gaps will be invisible and hidden by the etch hatch covers that I have to fit.

Here is a couple of pics.

OC.

Hi Hank,

I know what you mean regarding the hull detail that a lot of kit manufacturers leave out of thier models,    I encountered the same with my HMS Warspte build on here,       the real ship was built up in overlocking armour plates of similar size and distance appart,   this continued under the waterline and along the bottom of the hull, I had to attack this by using strips on paper sheet all the same width and applied with PVA then when painted over and sanded back they gave the right profile and not too over scale thick.

Have a look at my build on here

Regards

OC

Another day at the table (Thats Two days in a row)  If I carry on at this rate i will finish it in about a year LOL,   I have continued with the decking areas in preperation for the wood decks, I decided from day one to scrape/sand/file the old plastic scribbed detail off the plastic decks, this wil not only make a better key for the glue on the peel off backing but also make the scale hight more realistic around obstructions.

Here are a couple of pics of the completed decks prior to placing the wood deck sheets.

OC.