HMS Warspite by Old Collingwood - FINISHED - Academy - 1/350 scale - PLASTIC

[Old Collingwood]

I wonder if my friends and any other kind people could help me with some research please?   on Warspite the two searchlight platforms on the funnel are maned when needed, but however I try I can not find out how the crew can gain accsess to the platforms,  from all the research I have done I can not find any details of ladders going upto to platforms,  the center column is not wide enough to act as an accsess tube.

The location of the funnel is quite close to the forward super structure - a gap of a few feet from the main flag deck to the funnel, but there is a drop of about twenty feet to the main deck below from there,   so I couldn't see then just climbing across.

I wonder if anyone can help with this please.

 

OC.

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

Evening all,    I have had another one of those days today,  I cut a length of papar to act as my tarp for the railings on the funnel,  this was glued to the railings usings gaitor pva glue,  the problem after painting it and taking a couple of pics  - its all wonky and tipsy turvy, the railings/tarp slope inone direction, the lower level slopes in a different direction,  it all just looks a mess  to be honest.

 

I spent a good few hours I thought my idea was good but my building skills messed it up abit,   so Im wondering how to correct it as I dont have a replacement funnel/parts to replace with,   I might try to file down the side thats too high and bend down the lower level.

 

Here are pics showing the error.

 

OC.

Edited August 6, 2018 by Old Collingwood

[Old Collingwood]

Quick follow up  -  I decided to have another go downstairs in the kitchen under my magnifier, I tried to file the top on one side of the railing with the paper tarp on it, but it just fell appart, then the whole thing came away from the funnel, then  when I was trying to equal the gap up one of the support legs it snapped in two.

 

You can imagine my language   - flipping scale wish it was 1/200 scale.

 

I have left it in a crumbled mess on the table.🤬

 

OC.

[CDW]

Any way to do the tarp without the rail? I presume the rail is what you don't have at this point.

[Old Collingwood]

20 minutes ago, CDW said:

Any way to do the tarp without the rail? I presume the rail is what you don't have at this point.

I have a spare rail that I didn't fix to the lower level, I could try to to use that its shorter but I could doctor it somehow,  I also have some wood dowel that I use on my wood builds, I could try thinning that down abit to use for the two support legs.

I would have to try to tidy up the two platforms removing any set ca glue by filing, then open up the holes for the supports and start again.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

Sorry that things went so badly OC

 

Do you think it would be easier to just copy the platform onto a piece of plastic and make an entirely new unit? If you have the plastic sheet and dowels already it would seem like it would easier and cleaner than scraping and sanding ETC.

[Old Collingwood]

1 hour ago, lmagna said:

Sorry that things went so badly OC

 

Do you think it would be easier to just copy the platform onto a piece of plastic and make an entirely new unit? If you have the plastic sheet and dowels already it would seem like it would easier and cleaner than scraping and sanding ETC.

I  have some wood bits dowels etc from my wood builds but no plastic sheeting,   I think the plaforms will clean up ok as the top layer was pe  and as we know it dont like paint so it should just fall off,   it was just a bad day to be honest  my bro was on my mind alot and I thought getting emersed in my build would help.

 

OC.

[cog]

On 8/6/2018 at 3:59 AM, Old Collingwood said:

a gap of a few feet from the main flag deck to the funnel, but there is a drop of about twenty feet to the main deck below from there,   so I couldn't see then just climbing across.

What's a few feet ... They couldn't just cross it by steppin' over the gap? Jump it, or had a line (me tarzan ...)

[cog]

Forgot to post the previous one. 

 

OC I've got railing a plenty, send me a PM, we'll work something out ...

[lmagna]

Sorry to hear that your brother problems are back and making things hard OC.

[Old Collingwood]

Hi folks thank you for all the likes and replies,   I will DM you lou and carl,     so last night was a very negative time - I was a little dissapointed how the build was left,  this was the state of the funnel after I had sanded of the rough glue residue, nad after I had fitted the kit part lower platform after it had been thinned in profile abit.

Here is a pic.

 

OC.

Edited August 7, 2018 by Old Collingwood

[GrandpaPhil]

A little bit of paint will take right care of it. 👍

[Old Collingwood]

I also cleaned up the top platform for the searchlights (it looks rough but it will paint up ok)  and set about working on some dowel I have, this was rolled across a pice of sand paper back and forth to thin it down - then test fitted in the holes in the platfoms till it ran through smoothly,   I fitted the top platform with ca (while keeping the dowels in place to keep it all square).

So after checking its all square - I more happy as everything lines up as it should, the dowels will be set with ca, and the tops cut level for the searchlights to go ontop.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

Great work OC

Looks like everything is coming together just right. In fact the funnel looks jut like you would expect on a ship in dry dock for extensive repairs!

[Old Collingwood]

3 minutes ago, lmagna said:

Great work OC

Looks like everything is coming together just right. In fact the funnel looks jut like you would expect on a ship in dry dock for extensive repairs!

Thanks lou,   I know they are just model boats,  but we do put our hearts into them.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

More updates my friends -  I painted the two platforms and dryed them,   then I had an idea  - instead of sitting the two searchlight columns (dowels) and gluing them, I drilled into the deck where the legs would rest, so that I could push them into the holes and super glue them from underneath,  so uisng my tiny drill bits I first made a pilot hole  then went through with the correct size bit,   then dry fitted them.

 

Next I decided to have another go at the tarps - same system as before thin paper that was cut into 5mm wide strip then I cut the straight long run first, and applied a smear of pva along the platform edge, then fixed the paper tarp in place, next was the two end pieces - these needed a small cut out in the corners to go over the lip,  same procedure glued the edges then layed the paper and trimmed away the excess.

Then  I finnished off by gluing in place the two supports.

 

So this is how she looks at the present time.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

Super recovery, OC I think the new setup looks MUCH better than the old one, and should certainly be stronger!

 

I do think I missed out on something though, as Carl would say. Why did you make the canvas around the searchlights in three pieces rather than just one?

 

Again, it really is looking great. 

[Old Collingwood]

17 minutes ago, lmagna said:

Super recovery, OC I think the new setup looks MUCH better than the old one, and should certainly be stronger!

 

I do think I missed out on something though, as Carl would say. Why did you make the canvas around the searchlights in three pieces rather than just one?

 

Again, it really is looking great. 

Hi lou,   thanks for the encouragement  -  laying the canvas in three pieces was just done for ease to be honest,  the problem I was facing was holding the whole deck piece without doing too much damage to the steps,  this kept happening due to holding the thing, I had to keep straightening the ladder handles, and just lucky none have broken off.

 

OC.

[BANYAN]

Nice recovery OC; looking good!

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Old Collingwood]

24 minutes ago, BANYAN said:

Nice recovery OC; looking good!

 

cheers

 

Pat

Thanks pat,   it was hit and miss   but after sleeping on it I kind of regained my mojo.

 

OC.

[cog]

The things we have to cope with in model building ... mostly by our own doing. Hoiwever, you did a smashing job at the redodelidumdum. It looks very spiffy, mate.

 

7 hours ago, lmagna said:

I do think I missed out on something though, as Carl would say. Why did you make the canvas around the searchlights in three pieces rather than just one?

Lou, in this case I would have said: "Why didn't you make it five pieces for the ease of handling, and realism  

 

In fact you could have made it to the size of the tarps if you wanted to...

[Old Collingwood]

12 hours ago, cog said:

The things we have to cope with in model building ... mostly by our own doing. Hoiwever, you did a smashing job at the redodelidumdum. It looks very spiffy, mate.

 

Lou, in this case I would have said: "Why didn't you make it five pieces for the ease of handling, and realism  

 

In fact you could have made it to the size of the tarps if you wanted to...

Thank you kindly mate.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

Another update my good friends  - both supports had set well, so I gave them both a coat of dark grey, then I trimmed the tops level with the tarps,  then I turned my attention to the two 40inch searchlights,  these are the two kit ones that were cleaned up abit , then they had their fronts fitted from pe parts, they were then painted inside uisng black, and the front frames carefully painted with light grey, then to finnish off the base and body was painted mid grey.

Then they were glued to the supports,  so this completes the funnel details.

 

Next off will be the four boats with their pe details to go ontop of the boat deck.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

nice job on the repair work.......the end result makes it all worth it      good that you were able to recoup.

[Old Collingwood]

2 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

nice job on the repair work.......the end result makes it all worth it      good that you were able to recoup.

Thanks denis  much appreciated.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

More progress today  -  I cut away the pom pom ammo cupboards and various other boxes, these were plasttic cut parts so they needed to be sanded to clean then up and some needed sink marks removing,   next job was to fit two pe  doors on each pom pom cupboard, then they were painted mid grey,  same procedure with the other boxes - these were scattered around the boat deck.

 

Then it was railings time  - the boat deck has three sections of railings and one small area of tarp,   I used the pontos diagrams to aid where the railings go and copied them on to some paper,   first I cut the two rear sections these went on quite easily,  then I had to measure and shape the area that goes around the cranes, this was a bit fiddly due to the delicate nature of the pe, but I managed to sit them in a smear of pva,   then when set I applied a small smear of ca to set them fully.

To finnish off the railings at this level  I painted them in mid grey,   next off will be the tarp in the small mid section between the two pom pom shrouds.

 

I also stacked up four carly floats and painted them the same as before, these were placed on the crane deck.

 

Here are a few pics.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

Hi all,   another good day on the bench (table)  I continued with the lower (crane) level railings, including two odd shape sections between the two pom pom shrouds,  after gluing and painting mid grey  - I tipped the top rails with some black.

 

I took a few more pics showing the progress.

 

OC.

Edited August 10, 2018 by Old Collingwood

[cog]

From bathtub to ship in progress. I might give the black toprail a go too ...

[Old Collingwood]

14 minutes ago, cog said:

From bathtub to ship in progress. I might give the black toprail a go too ...

Thanks carl,   the top rail black color represents black tar/paint colored hemp ropes that were/are used on most warships  still to this day I believe.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

look'in good OC.........looks even better on deck       still more to go......so keep pile'in it on