SMS Emden by RGL - FINISHED - Revell - 1/350 - PLASTIC

[RGL]

After the threading, I can get back to some modeling. There will be 16 individual ships davits, for 8 boats. You can see from the Huff plans they are very detailed. The grey blended blobs are the Revell effort. The Eduard fret is not bad but still needs work, as they are attached to the plastic from the kit. The side profile shows them as basically bend I bar. So thinning the kit davits down, adding an extra layer for the pulleys which run alongside them, and a few eyelets for rigging and the bolster rails make it about as complicated as it needs to be at this scale. If it was bigger it would require more work which would be easier because of the scale. The cleats look ridiculously big but that is the way they were s you can see from the original photo.

 

This is the first of the 16, and the template which has come out OK. It's for the rear deck, and the kit only allows the option of the boats being outboard, whereas I want everything inboard, so I will have to add some bolsters and probably have to drill it into the hull to take the weight. Now I have some direction I can mass produce them.

Edited April 26, 2016 by Greg Lester

[BANYAN]

A big improvement but still fiddly   Good luck!

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Canute]

The PE makes those davits pop, Greg. Time consuming work, but with what you've already done, you have to keep it up. Great build.

[RGL]

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.

[BANYAN]

Great detail Greg; especially at this scale.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Canute]

That is some fiddly work, Greg. Nicely done.

[RGL]

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

[BANYAN]

Well mate, considering you have "thrown" the boats on; they have turned out very great  I agree, no use risking breakages in trying to put on the 'gripes' for each boat - you can always say that the ship is prepped rerady for entering/leaving harbour when sea gripes and coverings would have been removed.

 

Nice work!

 

cheers

 

Pat

[RGL]

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.

[Canute]

Nobody but us squirrels will know about that Greg. Very nice job.

[RGL]

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.

[RGL]

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.

[RGL]

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.

Edited May 20, 2016 by Greg Lester

[BANYAN]

Greg, she is looking fabulous mate - nice work with all the additional detail. Glad to hear the handle didn't cause much damage.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[amateur]

Ah well, i already thought it was small.....

You did a very nice job on this ship. Actually, the ship might be obscure, but i like the lines and colours of the Kaiserliche Marine.

 

Jan

[Jim Lad]

Have to agree that you've put in some first class work there, Greg - especially considering the scale.

 

John

[Captain Slog]

Glad to hear the handle didn't cause much damage.

 

 

Seeing it in your hand.. I imagine the handle is bigger than the model!

 

The last photo was Evan thou I know the scale the last photo just brourt me up sharp as I had been revealing in the detail and had got so used to looking with out any thing to compair,then suddenly wow so very well done robin

Yeah that last photo took me by surprise also.

 

Makes your work all the more impressive!...unless you are really some kind of giant.

 

Great stuff, well done.

 

Cheers

Slog 

[Canute]

Greg, she's a wee thing. Excellent detailing there. Inspirational work.

[schooner]

Greg,

 After seeing the start of this build and being amazed at the detail you put into the guns I somehow "dropped track" on it, to use a gunnery term, around New Years (I forgot about the "follow" button). Thank God I found it again today before it is done and slips into digital deep freeze. I've had a very pleasant hour and a half catching up. This is amazing work at any scale but particularly at 1/350. You've overcome many problems that would have defeated me. Wonderful work and I can't wait for the Dreadnought.

Edited May 20, 2016 by schooner

[RGL]

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.

[mtaylor]

It's still amazing work you're doing, Greg.  Wood kits require a lot of bashing also along with all the poor fit of parts, etc.

 

I'm not sure what it is about ship kits.  It might be the markets.  Kids seem to be interested in the RC cars and there's the trains and planes.  The hobby shops I've been to seldom carry a good selection of kits.  But, if you ask, they have the catalogs will order.  I think it's the Internet.. a bigger selection,  cheaper and faster to buy online.

[RGL]

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.

Edited May 21, 2016 by Greg Lester

[RGL]

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.

[Jim Lad]

More beautiful work, Greg.

 

John

[Old Collingwood]

Looking Superb Greg,  it just goes to show - that the camera never lies and has a habbit of showing up every detail, your close work passes the test with flying colours my friend

 

OC.

[BANYAN]

Nice work Greg, that would have been very tricky to hollow out those gun shields in soft plastic- kudos!

 

cheers

 

Pat

[RGL]

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.

[amateur]

don't rush

 

Jan

[RGL]

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

[RGL]

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.

 

 

Edited May 28, 2016 by Greg Lester