HMS Penelope by King Derelict - FINISHED - Flyhawk - 1/700 - PLASTIC

[king derelict]

20 hours ago, popeye the sailor said:

your not shy with the PE.....that's a good thing    you must feel like your in Gulliver's world,  when pin heads are larger than some of the parts your working with     but it's fun,  and your doing a fine job........glad I tuned in!   

Hi Popeye

Many Thanks for looking in and the kind comment. The build log was an attempt to make me scrutinise and improve my efforts. The PE is a whole new world for me but I love how it dresses up a model. Just a set of railings on a ship lifts the model to a whole new level. 

I last built a kit in 1970 (Airfix 1/72 Harrier as I recall). Then you built what was available in the local shop (all Airfix) and painted with what they had (Humbrol). No aftermarket details; I remember it being exciting when they started stocking matt colours as well as gloss! A serious modeller was someone who knew to stretch melted sprue to add aerials etc. 

Revisiting the hobby now is amazing; seeing the range of subjects and scales available and what can be done to them; the range of finishes, aftermarket parts in resin and PE, 3D printing. It seems like every week I see something new I want to try or build. The internet provides amazing opportunities and this forum has such a great range of expertise and knowledge. Its a world away from building on teh kitchen table with the box top as the only reference material.

Thanks to everyone for sharing the skills and knowledge

 

Alan

[CDW]

Hi Alan

 

I just now found your build log for the Penelope and have spent some time looking through the photos of your work. Looks super! Looking forward to following along as I also have this model in the stash of to-do's.

[king derelict]

Hi Craig

Thanks for looking in. Your work sets a very high standard but I'm learning and i hope improving. Most of all I'm enjoying it. These Flyhawk deluxe kits are so well produced any frustration is of my own making. Your PE handling is giving me some great insights.

Thanks

Alan

[king derelict]

Only a small update today mostly adding small details. At risk of being repetitive I am amazed by the detail on the basic Flyhawk plastic. The masts are fine enough that I don't think they need replacing. I added the PE to the foremast and left it at that. I think it is time to start the primer

 

Alan

 

[CDW]

Totally agree on the masts. Best I have ever seen in plastic, but so are a lot of other Flyhawk plastic parts. They have set a new standard in 1:700 scale for all the other companies out there. Some of the new Pit-Road and Very Fire offerings are good too, but not quite as fine as Flyhawk.

[Old Collingwood]

I can imagine there being some quite exciting offerings coming along  from Flyhawk.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

I just received their Panzer Mk1 (early production) 1/72 kit today. It's a tiny gem. I'll start a build log in the appropriate folder as a placeholder and show off the unboxing. For a fairly cheap kit it is very only

 

Alan

[Old Collingwood]

1 hour ago, king derelict said:

I just received their Panzer Mk1 (early production) 1/72 kit today. It's a tiny gem. I'll start a build log in the appropriate folder as a placeholder and show off the unboxing. For a fairly cheap kit it is very only

 

Alan

Place it in here mate  -   https://modelshipworld.com/forum/73-non-shipcategorised-builds/

 

OC.

[CDW]

3 hours ago, king derelict said:

I just received their Panzer Mk1 (early production) 1/72 kit today. It's a tiny gem. I'll start a build log in the appropriate folder as a placeholder and show off the unboxing. For a fairly cheap kit it is very only

 

Alan

 

After you told me about Flyhawk producing the 1:72 armor, I ordered the Panzer II, the Konigstiger, and a French Streetscape. They were delivered this week. They are superb!

[Old Collingwood]

25 minutes ago, CDW said:

 

After you told me about Flyhawk producing the 1:72 armor, I ordered the Panzer II, the Konigstiger, and a French Streetscape. They were delivered this week. They are superb!

Come on then Craig  - no time like the present  - you know where they have to go  -  will  look forward to your build  (even start intro's)🙂

 

OC.

[king derelict]

Not much to show today. Grey primer on grey plastic but it means I'm ready to start putting some colour onto the parts tomorrow. I had a frustrating morning prior to getting the primer on. The last item I wanted to do was to complete the antenna on the top of the foremast. It consists of two PE diamonds and I added the first last night. I cut out the second this morning and placed it in the first diamond. Nudged it into final position and it dropped out. It looked like it fell right onto the work surface but I couldn't find it. Two hours of looking everywhere on teh work desk , the floor a sweep with the dustbuster - nothing. I don't seem to have any PE that resembles the lost part so I made up a diamond out of 0.2 mm wire. It looks a bit untidy n the photo but in real life its only 1/8 inch high so I think with a bit of pant it will pass muster

 

Alan

 

[CDW]

I feel for 'ya. Dropped a PE doorway today and it simply vanished as well. As small as these parts are, it's probably right in front of our eyes and we just are not focusing on the correct spot to see it. When I don't need it, that's when I find it sometimes after I already made a part to take it's place. 

[king derelict]

Moving forward after putting on the primer paint yesterday. The hull has been painted white and hopefully will be masked and the brown paint added. All other elements that have white were painted. The gun turrets, boats and deck fittings had the 507C sections painted and the non wooden decks had the 507A painted added.

For me the big moment was peeling the masks off the main decks and adding the wooden decks. I was a bit nervous given the thinness of the wooden deck and the feeling that it would be a one shot effort but it went on quite well. The accuracy of the deck registering on the Flyhawk deck was outstanding. Even the smallest details lined up. I need to think about weathering the deck and experiment on the remains of the wooden sheet. Weathering in 1/700 bothers me a bit. It looks very easy to overdo it.

 

I realised that the Flyhawk small parts sprues (searchlights, paravanes, AA guns etc) are stackable which is great for saving space on the table while the paint is drying. 

Thanks for looking in

 

Alan

[CDW]

Everything looks great Alan. Did not realize those parts trees would stack like that. Good find!

Be real careful weathering that deck. It will soak up paint like a sponge and go in places you did not intend. Have you tried using very light applications of artist oils, the tube type paint? Like you said, experiment on scrap before doing the real thing.  

[king derelict]

Craig. Thanks for the kind comment and the helpful advice on weathering. I bought a set of artists oils but haven't tried them yet. Do you use them diluted or apply from the tube in very small dabs and wash with a thinner? Moving into some interesting stuff for me now but lois of fun too.

Alan

[Old Collingwood]

Excellent work Alan, those decks  just look  "So Niceeeeee"  you are doing a splendid job.

 

OC.

[CDW]

In the old days, I diluted oils with terpenoid and used them as a wash, but you don't want to do that on a wood deck. The wood deck will soak up that thinner and make a mess. Use very small amounts on your brush straight from the tube and stroke the brush on a clean paper towel to remove the bulk of the paint, like you would if you were dry brushing, before using it on the desired surface (deck). 

[king derelict]

A lot of distractions today. I thought that was supposed to stop when you retired.

 

I made the masks for the hull. I scanned and scaled up the scheme in the instructions to match the length of the actual model and adding a bit to allow for the 3D hull (139 % ) and printed a couple of copies. The hull side views were cut out and glued to masking tape along with the turret top sections

The turret masks have been added and the hull white section masks will follow tomorrow I hope. I was hoping to paint everything of each colour in one go but I don't think I'm smart enough to work all the details out so I think there will be a few iterations. 

 

Alan

 

 

[king derelict]

Yesterday was lost to modelling at the mercies of the health care world. Today has been more productive. I painted the superstructure, six inch guns and funnels white. Tomorrow I will mask them and hopefully add the brown paint. Masking is going to be very interesting in the areas where there is a lot of PE.

 

I masked the white sections of the hull and sprayed the brown paint.

The masks were removed and i think it came out quite well.

I think weathering the hull might be interesting. I think its going to look a bit too clean and model-ish if I don't do something but the paint was only on for a relatively short period and the ship was sat at anchor in a fjord. I think i can add rust streaks below the hawse holes; I/m sure water would have run down and taken rust particles with it.

I added the main decks and now this might start to look like a ship

 

Thanks for looking

 

Alan

[Old Collingwood]

That is excellent masking and paintwork.

 

OC.

[CDW]

Your masking and paint look great Alan. The Flyhawk kits in 1:700 scale spoil us. Once you've had the pleasure of building one of them, it makes everything else in this scale look like a bathtub toy, but that's why the sell detail sets just to dress up the kits that would otherwise be mundane. 

[king derelict]

Thanks for the kind comment Craig

The camouflage scheme looked very daunting but working it in sections has made it manageable. I have become a big fan of Flyhawk, especially as they have some interesting and unusual subjects. I have some Trumpeter and IBG kits waiting along with some add on PE to improve them. They will be a learning experience too

[CDW]

Yes, I have a few 1:700 kits other than Flyhawk as well. I'll be starting a couple of them soon.

[king derelict]

Today I masked the white sections of the superstructure pieces and the main guns. Masking the forward funnel which has a lot of PE on it was a bit of a nightmare but I thought I had come up with a clever solution using a piece of thin card loosely taped over the delicate areas. I was so caught up in the effort that I forgot to take photos but it wasn't my best effort anyway. I then sprayed the parts up with the brown coat and when it came time to airbrush the forward funnel the card mask blew off on one side, taking one of the work platforms with it.  I managed to reattach it and pressed on. I removed the all masks once the paint dried and it generally looks reasonable although some minor touch up will be needed on the guns. The forward funnel wasn't the disaster I was expecting and I think it can be rescued with a bit of careful brushwork. I added the superstructure to the hull; the guns are just placed for the look of it. I did manage to jockey the work platform back into place and figured that getting it back on (and finding it in the first place) had used up quite enough luck for one session.

I experimented with artists oils to try to weather the wooden decks with some advice from Craig. I found a very light touch is needed and there is no second chance. I plan to err on the side of light weathering for a first attempt, mainly on the foredeck.

. 

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend everyone

 

Alan

[CDW]

Very nice indeed. 

[king derelict]

Not a huge amount of progress today. I started adding the detail deck parts along with teh PE ladders. I managed to drop the first inclined ladder and spent two hours looking for it; there are no spares in the fret. I found four six inch brass gun barrels that I didn't know I had lost and gave up. I was preparing to make the next ladder and think about a replacement and then noticed the offending ladder stuck to the cutting board - which had been searched with a flash light multiple times. 

So got a few ladders installed, made the PE breakwater, started tidying up the paintwork on the six inch guns and trying to figure out the order of work for the next few parts. Most of the PE is on except for railings but there are a lot of small parts like lockers still to fit.

[Old Collingwood]

The little dance we all do on the floor  "looking  - looking again  then  re looking"    I thought of the idea of using a magnet  but wouldn't work with me  - would stick to my leg due to the metalwork in it.

 

You are doing a lovely job  she is really  standing out  - lets all remember these are  1/700  kits  very very small  that makes a 6ft tall sailor just 2.5mm  tall.

 

OC.

[CDW]

Looks great Alan. You've done an outstanding job with the photo etch and painting it all. Not a simple task by any means. The molded on details look spectacular on this kit. Very sharp.

[king derelict]

Thanks Craig

I'm learning a lot on this build; its the most complicated kit that I have attempted. It helps that the kit is so good; everything fits well and the PE integrates very nicely.

 

 

[CDW]

Well you're making it look like you are an "old pro". Your work is first rate. Complex models intrigue me most and it really helps build patience, something I sometimes lack. 1:700 scale has forced me to slow down because there is no practical way I can find to do it faster.