HMS Hood by Old Collingwood - Flyhawk - 1/700 - PLASTIC - After her explosion.

[Old Collingwood]

Eveining all, Two hours at the table  with more work on the lower conning tower  -  Davits fitted  (check)  small wind breaks (check)   Two Paravanes  (check)  and a  block on the deck  including  a  pole for the  front mast  (I assume)

 

Its still  dry fitted, as the sub assemlies will be painted before gluing down.

 

OC.

[RogerF]

I'm really enjoying catching up with your build OC and impressed with your progress.

I sometimes think that I spend far too much time planing in my head and far too little time actually building. However my plans deviate a little from yours in some areas.

1. Once I've primed and painted the hull, I intend mounting the main and aft decks. Using the masks I will airbrush deck detail that will protrude above the wooden deck.

2. I intend to add the upper decks later when they are nearer completion. First the intermediate decking and then the weather  deck paint job which I'm dreading! I think that he cut-outs for the armourment are of a darker grey than the decks so I will mask those areas of deck and where the wooden deck will be so I can spray the cortecine part. Then the cortecine (masking the grey area then the normal grey area beneath the wooden deck). Finally I'll add the wooden deck and mount the sub-assembly  to the main decks.

3. I intend airbrushing the ammunition lockers on the sprues because I think it will be easier to do so than try to paint them once mounted.

4. I aim to attempt to add the  PE funnel tops because I was surprised at how easy (for me!) it seemed to bend them to the required radius. Attaching might well prove more of a challenge, however. I will probably ditch the idea of fitting the PE stays since having no stays will look better than having misshapen ones which will probably result during final fitting of the funnel assembly to the deck mounts. When and just how I will paint the funnel exteriors and inners I am not yet sure, modelling in this scale really does pose problems that are not as significant in larger scale models.

 

Work has started on the upper superstructure which will have essential staircases added prior to being airbrushed and mounted. May main concern here is knowing how to tackle the fore mast, two of the three legs of which thread through an upper deck at an angle - thinking cap needed again. Initial trial fitting of the plastic kit platform below the starfish platform is also a worry.

 

Wooden decks - your experience OC??!!!

I'm glad you've already fixed yours and as I expected, this will be no simple task. I plan to mount them directly to the plastic deck because I fear they may tend to gradually lift in places if adhering to several coats of paint rather than solid material hence masking while painting other areas. How strong is the wooden deck adhesive? Apart from the fiddly nature of the fitting, do you have any tips on the best way to approach the job and are there any pitfalls that you might care to share with me???!!!!

 

Just thought I'd let you know I'm still alive and kicking and despite other circumstances playing a part, I'm a little unmotivated at the moment so progress has been halted for a while. Thinking and planning continues however, so I just need to get my head down and get on with it.

Your excellent achievements so far do actually make me want to progress so, let's see how it all pans out.

[Old Collingwood]

1 hour ago, RogerF said:

I'm really enjoying catching up with your build OC and impressed with your progress.

I sometimes think that I spend far too much time planing in my head and far too little time actually building. However my plans deviate a little from yours in some areas.

1. Once I've primed and painted the hull, I intend mounting the main and aft decks. Using the masks I will airbrush deck detail that will protrude above the wooden deck.

2. I intend to add the upper decks later when they are nearer completion. First the intermediate decking and then the weather  deck paint job which I'm dreading! I think that he cut-outs for the armourment are of a darker grey than the decks so I will mask those areas of deck and where the wooden deck will be so I can spray the cortecine part. Then the cortecine (masking the grey area then the normal grey area beneath the wooden deck). Finally I'll add the wooden deck and mount the sub-assembly  to the main decks.

3. I intend airbrushing the ammunition lockers on the sprues because I think it will be easier to do so than try to paint them once mounted.

4. I aim to attempt to add the  PE funnel tops because I was surprised at how easy (for me!) it seemed to bend them to the required radius. Attaching might well prove more of a challenge, however. I will probably ditch the idea of fitting the PE stays since having no stays will look better than having misshapen ones which will probably result during final fitting of the funnel assembly to the deck mounts. When and just how I will paint the funnel exteriors and inners I am not yet sure, modelling in this scale really does pose problems that are not as significant in larger scale models.

 

Work has started on the upper superstructure which will have essential staircases added prior to being airbrushed and mounted. May main concern here is knowing how to tackle the fore mast, two of the three legs of which thread through an upper deck at an angle - thinking cap needed again. Initial trial fitting of the plastic kit platform below the starfish platform is also a worry.

 

Wooden decks - your experience OC??!!!

I'm glad you've already fixed yours and as I expected, this will be no simple task. I plan to mount them directly to the plastic deck because I fear they may tend to gradually lift in places if adhering to several coats of paint rather than solid material hence masking while painting other areas. How strong is the wooden deck adhesive? Apart from the fiddly nature of the fitting, do you have any tips on the best way to approach the job and are there any pitfalls that you might care to share with me???!!!!

 

Just thought I'd let you know I'm still alive and kicking and despite other circumstances playing a part, I'm a little unmotivated at the moment so progress has been halted for a while. Thinking and planning continues however, so I just need to get my head down and get on with it.

Your excellent achievements so far do actually make me want to progress so, let's see how it all pans out.

Thank you kindly for explaining that Roger  - it is an Excellent kit  - just takes time and patience  - it has made me reach the limit (or close tp it)  of my modeling ability  - how people can work at such small scales is amazing.

With the wood deck  I was told a trick with my other wood deck I put down in 1/350 scale  - to use PVA  glue thats been slightly watered down, as this helps the deck to slide into position and also dries along with the sticky glue, as I think other wise it will only take the very slightest out of position  by a mill  and it will go down in the wrong position  - and bet it wont lift without tearing.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

I have found the wooden decks to be quite nerve wracking to install. I have only installed them on bare plastic because I was worried they might lift off paint - I'm not sure how valid a concern that is.

So far it has gone well. I tried to be careful fitting it over the deck fittings and using that to position the wooden deck and I found the deck settled down into the correct position - they are astonishingly well cut.

Alan

[Old Collingwood]

Evening all,   more work continues  on the lower conning tower - added the signal lockers, a small block house, Two vent houses,  direction finders  and  Two small  signaling lamps    - needs a bit of dusting a wee bit of sanding  when the finders have set fully.

 

OC.

Edited December 10, 2021 by Old Collingwood

[RogerF]

14 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

 

 

 

Love the way this is panning out OC.

It looks as though you needed to widen the slot in the deck to accommodate the stair case in the above pic. Is this something that needs to be done for every stairwell? I hope not! Perhaps it results from having to remove that bent staircase you mentioned.

Following your logical build order, I'm re-thinking my intended build sequences on the superstructure. I still want to airbrush as much of the added deck detail before fitting (range finders and ammo lockers) but that will necessitate having the decks painted first too

 

Another thing that is puzzling me are the mushroom vents. You have already mounted some and they are plastic parts. There is a bag full of microscopic brass vents with the deluxe kit, and I'm thinking they will need to be painted before fitting (at least those that protrude from the wooden deck sections). So...... how on earth can they be painted?!!! Any ideas OC or have you already a plan of action in your brain?!

The only solution I can think of is to mount them all on a strip of wood with double-sided sticky tape. But the bases have such a miniscule cross-section that I fear the vents may  well not remain in place on the adhesive tape when 'blasted' by the airbrush but disappear into the great beyond never to be seen again. Mmmmm.

 

That said, great progress OC and it's really enjoyable following your steps, knowing myself, by now, the architecture of the ship so well and seeing your approach to assemblies I've already partially tackled - at least up to the dry-fit stage. All power to you elbow Sir!!

[Old Collingwood]

7 hours ago, RogerF said:

 

 

Love the way this is panning out OC.

It looks as though you needed to widen the slot in the deck to accommodate the stair case in the above pic. Is this something that needs to be done for every stairwell? I hope not! Perhaps it results from having to remove that bent staircase you mentioned.

Following your logical build order, I'm re-thinking my intended build sequences on the superstructure. I still want to airbrush as much of the added deck detail before fitting (range finders and ammo lockers) but that will necessitate having the decks painted first too

 

Another thing that is puzzling me are the mushroom vents. You have already mounted some and they are plastic parts. There is a bag full of microscopic brass vents with the deluxe kit, and I'm thinking they will need to be painted before fitting (at least those that protrude from the wooden deck sections). So...... how on earth can they be painted?!!! Any ideas OC or have you already a plan of action in your brain?!

The only solution I can think of is to mount them all on a strip of wood with double-sided sticky tape. But the bases have such a miniscule cross-section that I fear the vents may  well not remain in place on the adhesive tape when 'blasted' by the airbrush but disappear into the great beyond never to be seen again. Mmmmm.

 

That said, great progress OC and it's really enjoyable following your steps, knowing myself, by now, the architecture of the ship so well and seeing your approach to assemblies I've already partially tackled - at least up to the dry-fit stage. All power to you elbow Sir!!

Thank you kindly Roger,    that rough looking starwell gap  was from one of the damaged  ladders, but it will be hidden  with another level so I am not too worried about it,   with the mushroom vents  - one thing  you could try  (does PE Brass stick to magnets)   see where I going with that?   or other wise  do you have any double sided tape?    you  could place them on that and  airbrush them.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

Hi all, I never got round to showing you all the PE  instructions   - take a seat and hold your breath.....

 

OC.

[RogerF]

Yes indeed! Main instructions for the plastic parts, PE instructions, wooden decks and in my case, painting masks. I have spent far, far more time studying the instructions and comparing with plastic, PE and wooden deck parts, studying Draminski's 3D video and 3D drawings book "The Battlecruiser HMS Hood" and figuring out the ideal sequence of the build and painting, than I have actually spent building the darn thing and the further in I get the more questions present themselves. I've scratched off most of the remaining hair on my head pondering the answers.

Still, as the old adage goes - "If you can't take a joke you should never have joined".

[Old Collingwood]

6 minutes ago, RogerF said:

Yes indeed! Main instructions for the plastic parts, PE instructions, wooden decks and in my case, painting masks. I have spent far, far more time studying the instructions and comparing with plastic, PE and wooden deck parts, studying Draminski's 3D video and 3D drawings book "The Battlecruiser HMS Hood" and figuring out the ideal sequence of the build and painting, than I have actually spent building the darn thing and the further in I get the more questions present themselves. I've scratched off most of the remaining hair on my head pondering the answers.

Still, as the old adage goes - "If you can't take a joke you should never have joined".

I have decided my best action is to shrink myself  700 times  to attempt to pull off this  piece of magic, just hope I will be able  to pick up the massive wand to magic myself back again.

 

OC.

[RogerF]

23 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Thank you kindly Roger,    that rough looking starwell gap  was from one of the damaged  ladders, but it will be hidden  with another level so I am not too worried about it,   with the mushroom vents  - one thing  you could try  (does PE Brass stick to magnets)   see where I going with that?   or other wise  do you have any double sided tape?    you  could place them on that and  airbrush them.

 

OC.

Thanks for the response OC.

Brass is non-magnetic and the 'brass' vents are unfortunately not attracted by a magnet. I considered mounting on double-sided tape (see my last response) but the diameter of their bases (which would be the bit sticking to the tape, is less than 0.3mm and I'm afraid the airbrush would blow them off!

[Old Collingwood]

Evening all,   more progress with the same section, I have added the Hacs  units  and the  gunnery direction finder  (that is pointed in the direction  from when she was engaing  Bismark)    the assembly housing the finder is just dry fitted  for now.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

5 minutes ago, RogerF said:

Thanks for the response OC.

Brass is non-magnetic and the 'brass' vents are unfortunately not attracted by a magnet. I considered mounting on double-sided tape (see my last response) but the diameter of their bases (which would be the bit sticking to the tape, is less than 0.3mm and I'm afraid the airbrush would blow them off!

Thinking  -  did you get the wood deck  - did yours have Two  seperate  boat deck pieces?    what you could do (if  you have the Two) attach  your  PE  vents  first  then prime/paint the deck/vents  then fit the first section of decking  - then you could use the second piece of matching deck  to act as a mask  by laying it over the first one and spray the fittings, I discovered  myself that I had Two secions of the same decking.

 

OC.

[CDW]

It's nice that you are taking a slow methodical approach to building the Hood. Enjoy the journey.

Very finely molded and machined parts are these kit's specialty, well written instructions not so much. Maybe sometimes not at all. 

I would consider gluing the tiny vents to a wooden popsicle stick using acrylic glue and then painting them. They can readily be removed after they are painted and dry to handle them.

[Old Collingwood]

7 minutes ago, CDW said:

It's nice that you are taking a slow methodical approach to building the Hood. Enjoy the journey.

Very finely molded and machined parts are these kit's specialty, well written instructions not so much. Maybe sometimes not at all. 

I would consider gluing the tiny vents to a wooden popsicle stick using acrylic glue and then painting them. They can readily be removed after they are painted and dry to handle them.

Thats  some good advice Craig   - hope that helps  Roger.

 

OC.

[CDW]

6 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Thats  some good advice Craig   - hope that helps  Roger.

 

OC.

If you have no proper acrylic glue, just use a dab of clear acrylic varnish as a glue to temporarily hold them in place.

[RogerF]

1 hour ago, CDW said:

If you have no proper acrylic glue, just use a dab of clear acrylic varnish as a glue to temporarily hold them in place.

Thanks Craig, thanks OC.

The idea with acrylic glue and the popsicle stick sounds good - stronger adhesive than tape. Closer examination of the decks reveals that the brass vents are intended to replace existing vent 'approximations' moulded on the deck surface. Ideally these should be first removed before fixing the brass ones. This calls for incredibly micro-surgical scalpel work and it will be virtually impossible (at least for me!) to get a flat surface upon which to glue the vents.

But the moulded vent detail is so small that it will in all probability not even protrude above deck level once the wood deck is in place.

So, either just leave the plastic moulded vents 'as is'  (painting before applying the wood deck) and if they look good, leave as is and ditch the brass parts - or - glue the (by now painted) brass vents on top of the plastic mouldings.

 

The vent heads of the brass vents are wider than their 'shafts' so trying to mount the wood deck over the vents once they are glued to the deck will not be possible, assuming the holes in the deck are sized for the shafts and not the heads - it would be just too easy to snap them off when gluing the deck down.

[mtaylor]

5 hours ago, RogerF said:

Thanks for the response OC.

Brass is non-magnetic and the 'brass' vents are unfortunately not attracted by a magnet. I considered mounting on double-sided tape (see my last response) but the diameter of their bases (which would be the bit sticking to the tape, is less than 0.3mm and I'm afraid the airbrush would blow them off!

One way to make handling these easier during installation is get some tiny dowels (wooden toothpicks with the point clipped off work).  Dip the end of the toothpick into to some molten beeswax (just melt it, don't boil it).  When cool, use the waxed end of the stick to pick up and put the parts into place.  When the sticky stuff stops sticking, toss it and use a fresh one.  Easy and cheap to make.

[Old Collingwood]

Evening all,   a  wee bit more progress  -  onto the next level of the conning tower, I made up and added a couple of blocks  then dry fitted it to checks its fit.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

Evening all,  a  wee bit of work this eve  -  just adding details to some of the conning tower,  I then dry fitted them together  - getting taller.

 

OC.

[Landlubber Mike]

A lot of really sharp details with the plastic parts.  Looks like a fantastic kit!  
 

[Old Collingwood]

5 minutes ago, Landlubber Mike said:

A lot of really sharp details with the plastic parts.  Looks like a fantastic kit!  
 

Thanks Mike,   certainly is a well designed kit  with very sharp mouldings.

 

OC.

Edited December 14, 2021 by Old Collingwood

[mikegr]

gotta love those life rafts and paravanes. Most manufacturers can't produce this even in 1/350.

[Old Collingwood]

7 hours ago, mikegr said:

gotta love those life rafts and paravanes. Most manufacturers can't produce this even in 1/350.

Indeed  - the challenge is handling them  - good job they provide more rafts than you need.

 

OC.

[Kevin-the-lubber]

The more I see of this the more amazed I am by the level of detail, it's incredible at that scale, and so crisp. Are you sure you're not kidding us and this isn't actually 1:100 🙂. Up to now I have mentally refused point blank to look at anything smaller than 1:100 as even that's a challenge, but you're making me think again. Not to understate either than you're showing a great deal of skill in putting this together, I imagine at this scale it's difficult to get every part placed 'just so', but you're managing that rather well.

 

[Old Collingwood]

1 hour ago, Kevin-the-lubber said:

The more I see of this the more amazed I am by the level of detail, it's incredible at that scale, and so crisp. Are you sure you're not kidding us and this isn't actually 1:100 🙂. Up to now I have mentally refused point blank to look at anything smaller than 1:100 as even that's a challenge, but you're making me think again. Not to understate either than you're showing a great deal of skill in putting this together, I imagine at this scale it's difficult to get every part placed 'just so', but you're managing that rather well.

 

Thank you  so much for those very kind words,    Its an amazing  kit  but it does  challenge  a persons  skill  with all the  very tiny parts, they are hard enough  to cut away from the spru's  and then handling them  even before gluing them in place  - you need a certain  buld  tech  not to  marr  what you fit.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

Evening all,   some more detail added to the conning tower stack   and for scale  I have added  "sid"  one of my 28mm  figures    - good job there was no giants around then  lol.

 

OC.

[Old Collingwood]

And another view  - 

 

OC.

[king derelict]

2 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

I have added  "sid"  one of my 28mm  figures

Its starting to look really good OC. Fine work indeed. Sid really brings home how small but well detailed the paravanes and rafts are - and they are separate parts not moulded on

Great

Alan

[Old Collingwood]

56 minutes ago, king derelict said:

Its starting to look really good OC. Fine work indeed. Sid really brings home how small but well detailed the paravanes and rafts are - and they are separate parts not moulded on

Great

Alan

Thank you kindly Alan,   yep  all the small parts are seperate  - takes the  utmost skill just to cut them away from the spru's   - then you have to hope they dont "ping off"      mind  you I have  found a certain  way of gluing them down  -  I make a small  pool of glue on the side of my cutting mat  then while holding the part with my teezers  I touch the part to be gluid  in the glue then place it down,   if I tried to use the Revell glue needle  even that is too wide and too much glue  would come out  on the area to be glued.

 

OC.