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Searchlights, part II

May 2, 2010 / efoeth

The Searchlight part I post showed how the searchlight frame was made including the design for the etched parts. The design is repeated here:

The lantern is mostly made up from etched parts with one large to-be-rolled strip and some additional detail parts.

The rolling took some testing (made a few test lanterns first), but worked out well in the end. A stepped end cap was made with the lathe later sanded down to give the lantern its curved back.

The top detail has a small positioning block for the exact positioning (see top image, center, repeated on the rear surface of the detail part), the side parts are aligned on the lantern’s inclination axis. A small jig was made to hold the lantern in place while gluing the front detail into position.

The parts on the side really add a lot of wonderful detail. The parts were first rolled into shape and then added.

And here are the completed parts. Some brass wire (0.1) is added to the lantern top. The searchlight can still rotate for ease of painting. I doubt the inclination axis (i.e., small brass wire) will be visible after painting as a) the searchlights were usually set looking downward and b) I think I’ll add some glazing material to the PE front.

Paravanes

March 10, 2010 / efoeth

Two paravanes were mounted just aft of the conning tower, stowed to a bulkhead. Two others were stored in the lockers in the forward breakwater. There are many pictures of paravanes at The Vickers Photographic Archive. The size was determined from several Anatomy of the Ship series and estimates from photographs.

I used a drawing from the Grand Prix Shuppan series as a starting point for the design of the etched parts. Most early Japanese warships had Royal Navy style equipment on board and this drawing is an excellent match.

Note that the paravanes are not stored flat to the bulkhead, but at an angle. There’s a lifting eye on the superstructure and a hoist on the paravane that is off center so this was probably the easiest way to store it.

The part itself is made up from a tapered tube (lathe) and a series of etched parts. The cradles are already fixed to the models. The hoists aren’t in the same spot, but these parts are very very small and also not well visible when fixed to the model.

There isn’t really much else to say, except that they are very small and took about five hours to assemble.

History of the model

February 21, 2010 / efoeth

Now that my HMS Hood project has been running for ten years, I feel melancholic so I have a few historic pictures. It also answers two important questions I get from time to time: isn’t this really the model by White Ensign Models and why does it take ten years to make a model? Last question first. When I started with this model, I didn’t know how to make my own parts and had to learn. I rebuilt several parts several times. I also moved twice and had to finish my PhD. These things have a knack for declaring spare time null and void for a few years. I now have a large garden and we (Oh, got married too) occasionally spend a lot of time working around the house. Plus, my modeling has experienced many periods of months of inaction. I’m not constantly working on the model; it’s more like a plant I occasionally water…. The pictures below are a few shots I saved. The quality is not so good, but hey, so weren’t the digital cameras then…

The model did start out as the model by White Ensign. I first bought the model by Iron Shipwright but was so disappointed by the quality I sent it back. The WEM model was much better but still… a few changes here and there…. Already the quarterdeck was leveled and replaced by grooved styrene.

The bridge was partly replaced based on the drawings also sold at WEM’s. Still, didn’t feel quite right.

Much better! All possible sources of error removed. All WEM parts were trashed and even the etch set was declared obsolete (but found a good home). By this time you might be thinking: wasn’t that a really expensive model? Yes, it was. Nowhere near as expensive as it is now, mind you, so water under the bridge.

The forecastle and quarterdeck hatches were to be modeled as open, so the rooms below decks were made to scale. I now want to have HMS Hood modeled underway to intercept Bismarck with all ladders stowed, so I guess I have to close both hatches.

These two pics show the new grooved styrene in place. The new hull plating is visible. This was a major disaster and took a lot of time to correct. Looks alright now, but it’s still a good argument to make a waterline model!

This is one of the earlier attempts at making the superstructure. It was reasonably well on its way but was later scrapped. The plating was too thin and the part is not solid enough. Nor is the current part but it doesn’t deform as much as this one. Note: this is a bad way for making a superstructure.

Same for this little part. In fact, the entire bridge, superstructure, funnels and aft searchlight platform were made at least once and later thrown away. No wonder the model isn’t done.

Turrets, Mk I. No, still not good enough. Who would have thought I would be sending new turrets back to WEM?

So, not counting the hull, I could have had at least two almost complete HMS Hood models done by now. But I kept the hull and that is a constant source of worry; the decks are glued in place with superglue and the thought of the failure of that bond alone… But so much work was done on the hull that I had to keep it; all the latest parts fit so nice to the old hull that I won’t risk a new one. All the armor plating was completely replaced too, so there’s a bit of resin hull in there but not on the outside. The deck problem is also fixed; the superstructure will be directly fixed into the resin with very small M1 screws (I’ll have another post on that subject later). Should have known earlier that that was a good idea, but I suppose that is part of the learning process too? For me, modeling is about recreating the parts and having fun and not about actually finishing the model. Still, I’m set of finishing it within one or two years now. That’s quite soon, isn’t it?

Custom Photoetch Set Part III

February 11, 2010 / efoeth

The etch set presented in Custom Photoetch Set Part II is now done. There was a slight delay as the set received some minor adjustments as required by the etcher and I felt I could add one more part (Type 279 aerial). The set was etched by Saemann Ätztechnik in Germany, with excellent results:

I had three copies made. I decided to spread around the parts so that I would need at least two sets with one for backup. This was probably a good decision; the parts are already falling out of the set as the material holding them in place was designed a bit too thin. An overview with most of the parts is below. The color is a bit off; the material is silvery in appearance.

All stairs from the previous set were repeated; I made a design error and couldn’t fold the steps without breaking them. This is now solved. Each deck has stairs etched to size to account for the different deck heights. The spacing between the steps was changed accordingly, so you shouldn’t be able to notice the slight variations in height and span. The model will depict HMS Hood just under way, so the accommodation ladders and stairs on the quarterdeck will be stored.

1 Shelter deck of signal platform
2 Signal platform to conning tower platform
3 Conning tower platform to Admiral’s bridge (large)
4 Behind torpedo control position
5 Admiral’s bridge to fore bridge (direct)
6 Admiral’s bridge to fore bridge (via upper plotting position)
7 Forecastle deck to shelterdeck (wide, outboard)
8 Forecastle deck to shelterdeck (narrow, on centerline)
9 Conning tower platform to Admiral’s bridge (small)
10 Air defense platform to roof torpedo control position
11 Accommodation ladder, shelterdeck
12 Admiral’s accommodation ladder, quarterdeck
13 Fore bridge to compass platform
14 Forecastle deck to shelterdeck (forward)
15 Quarterdeck to shelterdeck
16 Quarterdeck stair platform (stowed version)
17 Foot plates with “Hood”, (Checkered foot plates around 12)
18 Flag lockers, grid plus cabinet

A large selection of cordage reels is included. I found 5 different types and designed them based on photographs on board HMS Hood, and various museum ships.

1 New Quarterdeck hatch aft of Y-turret
2 Hatches for cabinet on main starfish
3 Small cordage reels
4 Medium cordage reeks
5 Very large cordage reels
6 Large cordage reels (two styles)
(Very small cordage reels places elsewhere)
7 Detail for X-turret and 20″ signal light detail
8 Night life buoy (repeat)
9 UP ammo locker hatches (repeat)
10 Assorted detail for electrical winches
11 Semaphores
12 Rigging detail (repeat)
13 Funnel walkways
14 Type 279 radar aerial

1 Detail for main derrick
2 Assorted eyelets for all derricks
3 Main derrick pulley frames
4 Crane hook main derrick
5 Crane hook small derrick
6 Assorted detail paravanes
7 Assorted detail Pompom director Mk II
8 Escape manhole hatch (omitted in previous set)
9 Assorted detail 4″ gun fuse setters
10 Searchlight lanterns
11 Carley float type 17, 8×12 ft
12 Carley float type 20, 5×10 ft
13 Carley float type 19, 5×8 ft
14 Davit detail

1 Checkered foot plates
2 Small outboard platform of forecastle deck
3 Flag lockers, grid plus cabinet
4 New torpedo hatch (near forward breakwater)
5 Very small cordage reels (not fixed properly)
6 Very small mushroom vents grid
7 Assorted eyelets
8 Awning detail (perhaps too small)
9 Railing around staircases, one end open
10 Railing around staircases, both ends open
11 Torpedo head hatch hinge (on the side of the hull)
12 Hatches ammo storage on shelterdeck
13 Railing around searchlight positions
14 Railing for funnel walkway
15 Railing superstructure (chain)

1 Assorted detail octuple Pompom Mk V
2 Assorted detail octuple Pompom Mk VI

1 Assorted detail searchlight director
2 Assorted detail air-lookout position
3 Assorted detail air-defense officer’s sight
4 Assorted detail Pompom director Mk I
5 New hatch capstan engine room (near anchors)
6 Aerials MF/DF office
7 Hatch
8 Vickers quad machine gun (repeat)
9 35ft fast motor boat ladders (accidentally added twice)
10 Main mast stays
11 Hatch cover frame
12 Hawse pipe cover
13 Hatches
14 Quad Pompom

I decided not to use any commercial railing, as HMS Hood has five styles I wanted to have correctly modeled (one being for the funnel walkway). Note that the railing style on the main deck is a wide three-bar , while it has a shorter spacing between stanchions on the shelterdeck. The rest of the railing on HMS Hood is all two-bar except for the funnel walkway. Having two-bar railing above the shelterdeck is a detail missed by most modelers.

1 Railing quarterdeck and forecastle deck
2 Railing shelterdeck
3 Railing superstructure (chain)
3 Railing superstructure (bar)