HMS Devonshire 1/600 Airfix Vintage Classic

[Sprocket 10,049]

A recent re-release by Airfix, I'm all for it when Airfix honestly place the Vintage logo on the box, so you know what you're getting.

[Sprocket 10,049]

Sealed in a poly, only the anchors had become detached and were seen in the bottom of the bag.

a little flash to clean around those turrets

[Sprocket 10,049]

the hull halves, and main deck, good fit.

I have some 1/600 PE in my ship pe spares envelope, a leftover from the last century

[Sprocket 10,049]

I know there's enough handrails in there, and some spare radar parts, see if I can craft something together to bring this up.

 

[Sprocket 10,049]

stage one complete, and all the big kit parts are fitted, not without their issues of course.

the stern decking has the slightest fit issues, the helipad where it meets the stern bulkhead needs flatting to make it flush.

I've also reduced the stern access ladders to replace them with sharper, clearer defined PE ones.

forward, the superstructure where the ships side sweeps around in a curve to join the Foc'sl (B) needs shaping right, when the

milliput hardens, the main join of the superstructure needs flatting to merge it and hide the line.(A)

Overall I like the clean lines of this post war Destroyer.

 

[Sprocket 10,049]

looking at the stern, admittedly after she was hit during the Sink-ex, that saw her on her way to Davey Jones Locker.

The stern stairway/gangwayladder is close to the bulkhead surface. The double doors are closed, but the Helicopter

lift has been stripped out.

[Sprocket 10,049]

the hull sides given a coat of matt black, after that dried, a cut down length of tamiya tape line

was placed over the plimsole line and a coat of hull red sprayed over it.

Edited September 17 by Sprocket
correction

[Gorby 20,040]

It looks like quite a crudely tooled kit. Mind you Scalemates says it's from 1963, which is when I was newly tooled.

Could explain why I'm quite crude. 

[Sprocket 10,049]

Yes it's very basic, time will tell if I can improve it, first the basic paint job.

With the first overall coat, of grey plastic primer from Halfords, over the block/patchwork masks.

[Sprocket 10,049]

looks odd right now, with the patch masks removed, I should get a slight tonal variation when I overspray with battleship grey.

 

[Sprocket 10,049]

time for a peel off... I'll have to gently polish the hull sides of those paint failts. 

very subtle contrast between the black boot top and hull red.

overall I'm doing this in the wrong order, I know, still, just shows that research should come first, not during, a build.

Of course I'm talking about these Barbetts, far too wide...

flatting back, test fitting the B turret, looks better by far. I may as well go the whole 9 yards and flat the whole foc'sl forward deck too.

A just a little more flatting back to get rid of the shadow, B next one to go, C if I do I could get rid of this horrible deck edge.

D replace with PE. E replace with rod, PE chain from the spares box, G replace with plasticard and rod. 

[Sprocket 10,049]

As I'm loosing all my reference points some basic measurements will be useful when re instating the sanded off features.

All measurements are from the stem.

 

[Gorby 20,040]

48 minutes ago, Sprocket said:

I may as well go the whole 9 yards and flat the whole foc'sl forward deck too.

Replacing that chunky, poorly moulded gubbins should make it much better.

[Sprocket 10,049]

yep Chunky moulded gubbins gone, just the shadow to go, the deck edge is looking neater.

[Sprocket 10,049]

in between bouts of Modelling, I'm still scraping away at my Daughters dooerupper, here the carpet underlay is stuck firmly to the

floor tiles in the living room, probably since 1938, when the place was built.

[skwonk 9,255]

You'll probably be able to find a use for that underlay. When you replace 'G' in the above diagram I'm not sure which method you'll use but mine would be to use rod topped with a slightly wider punched disc of card, or a really thinned down section of rod. Both a PITA but that's just me.

[Sprocket 10,049]

The platforms flatted back, now to rebuild the foc'sl details from scratch.

[Sprocket 10,049]

the turret blanks made from plasticard will raise the turret off the deck just enough.

the bollards need holding with tweezers and sanding flat.

 

Here is the B turret in profile raised up.

 

[Gorby 20,040]

Much better.

Incidentally, I was wondering if you did any more work on the Beetle over summer.

[Sprocket 10,049]

2 hours ago, Gorby said:

I was wondering if you did any more work on the Beetle over summer.

Once my Daughter moves into her new home, she and her other half won't need the caravan on my drive, that can go to the scrapyard and I'll have space to get the Beetle 

into my workshop and fit the engine, phew, and breath... But thanks for asking Gorbs, great that you were following Mickey the Beetle.

Edited September 19 by Sprocket
correction

[Mad Steve 23,561]

Everyone's following Mickey the Beetle old spot, it's a great thread, highly educational and a good laugh.  

How come you are doing your daughters fixer upper? Actually, no need to answer, I understand   

[Gorby 20,040]

57 minutes ago, Sprocket said:

But thanks for asking Gorbs, great that you were following Mickey the Beetle.

Strange what you think about when you're wide awake at 3am isn't it? 

[Blue Noser 4,394]

On 9/16/2023 at 7:12 AM, Sprocket said:

looking at the stern, admittedly after she was hit during the Sink-ex, that saw her on her way to Davey Jones Locker.

The stern stairway/gangwayladder is close to the bulkhead surface. The double doors are closed, but the Helicopter

lift has been stripped out.

Nice work! My Dad was on the Kent and built that many years ago, its still in the back of my mind to get this and have another darned good go. Just a bit of pedantry (not sure if that is the right word!) though. I think what you are referring to the Aircraft lift is actually the weapon lift. The helo was housed in the superstructure ahead of it (where the two small doors are. The entrance to the hangar was down the port side as indicated on the butchered photo below. The Wessex was remarkably thin with blades folded so could easily fit down there. Anyhoo hope this helps  and do keep cracking on!

 

[skwonk 9,255]

Wot @Blue Noser sed ^^ . We were berthed opposite Kent in Pompey in '89 and I managed to have a good ganders around the upper deck. She was stripped of a fair few bits however. An oppo at the time told me of a Seaslug 'mishap' when he was serving on her. 

[Sprocket 10,049]

16 hours ago, Gorby said:

Strange what you think about when you're wide awake at 3am isn't it? 

I'll do a, where I am with Mickey the beetle, later in the week (if it ever stops drizzling) and get the body shell out from under the tarps, I turn the engine over by hand to keep the oil sloshing about. 

Hopefully you will be able to get some ZZZs in at 3am.