Ian M's HMS HOOD. Trumpeter 1/200

[Guest]

All part of the fun lol

[Guest]

Not that I use acrylics but a tip worth remembering

[Ian M]

Just got an email that my paints are on the way. So I can get going again on this build.
Been doing bits here and there, so I will do a proper post tomorrow with a run down on what got done whilst waiting.

[spanner570]

Nice, steady and impressive progress Ian.
It will be great to see your update......

Re. wooden decks. As you might recall, both Mr. Rixon and I hate so called 'Wooden Decks' with a passion. During my working life I've helped re-deck a couple of vessels and know the width of the caulking and colour of the boards. I've yet to see a stick-on deck that comes close to anything like 'The real thing' The caulking is way too wide - at best caulking is a finger nail width, if that. Almost invisible - even at the scale you are working at.
This is my take on it and I'm sure other folk will think differently. which is fine.

Stick to painting the plastic decks

[Ian M]

I agree on the decks Ron, that's why I painted mine.
A good way to do them on large scale boats; 1/72 or 1/96 is single planks and black card as the caulking. But it takes a lot of time and sanding...

[colin m]

Nice, steady and impressive progress Ian.
It will be great to see your update......

Re. wooden decks. As you might recall, both Mr. Rixon and I hate so called 'Wooden Decks' with a passion. During my working life I've helped re-deck a couple of vessels and know the width of the caulking and colour of the boards. I've yet to see a stick-on deck that comes close to anything like 'The real thing' The caulking is way too wide - at best caulking is a finger nail width, if that. Almost invisible - even at the scale you are working at.
This is my take on it and I'm sure other folk will think differently. which is fine.

Stick to painting the plastic decks

I've actually been to sea on ships with wooden decks - NO stop right there, I'm only 49...........

[Pikeman]

You have a lot of patience Ian but I am sure it will pay off come the end.
Keep up the great work your doing

[Ian M]

Erm, Houston, we have a problem.
So the paint arrived safe and sound from Germany... Took it to the cave and packed them out and placed them with the almost empty tins of those I have from when you could still get enamel paint sent from England.
The plan was to get the myriad of sub-assemblies painted so I could build on and up.
[ATTACH]277014[/ATTACH]
507b and 507a perfect match. 507c, the colour I have started to paint the ship with is not. Bugger. A quick message to Sovereign Hobbies that make the paints where very quick to reply: They found that the 507c from WEM was not a match to neither the factory colour chips or the original (real)paint mix. So they corrected it in December!!! If only I had ordered the paints before I started! Grrr.
So instead of an easy spray job I now have to remask and repaint everything that has been painted. I am now also considering painting her the correct colour for the time in question. 507a Time for a cuppa and a think.

edit: Even The Hood association seems to be confused but as far as I can make out it should be 507b.

[stona]

That is most unfortunate for you, but good for Sovereign Hobbies.

I now buy my Colourcoats from them (obviously), but haven't noticed any revisions of the aircraft colours so far.

Cheers

Steve

[Ian M]

That is most unfortunate for you, but good for Sovereign Hobbies.

He's a good chap and very helpful. He told me that he still has a couple of the old colour 507c but no way of getting them to me.
As far as I know their air colours are OK (they sell about 20 tins of aircraft paint to each tin of navy paint!)
I hear that a couple of their armour colours are a bit iffy but I am by far an expert in them.

[colin m]

How about mixing 2 dots of the new paint with one dot of the old and see if you like the result ?

[Ian M]

That would have been a good idea Colin, if the old pot still had paint in it! lol It is totally empty to the point of being clean enough to use again!

Any how. After a very amusing sesion of pulling bits apart (One good thing about gluing prepainted parts is the join is strong enough to hold well but weak enough to be able to get things apart again), I had bits of ship all over the shop! Only managed to ping a couple of bits of PE off, but found them again and all is well.
Then after a masking session to mask the deck areas that have been painted, I could spend an enthralling hour or so mounting parts to paint them again.
Today saw me at the paint bench painting them. I still have a few bits to do but having used the paint I had thinned down, I thought it a good place to stop for the day.
Here is the damage so far.
[ATTACH]277151[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]277152[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]277153[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]277154[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]277155[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]277156[/ATTACH]
All of the parts above are now sporting a nice, if rather dull Dark Admiralty Grey. AP507B which was the colour the Hood was painted two weeks prior to her fateful meeting with Bismark.
[ATTACH]277157[/ATTACH]
This is what is left to re-paint and that will either be later today or tomorrow. The main hull and all the bits on deck, the main guns and what not's also need a coat or two. A deck or two will need a new coat of MS3 as they where to awkward to mask. Then it is onward and upward! Yeah.

[Ian M]

Well yesterday was wet and windy and so far today is grey on grey. What a pity, I will just have to spend some time in the cave.
So yesterday saw me playing with masking again. Word of advise/warning; if you are going to do a 1/200 scale war canoe, be sure to have plenty of tape, blades and, lol, paint!
[ATTACH]277413[/ATTACH]
First the boot topping was marked off. A good tip here: If you have one of those third hand things, just set it up with one clamp and one clip. A thin pencil is then put in the clamp and with the hull standing flat and firm on the bench, I used blobs of white tac, set the height of the pencil and carefully draw the base of the third hand along the bench so the pencil just leaves a line on the hull for either the top or bottom of the boot topping, or plimsoll line if you prefer that name. Run the tape so that it covers where the line should be.
I then sprayed the top section of the hull grey. Then I took off the tape with the strips of plastic bag and moved them down to along the bottom of the tape for the black line. Once that is down, carefully take the tape for the actual line and move that up to the top edge of the topping. I then painted the black line WITH A BRUSH! (yes thats right a brush!). Then i removed the tape as soon as I was done. Its not perfect but then boot toppings never are in real life*. A few places need a tiny touch up but otherwise good enough for me.
*(painted often while still in the water, it called for calm water, empty ballast tanks, as light a load as possible and a couple of dozen seamen with buckets and brushes. The lower edge was often pretty hit and miss due to the lapping of the waves and the willingness of the seaman to get wet feet).
Nuff about that.
[ATTACH]277414[/ATTACH]
Boot topping painted:
[ATTACH]277418[/ATTACH]
And here without the tape:
[ATTACH]277419[/ATTACH]
Oh I also needed to mask the entire top side off to avoid overspray. Sticky notes blocks are rather handy it turns out.
[ATTACH]277415[/ATTACH]
Painted the decks a bit atop the roof just behind the conning tower. Some say hull colour and cortisene others say the same grey as the steel decks. Having now done both I think this looks best (and most believable).
[ATTACH]277416[/ATTACH]
Needed to paint the deck again on this. I forgot to mask it off and it ended up rather grey. Now once again the same colour as the steel decks.
[ATTACH]277417[/ATTACH]
Spent ages repainting the vents. First black then dry brushed with the hull colour.

Here she is: Note that the superstructures are only placed and not glued. The funnels are still wet so not on her just now.
I must say that I rather like her in her battle paint. [ATTACH]277420[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]277421[/ATTACH]
Having gotten this far I can add some of the hundreds of small boxes and lockers and clear the bench a bit. Then I might just take a pause for a while.... (A stuka and a Spook GB are long over due).

[spanner570]

I like it Ian, I like it a lot.

That last pickie gives a good indication as to the size of the brute. Top work!

[Guest]

This looks really good. It is a impressive model