02/11/2015
Last time I
reported in with the first pic of the new build, I thought I was making progress with the deck assembled and painted, ready to mask off for the hull camouflage.
As one does, I've been using other model-builders' efforts as a guide, in particular
this one, but without realising that he â like many others â have made an important error.
This is discernable from the single side-view photograph of HMS Poppy that we have. Like the artist's impression at the top of the website linked above, it shows something that I've looked at time and time again, but never seen.
In what seems to be a unique modification for the Flower corvette class, the foredeck â which in the "normal" extended version stops just aft of the funnel â is extended still further, approximately another 32 feet. This is longer than is shown in the artist's impression.
Using only this photograph as a guide, therefore, I've had to scratch-build hull plate extensions and fit the deck extensions â shown on the photograph above. At last, with additional masking (shown), the hull is now ready for painting.
In real life, the deck modification was made prior to the vessel being deployed to North Africa to take part in Operation Torch. This also necessitated fitting four extra Oerlikon 20mm cannon as part of her anti-aircraft armament, making six in all.
The extra guns are not supplied with the kit and were acquired separately from "
Great Little Ships" â brilliant next day service. Most of the parts are supplied as "photo-etched" in sheet metal form. This is the first time I've ever built anything so complex and so tiny (see above, centre of the pic), and I've only just completed the first gun (close-up below).
Each gun is about 1.5 inches long and comprises no less than 23 parts â or 26 if you include the bits that broke off and had to be re-glued. Alongside (left) is the model provided with the kit â which is unusable, it's so bad. These two will have to be replaced. And then there are the ammunition lockers to build â each is so detailed they have hinges and locks which have to be fitted.
The gun will look better with a coat of paint, which will have to be airbrushed. It's almost too fragile to take a brush coat. Anyhow, that's one built and another five to go. Then I can get back to the ship itself. At this rate, though, I'm not even sure about next Christmas for a finish date.
