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Tuesday 6 March 2012

Finished ... at last!

The construction phase of my 'cartoon' model of the German pre-dreadnought battleship Schleswig-Holstein is now complete, and although there are one or two minor problems with the model, I am happy with the way it turned out.

The very old Airfix German officer figure gives some idea of how big the model is.
It is not a perfect scale model, but I hope that it has the captured the essence of the original ... and all in a model that is just 8"/20cm long!

The next stage is to coat the model in a coat or two of PVA to seal the surface, and then I can paint it.

29 comments:

  1. Tim Gow,

    Thanks!

    It struck me that I could use the same methods to produce the models for our much-thought-about island hopping campaign game.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  2. Ah yes, the island hopping game. I'd better get some US Marines painted!

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  3. Jim Duncan,

    It does have a hefty look to it ... which is what I hoped it would have.

    The turrets are not quite right ... but they are removable and I might try to make some that are slightly smaller so that the gun barrels do not overhang the bows.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  4. Tim Gow,

    You already have the Japanese so a few US Marines will help to round out your collection.

    You know it makes sense!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  5. That is a lovely piece of work. Well Done!

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  6. Hi Bob,

    That is truly awesome looking! My only question is when are we going to fight Tsushima using the same style of model?

    Re the turrets - If you angle the front face from about halfway up that will give the illusion of a big turret but with the barrels set further back.

    Lovely work and I am interested to see what will be next!

    All the best,

    DC

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  7. Pat G,

    Thanks very much. I had a few problems along the way ... but it turned out all right in the end.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  8. David Crook,

    In one way making the model 8"/10cm long made it easier to build ... and I think that I could turn out enough models to make a largish battle possible. It might be too large for the tabletop, but not for a reasonably sized floor.

    The turrets on the original ship had almost vertical fronts, but by reducing the length of the turret and the gun barrels it should be possible to improve the look without too much trouble.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  9. Bob

    She's a beaut! Well done. I'm looking forward to see a fleet of these in action.

    PD

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  10. That's awesome. Truly, you are a talented guy.

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  11. Peter Douglas,

    From the number of comments I have received, it looks like I will have to build some more models!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  12. Lee Hadley,

    Many thanks for the very complimentary comment. I just do my best.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  13. It"s a brilliant model, Bob. It has a "toy" feel but still manages to convey the sense of e real thing. Looking forward to seeing it painted.

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  14. You've out done yourself here , great work Bob!

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  15. I think you need to start a production line for these Bob.

    Work out how many you would like to have, say a dozen. Then build 12 hulls, then 12 pairs of funnels and so on.

    I would expect that you will finish them sooner that way.

    Jim

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  16. Mad Padre,

    Many thanks for your kind words.

    The model has ended up having the sort of 'look' that I wanted, just as you note in your comment … 'toy'-life and yet recognisable for what it is.

    With luck I should begin painting it tomorrow, and once it is finished, I will some include photographs on my blog.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  17. Conrad Kinch,

    Thank you very much for your kind comment.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  18. Don M,

    Thanks you for your very kind comment.

    The trick will be to see if I can build some more models using the same method!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  19. Jim Duncan,

    I learned a lot from building this model in modules, and then assembling them at the end. It should be fairly easy to use the same method to set up a mini-production line so that I can build more than one model at a time.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  20. Very impressive, Bob!

    What next - a stylised 'African Queen' with 20mm figures of Bogart and Hepburn?

    Arthur

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  21. Arthur1815,

    Many thanks for your very kind comment ... and the suggestion for a follow-up project!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  22. Looks great!
    (I think you mean 4 inches/10 cm? or less likely, 8 inches/20 cm?)

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  23. That's great, Bob ! Very nice incorporation of the tinplate look, I must say. When do we get to see her painted ?

    Regards,
    Steve

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  24. Fitz-Badger,

    Thanks for the comment ... and the length is actually 8"/20cm. I just could not have built this model any smaller using basswood.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  25. Corporal_Trim (Steve),

    Coming from someone whom I regard as a master model ship builder, that is a very great compliment.

    I need to make one or two modifications (mainly to the turrets as they are not yet quite right) and to add a few minor details, and then I can begin painting her.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  26. That is just fantastic! Far out, man. A fleet of these fellows would be just the business right enough... Just great!
    Cheers,
    Ion A Dowman

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  27. Archduke Piccolo (Ion),

    Thanks for your kind comment.

    I hope that this model will be the first of quite a few ... and I already have an opponent for this one in the first stages of being constructed!

    Watch this space!

    All the best,

    Bob

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