Revell 1/72 Flower Class build - HMS Poppy (K213) R/C conversion

[ajrimmer42]

[20/07/2014]

UPDATE 1:



We're gonna need a bigger desk! First things first, the hull. The fit isn't brilliant on mine, I decided to glue the sides together first, then glue the 2 halves together. I'm not sure if this was the best way, I've seen people do both and say it worked for them so I guess it's personal preference. The sides themselves fit ok after a little sanding but bringing the halves together was a bit of a pain. The stern was just alright but the bow was totally out of shape, I had to start at the back, gluing and bulldog clipping along. Luckily bulldog clips fit perfectly on the keel. Still had a large gap in the middle though, but not a problem as the second job was to seal it all up with epoxy. I'm aware of the inaccuracy of the keel however I've made the decision to keep it as is, and just sand down where it will be seen like the bow. I figured the keel would add a bit more strength to the whole thing and maybe some stability in the water, although I think any effect would likely be negligible. A quick tip is to place the bracing spars in at this time too. I actually sandwiched mine between to balsa planks which really stiffened them up! This also allows rubber bands to be put around the hull without the upper part just caving in.




While the epoxy is drying I moved onto the other mammoth task of sanding the wood off the decks. It is raised detail however so isn't as difficult as it could be.




I zipped over it with the end of the metal rule which just takes the top bits off, making it a bit easier to then go in with various sanding and skinny sticks. Finally I measured and scribed out some metal plates. That little scriber doohickey I actually found on the pavement outside my house the other day, dunno what it is or where it came from but it was absolutely perfect for this.




I got as far as the middle deck then decided I needed a break before the stern deck, so I threw the boats together and made up some tarps from milliput. I think the boats would most likely be covered over when out at sea. I'm also going have them swung out on their davits as from what I've read they were a bit of a faff to get off the deck so most of the time they were left hanging.




And there she if for the moment, completely dwarfing my DUKW!




I still haven't decided exactly what to do with the whole removable deck situation, obviously ideally the more decks I have permanently affixed and watertight the better.

So that's where she is after day 1. Once the epoxy is dried tomorrow I'll get the hull cleaned up properly, not much more I can do to the hull then until I get all my brass bits and bobs.

TBC...

[ajrimmer42]

[27/07/2014]

Bit slow going at the moment unfortunately, I'm currently waiting on my prop/shaft/rudder etc being delivered, meaning not much can be done on the hull until they arrive, and also my coloured LEDs which really need to be wired into the wheelhouse roof meaning not much can be done on that either lol. Anyway, finally another update for you

UPDATE 2:

There really is a hell of a lot to do on this thing, and I'm finding I'm flitting between different parts, sub-assemblies etc, which makes creating coherent photographs a little tricky, so you may have to excuse me if things seem a little out of order. There's also so many little parts that I think the best course to take is to get photos of the larger sub-assemblies, rather than going in-depth into every little storage locker and porthole.



So, first up, I decided to try a little detailing on the wheel house, despite its simplicity, this is by far the most advanced scratchbuilding I've ever done lol. Quite pleased with the effect though, certainly when compared to the original part above.




Just needs a floor knocking up, along with the telemotor, wheel etc.




Now onto the mast. See what I mean about flitting about? lol. My warm white LEDs arrived so that meant I could get on with the mast light. I removed the kit mount and knocked a little platform up out of plasticard, passed the LED 'legs' through it and made a little cap out of some sprue.




Rather pleased with the outcome




The funnel and midship cabin thingy together. All needs a little filler but nothing to worry about. The mast will be a loose fit to avoid damage in transit.




And there she is as of tonight. Painted up the funnel and stuff, used a custom mix of Tamiya paints to get the different greys.




The rust was done using Railmatch acrylic BR Bauxite (the best colour I had to hand), followed by some Tamiya Desert Yellow streaking. Everything then got a matt coat, a thinned Dark Dirt wash, and a final matt coat after the wash had been streaked with a wet brush.




Light on




Also got the Carley Floats done, not great but they will do.




And finally all the little storage lockers and stuff to go alongside the mast & funnel. These are still awaiting a wash.

TBC...

[ajrimmer42]

[31/07/2014]

UPDATE 3:



Got the Midship vents sorted. I dremelled the inner sides out which dramatically improved the look of them, then went around the inside with a cotton bud soaked in cellulose thinners. The short ones have been dremelled out and the longer, bigger ones are still stock so the difference can easily be seen.




Managed to get the wheelhouse mostly done too. I fitted a false floor as the deck level is far too low. The partition wall is mainly artistic license using pics of HMCS Sackville's wheelhouse as rough reference, I believe it would have been a radio room or something of the sort.




I then knocked up some furniture from various bits and bobs. The wheel came out far better than I expected, I just used a slice out of an old outer barrel from a plastic airsoft gun that bit the dust long ago, and used the plastic railings you get with the kit as the spokes, or whatever the technical term is! You can also see the rather nasty sinkmark in the Coxswain's coat lol, unfortunately a few are like this, which is a shame as the sculpting is actually really nice. I think some aftermarket crew will be on the cards though




Turned out rather well methinks, the interior was just sprayed with Tamiya Brown.




It looks very sparse but once the roof is on you can hardly see any of it, it actually gives a nice effect.






I think the next thing will be wiring up all the lights to the roof/bridge above.

TBC...

[ajrimmer42]

[At this point I'd been waiting for my props, shafts etc for around 3 weeks! Had sent numerous emails with no reply. I finally sent the shop a message on Facebook and it turns out that my order had been placed on someone's desk for them to give me a call as the prop I had ordered was out of stock, then it was promptly buried lol]


[07/08/2014]

UPDATE 4:

So, I finally received my stuff from Westbourne on Tuesday, and to be fair they sent it out on Monday night via UPS next day, so I guess they have redeemed themselves somewhat!



The prop and shaft are fantastic, unfortunately the ball joints and Universal Joint are utter tosh, very low quality. The UJ is also a different size to what I needed so I won't be using it anyway, totally my fault, although there wasn't much info on the site about it [I've since realised you actually need an insert for each end which I actually now have on order ]. The bolts and metal parts in the Ball Joints are great but the plastic is very crudely moulded with bits of flash and sprue gates, meaning they don't move very well, still usable though. The 'threaded rod' I bought is also not what I expected, it's far smaller diameter than the ball joint fittings and is only threaded about an inch at one end.




I decided to sandwich the brass micro-rudder I bought between the kit parts to get the correct shape. I trimmed the brass down slightly to get it to fit, then sanded out the inside of the plastic, and had to cut out some bits on the side for the shaft. This was then epoxied in, and teh gaps were filled with some metal epoxy putty I totally forgot I had (the dark grey stuff in the pic) It's easy to use and dries rock hard in minutes meaning it's ideal for this.




The prop shaft was just inserted into the hull and epoxied in place, I found a drill bit that made it a nice tight fit. Still needs lubricating but that will be done after painting.




Also got the keels on. A bit of a task as they come straight meaning you have to tightly tape or clamp them to the sides while gluing. Look good in the end though.




So after about 3 hours of trying to make a motor mount I eventually scrapped everything and simply laid it on a plasticard plank and secured it in place with some picture wire and a laggy band. This means it's secure enough not to fall off but still has some give/vibration damping and means I can easily remove it if needs be.

The shaft connector is simply a small piece of silicon fuel line from an old nitro RC car, it just happened to be the correct diameter to fit tightly over both shafts. Works like a dream, it's flexible, has plenty of give, and means that if anything ever snagged on the prop, that would spin/break first, protecting everything else!

I also made a simple battery box which you can just see off to the right of the pic. All the plasticard bits were superglued, extra-thinned and epoxy puttied down. Really don't want a rogue battery sliding off to one side causing it to capsize!




The steering! Not too bad actually, with a little trimming and adjusting I managed to get a linkage setup which worked nicely, the rod was just epoxied into the ball joints, and the servo was pressed into a large blob of the epoxy putty lol. actually very strong, and works really well.


So that's the important bits finally sorted! I can now get on with painting the hull, then it can be ballasted before the decks are glued in place.

TBC...

[ajrimmer42]

[13/08/2014]

UPDATE 5:



The hull undercoated in XF-19, with some Railmatch BR Bauxite and Tamiya Rubber Black preshading.




First light grey camo on, ended up using XF-19 again, then post shaded with a lighter mix.




All masked up ready for the dark grey! The camo pattern was surprisingly hard to get right as there aren't many good reference points on the hull aside from portholes, and a few plate intersection, though these are difficult to pinpoint from the picture in order to translate onto the hull and vice versa.


[13/08/2014]

UPDATE 6:



Dark grey camo on, postshaded with lighter mix.




Not looking bad!




Getting the waterline masked up. I was mildly dreading getting the waterline straight but tbh it ended up being a piece of cake, I just got a long bit of tamiya tape and stretched it right across.




And there she is! I used Railmatch Enamel British Rail Crimson for the antifoul red, actually a good match to the colour drawing I have, bearing in mind the photo lightens it up quite a bit, it's not as bright irl, I think it looks rather nice.




I also got some Plastruct 0.5mm x 2mm strip for the deck planking.

Finally feels like I'm getting somewhere with this beasty. Next job will be masking the K213 lettering on the bow, something else I'm not looking forward to lol. After that I'll get some rust on the hull and a dark dirt wash. Then I think it might be time to get her all wet

TBC...

[ajrimmer42]

[14/08/2014]

UPDATE 7:



Starting work on the Pennant Number. I began by typing it out on Photoshop to the correct dimensions. It took a while to find a suitable font, this ended up being the closest, though I had to add the flat top to the '3' myself. I then printed it out, and cut the letters out to make a template which I then transferred onto a double layer of Frog Tape, and carefully cut out.




This was then carefully peeled up and placed on the model.




Then given a coat of neat Rubber Black to minimise bleeding.






Turned out better than I could have hoped tbh! Just needed a little touching up.




While the Klear on the hull ready for weathering was drying I turned my attention to the wooden decks. I began by cutting the Plastruct strip into 3cm lengths and creating a border around where the planking will be.




This was as far as I could manage to get tonight before losing my sanity. Quite pleased with it though.




I then weathered the hull in the same manner as the rest of the ship. Bear in mind the photos make it look a LOT more pronounced than it actually is, plus it still needs a coat of Dark dirt which will tone everything down.






So, as I say, next job will be a wash on the hull and some streaking, then I need to start getting the ballast sorted. I bought some £3 rebar from B&Q today which I'm hoping will be a good start after I lop it in half with an angle grinder. then I can add some lead and stuff.


[17/08/2014]

UPDATE 8:



Carrying on with the weathering, I gave the hull a coat of matt then sprayed down a coat of slightly thinned Flory Models Dark Dirt wash, plus a few patches of Mud Brown. I then got a large wet brush and streaked the wash downwards, aiming to take most of it off. Takes a bit of time but I like the effect.




It then got a coat of Klear followed by a good final coat of Xtracrylix Matt.




Sea trials! She floats!








It took a meter of rebar, about a foot square of lead sheet, some wheel weights and some chain links to get her to float right, but she sits in the water nicely now






Really pleased with how it's coming on now.

TBC...

[ajrimmer42]

[I originally wanted to get the replacement armament from Sirmar Fittings as you can get the whole set at a decent price. Unfortunately I emailed him twice with no replay so had to go down the Great Little Ships/DJ Parkins route. They are more expensive but to be fair are vastly more detailed]


[19/08/2014]



My order from DJParkins arrived today. Great service from him, ordered midnight on Friday, dispatched Monday, arrived Tuesday. Can't say fairer than that!

And what sets they are! The detail in the gun set is fantastic, they are superbly etched, you even get a pair of twin Lewis Guns as a bonus! The stanchions are very nice too. I got 3 packs of the rope rails which go around the engine room, fo'c'sle etc, and 1 pack of the pipe rails which go on top of the boiler house. Just need to find some thin wire to use with them now.


[28/09/2014]

UPDATE 9:

Just an itty bitty update





Got the Fo'c'sle installed and painted up, just gotta get the quarter deck sorted now.


[30/08/2014]

Another quick update, been grappling with the railings this afternoon!



The DJP etched stanchions come as 2 halves which are folded together and glued. I searched about for some very thin wire to use but just couldn't find any so I had to make do with thread in the end, not the end of the world but technically these should be Pipe Rails AFAIK. The thread will be fine for the rest though as they are all Rope Rails. Also finally got a new phone (HTC One M8) which I've been after for ages, which apparently takes rather nice close up shots


[31/08/2014]

Got a little bit more done last night.



Side walkways are on the Wheelhouse, not far off done with that now.




Also getting well on with the bridge. I'm aiming to get the whole bridge/rear Fo'c'sle area done before I get the quarter deck on as that's where all the wiring and lighting is located. Once this area is done I can actually get the wiring sorted and in.


[04/09/2014]

UPDATE 11:

Managed to get on with the 2pdr Pom Pom yesterday.



The DJP set comes flatpack with one PE brass fret and one small bag of white metal barrels.




As you can see the 2 page instructions are very comprehensive. I barely read the written one tbh and just went in all guns blazing with the diagram lol. Pretty pictures and all that.




Made the bandstand up first, the circular base and the hut/enclosure fold up from one piece, then there's another circular part that fits into that, followed by the walling which needs to be rolled. Then there's just 2 parts for the stand/support. There are other little fiddly bit but I decided to leave them off. I will also use the kit ladder rather than building the PE one rung by rung
I also tried my hand at soldering it together which actually didn't turn out too bad!






And then we have the gun. What can I say? It seems extremely daunting to begin with as you think how can all the flat little parts make up a 2pdr, but they all fit together very well. I also made the kit one up as a... um.... comparison... lol.

It was painted with my custom grey mix like the rest of the ship, while the barrel was painted Mr Metal Dark Iron. It was then given a wash. Personally I think it may be a little too dark if I'm honest.

You may also note that I left the shield off as Poppy didn't have one.

I'd also just like to say, I genuinely had more trouble putting the 4 parts of the kit gun together than I did putting the 30 odd parts of the DJP one together haha.

TBC...