Thanks everyone, for the respective contributions - feel like a kid in a candy store with all the photographs, hints & tips and advise provided.
Let me try and attempt to respond the various queries one by one:
- the rudder posts are indeed in a very VERY confined area and I must confess that I began to have some second thoughts about the wisdom of having that VDS well cutout at the stern, clearly wasn't thinking of how to connect the two rudders and attaching a 'yardarm' to take to the servos at a subsequent phase....
It will certainly be a tight fit and I am hopeful that I can find T-shaped servo brackets that will have sufficient room to rotate in these confines, I have also cut out a slot in the keelson below the VDS deck through which I can pass a pushbar between both rudders.
Photographs to follow once I have squared it, will need to be addressed quickly now for I cannot get my deck glued in place before finishing this section.
- as to the litho plates and preaching to the (un)initiated
, I fear I fall into the category of the heretics so I'd better face up to it and come clean; I cleanly forgot about roughing up the back of the litho plate !! I can only hope everything will hold as is - did have one or two corners/ sides where there is a tiny little gap and where the glue does not seem to have held, but nothing I cannot fix with putty and superglue. A very good point and cursing myself for having rushed it !
The overall look is quote good I think, the other doubt I am beginning to have is the visible difference between the parts below the waterline and everything above - hope the effect of the hull anti-fouling red, blanc boot topping and light weatherworks grey will blend everything harmoneously together.
- as to the plating around the stem, another good point - have given that some considerable thought, and same goes for the area around the anchor recesses, but on balance I decided against trying to have the plating done to this area. Two reasons really; looking at photographs, this area seems to be less prone to the dented plating effet and much smoother overall, and seems to have been welded using larger plates.
The other things is that, the stem being quite sharp, my fear is that by adding litho the looks of that chisel-sharp bow might be diminished. That said, once I will have given the hull a first spray, I am intending to add very fine welding lines (have begun begging my daughter for some strands of her long hair, under the pretence they will be immortalised by going into model !!) along some of these panels, again as can be seen in some photographs (see photographs attached, albeit of the stern area), to replicate the welding seams.
- as to the gun, many thanks indeed for the additional photographs and information regarding the cow's bell and gunner's armoured lookout position. The intention is very much to have these features added still, I had temporarily stalled my work on the gun whilst waiting for the barrels to arrive (so far the only concession to going 'commercial' as I do not have a lathe nor the required skills to 'turn' things) and with the temperatures back to acceptable levels in my workshed, to progress the hull.
A great deal of thanks as well for the dimensions of those armoured 'slits' in that conning position, that will come in handy. I also need to add the antenna still (although this appears to be lacking on some Leanders, bizarrely enough, but Argonaut certainly had the aerial) and add a few clips and hinges to the doors at the rear of the turret.
Thanks again guys, appreciate the interest and support.
E
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Topic: HMS Argonaut - Leander Class Frigate 1/96th (Read 54001 times)