Monday 29 August 2011

HMS Glory-less - part 1

I have to report a brief outbreak of ship building on the modelling table of late.  The already reported  re-release of the Airfix 1/1200 WW2 ships set me looking into the conversion opportunities offered by these kits.  Armed with my trusty copy of Conway (the volume covering 1906-1922), the Internet and a newly arrived reference book (below), I began work.
I had decided to begin with the HMS Hood kit which looked to have possibilities to be bodged into some of the earlier British battle cruisers.  The original HMS Glorious - though perhaps better known as a WW2 carrier - looked very much like a shortened Hood with only two turrets.  I assembled the hull and main deck and called in my trusty X-Acto razor saw to remove a 12mm(ish) chunk just ahead of the aft mast. 
I then carved away and filled the mounts for the 'A' and 'Y' turrets.  The 'B' and 'X' mounts should really have been trimmed down by a few mm but I didn't bother.  Assembly was then completed with lifeboats and secondary guns being secured in locations somewhere between those offered by the kit and those indicated on the plans I found.  A single funnel was located approximately midway between the masts.
Ready on the slipway!  The white stripe ahead of the aft mast shows where a miscalculation was rectified with a slice of plastic card...
The completed model ready for some paint.

9 comments:

Robert (Bob) Cordery said...

Nice conversion!

Many years ago I converted four 'Hoods' into 'Kongos' for Eric Knowles using similar techniques ... and they certainly passed muster on the tabletop.

All the best,

Bob

Paul said...

Ah the Hood, possibly the most graceful looking warship ever produced.

Always tempted to grab a 1/600 scale Airfix kit of this.

Paint on dear fellow. Thats a lovely looking book as well.

Tim Gow said...

Bob Cordery
I think we can safely say the Gloryless conversion was less extensive then Kongo. Interesting idea though...

Tim Gow said...

Paul
Even after the combined assaults of sharp blades and filler it still looks graceful!

David Crook said...

Hi Tim,

Looks very nice indeed! I suspect that the re-released Sink the Bismarck! set from Airfix is going to see a lot of chopping about from various quarters!

All the best,

DC

Tim Gow said...

David Crook
I do believe you're right. And who knows - at some point I may even build a 'Hood' as Airfix intended!

Peter Douglas said...

Tim

Beautiful stuff Tim!

PD

Tim Gow said...

Peter Douglas
Thanks, but Airfix did the hard work - I just chopped it up!

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

A rather bold conversion :)

I'll be keeping track of how it goes