Krasnyi Dekabrya - the first of a class of two ships built for the Rusland navy in the Fezian Sea
Pictured above is the partially completed first model of a class of two battleships built for the Rusland navy based in the Fezian Sea. As yet she is incomplete as I shall be painting the superstructure, turrets, floatplane and ships boats whilst they are off the hull - I find it easier to paint this way. the prominent holes in the superstructure are of course where the ship's boats will be located.
Krasnyi Dekabrya - as she is at the moment!
The hull is from a piece of 5mm thick balsa wood and is topped with some ready grooved plastic card which serves very nicely as wooden decking. All the ship fittings originated from a Revell 1/1200th Duke of York battleship and the entire superstructure was built as per the kit instructions and merely had the decking trimmed away. The main turret rings were cut out and two of them placed on top of one another in order to get the super firing effect. I had to chop up the second kit for the additional turret ring and another pair of twin 5.25" DP turrets. I will need to acquire a further Revell DoY kit but this will furnish not only the remaining parts for the sister ship (Krasnyi Yanvarya) of the Krasnyi Dekabrya but also for the modernised battle cruiser: Vlast Narodu.
Krasnyi Dekabrya - viewed from the business end
Once the 'off hull' pieces have been painted (as well as the hull of course) it will merely be a case of gluing them in place on the hull. I have a number of additional hull items to add - the belt armour prominent on a KGV battleship as well as the wet weather board and possibly some capstans used for the anchors.
Paint scheme wise she will be overall light grey with light tan decking - I have yet to think about the float plane though! Her origins can be clearly seen but she is different enough to be, well, different and when the models are built and painted I shall provide a 'back story' as to how the design came about - just to add a little flavour. At the time of writing the technical details and specifications of this ship is a closely guarded state secret but no doubt D'Arcy's All the World's Warships 1936 will hopefully provide some details - certainly the Fezian Party for Unity and Progress (P.U.P) will be hoping so....;-)
The ship measures roughly just under 6" long which is about as large as I want to go for this project given that the models are being built specifically for use on my Hexon terrain tiles. The basic idea of using existing ship components on a reduced size hull in order to create something original seems to work out very nicely and so I shall enjoy the coming weeks as I churn out more models for the two navies.
And yes, I enjoyed making this model enormously!
14 comments:
Very impressed by your model making skills.
David
She's beautiful! I can't wait to see the oppostition.
PD
She is an absolute beauty! I hadn't been able to really envision how these might turn out on a 'plain' base hull - but they are just right - the proportions are spot on and once painted, these will really look the part - can't wait to see more launched as the year turns.
Hi Mosstrooper,
Trust me, the skill required for this was pretty minimal!
I would probably say 90% inspiration/imagination (delete as applicable!) and 10% 'skill' would be about right!
Putting the parts together was the easy bit (these Revell ships are mercifully simple to assemble!)- the hull was little trickier to get right but most of the work thus far was deciding how best to design something a little different!
....It did mean I had a good excuse to stick my nose into my copy of Conway's though!
All the best and a very happy 2012!
DC
Hi Peter,
Many thanks old chap! I figured that getting something done over the holiday would be a good idea and I have been aching to have a crack at this idea!
I am pleased with the way she turned out and once her sister ship has been built I will look at what I can do for Fezia.
All the best and a happy new year to you!
DC
Hi SoS,
I am really pleased the idea has worked out as well as it appears to have done so! I was also a little worried about using a plain hull but this can be detailed up so that it is disguised to an extent.
I am reckoning on each side having around a couple of dozen models at the maximum and Rusland will have a further 5 capital sized units - including a carrier!
All the best and a happy new year to you,
DC
That's a very busy little hull! Good work- looking forward to more.
Though it's not my period of choice, I really do like her -in both the basic concept (educated imagination cleverly at work) and the realization.
Best wishes for the New Year,
Jean-Louis
Hi Tim,
Thank you old chap! It is a little 'cartoonish' but I am pleased with the overall look. I will have to chop up a couple of Hoods as well in due course but the important thing for me is that the models do not look too out of place on a pair of Hexon tiles.
Besides, it was such good fun to do!
All the best and a happy new year,
DC
Hi Jean-Louis,
Thank you very much sir! She was great fun to put together and I really enjoy the 'kit-bashing'.
I have not forgotten about the 18th century either - both from the perspective of Artois and Kronenburg or even Fezia and Rusland.
Watch this space!
Happy new year to you and many thanks for your support.
All the best,
DC
Very nice kit-bashing, and Happy New Year!
Hi EG,
Many thanks old chap - and the same to you for the new year!
All the best,
DC
Cool
I had very serious doubts, but hats off (your missus may wonder what it's doing in the bathtub) it's a beauty
Well done
Hi Geordie,
As I was sawing through a perfectly usable KGV model I was thinking "What am I doing!?" but the end result has really been a vindication of the idea. I realise that having smaller hulls means all kinds of scale ramifications but for me this is absolutely spot on.
The sister ship will be ready over the next few days and I am so keen to see them finished I may have to break with tradition and get them painted before starting the next models!
All the best,
DC
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