The Second of the Battle Cruisers

The final battle cruisers currently in the collection - a pair of the Lion class

I have just returned from a family Easter (and a belated happy Easter to all) in the wilds of Norfolk, deep the heart of the Broads. It was a pleasant way to spend a bank holiday weekend - even the traffic was relatively kind although I still despair at the road manners of many drivers!

The Royal Navy contingent thus far - H.M.S. Tiger at the top of the picture completing the formation.

We arrived back early this afternoon and as the rest of the day was free I took the opportunity to finish the two Lion class battle cruisers for my 1/2400th scale WW1 naval collection. Once again the Stonewall castings are fairly basic but they scrub up rather nicely and whilst not in the same league as GHQ and C in C they are perfectly adequate for gaming pieces. The painting technique was my usual black undercoat and dry brush top coats withe main part of the decks picked out Humbrol Mast Oak. Mention of this particular colour has raised a couple of points to consider. Firstly, the old Humbrol Authenticolour range is no longer (as far as I know anyway) and I only have around two thirds of a tin left. I recently had to give the tine a good mix, stir and dilute with thinners which should prolong its life - at least for long enough to complete the remaining models anyway.

H.M.S. Lion - Admiral Beatty's flagship 

H.M.S. Princess Royal - sister ship to the above

I have a third casting of this particular class and was tempted to paint it up to represent the Queen Mary but for the fact I would need to change two of the funnels for round versions. I have some rough castings that could easily sacrifice the appropriate round funnels if so desired and I may tackle this at some point but it is not essential at present.

A gentle reminder of what the opposition looks like so far....

It has taken me far longer than usual to get these five models completed but now I am back in the 'zone' I can press on with a little more urgency. Talking of urgency, I will need to get some earlier battle cruisers for both sides and this will be my priority as soon as the funds are available.