Bigger Guns and More of Them

I managed to finish the latest batch of RN capital ships over the weekend and also managed to make a start on the final batch of capital ships for this phase of the WW1 1/2400th collection. The models are of a missing battle cruiser - H.M.S. Queen Mary - and a further six ships from three further classes.

An unmodified H.M.S. Queen Mary - the centre funnel is untouched and she does not have a stern walk either. My conversion from the original Lion casting was not a great success!

Two of the Orion class - the first of the 13.5" armed battleships. This was least favourite casting from the Stonewall range due to the rear facing tripod around the fore funnel being horribly moulded. I had to remove it for this reason and it was a fairly tricky undertaking to do so.

A profile shot of the lead ship of the class.

Two of the R class battleships armed with eight 15" guns. These were intended as a cheaper version of the Queen Elizabeth class but were slightly better in terms of the armour layout. However, they were designed with coal fuel in mind and were only capable of around 21 knots meaning they were designed solely to operate with the battle fleet.

H.M.S. Revenge. This is not a bad casting but it did need a lot of cleaning up.

The magnificent Queen Elizabeth class. These were designed as fast battleships to support the battle cruisers and with eight 15" guns were able to lend critical supporting fire to Beatty's battle cruisers at Jutland. The class went on to serve with distinction during WW2 where H.M.S. Barham was sunk by submarine in the Mediterranean.

H.M.S. Warspite. I think it is safe to say that the Royal Navy and the tax payer certainly got their monies worth from this particular battleship although the view of her crew when circling out of control in front of the High Seas Fleet at Jutland may not have been quite so rosy!

The recent arrival of the twelve models from Panzerschiffe means that I am now very close to completing the dreadnought phase of the collection. I have some 5 German and 8 RN vessels based and undercoated with the Germans being tackled first of all. I am aiming to have these finished by the weekend so that I can then start the last of the RN ships.

There are of course still the 56 destroyers to tackle and the clock is ticking!