New Iron Duke Launched

1/600th ?? Wow , I'm impressed ! Nice job

You did a beautiful job on one of my favorite ships.  However, in your write-up, you mention that there is no 1/350 scale KGV.  Don't forget that Tamiya makes a beautiful KGV in 1/350 scale.

Bill Morrison

Shiver me timbers, but you are so right. No idea how I missed it. It's cheap so it must be old. I've got the Revell version, but that's even older I'd guess.  Wonder what the part count is. It's very tempting to dump the Revell and get the Tamiya - could even save time. One thing that the Airfix build reminded me - few bad parts does not make for a quick build. I've never built a 350, so just in case I've bought Dragon's Laffey, Hasegawa's Mikasa, Tamiya's Fletcher and Yukikase and ICM Konig. And just tracked down a 220 Oregon from someone called Glencoe - probably made in the 50s.

Actually KGV is pretty well represented. Nice to have a Duke of York though. Wonder if a conversion would be possible of the Revell kit.

Eric

If you can get that kind of result from the Airfix kit, a conversion of the Revell Duke of York should be child's play.  However, the Revell kit is not very good; the Tamiya kit is much better!

Bill

EBergerud

Shiver me timbers, but you are so right. No idea how I missed it. It's cheap so it must be old. I've got the Revell version, but that's even older I'd guess.  Wonder what the part count is. It's very tempting to dump the Revell and get the Tamiya - could even save time. One thing that the Airfix build reminded me - few bad parts does not make for a quick build. I've never built a 350, so just in case I've bought Dragon's Laffey, Hasegawa's Mikasa, Tamiya's Fletcher and Yukikase and ICM Konig. And just tracked down a 220 Oregon from someone called Glencoe - probably made in the 50s.

Actually KGV is pretty well represented. Nice to have a Duke of York though. Wonder if a conversion would be possible of the Revell kit.

Eric

Congrats on your Iron Duke build, especially the rigging. The footropes on the yards are particularly well done, and a lovely archaic feature of drednought battleships! I'm very happy the Iron Duke has been re-released recently. In absence of Drednought herself, she is a very welcome model in plastic.

I think all of those kits you mention are well regarded, even the Oregon. Here's a build that shows just what can be achieved. I such a large scale, I reckon a lot of what you see here can be achieved by even a relative novice, particularly one with such a natural talent for the plastic kit as yours! http://modelshipwrights.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=122972&ord=&page=1

By the way, which PE set(s) did you use?

Bill

Nice work, Eric.  I am now tempted to get several of my Airfix ships out and get stuck in but I must be patient and finish what I've started.  LOL.

I used White Ensign PE - don't think there was any choice. Interesting experience: might be worth a post.

Eric

Nicely done! She's a beaut for sure!

Fine job on a very historical ship.

I would be very interested in seeing the surgical modifications you made.  Do you have any plans?

Bill Morrison

This buils is gonna force me back into ships.

I love it.

Didn't take any photos of work in progress (I'd probably lose the camera). However, you can get some idea of what I did to the kit by looking at the attached photo of a nicely built version OOB. I was guided by the plans that came with White Ensign's PE and also by an incredible Photo Build of a 96 scale Iron Duke over on Ship Model. Oddly it's not in the gallery: looking for the "In Progress" subthread of "Scratch Building" and it's right at the top. Amazing model building - the builder used the very expensive and detailed plans that White Ensign employed.

Eric

I have got to build this one.Thanks for the inspiration.

This kit is the WWI configuration,correct?

To the extent that this was possible. The Model Ship board and White Ensign's nice PE instructions commented that Airfix had brewed a kind of odd mix of eras: part 1916, part early 20s. I fixed the guns, lowered the bridge (although not as far as I probably should have), drilled the port holes and used White Ensign's WWI rigging on a brass mast along with a scratch-built early wireless antenna. I did not deal with the lame boats - simply baffled on that one other than positioning them on deck instead of davits. The purists on Model Ship did seem to find the dimensions of the hull pretty good. At least it's clearly a WWI RN vessel as opposed to a something like Warspite. There are a lot of them in resin, but this is it in the world of styrene. Two German BBs but zero from the RN. Must help to lose the war.

Eric

Really nice to see this Ship, I didn't even realize someone had made a kit of this Ship.  I had a desire to build Iron Duke or Lion after reading Castles of Steel about 5 years back. 

Great Work