U-Boat hunting WW1 Freighter - Lindberg (Round-2) 1-390 Q-SHIP

PFJN

Hi,

I ended up removing the bitts and repainted the deck a more reddish brown shade, as shown below.  It may not show up as well in the image as it does in real life, but the decks and hull bottom colors are a fair bit different,  The decks are more of a reddish brown while the hull bottom is a bit more of a reddish/burgandy color.  After looking at the model under a bright light though I decided to leave the Yellow Green color as is, because I kind of like the way it looks after all.

Pat

 

Good choices, I think.

I used the same red color on my q-ship's decks after having seen photos of both real merchant vessels and some nicely-done models on which it looked really good. The color was actually my own 'personal' mix of standard Hull Red---Tamiya's XF-9, with a dollop of flat red thrown in---though since I had already decided to go with a green hull color, there was no worry about matching the two too closely.

As to the yellow-green, I think it looks great. It matches contemporary artists' portrayals nicely...and just looks good, to boot.

As for the bitts, its probably better to replace or rebuild almost everything. The original molding is 'uninspired,' to say the least; I left a few details out of sheer inertia (read 'laziness'), but rebuilt or supplemented most of it anyway.

And Crackers, great call on the story of the PRIZE. There are quite a few good accounts of Q-Ship actions out there to be found---many first-hand---and all amazing and dramatic, the stuff of which great movies could be made if anyone had the sense to pursue it.

Cheers

Hi,

I ended up removing the bitts and repainted the deck a more reddish brown shade, as shown below.  It may not show up as well in the image as it does in real life, but the decks and hull bottom colors are a fair bit different,  The decks are more of a reddish brown while the hull bottom is a bit more of a reddish/burgandy color.  After looking at the model under a bright light though I decided to leave the Yellow Green color as is, because I kind of like the way it looks after all.

Pat

Hi,

Thanks for sharing that story.

Pat

During WWI, the British Admiralty employed all types of vessels in their Q ship war against German U-boats, even sailing ships. The best known example, is the three masted schooner PRIZE, commanded by Lieutenant W.E. Sanders and her encounter with U-93 off the southwest coast of Ireland. The U-93 was returning back to Germany on the evening of April 30, 1917, after sinking  11 freighters . Thinking the PRIZE an easy target after some of her crew pretended to abandon ship by rowing off in a boat, U-93 moved in for the kill. Much to the surprise of the sub, the schooner hoisted the white ensign of the British Navy and began blasting away with her hidden guns. The shots had shot away the subs conning tower, punched eight holes in the hull, killing two crewmen and forced the captain and another to jump into the water, where they were later taken prisoner by the PRIZE. In spite of her injuries, U-93 escaped into the darkness and managed to make a surface return to Germany, where she was refitted for further duty.

Source information, Page 50-51, Time-Life Books, The Seafares, U-Boats.

Happy modeling   Crackers

Hi,

Thanks.

I decided to take a step or two back on this build for a moment.  Initially I had tried to keep the existing deck bitts for my conversion, but in the end I had some trouble painting them.  As such, I decided to trim them off and repaint the decks, after which I will try and add some scratch built bitts instead.  I'm hoing that way I can get them to all look more uniform and a bit cleaner than how the molded on ones were looking.

In addition, I have been having some concerns about my paint colors.  The Rust that I used for the decking and the Yellow Green that I used for part of the camoflage came out a bit darker than I had been hoping.

Below is a picture showing part of the deck in its current Model Masters Rust color, along with one section painted over Tamiya Flat Red (on the upper section of the deck in the picture below) and another section painted over with Mr Color Russet (in the glossier lower right hand section of the image below). 

Since Mr Color Russet is the color that I used on the bottom of the hull I don't want to directly use it for the decks as well.  But I might look into maybe mixing it with Red or Rust to see how that looks.

For the Green Yellow, I'm not looking forward to messing with the bow area again, since I had some trouble with paint bleeding and such there already, so I may just go with what I have.  Though I am going to stop off at my local hobby store tomorrow and see what other shades that they have that might be suitable for each of these two areas.

Pat

Glad you posted! Nice to see the old girl coming along: and having 'walked that deck' (as it were) I can see how much work you've already done. By all means, please, keep us updated on your progress. It's always inspiring to see other builders' projects shaping up.

Greg

Hi,

I hope I am not digging up a thread that's too old but I wanted to post a couple images of my build.  I was having some issues with the camoflage painting and progress on trying to clean that up was slow, so I took a small break.

Anyway here is where I am at now.  The starboard side painting is mostly done, except for giving the bottom another coat to help clean up the lower edge of the upper side of the hull.  I have also been working on finishing up painting the decks and hull fittings, but am not yet finished with that.  Once I clean those parts up, I plan to drill holes in the carge decks for the masts, and add some sort of foundation for the masts in the hull.  I will probably work on painting the other side of the hull at the same time, since I like to let everything dry for 1/2 a day or so between coats of the different paint colors.

Then I can scratch build a couple doors and the cargo hatches and fix the bases of the masts and the decks into place.  After that it will be building up the midship deck house and adding details like railing, the anchors & anchor capstan, the winches, small boats and rigging.

Pat

Hi,

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but on the topic of cheap models, I picked up a $5 little 1/25th scale plastic modern Ford Mustang car model (that came in a plastic bag/no box) at my local hobby store that looks like a perfect start for a "what-if" project.

Maybe I'll post pics on the Auto subforum once I start it.

Pat

PFJN

Hi,

Here's an in-process picture of my Q-ship model, along with the image off the internet that I have been using as a rough guide for painting. 

The painting is going very slowly, in part because it's been a bit of trial-and-error on how best to do it, and also in part because I usually put a coat on in the morning before work, and then a 2nd coat when I get home, and let it dry till the next day (with a lot of small touch ups along the way).

Anyway, I hope the other side might go a bit quicker.

Pat

,

Very, very nice. Looks well-worth the patience it requires. (I've done similar 'dazzle' schemes on small ships, including a 1/400 four-stacker destroyer; slow and careful is definitely the way to go!) Thanks for posting the pic.

Hi,

Here's an in-process picture of my Q-ship model, along with the image off the internet that I have been using as a rough guide for painting. 

The painting is going very slowly, in part because it's been a bit of trial-and-error on how best to do it, and also in part because I usually put a coat on in the morning before work, and then a 2nd coat when I get home, and let it dry till the next day (with a lot of small touch ups along the way).

Anyway, I hope the other side might go a bit quicker.

Pat

,

Couldn't agree more, Pat. The 'cheapies' make it a lot easier to experiment or try that ambitious mod that may not quite work out. It's a good bit more daunting to take the hobby knife or saw to a kit that approaches a three-figure price tag.

Hi,

I have to admit that I kind of like many of these older kits for the same reasons.  With some newer more detailed kits I sometimes get a little reluctant to make the 1st "cut"/glue the 1st piece/or in any other ways just start the kit, because I'm not sure how best to proceed etc and what might be the best way to make any changes.   And/or, sometimes I'm just too intimidated to try to make any big changes at all and maybe mess everything up.

With older Lindberg, Airfix and Revell kits though I'm much more comfortable cutting things up and just trying random ideas.

Right now I have an 85-90% complete "Eastern Express" model of the Battleship Potemkin done that I hope to experiment with PhotoEtch and rigging on, a 60% complete Lindberg Q-Ship that I am in the process of trying to convert into a generic WWI era cargo ship, and a 40% done Lindberg USS Shangri-la that I ahve completely hacked down to the bare hull and am making a whole new ship out of.

On the other hand I have larger scale kits of USS Oregon, USS Olympia, the Kniaz Suvorov, a Flower Class Corvette, the Heller kits for the carriers Foch, Clemanceau and Colossus, plus a 1/700 scale kit of the light carrier HMS Invincible and somw Mirage Hobbies Polish vessels that I just haven't been able to bring myself to start yet.   (And I'm really tempted to also pick up a copy of the 1/350 scale battleships Tsesarevich and Gangut or Sevastopol, but I'm trying to hold off on them for now)

For now though old Lindberg, Airfix and Revell kits are filing a useful nitch for my, giving me a chance to play around with stuff, practice on techniques that I don't have a lot of experience with (like photoetch and rigging etc).  Plus they also give me a chance to just kind of freehand ideas and try different things.

Pat

onyxman

I must admit I bought ANOTHER of these pigs with a project more like yours in mind.

Fred

It's the perfect 'project' kit: dirt-cheap (relatively speaking), and you don't feel the least bit hesitant about cutting or poking holes---pretty much any change is an improvement!

I must admit I bought ANOTHER of these pigs with a project more like yours in mind.

Fred

onyxman

Fantastic job! About time somebody did this, and actually finished the job. Mine is still waiting for new inspiration. Fred

Thanks, Fred! I drew a lot of inspiration and many good ideas from that 'stretch the Lindberg hull' thread you were part of a year or so ago. But I didn't have the gumption to turn it into something 'real' (plan-wise, at least) like you guys were doing---I just basically 'put a dress on the pig.'

Still, it was loads of fun, and I certainly appreciate the kind words!

The company/line bought four ships from government after war, used them as package freight & passengers tramping GL ports.

Don ;

   There probably would have been some lakes built ships in the bunch .They used the most appropiate vessesl trapped in port . T.B.

Thanks, gents.

Don Stauffer

Love the shroud/ratlines.  Who is the Vendor for Alliance Modelworks?

I have that kit, and intend to build it as a Great Lakes freighter- there was a line of lakers with ships very similar- will need to cut off and modify one deck, but other than that it is pretty close.

I checked a number of 'hobby' suppliers---all of whom seemed to be out of stock---then found them on Amazon at the same price. Had 'em inside a week.

I grew up on the shores of the Great Lakes...and also saw your mention of the type on an earlier 'Q-Ship' thread in the 'what ship is this based on?' discussion...so the GL freighter was in the running. But about that time I ran across the memoir of VAdm Gordon Campbell (VC), who successfully commanded a number of such ships during the war (and sank a number of U-boats doing it), so the 'Q-ship' route was the only way to go for me.

Purely coincidentally, today is the 100th anniversary of the battle with and sinking of SM U-83, for which Campbell was awarded his VC. Worth recalling a bunch of brave men who went to sea knowing they were supposed to be targets.

Love the shroud/ratlines.  Who is the Vendor for Alliance Modelworks?

I have that kit, and intend to build it as a Great Lakes freighter- there was a line of lakers with ships very similar- will need to cut off and modify one deck, but other than that it is pretty close.

Tankker, You forgot to mention John Wayne.  This Q-ship is amazing, I really love it.  I have this kit and you given me a some great ideas on how to modify it to really look like a real Q-ship.

Naw ! I don't think it up to my standards . LOL.LOL.LOL.

 Of course that is B&^%% S&*( too . It's innovative well done and I  think it spells " Q " ship in even it's smell  ). It is an old seasoned ocean warrior . Well done , well weathered and a lot like a lot of tramps that plyed the oceans back then . 

 Think , now , You see why I recommend Lindberg ships for starter projects ? They allow you to drift along inventing constantly . Think again . How many decks and bridges like this did Humprey Bogart , Edward  G.  Robinson and Charles Laughton and the " Duke " Walk as in some cases , Besotted old rummys  trying to make easy money while Staying away from authorities in many ports .

    Yup , Lindberg , the old trustworthy incorrect company  does provide a service , Starting with it's is poorer offerings , which transport one to many different ways and times  and types . Gotta Love Em .    T.B. 

Griffin25

That is a terrific looking Q ship! Great job turning a not so good kit into a real gem.

 

Great job. I actually kinda prefer the civilian side of her.

Great build Greg! Gotta get me one of those. The last one I had was sunk by an M-80 while plying her wares in Cobbs Creek many many years ago.

Jim  

P.S. Do you mind if  borrow some of your ideas? Yours looks a heck of a lot better than mine.

That is a terrific looking Q ship! Great job turning a not so good kit into a real gem.