Monitor HMS Roberts

I started a new thread for the completed model, with photos of completed kit there.

Don Stauffer

Had another disaster yesterday.  There are two boarding ladders, one each side.  My first attempt at bending up the railing broke the ladder in half at the joint between the steps and the rail.  The photo etch is so thin and brittle I am afraid to even try the second one.  I am left with a bunch of rungs and two side rails- I don't think I can ever glue that thing back together!

I know on most ships those ladders were rigged only when anchored, and stowed (on deck?) when underway. I wonder though, since the ladders of the monitor are a bit sheltered, being on top of the sponsons, if they were just left in place most of the time.

I will be looking through my parts box to see if I have any ladders that will work.  Contemplating just leaving them off, to save money of a generic ladder PE set.

 

 

In all the photos I could find, they seem to be in place. of course these are generally in-port pictures, but it seemed to be a permanent kind of stairway.

Don, I just read through this thread. I've got to say, despite your accidents, you yyalways make this hobby look easy. I love the way this is turning out.

Civil Air Patrol about ate my lunch the last few years. I actually made it to the Wing level. I finally stepped down a few weeks ago. Hopefully I can do a few things to enjoy life again... Not that CAP wasn't fun... it just got to be to much like a job.

Keep up the great work!

Raymond

Had another disaster yesterday.  There are two boarding ladders, one each side.  My first attempt at bending up the railing broke the ladder in half at the joint between the steps and the rail.  The photo etch is so thin and brittle I am afraid to even try the second one.  I am left with a bunch of rungs and two side rails- I don't think I can ever glue that thing back together!

I know on most ships those ladders were rigged only when anchored, and stowed (on deck?) when underway. I wonder though, since the ladders of the monitor are a bit sheltered, being on top of the sponsons, if they were just left in place most of the time.

I will be looking through my parts box to see if I have any ladders that will work.  Contemplating just leaving them off, to save money of a generic ladder PE set.

Looking good!I like the dazzle paint scheme!

Finally got  the upper mast with its cab/top reinstalled correctly.  Trouble was, I made a mistake in building the cab/top assembly, which caused it to only fit backwards!  Faces right way now!

Got the cab rebuilt and painted yesterday.  Hope to get it mounted on tripod legs today.

Hi,

This looks like a very interesting ship, and you build looks great so far.  I can't wait to see the finished model.

Pat

Ii did somehting simliar on a rushed Concorde build a few months ago.  Even as a commission build I had a feeling no one would notice ( L engine exhaust cover put the right sire and vice versa), but I would know. I actually pried them up with minimal damage and did the swap. It pays to always dry fit and complete a section.

I built a 1/350 Trumpeter HMS Montrose last summer. My eyes are still crossed from the micro pieces and PE. That said, would moving up to 1/200 scale ships make life better or worse?   Logic dictates that all the tiny pieces would be 75% larger, BUT would Trumpeter be so cruel as to then split those same pieces into 2 or 3? Sure more detail and parts to brag about but just as tedious as the 1/350 ...or worse! Perhaps there's another brand that's easier to work with but just as detailed. 

Good luck with the Roberts. Hope you have the PE deck rails. They'll bring the whole thing together.   

Good Save Don.  Glad you can reapply the parts and paint so "easily" .

Don Stauffer

I had glued it in backwards!

Ouch... I hate it when that happens :)

Well, I'm glad you were able to save it, Don! Good luck putting it all back together and have a nice day

Paweł

Disaster!  Or near disaster, anyway.  I had mounted the upper part of the forward mast, containing the fire control (?) cab and some antennas.  Then the next day, looking at it, I found I had glued it in backwards!  Thank god for CA debonder!  Yesterday I applied debonder to the joint (floor of the cab and the junction of the three tripod legs).  I gently applied upward pressure (downward, actually, as I turned the hull over to see the bottom of the cab better).  It eventually released.  That cab is made up of 3 styrene parts and zillions of photo etch pieces.  There were 12 gussets glued to the floor, and these came loose but these should not be a big problem.  Nothing else on the upper portion of the mast came loose. I am now gluing back on the gussets, piece by piece.  I will have to repaint that cab.  The debonder did an excellent job of stripping the paint off the floor of the cab and all the gussets.

Don Stauffer

The bridge (I guess it is the bridge) up on the forward tripot mast is a real work of art, three styrene pieces and ten PE pieces.

Not the bridge, I think. More like fire-control or spotting.

Nice work making that antenna.  I found using epoxy works better than CA attaching the bass rod to the ship.

Hey Don !

 That's a nice rendition of that flimsy antenna . Now the next picture .That might be the bridge of a Steampunk airship or a British Monitor . Looks good ! T.B.

Here is my first attempt at doing the antenna array from small brass rod.  I think it will be a keeper.  One more to do.

The antenna arrays aside, I am getting the hang of working on the incredibly thin and light PE pieces.  The bridge (I guess it is the bridge) up on the forward tripot mast is a real work of art, three styrene pieces and ten PE pieces.  I will let the PE antenna for this mast go till the last minute and see if I can use it- if not back to the soldering iron!

I know about the "quality" of Trumpeter brass Don and I agree with Marcus, it is some of the worst out there. If you look at it sideways it breaks!

That was the reason I asked earlier what PE you were using. I am looking at either the White Ensign or Flyhawk sets for mine. Just have not decided which one yet and I have a mess of projects I need to try and finish before i start on another one. And it just means more money into it.

Thank you for the heads up on the paint you are using also. I picked up the ColourCoats paints for it.

i love what you have done so far, this is a really cool looking ship.

Steve

Brass rod is the way to go on that antenna.

Got the superstructure assemblies glued to hull.  Now for the masts,  which are mostly pe!

BTW, here is the PE antenna, all bent up and askew!

Don, I hear your pain.  The PE that came with the Dragon Scharnhorst was the some of the worst I had to work with.  Never thought that the tools were to sharp on the edge.  Will have to give the wood method a try next time.

Boy, am I having a fit with the PE on this kit!  My first problem was that I kept breaking parts along bend lines.  A friend suggested maybe the brass was hardened, and I should anneal it- problem was I had already painted a lot of it.  Turns out, the problem was that several of my bending tools had too sharp an edge.  On 3 mil brass it does not take a very deep scratch to scratch through a high percentage of the thickness!  I have gone to wood for the tool that sits on inside of bend- havent broke one since.

Next problem- the brass is actually too soft!  Much of the mast detail are big arrays of radar antennas- dipole array.  Because of the size of the pieces compared to thickness, they bend from inertia if I move the piece at anything other than a slow crawl!  The arrays look like they are made of spagetti!  I am remaking one of the arrays from soldered brass rod.

The Abercrombe and Roberts are very interesting ships.  I like the one huge turret on a relatively small vessel.  I also like the wide, sloped-out hull.  The Brits come up with some clever and interesting solutions.  I can't wait to see yours built.  

-Chris

Completed the superstructure assemblies, ready to glue these to the main deck.

Don Stauffer

 

 

Pawel

Hello Don!

It's like a battleship that has been sick when it was young and it didn't grow, right? :D

I like the look s of that warship - good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

 

 

 

 

I envision it as a battleship that was running full speed astern, and ran into a cliff :-)

When I first saw it, I thought is was what turned out to be the third Rodney class battleship, but after MOD cuts went into effect.

I am looking forward to seeing much more of this interesting model.  

Scott

docidle

Looks great so far Don! May I ask what PE set you are using and what paints and colors?

Thanks,

Steve

 

It comes with extensive PE.  I think it was a terrific deal- I got mine for something like 48 bucks.  I think it lists at 80.  Considering the price of newer kits these days, that is pretty good. It is supposed to have over 500 parts, but not all the parts are used, so I don't know if the 500 refers to parts provided or parts used.

Paints are all MM enamel.  Blue is mixed a bit to reduce saturation- couldn't find an exact match to colors specified for the blue.

Pawel

Hello Don!

It's like a battleship that has been sick when it was young and it didn't grow, right? :D

I like the look s of that warship - good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

 

I envision it as a battleship that was running full speed astern, and ran into a cliff :-)

Looks great so far Don! May I ask what PE set you are using and what paints and colors?

Thanks,

Steve