The Ship Model Forum

Looking forward to the correct deck pics to emulate it using styrene or putty.

_________________
- @Shipific on IG
my gallery

Today I got the correct deck, just to update this thread on Flyhawks 1941 1/700 kit of HMS Formidable.

They decks identical sans the catapult as pointed out above.

So Flyhawk is well aware of this issue, the seller in China has been quick to remedy the mistake, sent the part free of charge from Flyhawk.


Now, if this is wrong in shape or something, in small detail, this is fine for me. The big issue is fixed as you can compare to the other old deck.

Both have 2020 stamp on the back btw.

_________________
- @Shipific on IG
my gallery

Pavel has kindly sent me additional photos of the new 'correct' deck. I fear that the simplistic plan view green ink amendment made on Formidable's As Fitteds has misled the designer and has resulted in moulded vertical edges to the forward faces of the flared extensions either side of the original raised decking housing the catapult. In practice these forward edges sloped gently down (and the sides of the forward protrusion gently down outwards). It will perhaps be impractical to sand back into the moulding sufficiently to achieve their true profile but some filler can perhaps be used to at least eliminate the step effects.

I am largely scratch-building Implacable when serving with the British Pacific Fleet. I have all the drawings from Greenwich and a mass of photographs but none of this provides the information I need to locate the light anti-aircraft armament.

From what I've determined, Implacable carried five 8-barreled pom-poms, three 4-barreled pom-poms,, four single 40mm, seventeen twin 20mm, and seventeen single 20mm. I know the locations of the pom-poms, but cannot find out how all the other guns were disposed. I have identified a platform on each side at 'gallery deck' level beneath the foremost pom-pom each for a single 40mm. There also seem to be four single 20mm in the platform beneath the round-down and two more in each of the flatforms at the extreme bow and stern (total of 12 guns). There is also a platform outboard of the island but I have yet to find a clear shot that tells me how many guns it carried.

The other puzzle is the type of 20mm twins. One view I've found seems to feature two power-operated twin mounts abaft the funnel and on the inboard side of the island, so I wonder if all the other twins were power-operated too and where they were sited.

Any assistance will be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance,
Maurice

Here are my suggestions for the location of the 17 x single 20mm:


I suspect that on Implacable's arrival in Australia, and before her actual service with the BPF, many, maybe all, the twin powered 20mm were converted to single 40mm boffins.


Careful study of photos would be needed to determine this, but if you have the As Fitted plans from Greenwich they should show all the original twin 20mm locations.

I can see the two original single 40mm mountings you mention. I think they might have been Mk III Mountings:


I'm finding it hard to see where the other two originals were. Surely the As Fitted's show them also?

Dick,

Thank you for your help. Your supposition about twin 20mm power mounts possibly being converted to Boffins also seems quite likely since I since found another image that shows at least the two I noted on top of the island were so converted. I am re-examining the as-fitted drawings and matching the various positions against photographs to see if that produces the answers.

Thanks again,
Maurice