The Ship Model Forum

Thanks 81542

I had forgotten about the scuppers, so yes some may be for those. my mission now is to try and find some photos or drawings which show their positions, both scuppers and voice pipes, I suspect a tall order but I can but try..

Cheers

Pete

Thanks for the correction and explanation EJ.

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Hard a starboard.......Shoot!

Here's a B/W pic of my Flyhawk Hood - my basic, no frills model.

It's painted in Sovereign Colourcoats 507A 13%. Notice how light it looks in natural, late afternoon daylight (not direct sunlight).

I cannot WAIT to see what the real modeling experts do with this kit!!

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Hard a starboard.......Shoot!

Nice work Paul, I like that... Your reference to colour brings up a question that I've been meaning to ask the collective. When I started on my most recent model of Hood I painted her in Colourcoats 507B starting back in 2018. To me, that is the colour that Hood was and what I painted my larger scratch-built model back in the eighties although that wasn't Colourcoats, it was basically the same colour. As stated in my thread I am not going to change this now even though this colour seems to have lost favour. Now, my question is, has the colourcoats 507B changed since 2018 and if so is the old shade still available. I know that I could ask James but thought it worth asking the question here too. I only have one can left and that won't be enough to complete the model.

Regards

Pete

I emailed James this morning, the code required for the old 507B is NARN24, just a little info for anyone else in the same situation.

Cheers

Pete

Hi Pete,

Thanks. I think you'll have a lot of trouble finding the old WEM Colourcoats 507B at this time. A 507B was made by Modelmasters (now also gone) but if I recall, it had a bluer tinge compared to WEM's. True North makes one, but I don't know how it measures up.

But, it's not really that it has "fallen out of favour", it's that the evidence shows it never existed in WW2 as a separate colour to 507A, but I'm sure you've seen all that. I too was hesitant at first to paint my Hood in the current Sovereign Colourcoats Home Fleet Grey 13% as I felt it was too dark. I was tempted to use the 50-50 mix 507A&C...but I'm so glad I didn't. I absolutely love to look of the model with the 13% HFG and feel I now have built a Hood model that depicts her as accurately as I am capable of. But that's me.

No matter what anyone else says, you paint your model your way. The old 507B is a little lighter but still does Hood justice!

Here's another of my Flyhawk Hood along with my "upgraded" Tamiya Prince of Wales - both ships now depicted (hopefully!) as they would have appeared on May 24, 1941, based on the latest information.

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Hard a starboard.......Shoot!

Hi Paul

Those look great, I wouldn't say 507B never existed, just that it was from earlier, to my eyes it looks spot on to the 1939 colour video which surfaced some years back. She definately had a blue hue to her which is what I like. If I was ever to do another 'Hood' model, I'd do her in 1937 with 507C and to my eye a prettier outline.

Pete

Hi Pete,

Don't get me wrong - note I said "never existed in WW2 as a separate colour to 507A" - then they were the same shade. In WW1 to the 20's, as I understand it, A, B and C were distinct shades ranging from from darker to lighter and I suppose this was what translated to what was believed for WW2. But as the Fleet Orders show, for WW2 the only difference between A and B was the presence or absence of enamel (can't recall which one had it right now).

But you have to be careful in interpreting colour films from back then. If you look at the 1939 colour footage of her leaving Portsmouth, there is no bluish tinge (at least to my eye). I think it all has to do with the way the light strikes and reflects - plus of course the film itself.

To me - both films are compatible with HFG 13%.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAthCvk5Gro&t=18s

But again....your model, your way - I'm just giving my point of view re the paints.

And yes, 507C Mediterranean style is beautiful!

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Hard a starboard.......Shoot!

good day all, I have a question on funnel steam pipes which I assume, being a bit of a steam nutter myself, are venting from the boiler safety valves. I have searched through this thread and others and can't find an answer to my question. The question is, the Trumpeter kit has 9 vents, 5 for the rear (two pipes rear funnel port side) and 4 for the fwd funnel. I have two problems with this, in some photo's the forward funnel has two pipes at the front port side mirroring the rear funnel, therefore, also making it 5 and secondly these pipes are of two different sizes. I have seen other photos showing the rear pipes in different positions and also having two different sizes, in fact, IIRC one photo only showed half a pipe, it is possible that this actually showed the port side rear funnel but the image had been flipped making it look the starboard side? I guess the half-pipe could have been being worked on?

I don't think that I've seen two pipes on the forward funnel in any later pictures or models etc, perhaps it was only in her early career?

Either it has always been 5 pipes on each with the doubled set being of two sizes ( in different eras) or during a boiler upgrade the safety valves were repositioned/changed?

Here's an early picture to show that I'm not going totally mad...



Does anyone know what the actual configuration was in 1941, I have searched everywhere including EJ's excellent pages, and haven't found any details on this yet?

I have already decided to ditch the pipes in the kit so if in fact Hood did have the extra fwd funnel pipe and if it was a different size that's easily sorted.

Pete

Edit: Hmm.. seems I have lost the plot on rechecking the kit it does show 5 on each although I'm sure that I only found 9 in the kit total? Also, they are all the same size in the kit so t least that bit is wrong..

I just noticed that the 1939 colour video of Hood shows two steam pipes of different sizes on the fwd funnel port side, so I guess that is how things should be, I hadn't noticed this before...I think that I've answered my own question but always happy to hear from the collective...

Pete

Hi guys

A question of colour, do we know what the 4" gun shield interiors were painted, was it just hull grey or white as on HMS Belfast today? Was there an official shield interior colour or did it vary and if so do we know which colours were allowed?

Pete

Pete,

There is a photograph on Page 51 that shows, unmistakably to my mind, that the interiors of HMS HOOD's 4 inch gun shields were painted the same shade of grey as the rest of the ship. This would probably hold good for all similar shields at the time. If white came in later then no authority seems to have frowned upon it. Whatever, the Royal Navy did not like its gun mountings to be tricked out like caravans.

81542

What would be a reasonable Tamiya equivalent to 507B?

Hi 81542

I can't seem to find the photo on 51, nor 50 or 52? Currently, I have reduced vision in my eyes which hinders my ability a little to make out shades in the greyscale. hence why I asked if there was anything noted anywhere that could answer the question. I'll see what other references that I have to hand that may help.
White seemed a logical colour to me for something that's in the shade, more so at night when trying to fumble around with equipment. When I saw the images of HMS Belfast it just seemed to make sense but if Hood was all grey then so be it...

Kind regards

Pete

Pete,

The post in question is on Page 51, third Post down, attributed to "Joseph R" though paint shade was not the subject to which he was referring.

I regret that I cannot give you a definitive Reference but perhaps the man corresponding as "Dick" on camouflage matters might. All I know is that the powers that be at the time ie the Admiralty, kept a very tight rein on what colours one could use in painting HM ships.

White inside the shield would make sense but while I saw examples of the twin 4 inch mounting during my time in the service (early 1960's) I cannot say for certain that the shade inside the shields were anything other than (light) grey. That said, it wasn't that dark inside the open shield.

If your question is specific to HMS HOOD, I would advise a PM to EJFoeth as the easiest way to get an answer as apart from the Hood website, he appears to have done the most serious research on the matter for his model.

I trust that your vision will improve soon.

81542

ah.. sorry 81542, I was looking/expecting a larger image of the gun itself, I know that I have some reasonably close in one of my books, that can be some late-night reading tonight..

Thanks for the comment on my eyes... only time will tell if they improve.

Cheers

Pete

Another question chaps...I've looked through my collected reference material and agree that the interior shield colour is most likely grey. Another question arises in regards to the breech colour. In some cases it looks more metallic that painted which makes sense considering the parts job/action. Does anyone have a view on colour, stainless or perhaps gunmetal/bronze?

Opinions sought...

Pete

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Hi EJ

Thank you, sir, those colour close-ups are exactly what the doctor ordered. Being of an engineer's mind I knew that you wouldn't paint critical moving parts, the breech being a prime example. Those photos also clearly show the interior as grey so that puts that question to bed.
One of my planned cameo setups is a 4" gun with the crew in training and these little details will help to bring it to life.

Many thanks for the images...

Kind regards

Pete

I was just going to comment on this...breeches, and breechblocks on guns and tanks are left bare metal so that paint will not jam them when needed. Most likely the same with naval artillery.