Calling all HMS Nelson & HMS Rodney fans

[Timmy C]

Yes, some discussion on that here already: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=158458

[Guest]

WOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

1/200 HMS Nelson 1944 kit arrrived from Free Time Hobbies, corrugated overpack box is big as an electric bass case. First impressions, crazy-standing applause nice. All small parts nicely isolated in 3 sizable interior boxes and many enticing individual sprue bags.

1 piece hull comfortably thick plastic, molding looks perfect, no warps... and okay the plating is overdone, we all have sandpaper. Hull is so big and "smooth, 'may use a roller. Yes, even on painting the camo.

1 piece deck, nice thick plastic and planking looks fine. Lots of unopened holes beneath deck, so there are time period and fit options. May take some thought if you do non-kit-date buildup.

Main and 6" tubes do have moulded-in "drilled" out muzzles. Wait for metal barrels...? Mebbe, mebbe not.

Main and secondary turrets look really good to these eyes.

Octuple 2 pdrs okay-plus, so do the 6-4.7" HA.

20mm not perfect, but have PE shields, also some have the foot-brace part-circle bases, nice touch.

Superstructure and funnel look pretty fine to these eyes. Clean, flashless molding. Nice boat outfit. have not checked them for shape and outline (where are any good sources for RN ship's boats?).

Lots of PE, 7 frets, including all perimeter railings, like almost 400 pieces. BTW, near a thousand plastic parts.

Instructions and colour sheets are pretty hip. No desire to put them on bottom of birdcage.

Warning; am not a super-nit-picker who knows these ships in nano-detail; more a grateful humanoid who now has in grubby paws, a kit of this most unique and fascinating design. Both ships had busy, illustrious war records, serious accomplishments. This will likely be the only 1/200 battleship to be built personally, so it is intended to be fun, a clean, OOTB job for the most, not an uber-perfection AMS angst-whiny ordeal which leaves one drooling, quivering and thinking of taking up cutting oneself as a new hobby.

'Grew up on box scale "rug-play-hull" Revell and Aurora kits, so this big boat is (here) like super bad-afs smurf dance smiley face great.

Overall, 'looks like you do not have to be a real shipmodeler to construct; being an okay plastic kit assembler will likely deliver you a tasty, sweet-looking build.

BTW there is a dedicated book done 'bout '85 on Nelson. Found a good used copy w/dustjacket with a Brit bookseller and it is on the way. Might be a few more out there.

Guess is, by the time one finishes gluing and sanding and painting and rigging this big fella and sets the glass case over it, your entertainment cost will be about $1 per hour, from the time you take overpack box off yo' porch.

Just one opinion, so wail away if this first look-no-images review is not to your liking.

[Goodwood]

Found a video unboxing of the 1/200 kit (which I'll be ordering from FTH on the 3rd), posted two days ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHfP0zftI48

Edit: I just ordered my 1/200 Nelson from Freetime Hobbies! w00t!

[Goodwood]

Apologies for the double-post, but I thot you guys'd like to see a 1/700 vs. 1/200 comparison.

[Aop Aur]

I am sooooo glad trumpeter is going to reease the nelson class battleships in 1/350...
I'll soon get my hands on them.

This is my favourite smile though!:

[Aop Aur]

Still, the 1/200 ones are much more accurate.

[Aop Aur]

I heard that they will release in August

[zotz]

Hi,
Did the 1942 Nelson camouflage also had her deck in the same colors or bare wood?
Thanks

[Aop Aur]

The rodney had both the deck in colours and bare wood. Not sure for the Nelson

[Channell]

Still, the 1/200 ones are much more accurate.

I'm honestly scared to ask but for you Nelson Class fans, how do you rate Trumpeter's 1/200 kit accuracy?

[Aop Aur]

Still, the 1/200 ones are much more accurate.

I'm honestly scared to ask but for you Nelson Class fans, how do you rate Trumpeter's 1/200 kit accuracy?

I myself do not have the kit, but I have seen some pictures of others' and I think it is considerably an accurate one.

Aop.

[Aop Aur]

Does anyone know what's going on with the 1/350 Nelson and Rodney? I really want to see it arrives at my front door...

Aop.

[MartinJQuinn]

Another nice find by Roger Torgeson at the National Archives, NARA II, of HMS Nelson in June 1944, taken from the US heavy cruiser USS Quincy (CA-71)

80-G 367863 NARA II, courtesy of Roger Torgeson

Cropped version of 80-G 367863 NARA II, courtesy of Roger Torgeson

[Dan Banks]

Just received the 1/200 Rodney and it is the same hull as Nelson. No surprise, but Rodney retained her underwater TT until almost the end of her active career. Anyone know of any pictures of the doors in the hull for these. They were the only(unconfirmed) instance of a battleship torpedoing another battleship. Would be a nice detail to add. Thanks Dan

[biggles2]

I've got Tamiya 1/700 Nelson; I think it's in '43 or '44 fit and I would like to build it as Sept/'41 in the Med. Was it overall gray at that time? How many AA guns will I have to delete? I'll have to cut the turret roof ones off anyway as they are just awful. Are there any sites where I can find that info? As an aside, I ordered my Nelson from Great Hobbies (in Canada) on a Thursday AM, and got it Friday, next day, in Canada Post, not courrier. Is that fast, or what! Kudos to Great Hobbies for super-fast service!

[Aop Aur]

Any news about the release date of the 1/350 scale version yet?

[Dan Banks]

According to "British Battleships of WWII" by Raven and Roberts, the following armements had been added: 1933 to 35, 2 mk I .05 quad machine guns mounted at rear corner of bridge. Aug. 1940, 1 Mk V Pom Pom on quarter deck. 4 UP mountings, 2 on B and 2 on X turrets. 4.7-inch guns fitted with shields. The first Orlikens were part of a refit in October 1941-March 42. So you will need to cut off and leave out a bunch of guns.

[biggles2]

According to "British Battleships of WWII" by Raven and Roberts, the following armements had been added: 1933 to 35, 2 mk I .05 quad machine guns mounted at rear corner of bridge. Aug. 1940, 1 Mk V Pom Pom on quarter deck. 4 UP mountings, 2 on B and 2 on X turrets. 4.7-inch guns fitted with shields. The first Orlikens were part of a refit in October 1941-March 42. So you will need to cut off and leave out a bunch of guns.

By "X" turret, do you mean "C" turret? I thought any forward turrets were labelled A - B -C, and any aft turrets X - Y - Z.

[elcejay]

Hello all,

Can anybody comment on the accuracy of the paints on IWM modeller Julian Glossop models? This late 40's - early 50's model of Nelson does not show the colours we have learnt to expect.

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30018360

Regards,
Lindsay

[pgollin]

By "X" turret, do you mean "C" turret? I thought any forward turrets were labelled A - B -C, and any aft turrets X - Y - Z.

They went through various changes - for most of their lives it was "A", "B" and "X", alternatively "A", "B" and "Y" (as per KGVs)