1/350 ARA Belgrano from the ISW USS Phoenix-kit

[Walter Sonderman]

Hi, all,

as I do not think an article for the gallery will be posted rapidly, find here some pics of the ARA Belgrano 1/350, which I converted from the ISW USS Nashville kit.
Within the IPMS The Netherlands, the idea was raised by one of the editors who had spent his vacation over there to do something with the 40-year anniversary of the Falkland/Malvinas-war. I first did the HMS Coventry destroyer from an Atlantic Models-kit, but while building I had ample time to think about the ARA Belgrano cruiser. I only build post-war ships (I do not want to do the umpteenth Bismarck or Hood), and the Belgrano was a perfect transitional subject. The Belgrano is the only ship to have been sunk in combat by a nuclear-powered submarine during wartime.
Because she remained virtually unchanged from her wartime look I decided to order the Iron Shipwrights resin kit from the sister ship USS Nashville for the project.
I was asked frequently why I order a resin kit from the US for a small fortune only to use the hull and some superstructure. Well, that's exactly why. The hull is the most important part of a ship, and this hull and the superstructure parts which I would be using (lower forward and rear superstructure, the funnels) had the correct shape, were straight and thus formed the perfect base for the model. There were some air bubbles to fill, but I am a modelbuilder�.I added two 40 mm guntubs cut from metal rod to the stern of the ship.
I regard myself not to be an experienced scratch builder, and with scratch building it is important to do good research and know your limits. I was able to use photos of a 1/50 model built by the Club Argentino de Modelismo Naval y Escala. In the world of "aftermarket accessories" I found basically everything to finish the ship.
I started by making the propeller shafts of copper rod. The biggest modifications were in the bridge assembly with the Seacat launchers, which I built step by step with plastic Evergreen sheet, learning scratch building techniques as I went. The Seacats themselves came from the Hr.Ms. Van Speijk "MLU" kit from Naval Models. So I finished the bridge first, complete with photo-etched railing and ladders, before starting on the middle and rear superstructures.
Meanwhile, I had ordered various 3D printed parts from Steve�s ModelMonkey and Ben�s Black Cat, including the 6-inch turrets, the 5/25-inch and 40 and 20 mm secondary armament, the Mk33 and Mk34 fire control directors, ready service ammunition lockers, life raft canisters, boats and even the anchors. For the 6 and 5-inch guns, I used metal barrels from L 'Arsenal. The photo-etched railings and ladders came from my extensive stock of Gold Medal Models. For the searchlight platform frame I used the photo-etch part from the kit, but detailed it with various platforms. The funnels also came from the kit, also fitted with platforms, vertical ladders and steam pipes and braced by metal support wires.
The masts were constructed entirely of 1.5 mm metal rod, with 0.2 and 0.3 mm metal for the yardarms and supports. I supplemented that with photo-etch sets from the Naval-models kits of the De Ruyter and the B-class destroyer, from which I used the large LW-02 and the smaller DA-01 anti-aircraft radars, just as it had been done in real life. Based on the few photos I could find, I was able to construct the so-called signal square on the main mast from 0.2 mm metal rod. The aircraft crane, used to move the boats, was the other photo-etched part I used from the kit.
After eight months of construction time, about normal for a somewhat larger (21�) 1/350 ship, I could report the Belgrano finished with quite a satisfied feeling (because that's what modeling is all about). The Alouette III helicopter was a clear resin-cast kit from Naval Models.
Cheers, Walter

[marijn van gils]

Great job Walter!

[mick]

great work

[MartinJQuinn]

Nice! That is really cool!

[Pieter]

Nice to see this one posted here. Looks like you spent may hours on this project.

[Frank Spahr]

Most impressive work and result!

[medicmike]

Outstanding job! I always liked this class of cruiser and your mods to make her the ARA Belgrano are awesome