It's a -lot- smaller than most of the ships seen on this forum, and isn't a R/C model (now that would be an interesting challenge... probably possible too, after all there are R/C 1/72 tanks), but I hope it's still OK to post it here!
A while ago I bought a lot of old built ship models on eBay (mainly for a source of spare parts), which included a number of the Airfix "Historical Ships" range of small scale (most 1/400-1/600) sailing ships. Among them was the paddle steamer Great Western. I've already built this kit, so wasn't sure what to do with it.
However the other day I noticed that, with the paddles removed, the hull is a reasonably close match for HMS Warrior. (Whether the real Great Western's hull looked anything like the Warrior's I don't know, but the small Airfix kit's hull does, though it is significantly wider). It even has massively overscale square "portholes" in the side at about the same height as the Warrior's gun ports, and a stern gallery much like the Warrior's false gallery in appearance and location.
I decided to try and "kitbash" a small model of the Warrior as a trial run for the much larger model I intend to build eventually.
Rather than trying to salvage the existing deck, I traced around it onto textured styrene card and cut a new one. The planking is still very overscale, but not as much!
The rudder was sawn off and a new rudder + propeller assembly scratchbuilt. The prop is a 1/600 4-bladed example with two of the blades cut off.
Deck detailing and armament is scratchbuilt from styrene stock, other than the funnels (which are actually propeller locating pins left over from a 1/48 aircraft kit, cut down and drilled out), the boats (1/600 items from the spares box) and the anchors, which are modified ones from the Great Western kit.
Masts and yards are scratchbuilt from styrene rod (the ones in the GW kit are overscale) . The spars aren't tapered, but look OK to me considering how tiny they are.
Finally, I added some minimal "representative" shrouds (I tried to add rigging but found it looked overscale and unconvincing) and a flag.
The scale is around 1/700 (something like 1/750 actually), the model measures about 16-17cm long.
Here are 3 photos of the completed model. It's not as detailed as it could be and the hull shape is inaccurate (too wide + too blunt at both the bow and stern) but considering its tiny size it captures the appearance of the real ship fairly well. If nothing else it was an interesting scratchbuilding exercise!
I intend to build a much larger model of this ship (probably 1/150 or 1/200) in future. (As the real ship is 128m long, a 1/150 model would be about 3', the same size as the big Revell sailing ships) How exactly I'm not sure! Possibly I'll have to carve the basic hull shape from balsa or another wood.
