Saur's big bunch o' Stuff - now featuring more than ships! Black Eagle/Harrier!

[Sauragnmon]

Alright, we'll start off with the first and familiar, the one I posted elsewhere - the Gneiseau, whiffed circa 1940.  No hangar rebuild, but she has the Atlantic bow, and the Germans said to hell with the treaty, so she has the 38cm main battery guns.









Next up, the KMS Von Der Tann - Based off the Admiral Scheer, amidst much cursing at Fujimi for no atlantic bow.  If I'd known a little more when I went about starting the build, I might have fixed the problematic error that led to me building it in broadside-aiming position - I could have moved the barbettes with a little work, and the main gun turrets would have sat centerline.  I borrowed the pattern used on the Graf Spee, courtesy of Antonio Bonomi, for the project.  The basis was a partial P-Class panzerkreuzer, a midpoint design.  The torpedo launchers I moved up to the midpoint, as the Germans realized the torpedoes on the stern of Deutschland class weren't all that useful.  Extra 10.5cm positions in place of single turret position 2, the torpedoes in position 3.  Two twin mounts, cut from a Bismarck hull, positioned superfiring over the main guns, a test fit of the gun position for the P Class.  Aft deck turned into AA position, additional stack-mounted AA in the form of two twin 20mm guns.  38cm main battery, considered along plan of Gneiseau refit plan.









That last is a comparison between the gun mounts of the 38cm turrets, and the 40.6cm H-Class gun turrets.

Next up, the Grossflugzeugkreuzer A IIa, lovingly named Fenris - I figured with Michael Emmerich's Flugdeckkreuzer named Odin, mine would take a note from that, and borrow a name from Nordic Mythology, the wolf of the apocalypse, Fenris.



Only one pic, I haven't gotten started on the flight deck, but it's there to show the 28cm triple turrets in position.  I have to find a supplier of styrene eventually so I can get to building the flight deck.  I even have some aircraft for the project as well.

Next project, the Z-50, a 1936D class Destroyer.  I figured of this as a precursor design to the 1938A destroyer, as well as a gap fix for the 1936A Mobilization type's infamous heavy-nose setup from the dual turret.  The mounting of two twins aft would add extra weight to the back, shifting the center of gravity back to the aft section again.  Additionally, the guns were extended to improve firing range of the 15cm guns.  Started life as a Matchbox Z-38, before I took the whifflebat to it and made my project.





And this concludes the Deutsches Kriegsmarine section of our tour through my workbench and backburner shelf.

Next up, a short visit to the Imperial Japanese Navy, with the IJN Koya.  Imagine mid-war, we have a problem.  The Admiralty wants to hold the battleships back for their decisive battle, the carriers are sinking left and right, there rises a necessity for something that can move decently and hit hard.  Thus comes forth the Koya class Heavy Cruiser.  Taking a note from the German Panzerschiffe design, they take an advancement on one of their best classes of cruiser, the Mogami Class.  Enlarging the core raised barbettes, they reinforce the bulkheads to stabilize the barbettes to the hull.  Using the core turrets allows them to hide the magazines for the big guns behind the armor belt, in the thickest protected sections of the hull.  To provide defensiveness, they continue to use the 15.5cm triple turrets in the three remaining positions, allowing to engage lighter targets without using up the sparse rounds for the big guns.  Taking a note from some of the later battleship designs, they turn the positions for the 12.7cm guns for the new, high performance 10cm high angle AA guns, in enclosed turrets featuring sloped armor for simplicity of production.





Onward, and forward, into the future.  Here we find ourselves now, in the Russian Fleet.  Starting off, something with little whiffage, a Pit-road Udaloy I'm converting to a Udaloy II.  Of course, I found a few mistakes I could have corrected beforehand had I known.  But hindsight's always 20/20, so it looks a little more like a refitted Udaloy 1.5 in the end.









Next, we move up to the Kiev-II class Light Carrier.  Based off the Kiev class, the Kiev II focuses more on defense, and holds the quad launchers for the P-270 Moskit cruise missile, though it could also service the P-800 Oniks which is slated to replace the Moskit.  Guns have been upgraded along the same progression of the fleet, the AK-76 replaced with the AK-100, then the AK-130.  Kashtan CIWS mounted to supplement the AK-630 CIWS mountings, also increased in number by two.  S-300FM missiles emplaced forward and aft.







Next and final of my Russian Fleet builds, the RFS Admiral Lazharev, which I'm building with a slight refit.  Namely, the aft Tor-M1 missile systems are being replaced with S-300F missiles, and the forward Tor missiles are actually being installed.  Contrary to popular belief, and wrongepedia, the Kirovs actually do not have the SA-N-9 missiles installed on the forward deck.  The boxes are empty, the launchers are not there, and the radar, which should be on that forward collection in the top center, between the Hot Flash radars on, say, Pyotr Velikiy, is not present.  No Cross Swords radar, no launchers.  So yeah, I'm going to put them in.









In the end, there are two pics, meant as a size comparison between a Bismarck hull, and the Kirov class.  Gives you a real idea of how damn big they are.

[Brian da Basher]

Yowsa your bench is busier that the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Sauragnmon! I really like your paint work and detailing. You've got a great eye for color too! It's a treat to see more ships of the line here on What-If!

Brian da Basher

[Sauragnmon]

It's not exactly a precise work, the paintwork - I don't mask, and I don't airbrush.  I've got a #8 flat brush for doing big areas, and a 5/0 for the fine detail work.  Take note, all ships are in 1/700 scale.

It's not as busy as it would seem, that's a stockup of a few months worth of work.  I started Gneiseau in October, first of my builds, and I've been snowballing since then.  I have a lot of downtime, as I'm pretty much a live in nurse for my wife, so this helps me destress.

There's a couple more projects on the go to add as well, but I'm just starting a new one, and I want to get a little progress before I yank my aunt's Camera again and shoot the updates.

[pyro-manic]

Cool stuff, Saur! I've a bit of a soft spot for ships myself, though I haven't yet built any. I have a Trumpeter HMS Hood in 1:700 that is waiting to get a refit (a la Warspite ), and I'd like do do a few KGV variants (quad B turret, three triple 16" from Nelson, stretched version with extra engineering space and another funnel, for a super-fast battlecruiser version) as well as muck around with a Richelieu. I'd also love to get one of those IHP G3 kits, and some Grand Fleet stuff. I'm really hoping for Trumpeter, Pit Road or someone to do some First World War ships - 1:700 Iron Duke, Warspite, Lion etc.

[AeroplaneDriver]

AD puts on his best David Attenborough jungle whisper

Here we find that most elusive of creatures; the Ship-Whiffer. 




Great looking stuff Saur, and Welcome Aboard too!  Nice to see more variety on the site.

[Sauragnmon]

Pyro, you might find some interesting help through me then.  Check your inbox, that should help cheery up your day a little for starters.

Second - Your hood refit, if you pass me an email address, I can forward a set of emails I got through a contact at modelwarships.com, with detailed instructions for the 1/400, though it can be adapted, Hood/KGV whifbash for the refit, out of a magazine.

Quad B Turret, interesting concept, you'd likely have to do a Lion-style barbette swap to get a properly sized barbette for your B Turret, just remember you have to cut the hull and deck to get proper spacing for the new turret.

Never thought of the fast-battleship KGV Idea.  Interesting one.  I might have to consider something like that when I go around to my G3 battlecruiser.


Thanks, AD.  I whif everything, the ships were just my first bit of whifbashing.  I've got plans for tanks, for planes, for ships... nothing is safe from my whifflehammer!!!

I had a thought for mucking with a Richie, namely taking the Trumpeter Richie '43 and whifbashing her into a Gascogne, German-finished.  German 38cm guns in the quads, German 15cm guns in the secondaries, German 10.5cm guns, German Flakvierlings.  Might keep the Bofors, since they Did refit with Bofors on the Lucky Prinz.

Yeah, the WW1 stuff is hit and miss on acquiring it, I heard some builders were thinking on it, but you might have to watch for the off-the-side injection builders to do it perhaps, or else you're stuck with resin.  I remember somebody built the Konig, ICM and that might have been passed to another producer.  The older battlewagons, not so lucky though.

[Weaver]

Nice work Saur - you've got quite a shipyard going there! 

I'm interested in ships, particularly modern ones, but the only kit I ever built of one was the Airfix Amazon, which I updated with Harpoon, Phalanx etc... Years later, Pakistan did pretty much my mods to the survivors!  The model got dusted to death years ago, unfortunately...

[Sauragnmon]

The absolute irony indeed, would be if your build inspired the Pakistani navy to do just that.

Thanks on the compliment.  If you work in 72nd, you wouldn't be too frustrated working in 1/700 for ships, because they're about similar size of parts.  Additionally to the benefit, is that 700th scale is also the most expanded for subjects.  A lot of builders produce ships in 700 scale, 350 isn't as common.

Shame what happened with the duster and your Amazon though.  This is why I have a ridge on my shelf, so they don't fall.  Always works out.

[Sauragnmon]

Alright, couple of updates... and a new camera! I got one of my own now, happy birthday to me!  A nice little Canon Powershot A590.

So, here we go... first, updates to existing projects.

RFS Vladivostok, new pics to update:







Yes, those are Yak-141 Freestyles on the deck.  I figured they would be another upgrade added to the Kiev-II class, with their short takeoff ability, expanded payload, and improved performance over the Yak-38's that were rather lackluster.  RBU-6000's installed on the bow, forward Moskits mounted, detail shot of the bridge showing off the large stack of CIWS mounted on the forward section.

Next, the new additions to the photo stack!



Short and simple, a Trumpy 1/72 IS-3M - I saw it in the LHS, couldn't say no.  No real backstory, just a collection piece.  Might do something more with it if I get an idea.



This is the turret, partially painted, for my DML 1/72 Maus.  I have yet to add the green layer, and the stippling.





Hasegawa 1/72 J7W1 Shinden.  Partially painted, still in progress.  I'm going to add additional markings as I go.





DML 1/72 Ki-61 Hien, again, still in progress.  Semi-historical markings in the plan.





Mirage Ocean 1/700 scale Amagi class Battlecruiser.  I still have to level out the bottom of the hull, and it's as yet unpainted.  Turret is currently a common turret between Koya and Amagi.


So, there we have the latest updates.

[Brian da Basher]

Nice work on the Shinden Saur! Those wee carrier planes are nothing to sneeze at either!

Brian da Basher

[Sauragnmon]

Thanks Brian, the Shinden is a fun piece of work, though I'm going to have to do something about nose ballast.  I didn't install it before, and it does seem to be a very delicate balance now.  I might have to make a small base for it and hold it down via pin vise so it will stay properly nose down for its own sake.

The Yak-141's took much cursing, since you can sit one on a penny with little overhang.  I finally figured out, after the first one, that it was best to assemble them with the fuselage still on the frame, suspend the frame for drying, and paint them still thus mounted.  Since there's only two join points for the fuselage, and I have to attatch the landing gears and vertical stabilizers seperately, I can manage to paint and such without much struggle if I do so with the aircraft still attatched to the frame.  Then, once removed, I can mount them on the deck, paint the two touch up points, and call it a day.

[Sauragnmon]

Alright, just did the hull paintjob on my T-90, first test.  Field Grey and the Dark Green I chose seem to blend real close, so it adds little more like a shadowing effect on the green when put beside it, which is fine.

[Wyrmshadow]

I love Ship Whifs!

[Sauragnmon]

Well, stay tuned, there's a number of those to come just yet.  I've got a big thing for big guns, and well, you don't get much bigger in service than with battleships!

[Sauragnmon]

More ship whiffage.  Craig, you might find this baby a little familiar.  I just slapped two of four colours on the hull, got her last night, here she is, the one, the only, HMS St George!









The wonderful work of Mike Bartel at Imperial Hobby Productions, the N3 was one of his earlier production lines.  I got this one through a second party over at Modelwarships.  I've been waiting anxiously for her, and figured I'd post this beauty in progress.