1/700th scale HMS Habakkuk WIP (aka Project Habakkuk)

Mossie · July 22, 2009, 08:44:09 AM

If you really want to do it, I'd suggest 1/72 1000 lb bombs. Chop of the tail & form a screw from platic card or wine bottle foil.

Modern British 1000 lb bombs are easy to come by, they're ten a penny in Airfix kits. I wouldn't use US bombs, they're too slim. WWII bombs should be pretty easy to come by too, if you can get all the same type.

A quick call out in the Swap Shop thread should quickly get you enough, I have plenty you can have. There are at least ten in the Airfix Tornado GR.4 kit & it has an impressive sprue with more modern weapons, so you can still fit out your kit.

seadude · July 27, 2009, 07:56:40 PM

Not much new to report. I finally picked up some 1/4" thick model railroad styrofoam today, that is generally used for terrain landscaping, so that I could start constructing a secondary project of a cross section cutaway of the ship until I can get the painting issue resolved.

I probably won't have new pics to share till next week sometime.

seadude · August 04, 2009, 07:34:47 PM

Small update.

I'm taking a break from the painting issues I've been discussing about in this thread, and have instead started construction on a small cross section of the Habbakuk to show what the interior looks like. I'm using this plan:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/icyhusky/HMS%20Habakkuk%20model%20project/overlord2.jpg
.......which I had discussed on Page 2 of this thread. I've been using 1/2" and 1/4" styrofoam sheets that I bought at a hobby store to make the "pykrete" walls.

The cans of paint on top are holding down a thin sheet of balsa wood I added to simulate the wood insulation used on the outside of the hull. I still have to add more sheets on the other outer sides.
On Thursday, I should have more time to add more interior decks using Evergreen sheeting.

So.....one other question: Where do I get 1/700 scale tables, chairs, machinery, oil drums, etc., etc. to add more detail to the interior? LOL.

Well, probably not. My eyesight isn't that good to add small details like that.

Mossie · August 05, 2009, 08:19:22 AM

Maybe not machinery & stuff, but Eduard do some 1/700 figures that might help to give a bit of scale. They're just flat bits of photoetch, seem to look good enough on diorama's I've seen.

cthulhu77 · August 05, 2009, 12:59:19 PM

You can also just scan in images, and print them out on cardstock...about the same scale thickness. Pencil lead might work well for the drums.

seadude · August 06, 2009, 11:41:44 AM

Currently waiting for the glue to dry on a section of my cross section cutaway. So I decided to work on making a few 1/700 turboelectric propulsion pods. I really don't have enough spare parts and other supplies to make 26 pods to put all around the circumfrence of the hull, so I only made two instead. These two will be placed on the side of the hull to give a sample representation of how the engine pods were arranged and spaced on the side of the hull.

The pods were made from the sonar domes from two 1/700 Spruance class destroyers. I still have a bit of work to do on them this afternoon.

What do ya think?

@rickshaw: Another modeler on another forum sent me scans of that Warship article.

jcf · August 06, 2009, 11:47:58 AM

Seadude if you use the image insert button (bottom row of buttons, second from left) the image will appear directly:

Alternately when selecting the image from your photobucket account use the option "IMG Code".

Cool project.

seadude · August 06, 2009, 05:11:20 PM

QuoteSeadude if you use the image insert button (bottom row of buttons, second from left) the image will appear directly:

QuoteAlternately when selecting the image from your photobucket account use the option "IMG Code".

Yeah, I know, I know. But my finger on the mouse button is too lazy right now to press anything. I think it fell asleep.

Anyway........the turboelectric pods are done, and so is the preliminary construction of my cutaway cross section. Let me know what you think. I could use any tips for adding details, etc. to the interior of the cutaway.

sequoiaranger · August 07, 2009, 09:07:45 AM

One of the good things about the enormity of Habbakuk is that TWIN-ENGINED aircraft, not normally fit for carriers, could operate aboard her. I have some spare 1/700 B-25's from a USS Hornet model if you want them (the British used B-25's, ya know).

seadude · August 10, 2009, 07:42:19 PM

New update.

Been spending lots of time the last three days working on the superstructure for my Habbakuk. Since there's no plans or pics of what the superstructure is supposed to look like, I've had to take quite a lot of creative freedom. In the pics, you can pretty much gauge what most stuff is and where it will be: 40mm tubs, 20mm gun galleries, Mk.37 radar units, etc. I still have a lot of work to go yet before painting, which should probably be started maybe early next week. I probably went a little overboard with all the armament around the superstructure.

Front View:

Back View: (I plan on putting a boat and davits in the middle where the "alcove" is so to speak. To the left of the alcove, I was thinking of adding another 20mm gun gallery. If I don't, then I may just hang some more life rafts on the structure wall.)

Top View:

The Rat · August 10, 2009, 08:21:44 PM

Quote from: seadude on August 10, 2009, 07:42:19 PMSince there's no plans or pics of what the superstructure is supposed to look like, ...

Well, there is this old pic out there, but it doesn't show the classic aircraft carrier shape. I've often thought that if I ever get around to building mine the back story will explain why they went 'classic'.

Sauragnmon · August 10, 2009, 09:00:11 PM

She's coming along well, the island looks good!

seadude · August 11, 2009, 06:15:30 PM

Need advice on armament options/placement.

Here's a few pics showing placement of 5" guns and also 40mm AA. The second pic shows red marks that will indicate where all the 5" guns are. The green marks indicate where all the 40mm is. I was also thinking of adding small 20mm gun galleries (blue marks) between all the 5" and 40mm placements. So......do I have too much armament or not enough? According to all the references I've read, the Habbakuk as originally designed was to have forty 4.5" dual barreled DP guns, plus numerous other lighter armaments. 40 seems like too much to me, so I scaled back the amount of 5" that I wanted for the ship.

Mossie · August 12, 2009, 01:12:43 AM

You're AA set up seems to look pretty good, it's in line with some of the plans I've seen. My only suggestion is that the AA doesn't sit proud of the deck (I realise this might be just for planning purposes), the poor sods manning the stations are going to get clobbered the first time a landing goes awry. Some plans show the AA in semi-recessed positions that partially overhang the deck.

There's a good plan & digram here, (you probably already have it), but it also interestingly shows a camouflaged hull:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2474/3668383815_9b6ba59610.jpg

seadude · August 12, 2009, 06:54:09 AM

The guns won't be sitting "on top" of the deck. The parts in the pics are only to give a rough representation of where they will be placed and how far they are spaced apart. The 40mm will have tubs along the edge/side of the hull. The 5' will be "slightly recessed" so to speak as shown in these example plans I drew up.