Hi all,

i did not followed this campaign for a while and i just can say that i really like what i saw ! great great works !

Simon: your warship is really WWOOOOWWW !

here is my french pilot progress, the head is just in the begining:







That's all
cheers
nico

Thanks Nico, good to see some more progress on your pilot, real character developing in that face.

Finally, Starboard boats rigged, The weathering is not so far advanced on the hull, and a couple of slips in the funnels need tidying up.



Si

Here is a bit of fun. Some may need a translator engine.

list of available ground ops kits

Hi Stephen,

very interesting, and at least the pictures are in English.

Si

Hi Stephan,

Thanks for the link, the flying pig trench mortar looks useful

Cheers

Al

It's an OK kit even though it is a bit rough around the edges and lacks building instructions - at least mine does. I think it is OOP, so getting it is a bit difficult these days and the price might vary.
Guido

More progress on the swung out boat. The falls & luffing tackles have been added.



next issue, I needed two figures to tend the falls during lowering ready in the boat, but unfortunately the fujumi sprues did not contain what I wanted, neither did the L'Arsenal resin figures, so I took the easier route & modified a couple of fujumi figures.

before.



and during modification.



also needed manropes for the boat and coils for free ends of tackles.



So I would some copper wire arouns the point of a tooth pick and flattened the resulting coil.



and fitted to the boat.



Just painter, sternfast, oars rudder, rope ladders, boat crew, lowering crew and then I can get back to the ship herself.

Si

Hi Simon,

Excellent work, a nice touch with the crew and boat. Terrific stuff.

I contacted Mr Models and the kit is OOP as you say so I may keep a look out for one or re-think that area.

Nicolas,

The airman is looking excellent, lovely work.

Cheers

Al

Hi Simon,

I found one in stock with Accurate Armour.

Cheers

Al

WOW - a lot of great builds going on here. I was on a model hiatus due to my real job obligations, and just got back to the bench to work on my early German MG08 trench scene last weekend Here are pics of my progress when I had to stop a few months ago:

The converted gunner:

the cooling water container:


Here is how the trench lookes now with the gun and cooling can in place:



I got around to converting the other two figures - the officer with binoculars and the ammo loader, both in greatcoats:



The three converted Bandai figures primed and finally ready to paint:


Hope to catch up with everyone else here.

Jim

More excellent work gang! As soon as I finish up some side projects I'll get cracking with my own build, which is already being put to shame by a certain Emhar landship

Hi folks,

Work continues on the dio and thanks to Matthew I have aquired a couple of the Modellar Cellar British Infantry which look like fine figures.

Excellent stuff folks.

Cheers

Al

Hi Jim, Nice to see some progress on your machine gun team, looking good.

A bit further on the Kent, the oars and rudder have been added to the swung out cutter, and the painter & sternfast attached to the ship, and are drying before bending into shape. The boat's crew have also been added, waiting to board.



Finally the lowering crew have been fitted, the painter & sternfast secured in the boat and a rolled up rope ladder fitted to the deck alongside the boat.



The railings round the quarterdeck have been fitted and a party checking the after steering position.



I have started to scratchbuild the enlarged after mainmast platform, and in this general view it is test fitted.



Si

Great progress, Simon, and I love the added crew all around.
Just a question (and I do not know if this has been brought up before) - would they be getting a boat ready to lower while still under way?

Jim

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your kind words.

In certain circumstances yes preparations for lowering would be made under way. In this case the scenario she is coming into port. The seaboat is swung out and the crew mustered, ready to lower and slip as the ship approaches the bouy to pick up the hawser. (This is also a good excuse for not having too many crew on deck, the rest of them would be below changing into their No.1's to man the side) The only other crew to be added are the mooring party heading to the fo'c'sle. The ship would slow, but not actually stop to slip the boat so the whole appoach manouver was performed without loosing steerage way until the ship comes to a halt with the bouy right under the bow.

These old armoured cruisers were not the sleekest and fastest of vessels, so even at manouvering speed they kicked up a fair old wake, I admit I probably over egged the wake a bit, but I was aiming for represneting a speed of about 10kts. This however does represent a Royal Naval vessel in 1914, when they did like doing things with dash and elan.

Of course the other circumastance of lowering a boat under way would have been "Man Overboard" but that would have needed a lot of figures on deck.

Hope that explains it.

Si

Si - Thanks for the full explanation. I just had visions of the boat bouncing along the water like an amusement park ride once it was lowered, and then finally being released after much commotion with half of the oarsmen in the drink.

Jim

Hi Si,

This is looking excellent, I love the sense of activity about the ship, so much more interesting than empty decks.

Terrific work.

Al

I was so engrossed in Simon's progress, I forgot to post pics of the progress on my small MG08 scene. I did more work on the old Bandai figures, and they are almost finished. Still have to add the unit number on the helmets and some pigments. Here they are now:

Officer with binoculars. I added some length to the lenses to be more accurate for the period. I also added a strap to the binoculars:




Gunner. I added the helmet strap on top of the helmet instead of around his chin:


Loader. His back looked rather bare, so I added a bread bag by modifying a Tamiya one to have the features of the earlier WWI bread bags:




Getting close to final assembly. Thanks again for looking and for all the comments

Jim

Al, Thanks for your comment, and I agree, I do not like to see ships set on a base with nothing going on, especially nobody on an open bridge.

Jim, my pleasure with the explaination. Your machine gun crew are looking great, looking forward to seeing more progress.

Si

Hi folks,

Some work on the tunnel:



Al

Hi Al,
Nice work on the timbering. One question: how are they getting the muck out? In a small tunnel, they would be using wheelbarrows, in which case they would probably lay planks on the floor to make it easier for the wheels to roll. A larger tunnel, particularly a really long one, would use regular mine cars and track.
Cheers
Dick

Hi Dick,

The original mouth of the cave will be opened up a bit and be made deeper, I have a gang to work on that now



Thanks for the thoughts on the planking.

Cheers

Al

hello,
here is my progress. I just started planning inside the cab. I hope that I will have time to finish my pigeon loft before the end of the campaign .
steph

Hi Steph,
I can hardly wait to see it assembled, with pigeons, of course. LOL.
Cheers,
Dick

hello,
assembled, it will be on. for pigeons but I think I'll cook them before