Building the Airfix Air Sea Rescue Launch

The kit´s fit was quite OK, with minimal filler needed at the wheelhouse corners and at the rear of the superstructure.

For the windscreen, I made the framework from styrene and the rotating discs from PE handwheels, with all but one spoke carefully sawed away.

I redid the rear window, adding framing to the wheelhouse roof and making the pane of the window from a blister pack.

The mast needed a rebuild to cope with the tension of the rigging.

I was quite happy with the kit´s representation of the Oerlikon, I just added some leftover PE and tubing.

I added the cooling water outlets to the transom and some representation of the diagonal planking to the hull sides.

The deflectors around the turrets are represented as solid parts, whereas they consisted of tubing in the real thing. I remade them from annealed wire and styrene.

In comparison, the difference between the kit parts and the homemade deflectors is obvious.

My first base, smallish and greenish, and only with churned water right behind the vessel. Mostly like a photo from Wikipedia. But I wasn´t quite happy with it.

To mount the hull to my vise, I added styrene rectangular profile.

My second base was larger, with choppier waves, and a bluer hue, and more churned water around the vessel. I fancied it looked better.

I tried to make the grey of the deck and superstructure a bit varied without overdoing it, using three shades.

Masking the many panes of the machine gun turrets was tedious, but had to be done. I fantasized about 3D printed frameworks that would only need painting and glazing with white glue ...

My first cage aerials ever, made after Ulf Lundberg´s method as described here: modellmarine.de/inde..modelle&Itemid=1

I was a bit concerned about the decals, but they held up well and covered well, too.

The vessel as completed and weathered.

So this is what I arrived at - and didn´t feel comfortable with.

4 17 July 2020, 15:08

Hanno Kleinecke
Extraordinary job, especially the mast and rigging look really good ! The teaser pic for the project file really brings out the beautiful lines
of this whaleback . Legendary good old Airfix kit......

17 July 2020, 20:53