Building the Airfix 1:600 HMS Suffolk
![Album image #1 Album image #1](/albums/img/0/4/2/777042-10800-60-720.jpg)
The main components, the catapult area has been filled with styrene stock.
![Album image #2 Album image #2](/albums/img/0/4/1/777041-10800-40-720.jpg)
Micromaster´s very highly detailed 8 inch turrets improve the overall impression.
![Album image #3 Album image #3](/albums/img/0/4/0/777040-10800-35-720.jpg)
The secondary armament is equally nice and very highly detailed.
![Album image #4 Album image #4](/albums/img/0/4/3/777043-10800-72-720.jpg)
The boats are little works of art, sadly they are a bit too high for the limited space between decks.
![Album image #5 Album image #5](/albums/img/0/4/4/777044-10800-21-720.jpg)
The hull in its cutout on the base.
![Album image #6 Album image #6](/albums/img/0/4/5/777045-10800-79-720.jpg)
The hull has been isolated with tape and vaseline, and acrylic caulking has been applied to close any gaps and create wave effects.
![Album image #7 Album image #7](/albums/img/0/4/7/777047-10800-72-720.jpg)
This brush is (in my hands) ideal for stippling the water surface. White wall paint of good quality is used.
![Album image #8 Album image #8](/albums/img/0/4/8/777048-10800-29-720.jpg)
The base has been stippled and left to dry.
![Album image #9 Album image #9](/albums/img/0/4/9/777049-10800-61-720.jpg)
To mount the model on its vise during construction, I added a section of styrene to hold the mounting screws.
![Album image #10 Album image #10](/albums/img/0/5/0/777050-10800-46-720.jpg)
The edges of the base are sanded.
![Album image #11 Album image #11](/albums/img/0/5/1/777051-10800-35-720.jpg)
I used these paints for the base.
![Album image #12 Album image #12](/albums/img/0/5/2/777052-10800-14-720.jpg)
Firstly, green was airbrushed away from the hull.
![Album image #13 Album image #13](/albums/img/0/5/3/777053-10800-38-720.jpg)
Then a medium blue was added.
![Album image #14 Album image #14](/albums/img/0/5/4/777054-10800-81-720.jpg)
And lastly a dark blue.
![Album image #15 Album image #15](/albums/img/0/5/7/777057-10800-91-720.jpg)
The wave effects are carefully painted white.
![Album image #16 Album image #16](/albums/img/0/5/8/777058-10800-96-720.jpg)
The base is ready for its gloss coat - but you need to wait a week after using the water-based wall paint and acrylics. Otherwise, moisture will escape and form bubbles in the gloss coating.
![Album image #17 Album image #17](/albums/img/0/5/9/777059-10800-17-720.jpg)
The rather crude kit bridge has been rebuilt.
![Album image #18 Album image #18](/albums/img/0/6/0/777060-10800-85-720.jpg)
Same as the next level.
![Album image #19 Album image #19](/albums/img/0/6/1/777061-10800-80-720.jpg)
After adding some detail to the bulge and drilling open part of the scuttles, the deck was added.
![Album image #20 Album image #20](/albums/img/0/6/2/777062-10800-46-720.jpg)
Assorted inclined aldders.
![Album image #21 Album image #21](/albums/img/0/6/3/777063-10800-81-720.jpg)
PE fun starts.
![Album image #22 Album image #22](/albums/img/0/6/4/777064-10800-80-720.jpg)
The quadruple 0.5 in machine guns were amongst the iffiest items.
![Album image #23 Album image #23](/albums/img/0/6/5/777065-10800-47-720.jpg)
Close contenders with these masttop radars.
![Album image #24 Album image #24](/albums/img/0/6/6/777066-10800-72-720.jpg)
I rebuilt the masts from brass and PE items. The perforate bar stock was used to mount the yardarms to the masts. The result is much stronger than just gluing them.
![Album image #25 Album image #25](/albums/img/0/6/7/777067-10800-94-720.jpg)
PE handwheels can be used for oh so many things, here to anchor the tripod mast´s rear legs.
![Album image #26 Album image #26](/albums/img/0/6/8/777068-10800-23-720.jpg)
The completed masts.
![Album image #27 Album image #27](/albums/img/0/6/9/777069-10800-51-720.jpg)
![Album image #28 Album image #28](/albums/img/0/7/0/777070-10800-30-720.jpg)
The cranes are quite important items for the model´s overall look.
![Album image #29 Album image #29](/albums/img/0/7/1/777071-10800-26-720.jpg)
The Walrus amphibian can be detailed from the WEM PE set.
![Album image #30 Album image #30](/albums/img/0/7/2/777072-10800-10-720.jpg)
The base has received its glosscoat.
![Album image #31 Album image #31](/albums/img/0/7/3/777073-10800-10-720.jpg)
I worked from this profile, which I found here: world-war.co.uk/Kent/suffolk.php3
![Album image #32 Album image #32](/albums/img/0/7/4/777074-10800-77-720.jpg)
Quite a lot of masking ensued.
![Album image #33 Album image #33](/albums/img/0/7/5/777075-10800-89-720.jpg)
But the result looked quite neat to me.
![Album image #34 Album image #34](/albums/img/0/7/6/777076-10800-82-720.jpg)
Yet more masking was needed to spray the decks.
![Album image #35 Album image #35](/albums/img/0/7/7/777077-10800-65-720.jpg)
The end result.
![Album image #36 Album image #36](/albums/img/0/7/8/777078-10800-56-720.jpg)
These three shades were used for the camo scheme.
![Album image #37 Album image #37](/albums/img/0/7/9/777079-10800-94-720.jpg)
Fitting the model out with the prepared subassemblies.
Opmerkingen
24 May 2020, 10:35
Album info
I built this classic kit for the first time, and am impressed by the overall quality, after 56 years. WEM PE was used, plus 3D printed primary and secondary armament plus boats (all by Micromaster).