Arthur - 1922 Rio

I thought I'd share these images, after finding out my great grandfather was on the Hood during the Rio visit I headed off to British Pathe and came across some footage that I'm convinced is Arthur, some may say not but I know...my father told me that when he was younger he used to visit his grand father (Arthur) who lived not 10mins from me now and go into his shed....hanging up was a boxing bag and along side was an old pair of boxing gloves, its wasnt until I asked my father about this footage that he remmebered the shed.
This footage show's a boxing match, two hard men fighting well, I'm not sure if Arthur fought or was part of the squad but he was part of something as the footage at the end showing some serious trophy's being presented that is show Arthur right at the front and in full knowledge that a moving film camera was there filming them, I will link the footage but here is a screen from that film showing the trophy's prior to presentation.

Hood Build - Week 4

Back again with Issue 4, more hull frames and side rails, pretty simple at this stage, just take your time and remove from the ply, measure and test/dry fit, she is starting to take shape now and before long it will get bigger, so mark all parts if your not gluing at this stage.

Hood Build - Week 3

Now where getting into the weekly issues things will hopefully start to get bigger, at the moment the frames are pretty much the same as before so nothing to worry about there, a few things I've noticed in this Issue (3) but again if you stick with dry fitting you can't really go wrong, and it does help to have someone build in front, so you can see what mistakes (if any) are made or pointers to be aware of.

Model Magazine International #162

I've had this magazine for some time now (April 2009) when I was intending to make an Airfix kit of HMS Hood, I still intend to approach this project but for now its the larger model I'm working on.

Tamiya's Model Magazine International Issue 162 contains a great article written by Ted Bunn who build the Trumpeter's HMS Hood kit with all the WEM after-market parts. It has some great close up shots of his work, I've scanned a few pictures and linked the back issue below.

Go to shop on the Tamiya page and then back issues.

I noticed that he used some 1.350 crew, they have got to be be tiny, even my 1.200 is small, but looking at the pictures I think you'll agree it does add to the model.

Hood Build - Week 2

Now we start seeing the size of this beauty each week, Issue 2 part's are for the stern. Most of the build is pretty much the same as the last, a keel part (make sure its flat) and x2 frames. To start with the Keel, I've marked the centre line, sanded and checked. As you can see Ive also marked where the frames go.

One Day In 1922

A section from the book by Ernie Bradford 'The Mighty Hood', I like to think this is what my great-grandfather would of seen on that day in 1922. So take some time and just imagine for a moment life back in 1922 on board 'The Mighty Hood'. If your interested in this book then simple type in Google the title and author, there are plenty around in many different covers and re-prints and cheap.

Chapter VII (page 56)
Imagine a soft day in the September of 1922. The coast of Brazil lies ahead, the Carioca mountains lifting out of the morning haze. Seen from this distance, the three peaks round which Rio de Janeiro is built have the shape of a sleeping giant. Dividing the white houses and the skyscrapers rises the peak known as The Hunchback. At the entrance to the bay the conical Sugar Loaf mountain needles the sky. Six o'clock and the hands have just fallen in at their parts of ship. There is dew on the deck, for the humidity off this coast is high and the wind is drawing from the land bringing with it a heavy smell of damp earth and tropical flowers, of heat and the city. Soon the steady trade winds will pick up with the day and begin to blow from astern, lifting the sea that has been with us all night and sending flickers of spray high over the long sheer of the quarterdeck. The Hood sits easily in a sea like this and the Atlantic swell does not bother her as it does the smaller ships. "In the Hood," wrote one of her officers, "we don't feel the weather very much. She takes sixteen seconds in rolling her normal arc, whereas in the Atlantic and most oceans the period of roll is eleven seconds. The happy result is that our broadbeamed lady is little more than halfway through her roll when the next wave catches her and steadies her. I find all this very palatial after destroyers. . . . It's much the same when we have a head or a stem sea the period between the average Atlantic wave crest is about 400 feet, but the fact that the Hood is over 800 feet long means she is always on two waves, or sometimes on three. ... As you know," he went on, "we're on our way to Brazil for the centenary celebrations of their independence. We'll be there today well, within a few hours; the coast is already in sight.

Warship Pictorial #20 H.M.S Hood

I managed to get hold of a copy a few week back but was unable to get anything on the blog about it until now, all I can say is beg, borrow or steal a copy, the quality of the pictures are just superb, big enough to gain detail for reference to the model making. The information on the inside page shows it was printed in the USA in 2003, so I reckon if you search you still will be able to get a copy, maybe a bit pricey but well worth it.

Hachette Model & Issue 2 parts

Since there is a lack of good quality close up pictures I thought I'd take some scans of the magazine, not the best scan's but the printing is not the best, moire patterns on scans (I've been a printer for 27 years) so I've had to blur it a little to smooth it out. So below is some tasty pictures of our model, it's a shame Hachette couldn't provide picture's or information on the model this part-works is based on.