1/350 HMS Tiger 1918 (Combrig)
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by Nick Dogger |
1/350 HMS Tiger 1918 (Combrig)
This is my 1/350 scale interpretation of the RN battle cruiser HMS Tiger as she appeared in 1918 with all her war-time additions. My starting point was Combrig's kit of the ship in 1914, to which I made various corrections :In addition, open square vents were created around the funnel bases; the forward funnel heat shield and a stern anchor were added;
- Changing the upper deck from a wood to corticene covering;
- Ccreating armour panel indents in the hull sides;
- Hollowing out much of the forward base superstructure beneath the bridge;
- Re-shaping the round armoured control tower to a diamond shape;
- Re-sizing/relocating some of the portholes and doors; and slightly modifying the curve of the bow stem.
The 4 x main turrets were replaced with correctly shaped and detailed items (obtained from Micro Master).The war-time additions could then follow,; these were made from plastic, paper card and other bits and pieces. The various searchlight towers and control boxes; a substantially enlarged bridge and spotting top, plus their related decks and structures; a modified forward range finder, along with the range finder atop the rear turret. The main mast also had to be extended, various booms, deck houses, vents (some also provided by Micro Master), hatches and winches, etc, as well as making and adding the turret deflection scales. Creating the turret aircraft launch platform was interesting. The he naval Sopwith Camel was obtained from Shapeways, and after some pre-painting preparation and added refinement. Thinning the wings, substituting finer struts, adding tension wires and a propeller, tie-downs, etc, plus painting, it became a model in its own right.
For additional interest and depth, various doors and hatches were opened throughout, and the funnels drilled out. The two steam pinnaces, and the Admiral's barge (in the sea), were also provided by Micro Master. I added steering wheels to these and, in the case of the Admiral's barge, railings. The other ship's boats were partly spares and partly scratch-built, which I then detailed with decks, thwarts, supports, climbing nets, etc. To achieve as fine and to-scale railings as possible, I used Atlantic Models' individual RN stanchions set , which I then rigged with fine caenis thread. I selected a light grey for the model (duly weathered with various washes), being my best estimation of HMS Tiger's colour scheme at this time. The sea was made from plaster; and the rigging was a mixture of caenis thread and stretched sprue, (including the funnel stays, cages, etc)
The crew members (again painted by me according to my best estimation) were provided by l'Arsenal. The ship is depicted moving slowly through the water , together with the Admiral's barge( to provide scale comparison) The aim was to have enough wash and rippling to provide some extra colour and framing for the model. My sources for the build were various books, plus photos of the real ship; and I must also also pay tribute and thanks to George Pek for his excellent build log for his superb 1/700 scale model of HMS Tiger.
Many thanks to Jim Baumann for taking the photos.
By way of comparison and interest, in some of these HMS Tiger appears with my earlier model of RN battle cruiser HMS New Zealand (as she appeared in 1913), which I have since als improved by replacing the main turrets with correctly shaped ones (from Micro Master); replacing the photo etch railings with the same much finer ones made and used for Tiger; and re-rigging and re-painting the model and the accompanying boats in the sea around it.
