HMAS Australia
by Min Hin Chong

1/700 HMAS Australia (Combrig)

The model depicts the Australia as she appears in 1941.

The following modifications were made to the kit:

• Deletion of 20 mm gun tubs on turrets, fantail and bridge wings. The Australia did carry these weapons, but I couldn't work out their location on the photos of the ship in this time period.
• Replacement of resin anchors with PE anchors from Tom’s Modelworks
• Moulded on anchor chains removed and replaced with miniature chain
• Doorway cut into breakwater
• Periscopes added to main gun turret cheeks from strip styrene
• Main gun barrels replaced with turned metal items from Clipper Models
• Multiple Deck vents added to main deck, scratch built from styrene rod
• Multiple photo-etch doors, ladders and hatches added to superstructure
• Bridge wing supports scratch built from styrene and photo-etch from White Ensign Models
• Details such as binoculars and compass from the spares box added to open bridge.
• Splinter mattresses scratch built form styrene and added to upper bridge level, area behind main mast and director tower
• Masts constructed from brass wire. WEM PE added
• Type 286 radar added to mainmast from Tom’s Modelworks PE set
• Scratch built searchlight platforms adjacent to fore funnel. Searchlights from the spare’s box
• Ammo boxes from spares box added to main deck.
• Additional pair of ship’s boat’s added from spare’s box.
• Photo-etch boat chocks and oars from White Ensign Models added to boats.
• Splinter shields around 4 inch AA mounts scratch built from styrene
• Vision slit covers added to 4 inch AA turrets
• Whistle platform added to fore funnel from White Ensign Models
• Funnel piping redone with styrene rod
• Funnel cap grills modified from White Ensign Models PE
• Cranes scratch built from Styrene tube, resin and PE from White Ensign Models (Those cranes are huge, I used 1/600 Repulse PE cranes!)
• Torpedo tube housing scratch built form styrene
• Aircraft catapult from White Ensign Models PE.
• Walrus aircraft from Trumpeter. White Ensign Models PE added.
• Pompoms replaced with resin and photo-etch from White Ensign Models
• Aft Search light platforms constructed from WEM PE. Searchlight from the spares box.
• Boat davits from Hasegawa PE.
• PE railing from White Ensign Models.
• Ship and aircraft rigged with paintbrush bristles for heavy cable and Uni-Caenis fly tying line for finer lines.

Many Thanks to everyone on the Modelwarships Forum who answered my query on this ship, especially Graham and Rick Davis.

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