by Phil Reeder
1/350 HMS Ajax (Scratchbuild)
Fed up with the almost complete lack of injection moulded plastic kits of Royal Navy warships in 1/350, I decided to do my own thing and start scratchbuilding. The first subject I chose was HMS Ajax, of the River Plate fame.
Armed with the Profile Morskie book, a good supply of plastikard, Milliput and a calculator to convert the 1/400 plans to 1/350, I got started.
Constrution was easier than I first thought. The hull was made by making stiff cardboard templates and transferring the outline to 40 thou PK. Vertical bulkheads were made from the same; this was then skinned using .020. The pronounced knuckle on the forward hull was made from Milliput, sculpted to shape.
The remaining superstructure was made from PK and odds & ends from my spares box. The funnel being a piece of PK, folded to the correct aerofoil section, and cemented to a plastic base. The flared lower half shaped from Milliput.
The 6" turrets were cast from resin.
The build took 7 weeks to complete, with a total cost (incl the PM book), was £25. I found the build very rewarding and enjoyable; hopefully more projects of this kind are in the pipeline.
