by Dennis Vella
1/192 HMS Hardy (Scratchbuilt)
This submission of my 1/192 scale scratch built model of HMS Hardy as she appeared in 1937 is based on scale plans drawn by John Roberts and on various photos of the original in Grand Harbour Malta where she was based for a long time. The basic material used is soft wood for the hull and superstructure, while brass was employed for small details (gun barrels, masts, railings, bollards, capstan and dept charges. The paints used are from the Humbrol range.
The ship was the flotilla leader of the G class group, one of the many similar A to I classes of destroyers built for the Royal Navy between the wars. Built by Cammell Laird and commissioned in the RN in December 1936. she had a standard tonnage of 1455 and a full load tonnage of 2013; the class was armed with 4 x4..7 in single gun shields ( flotilla leaders had a fifth gun between the funnels), a speed of 36 Kts and a range of 5530 nm at 15 Kts. HMS Hardy was considered a good design but by the late thirties was beginning to be overtaken by bigger foreign designs; to which the RN counter acted with the spendid Tribal class of destroyers.
HMS Hardy served pre-war mainly on the Mediterranean station where she participated in the Spanish Neutrality patrols sporting the Red, White and Blue strips on her B turret. The ship was lost during the battle of Narvik on 10 April 1940 but not before giving German shipping there a run for their money.
I enjoyed building this model as the ship appeared in 1937 with its peacetime colour scheme, red funnel bands, Spanish neutrality patrol strips and corticene covered decks screwed down with tiny brass strips. All these touches of colour made a model a little bit more eye catching than one in the drab wartime colour scheme
