1/350 MN Danton 1911 (Combrig)

This is my 1/350 scale model of the 1911 French battleship "Danton". It is built using the Combrig resin model, to which I have made numerous additions and modifications, in particularly to the bridge superstructure, funnels, boat cranes, and turret roof range-finders based on reviewing photos of "Danton" to try to create further accuracy.

The ship is depicted tied to a buoy, with her crew on board and flags flying, and various boats bustling around her.

For visual interest and depth, all the gun ports in the hull have been opened up. Likewise in the superstructure doors, hatches, and companionways have been "opened up"; The stern hawser apertures, as seen in the photos, have been added.

Various details have been constructed from plastic card/rod or stretched sprue. These includecall the funnel cap cages; the linoleum deck seams and searchlight rails; the breeches/bases for the hull-mounted secondary guns; the bridge wing supports; the boat davits and booms; porthole covers; the main turret hatches and range finders; the jack staffs; as well as all the rigging.

The black barge has been scratch-built, as have parts of the two other larger work boats; and the various boat awnings have been created using white glue over sprue/wire frames.

On the quarter deck, the gun elevation sighting frame (as seen in some photos of the real ship) astern of of the main turret has been similarly constructed; the bench has been added from the spares box; while the furled awning has been made from bent rod and paper - rigging this was tricky!

The upper masts and spars are all made of brass, with detailing for these again added from scrap materials. The porthole "eyebrows" are made from fine wire and the superstructure windows and searchlight lenses from clear plastic card.

The hand rails on the funnels and forward superstructure are made from a combination of parts of 1/700 p/e railings and stretched sprue.

I used spare White Ensign Models' p/e for the ship's main railings, awning stanchions, and ladders. The "Danton" name at the ship's stern is from an Aber Accessories set.

The sea is shaped from plaster, as are the blast bags for the main guns. The figures (from L’Arsenal) are painted as nearly as I can (!) to depict the various French navy uniforms of the time. The flags are cut out of thin paper - fortunately the French tricolour is quite easy to paint!
 

A detailed round-up of the history of this inetresting ship and the recent discovery of her wreck can be read here
 

Thanks to Jim Baumann for the photos.
 

Gallery updated 2013

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