by Gerard Del Monte
1/700 HMS Courageous (Admiralty Model Works)
When Admiralty announced they were doing Jackie Fisher's "large light cruisers" it immediately caught my eye, and I couldn't wait to place an order for the first, Courageous in her original guise as a battlecruiser. It was well worth the wait. All the superlatives you have read about this kit are well earned.
This is my first attempt at a full-on resin kit with attendant PE. I was unsure whether I had the skills to do her justice, but here she is nevertheless. I tried a minimal amount of rigging with UNI-Caenis 20 denier black thread, but didn't properly plan to do a full rig so I didn't attempt that. Unlike some earlier ships I've done, I hand painted this one after seeing some of Jim Baumann's work.
All I can say is, use your Opti-Visor and attempt this while your hand-eye coordination is still good.( ! )
Many thanks to Pavel and Jana & Crew at Admiralty for a superb kit; to Jim Baumann for the inspiration; and to Martin Quinn for the encouragement.
