HMS Ark Royal 
by David Hogue 
0000

1/350 HMS Ark Royal (Merit)

 This is my build of the Merit 1/350 HMS Ark Royal kit with the Very Fire detail set. The Merit kit and the detail set both fit well but there are many missing and incorrect details. Essentially, all details on the island were added and the tripod mast was rebuilt and corrected. I added hull plating with masked bands of primer and redid many portholes and hatches on the sides of the hull. Details such as the guns, directors, deck equipment, bridge equipment etc. came from North Star, L'Arsenal, Micromaster, Admiralty and other companies. Many scratch built details included structural features, compass platform overhead, details in the platforms along the flight deck and many more. The planes were enhanced with a Tetra detail set, scratch built details and decals scrounged from various sources. The Swordfish torpedo planes have over thirty parts each. I spent too much time crawling on the floor looking for dropped tiny pieces and I swear I saw one part disappear before my eyes as it fell from the tweezers. The crew figures are from five different companies to get a decent variety of poses.
This was a enjoyable (if lengthy) build that challenged my skills especially rigging the cranes with cables and pullies and the biplanes. and I am very happy with the results; she was a great ship and I enjoyed the research. The hard working Ark Royal had a worn, faded finish with chipped paint. I wanted to show the ship launching planes and the scene depicts the ship in the summer of 1940 during the attack on the French Fleet at Mers-el-Kebir. The squadron markings on the planes are from the actual launch. I tried to portray the flight deck crew realistically by referring to photos of air operations in the Med. The hard working wore various combinations of khaki, white and blue uniforms and it was common for them to be dodging whirling propellers wearing only shorts and boots. Quite a contrast to the modern day flight deck crews with color coded uniforms, helmets and goggles.
I was leery about starting an aircraft carrier because I know how much effort it takes to finish one; the last carrier I did was finished thirteen years ago. It took me a year and a half (I would probably still be working on it but for the extra time I had during the Covid lockdown) and I had a great time.

David Hogue


Gallery updated 3/31/2021

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