by Peter Fulgoney
1/700 HMS Hermes May 1928 (HP Models)
Launched in 1920, the first aircraft carrier to be made especially for that purpose was HMS Hermes. Although there had been a number of conversions from other ship types into aircraft carriers, Hermes was the first of its type.
It was soon proved to be however that the aircraft carrying capacity was too few to be an effective force, and the size of flight deck was also too small. HMS Hermes spent most of its career in the far east, and the panorama in the photo selection depicts the ship in Wei Hai Wei, China in 1928.
Having spent most of its time abroad, Hermes was finally sunk by the Japanese, coincidentally by aircraft carriers, in 1942 in the Indian Ocean having sailed from Trincomalee. The three carriers which attacked Hermes were also involved in the Pearl Harbour raid but also met their fate at Midway at the hands of the American aircraft carrier fleet.
The model depicts Hermes on its China station, somewhat in the doldrums, before its dramatic end. HP Models have selected another fine subject, however the usual parts have been discarded in favour of brass, and photo etch. The awning is made of paper painted in WEM warm white, and stained with MIG “rust” powder. As a new effect I have used a little carbon fibre filament for rig which is so fine that its just about visible. The panorama is an old photo with the Hermes removed, and the model superimposed. The “sky” on the other photos is artists A1 plain paper in “champagne” with a very light wash of Tamiya acrylic black reduced using their own thinners.
