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Captain Brown builds the Flower Class Corvette HMCS CHILLIWACK (What did he say?!)  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
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Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Surrey, BC - Canada

Thank you youwashock, LavuranGuard, Wirecat, Momotaro and Nevelon.

I worked on some smaller deck fittings, mainly in an attempt to get the deck ready for paint.

I needed to sand down the mount and have added some round tubing to start to fill in the hole for the original kit swivel.


Now the really fiddly work, the forward bandstand has had stanchions added, ladders, ammunition davit and a raft of ready-use shells. The original drawings I have from Burrard Dry Dock show two small ammo lockers like the ones shown (above) just below the Pom-Pom bandstand aft, but from the photographs I have found these were dropped as soon as the ready use brackets were fitted around the forward bandstand. I made those by cutting off the bottom half of the shell holders and added 0.010 by 0.020 strips of styrene to represent the top of the bracket and some 0.015 by 0.060 to make the forward support. Now they look more like the metal brackets that held the 4 inch shells.


Here is a slightly better picture of the beef and vegetable screen boxes (just forward of the mast), you can also see the davit for the ammunition hoist and some of the gun detail. There is also one of the small vents that sat outside the splinter plates, West Coast built RCN corvettes had three on each side. The vent was made from one of the kit stanchions...for a useless part I seem to be using them everywhere.


Railings for my extra stairs proved a bit problematic, at first I figured I would use some plastic railing from the kit and bend them...but I found this to be fairly weak and since this is a display model and may get bumped I needed something stronger...so piano wire was used to make railings. They are a little thinner than the kit ones, but so are the post-production stanchions I intend to use and since those will have canvas dodgers added to most I think the difference will not be as noticeable.


I started to add some Maroon coloured primer to simulate 'red lead' over the grey car primer...you can see a little in this picture at the bottom.


You can see my hand railings made from the plastic kit railings, I added them on the superstructure based on John McKay & John Harland's Anatomy of the Ship - The Flower Class Corvette AGASSIZ.

I also figured out what to use for the last two lockers on the Engine Room Casing (a narrow locker and one of the large Hedgehog or 4-Inch lockers cut in half from the focsle of the original kit). As well as adding ladders down to the breezeway (you can just see the top in the bottom corner).


The green is some painters tape because paint is coming as I am priming the superstructure.

The long painting and converting war continues...

CB

   
Made in us
Posts with Authority





Boston-area [Watertown] Massachusetts

You should win ALL of the awards for this effort.

Falling down is the same as being hit by a planet — "I paint to the 20 foot rule, it saves a lot of time." -- Me
ddogwood wrote:People who feel the need to cheat at Warhammer deserve pity, not anger. I mean, how pathetic does your life have to be to make you feel like you need to cheat at your toy army soldiers game?
 
   
Made in us
Walking Dead Wraithlord






Paint coming? Sweet. This thing continues to be beyond amazing.
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Surrey, BC - Canada

Thanks Briancj and youwashock,

It dawned on me I was missing the Carly Float racks/deck. It sat over the top of the galley doors on the RCN corvettes. So since nothing in the kit fit, I scratch built two using etched polystyrene for the planking, L brackets for the frame and U brackets for the legs, adjusting for the slope of the bulwarks and the boat deck.

Carley Float Rack/Deck: (Upside down view…it was the best shot of the conversion)


A picture of the racks/deck after primer has been added…and the wood patterned polystyrene has a lick of paint.

Look from a slightly different angle:

A further look from abeam…these were the photos that turned out.


A slightly blurry picture of the focsle, but you get the idea of the wood planking. The windlass is still a concept and needs to be built.


A look overall…now with the black bottom and grey primer she looks a little like the RCN corvettes before the Western Approaches colours.


The long painting and converting war continues...

CB

   
Made in us
Is 'Eavy Metal Calling?





Affton, MO. USA

Man the progress and detail work on this is insane. I can imagine people running around on these decks during conflict.

LOL, Theo your mind is an amazing place, never change.-camkierhi 9/19/13
I cant believe theo is right.. damn. -comradepanda 9/26/13
None of the strange ideas we had about you involved your sexual orientation..........-Monkeytroll 12/10/13

I'd put you on ignore for that comment, if I could...Alpharius 2/11/14 
   
Made in us
The Marine Standing Behind Marneus Calgar





Upstate, New York

Paint!

Amazing attention to detail as always.

   
Made in gb
Regular Dakkanaut





Wow Captain Brown, amazing work on this ship, the attention to detail is incredible
   
Made in us
Stealthy Warhound Titan Princeps







Such an amazing model. Is it wrong that I wish I was very small so I could roam the deck?
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

Revell used to have a 'Master Modelers Club' that I was briefly a member of; one of the perks was a monthly news letter/little magazine thing that showed all the wonderful models and how they could be built and scenicked and all. It always ended with a short story about a kid named Milo, I think, and how he would go to the Revell Master Modelers Clubhouse and use their 'smallifying' machine [not sure if they knew that Danny Dunn also had one] so he could shrink and actually fit into the model airplane, tank or ship that he had just built.

I wanted one of those in the wort way.....

Great work, Cap'n, great work, indeed!

"He fears his fate too much, or his desserts are small, who will not put it to a single touch; to win- or lose- it all."

Montrose Toast


 
   
Made in us
Bonkers Buggy Driver with Rockets





Houston, TX

This is beyond impressive. It makes my head spin just thinking about the skill and hard work that has gone into this.

Xhorik 87th Drop Troops P&M blog https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/775655.page

Project log and campaign featuring Orks, Imperial Guard, Marines, Tyranids: http://www.xhorikwar.blogspot.com/
Currently focused on our Horus Heresy campaign with White Scars, Death Guard and Imperial Militia.  
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Surrey, BC - Canada

Theophony wrote:Man the progress and detail work on this is insane. I can imagine people running around on these decks during conflict.

Thanks Theophony, more like sliding, that was the reason the wooden decking was added because the steel decks had no grit paint.

Thank you Nevelon, Maharg, Meer_Cat and The Riddle of Steel

kestral wrote:Such an amazing model. Is it wrong that I wish I was very small so I could roam the deck?

kestrel, if you ever visit the other side of Canada from me (i.e. the Maritimes) and visit Halifax you can walk the decks of HMCS SACKVILLE one of CHILLICACK's sisters, although she is in the late war upgrades with Hedgehog, Orlikons, extended foc'sle, etc.

More progress, now this is the problem when you start a section without referencing the photographs. I started adding the pipe rail stanchions on the engine room casing, unfortunately I used the 3' 3 rail versions rather than the 3' 2 rail and had to remove them…sadly no stanchion survived and now I am without 3’ 3 Pipe rail stanchions. I have used 4’ 3 Pipe rail stanchions for the bridge (as this varied from refit to refit and the higher railings was likely in CHILLIWACK in 1942), for the wheelhouse I was able to use 3’ 2 rail stanchions like those on the engine room casing, galley and boat decks.

Railings added aft on the engine room casing:


Looking at the funnel and boat decks…as well as the galley deck and the aft rails of the bridge, both the latter will be covered in canvas dodgers (the railings from the boat deck to the engine room casing deck are still not connected so I can separate the superstructure for painting):


From forward looking aft:


The railings were very tricky and I ended up using a pin to make sure the holes for the wire were open enough. I used super glue to secure them and general cut only straight wire to join them (I tried a little bending for the funnel deck and a few other places). The stanchions were from “Great Little Ships” and while very accurate, they were also very delicate and unforgiving if they needed too much adjustment.

It is time for the canvas dodgers to get added to the railings for the bridge, wheelhouse and galley decks. I am not using canvas, but instead tissue paper.

Here is the first attempt for the 4’ 3 Pipe railing on the bridge.



I realize it will stop being translucent when I paint it, but it does seem a little too thin, perhaps a second layer of tissue.

Another small addition was the galley chimney. Here is the kit version (which was designed to run aft to the funnel to clear room for the 271 Radar Lantern that was added in late 1942 and not one I am doing) with part of it cut out.



Now attached to the superstructure, when I join the wheelhouse section to the galley section I will add a bracket to the bridge to help stabilize the chimney.



I also drilled holes in the chimney because you always drill weapon barrels.

The long painting and converting war continues...

CB

   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

Fantastic build continues!

My first service was the Coast Guard (followed by the Marine Corps and then the Army) and I served on WHEC-37 USCGC Duane. She was one of the 327' Treasury class cutters and in no way related to your Chilliwack, but we did still have the canvas dodgers on our railings located on the O-1 and higher decks, to help block the spray and the wind. Over time, with extended exposure to the elements and repeated washings, they grew very translucent, much like yours appear in the photos here. I think you could add a layer, but the look they have now I find very accurate, for that state of wear. The stanchions were capped with brass covers which had to be shined each watch and the corner stanchions were served with Turk's Head wrapping, which deck apes (boatswain's mates in polite company) frequently retied.

A really fascinating build and history lesson, Captain!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/10/16 23:28:22


"He fears his fate too much, or his desserts are small, who will not put it to a single touch; to win- or lose- it all."

Montrose Toast


 
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Surrey, BC - Canada

 Meer_Cat wrote:
Fantastic build continues!

My first service was the Coast Guard (followed by the Marine Corps and then the Army) and I served on WHEC-37 USCGC Duane. She was one of the 327' Treasury class cutters and in no way related to your Chilliwack, but we did still have the canvas dodgers on our railings located on the O-1 and higher decks, to help block the spray and the wind. Over time, with extended exposure to the elements and repeated washings, they grew very translucent, much like yours appear in the photos here. I think you could add a layer, but the look they have now I find very accurate, for that state of wear. The stanchions were capped with brass covers which had to be shined each watch and the corner stanchions were served with Turk's Head wrapping, which deck apes (boatswain's mates in polite company) frequently retied.

A really fascinating build and history lesson, Captain!


Thanks Meer_Cat,

HMCS CHILLIWACK actually served with USCG Spencer and Campbell both Treasury-class cutter identical to Duane in 1943 on Convoy ONS 166.

Cheers,

CB

   
Made in us
[DCM]
Boom! Leman Russ Commander





United States

And another of the 'Seven Sisters', USCGC Taney, is currently moored in Baltimore's Inner Harbor and can be toured. When I was dating the lady who is now my wife I took her to show her 'my' cutter and she got annoyed that other people seemed to be following us around- they thought I was a guide!

Spencer was the last to be taken out of active service, I was in Egypt on Operation Bright Star in 1985 and read in the Stars and Stripes newspaper that she had been decommissioned that month (I think June?) and was scheduled to be sunk to become part of an artificial reef.

The older chief petty officers all claimed that the 327's rode the waves more smoothly than any other hull. I remember that when fresh water ran low, it was reserved for drinking, cooking and the steam turbines (the evaporators usually couldn't keep up with consumption- we almost always had to have a bowser alongside when we put into port to top off) for bathing the deck apes would lower a hose over the side and pump water through an educator and we 'salted' ourselves clean. Not bad in the Caribbean, a whole 'nother thing in the mid-Atlantic and we just smelled for awhile on ice patrol in the North Atlantic.

Hadn't thought so much about that ship in years, until your build.

"He fears his fate too much, or his desserts are small, who will not put it to a single touch; to win- or lose- it all."

Montrose Toast


 
   
Made in gb
Renegade Kan Killin Orks






Northern Ireland

Been following your progress on this from page 1 and every update is just awesome on top of awesome. Your attention to detail and commitment to historical accuracy is one thing but your skill and ability to actually make it happen is a big part of it.
So thanks for sharing this, all your thinking and your methodology and of course the great result you're putting together. It's a great blog to follow.

One thing I've been wondering for a while though; in all your time researching the Chilliwack have you ever come upon any information on the ship's cat?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, I've heard wet wipes work well for canvas on miniatures. They're tougher than tissue but might have too fibrous a texture for what you're going for.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/10/18 20:42:01


   
Made in be
Liberated Grot Land Raida






Belgium

I dropped by since I saw your name on the thread, and don't regret it. Nice build!

A Squeaky Waaagh!!

Camkhieri: "And another very cool thing, my phones predictive text actually gave me chicken as an option after typing robot, how cool is that."'

Meercat: "All eyes turned to the horizon and beheld, in lonely and menacing grandeur, the silhouette of a single Grot robot chicken; a portent of evil days to come."
From 'The Plucking of Gindoo Phlem' 
   
Made in us
Warning From Magnus? Not Listening!





Va

This is just great so far. Really enjoying seeing the ship come together!

Check out my Deadzone/40k/necromunda blog here! 
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Surrey, BC - Canada

Glad I could bring back some memories Meer_Cat.

theCrowe wrote:Been following your progress on this from page 1 and every update is just awesome on top of awesome. Your attention to detail and commitment to historical accuracy is one thing but your skill and ability to actually make it happen is a big part of it.
So thanks for sharing this, all your thinking and your methodology and of course the great result you're putting together. It's a great blog to follow.

One thing I've been wondering for a while though; in all your time researching the Chilliwack have you ever come upon any information on the ship's cat?

Also, I've heard wet wipes work well for canvas on miniatures. They're tougher than tissue but might have too fibrous a texture for what you're going for.


theCrowe,

CHILLIWACK's cat was called "Kathy" and her dog was called "Champ"...but I think "Champ" turned out to be a she and there are three puppies in a 1945 photo of the crew.

Thank you CommissarKhaine and squall018.

Now for another interesting story, as I have mentioned several times in the build log I have been unable to find any record or image of gun art for CHILLIWACK, every photo I have found lacks that famous RCN hallmark. The Gun Art book also is missing any mention of CHILLIWACK.

Then out of the blue I received an invite to see some new stained glass added to Vancouver Christ Church Cathedral and what was sitting in the middle of the first panel?


Now the artist made this from a sketch and the colours are assumed based on the shading…he had no idea if it was from gun shield art or something else.

This is an example of a scan of a photo sent me by the North Shore Museum…notice no gun art:


After speaking with several veterans (two navy and the other merchant marine) it seems that the gun art was lacking from CHILLIWACK...notice the yellow "explosion"...that really looks to be the top of the stylized Maple Leaf added to some corvette's funnels in 43 and 44 to differentiate RCN Corvettes from their RN counterparts and these were green in colour. Canada did not have a Maple Leaf flag during this time. Another veteran said the image is from a jacket patch that Veterans had made for some coats after the war.

Back to the build, the forward railings were made from black thread and the rope stanchions from Great Little Ships. They proved a challenge to add due to the delicate nature of the white metal stanchions and I ended up using crazy glue to secure the thread and running it through.



Same thing was done on the 4 Inch Bandstand, but this time I added some old mesh from a damaged screen to make the safety netting.



The long painting and converting war continues...

CB

   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Surrey, BC - Canada

Another update,

Mast got some more work, first I wanted to make sure the yard arm was going to be able to stand up to the stress of halyards so I added a thin brass wire beneath it.



I also added a light fitting to beneath the crows nest and some struts as per several photographs. The Burrard Drydock drawings did not have the crows nest as that was a later fitting.



To keep the mast steady I have added some hard points made of brass to create eyes for the stays, here are a pair just aft of the fo'c'sle.



Next up was the SW1C Radar, the Canadian 1.5 metre wavelength set that was rotated by the operator using a bicycle chain…that was how it was converted from a forward fixed mount to rotate 360 degrees.

I used a single piece of Evergreen Polystyrene 221 3/64” Rod. First I cut off a 50 mm length for the top of the radar aerial. Then a 36 mm length that was cut into 2 x 18 mm lengths, one end received a 60 degree cut and the other a 30 degree cut. A file was used to make a notch in each angled cut and for the end of the long remaining portion.

Then I glued the 50 mm piece at right angled to the long remaining portion at about 18 mm from one end. The two 18 mm pieces were glued with the large angle against the main trunk and the smaller angle against the 50 mm portion creating a yaga style radar.

A piece of that kit provided railing was then cut up make three equal parts of 8 mm long and these were glued together to make an “H” and this is the tail end of the SW1C.



I used the colour photo of the WEYBURN as the best reference shot I could find, it shows the radar post going down the length of the mast, so I drilled can extra hole in my mast bracket and will use some larger hollow polystyrene tubing cut up to make the brackets to hold the SW1C post against the mast.



The long painting and converting war continues...

CB

   
Made in us
Walking Dead Wraithlord






Continually brilliant.
   
Made in be
Liberated Grot Land Raida






Belgium

Amazing attention to detail.; Loving it!

A Squeaky Waaagh!!

Camkhieri: "And another very cool thing, my phones predictive text actually gave me chicken as an option after typing robot, how cool is that."'

Meercat: "All eyes turned to the horizon and beheld, in lonely and menacing grandeur, the silhouette of a single Grot robot chicken; a portent of evil days to come."
From 'The Plucking of Gindoo Phlem' 
   
Made in us
Druid Warder





+1 one to "Loving it" from this shore - wonderful!

Painting progress tracker:
2017: 50 of 50 planned; 2018: 80 of 60 planned; 2019: 75 of 75 planned

Pledge 2020:
6 to sculpt, 75 to paint (2/57 done) 
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Surrey, BC - Canada

Thank you youwashock, CommissarKhaine and Wirecat].

Well I am getting into the final details; one part that has been long delayed is the secondary armament. Canadian Corvettes tended to mount whatever was available; about the only common fitting was the World War One 4 Inch gun forward. Although documentation today states a 4 Inch deck gun, 2 X 20mm Oerlikons, Hedgehog and 2 Pound Pom-Pom these were the fittings on later corvettes with extended fo'c'sles and the supply of secondary armament had been sorted out in 1944.

Ted Paxton who sailed in HMCS SHEDIAC had identified twin .50 Calibre Machine Guns on the bridge wings and that SHEDIAC had another pair mounted in the aft bandstand (the latter replaced with the 2 Pound Pom-Pom) and when the bridge-wings were extended and given struts the Oerlikons replaced the bridge mounts.

The earliest photos of CHILLIWACK definitely have a paired mounting of some kind aft (likely twin .50 Calibre Machine Guns) but at some point these were replaced with a Pom-Pom as a photo in 1943 when the 271 Radar was added she has the 2 pounder.

So armed with this information I decided to build four twined .50 Calibre Mounts (Browning Machine Guns) and a Pom-Pom to be safe…

First up was the .50 Cals and I started with some plastic styrene tubing, then some square and rectangular strips and cut them down to scale. I also used some more 1/35 scale tank treads which I was trimming down to make the handles at the rear of the Browning.



The Brownings in their rough form, details to be added still:



With my first run at their mountings (I used the drawings from Shipcraft Special: Flower Class Corvettes by John Lambert and Les Brown)…it seems the mountings are a little small for bridge wings splinter shield so I will likely build some larger ones, after seeing a photo of HMCS BATTLEFORD with the high mounts I will make some more.



With detailing added, I think I will trim down the ends of the barrels as the Canadian versions I have seen in photos tended to be the short wide nose variant.



So I spoke with several more veterans about RCN corvettes. Don Bellamy sailed in HMCS CHICOUTIMI (besides several other ships) and remembered CHILLIWACK having a Pom-Pom in the aft bandstand in 1942. He described some of the living conditions and confirmed some of the mine sweeping fittings for me. So it looks like I will be building a 2 Pounder after all.

Bill Hutcheson sailed in the Merchant Marine and did several trips near the end of the war, but only once did a corvette come close enough to pass a message and ask about the crew (probably to see if there were any friends or relations in the Canadian merchant). Bill has also made a model of CHILLIWACK (later long fo'c'sle version) which I hear it is quite spectacular and he says that all photos he has of CHILLIWACK have the Pom-Pom aft, but admits they are from after her fo'c'sle extension.

Peter Lynch sailed in HMCS MATANE (if anyone has any pictures of this Frigate he would be keen to see them) and sailed in concert with a few corvettes, he passed on some anecdotes of the second iteration of EG 9.

Cully Lancaster sailed in HMCS MOOSE JAW and he said that she carried two pairs of Lewis Guns in her aft bandstand. Cully was from Moose Jaw and ended up sailing in the corvette named for his home town when the assigned officer failed to make his connection and the corvette sailed with Cully taking his place…one of those “two year” temporary assignments.

The long painting and converting war continues...

CB

   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran






I am blown away, this is an amazing project.

   
Made in us
Is 'Eavy Metal Calling?





Affton, MO. USA

The level of detail and history on this project are astounding. Always a treat to stop by and look in awe.

LOL, Theo your mind is an amazing place, never change.-camkierhi 9/19/13
I cant believe theo is right.. damn. -comradepanda 9/26/13
None of the strange ideas we had about you involved your sexual orientation..........-Monkeytroll 12/10/13

I'd put you on ignore for that comment, if I could...Alpharius 2/11/14 
   
Made in gb
Ancient Venerable Dreadnought






I can’t believe the detail you’ve got on those .50cals, spectacular! They even have cocking handles and iron sight!

Goberts Gubbins - P&M Blog, started with Oldhammer, often Blackstone Fortress and Void Panther Marines, with side projects along the way 
   
Made in be
Liberated Grot Land Raida






Belgium

Lovely pc work as always... How big are those .50 cals in mm?

A Squeaky Waaagh!!

Camkhieri: "And another very cool thing, my phones predictive text actually gave me chicken as an option after typing robot, how cool is that."'

Meercat: "All eyes turned to the horizon and beheld, in lonely and menacing grandeur, the silhouette of a single Grot robot chicken; a portent of evil days to come."
From 'The Plucking of Gindoo Phlem' 
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka





Surrey, BC - Canada

Thank you guys.

It has been a while, but photos of some more work.

The windlass has been a long standing project that needed to get done. The kit comes with a very simple “simulacrum” that really is sad looking.

Here are the parts:


Drawings from Anatomy of the Ship: Agassiz



First attempt to use the kit parts…



That was a failure.:(

I then tried getting a windlass from Sirmar Model Fittings, here it is in comparison; unfortunately it is a different pattern than those used on the West Coast built RCN Corvettes, it appears to be a UK merchant ship design.



Attempt number two…



The more complete version, this one I am happy with.




I made the drums out of styrene card cut into discs and glued together, gearing was with aluminum foil, stamped with the rim of a medicine bottle and glued on with superglue. Drums were made from furniture plugs sanded down with a Dremel, then some styrene added around the edge (0.015 by 0.060) and some cross pieces (0.020 by 0.020). Brake handles were made from the railing styrene supplied in the kit.

I used the base and two of the sets of rollers from the kit, and some of the railings for rod, two stanchions cut down as supports and three of the windlass parts together to make some of the motors, rest was all styrene rod and discs...and a little imagination.

The long painting and converting war continues...

CB

   
Made in ca
Grisly Ghost Ark Driver






Ah, good to see this project still going! Your attention to detail is fantastic.

See what's on my painting table Now painting: Necron Warriors 
   
Made in us
Walking Dead Wraithlord






Been a while, but you are still killin' it. It looks like if you plugged it in, it would run.
   
 
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