French Fleet in 1/4800: The List

THE List (and links to their corresponding Wikipedia entry/ies:

1. BB.Richelieu1943 + BB.JeanBart1942
2. BB.Clemenceau + BB.Gascogne
3. BB-CV.JeanBart + BB.Alsace
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richelieu_class_battleship
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsace_class_battleship

4. DD.Fantasque(x3)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Fantasque_class_destroyer

5. CA.Suffren(x2) + CA.Duquesne(x1)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffren_class_cruiser
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duquesne_class_cruiser

6. CV.Bearn + DD.Mogador(x2)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_aircraft_carrier_B%C3%A9arn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogador_class_destroyer

7. CL.LaGalissoniere(x3)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Galissonnière_class_cruiser

8. CV.Joffre(x2)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joffre_class_aircraft_carrier

9. DD.LeHardi(x6)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Hardi_class_destroyer

10. SS.Redoutable(x8)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redoutable_class_submarine_%281931%29

11. BC.Dunkerque+BC.Strasbourg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkerque_class_battleship

Pack numbers 4, #6, #7 and finally #11 completes the 2 squadrons in the Force de Raid series
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_de_Raid
http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-3909-05OtherNavies.htm#fn

Additional links:
Operation Catapult: Attack on Mers-el-Kebir: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir


The Force de Raid at Mers El Kébir, Algeria (photo by Mers el Kebir Assoc.)

1/4800 French Navy WW2 BB Pack 2: Clemenceau and Gascone

Another pack done, but yet unavailable for purchase as I haven't got enough items yet to reach the minimum order.

Below are a pair of renders of the sprue:



Link to Shapeways 3D Viewer (requires JavaScript):
http://www.shapeways.com/model/323335/french_navy_battleship_pack_2.html?mode=3d

The question still stands: will it print? Onwards and backwards then! (Sprue#3 and Sprue#1 respectively :p ) Cheers!

1/4800 FN BB Pack 2 WIP.4: Gascogne completed

FN.BB.Gascogne completed, should comply with the set minimum re. wall thickness (or hopefully, with little difficulties before it's printed.

General profile: Portside-bow view. Note the arrangement of her main guns (1 fore + 1 aft)


General profile: Starboard-stern; showing her #2 turret and aircraft equipments


Starboard Bow shot of the forecastle/front superstructure


Close-up of the superstructure towards thestarboard-stern.


Closeup of the aft aircraft equipment with the plane catapult, crane, and rails leading to the hangar doors (aircraft is delivered via elevator)


That leaves FN.BB.Clemenceau to be redone; thicken up parts to comply with the wall thickness issue...

1/4800 FN BB Pack 2 WIP.3: Gascogne

French Navy's battleship Gascogne will complete FN.BB.Pack#2. As seen in WIP pics below, her design deviates from her sister ships in that her main guns are now located fore and aft (as compared to all guns mounted foreward).

Unfortunately, due to minimum wall thickness, I'll have to review the first 3 ships done (Richelieu1943, JeanBart1942 and Clemenceau). Gascogne should conform with the set minimum, of which, AFAIK, the rear aircraft equipments and various details needs to be added. All the gun barrels' tapers have also been removed to prevent aliasing along the slope.




For more info, click on the link below (Gascogne subsection in Wikipedia's Richelieu-class battleship entry)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richelieu_class_battleship#Gascogne

1/4800 FN BB Pack 2 WIP.2: Clemenceau done

Yes, Clemenceau is complete, or at least what I perceive to be. She has a couple of possible "configurations"; small differences in the position of some dual 4in and 37mm turrets, rangefinders and other thingamajigs. The renders below show what I've decided on... perhaps the following pics would be some of the closest one will see, as it'll be done in 1/4800... or the model being only ~5.2cm long...

General profile (port side-bow):

Another view, from the starboard stern:

Starboard Bow shot of the forecastle/front superstructure

Starboard-stern view showing her secondary armaments of triple 152mm (6in), dual 100mm (4in) and dual 37mm gun turrets


Now to prepare myself for Gascogne :)

Cheers!

1/4800 FN BB Pack 2 WIP.1

The second sprue is picking up, it will again contain 2 Richelieu-class battleships: the Clemenceau and the Gascogne.

First up: Clemenceau. She was partially built, if one could call a small section of her hull, and never really picked up after the war. The mminiature will be based on the JeanBart1942 model due to the available aircraft installation towards the rear. With the usual 15" main gun arrangement, they're complimented with 4x triple 6": two are found aft of the smokestack in superfiring configuration (compared to the first pairs 3 turrets aft of the smokestack) and one on each side amidships. Together with the 6inchers, she also has 6x dual 4" and 6x dual 37mm gun turrets. Also with a different superstructure design.

For more info about the battleship Clemenceau, you could visit the link below; it is Clemenceau's subsection under Wikipedia's Richelieu-class battleship entry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_battleship_Clemenceau#Clemenceau

WIP pics below showing the turret layout and the superstructure of FN.BB.Clemenceau. Major work left is doing the pile o' boats between the smokestack and the castle; then it's all details afterwards ;)

[EDIT]And by 'details'; I mean the following:
- the remaining 2 (one on each side) triple 6-inch turrets amidships
- I also need to do the 13mm AA Quads on the superstructure (3 on the castle, 2 on the 01level each side, and 4 aft the rearmost double 4" - 2 on each side)
- more boats: in-between the 37mm turrets near the smokestack; as mentioned the stack-o-boats; 3 - or 4 - each side and fore of the middle triple 6"; and the ones aft the last dual 4" turret
- speaking of boats: their crane(s) as well;
- I'm going with the straightedge-look on that area beside #2 turret vs. the notched one for the 37mm turret there...
- not going to continue on the castle's 2 rangefinders up top, modeling that small platform is too fragile IMHO
- need to 'curve' up the sides of the plane hangar before closing up the deck for that level
- rafts aft of the triple 6", as that area is 'empty'
- some bits/boxes in front of #1 turret; as the plans show the deck there is empty (compared to Richelieu's and JeanBart's rows of 20mm), I do see two hatches more forward though, will have to recheck once home.
- once all of these are done, scale the ship to 100.1% to compensate for FUD's shrinkage...




No work has been started yet for FN.BB.Gascogne. Been doing capital ships since start of the project... So in between them, I've been doing this (anybody's guess for now :p ), and I'm surprised to find out I could fit all ships of this particular class in one sprue with the same, or almost the same, price of my BB pack :)


Cheers everyone!

French Navy WW2 BB Richelieu (1943) and Jean Bart (1940)... will it print?

My very first sprue done: French Navy's WW2 Battleships Richelieu (in her post-1943 refit) and Jean Bart (as she would've been completed, if not for her engagement in 1942 at Casablanca, Morocco)...

First off: FN.BB.Richelieu_1943


Next: FN.BB.JeanBart_1942


The sprue; note the 'subtle' differences between the two (one could say the Jean Bart version I did would be Richelieu as she was launched/commissioned early in the war)


Lastly, another shot of the sprue as provided by my would be store...


The question now is... Will it print properly? In any orientation? We'll find out soon...

For further readings, visit/read on Richelieu's and Jean Bart's Wikipedia entries below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_battleship_Richelieu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_battleship_Jean_Bart_%281940%29

Cheers!

WIP#2: 1/4800 WW2 French Battleship Richelieu (post-1943 refit)

Getting there: superstructure WIP...

WIP: 1/4800 WW2 French Battleship Richelieu (post-1943 refit)

Over the weekend, I challenged myself on how much detail I can fit provided it'll be produced in 1/4800 scale with up to 0.1mm detail resolution. So far so good, was able to abstractly represent the 40mm Bofors tubs and 20mm Oerlikons with the said limitations. Unfortunately, I have yet to redo the #2 turret so as the barrels are not 'hanging'. If it'll be printed as is, the material will be extremely delicate without anything to support it underneath. See the forward/#1 turret: the area underneath has been boxed off, and IMHO it won't be a problem for a ship only a bit above 5cm in length...
In the next few days I'll be doing the superstructure, as well as doing her as built in the 1940's.



For further readings, you could visit Richelieu's wikipedia entry here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_battleship_Richelieu

French Battleship Strasbourg in 1/3000: painting completed

Off from the docks: finally completed the said model: painted, based and sealed for the tabletops :D







...and what I've been working on next:

French Navy BB Strasbourg in 1/3000... construction complete

Finally (uhhh, almost!) done with all the items in the to-do list checked off. The model hasn't been glued altogether to help me with painting. The 2x quad 13" turrets, 3 quad 5" at the back, 2x dual 5", the front superstructure (bridge+conning tower), the rest of the superstructure, and finally the hull, are yet unglued (only blue-tac'd at the moment).


Yet unprimered, the dark-greenish parts are of the putty I used to fill the area (like the top of the 13" quads, middle of the superstructure, as well as the walls of the plane hangar...


The barrels on the 13" quads are made from a plastic bristle off a broom. Wasn't able to measure it's diameter, but I went ahead and installed them 2 pairs per turret as per the real-life layout. Unfortunately, having added the sights* and filling up made the turrets disproportionately taller...
*CMIIW, but I'm not sure what those "ears" on them turrets are called


Crazy enough for details: I felt adding those lifeboats and cranes/gantries mid-ship made the model more 'alive', it doesn't feel that 'cluttered' for me at all. I decided to abstractly represent them as 'nubs' for those that are too small when done in 1/3000, like searchlights and the 37mm AA stations. One last bit of detail left to do though would be the recon plane...


Guess next step would be painting and basing. Perhaps some would feel the model (or mini!) is overkill and inappropriate, or rather, too fragile for the tabletop. I have to admit that it may be the case; it'll all come down to me on reminding others to be careful when handling the model/mini...

Now off preparing for the next one: Richelieu! :D

Cheers!