The Unofficial Airfix Modellers' Forum

pmmaker wrote:

MarkyM607 wrote:Looks an excellent result to me. If it's motorised are you going to test it in the bath?

On our old forum where PropWash and I shared builds, I asked him the same question. I seem to recall he never gave an answer...hmmmm.
pmmaker

Ha! You're right, PMM. I really want to try it out in the tub (not with me in it, of course), but there is a small problem. In the pic of the hull, after the batteries were installed, you can see a grey-colored piece of plastic at the stern. This is where the chrome steel propeller shaft exits the hull. The instructions say to fill the chamber, the grey piece covers, with petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to keep the water out. But doesn't Vaseline also have a negative effect on model plastic? I thought it would soften / melt the plastic so never went so far as to fill that chamber. I was hoping to find an alternative (that I already have in the house) to try it out in the water.

Until then I am leaving it in dry-dock.

jRatz wrote:Airfix/Humbrol USA carries the line; I also use Squadron Shop.

I also use White Ensign for RN colors - their RN Buff is yellower, also seems to go with US stuff of that era ....

Thanks for this info, JR. But hasn't White Ensign given-up making paints? I went to their web site and did not see any listed (which I also think was the case when I was looking for the buff-color).

The White Ensign lines (paint, photoetch, resin) have been picked up by others.
Sovereign Hobbies (of Scotland) has the full Colourcoats line but has US distributors, thus solving the international mail/shipping problems.
Tom's ModelWorks (of USA) has the photoetch.
and I forget where the resin parts and kits went, I think Peter Hall's Atlantic Models in the UK, has some of it.

Lovely looking model of an unusual subject- I'd be scare to test that in the bath.

Hi,

I think that this ship is actually a model of a vessel known as an "Elswick Cruiser" which served in several navies in the late 1800's. In particular two vessels named the Zhiyuan and the Jingyuan served with the main Chinese Navy during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 (though their names are sometimes spelled Chih Yuen and Ching Yuen). Other navies that operated these type ships included Chile and Japan (and maybe others).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cruiser_Zhiyuan;



A unique identifying feature of some of these vessels was the twin gun mount forward with a single mount aft and the small guns overhanging the sides amidships.

Pat

Hi FCN,

Thank you for posting that information, link and pic. I would say the kit certainly looks like a rendition of that style ship. I believe Bronco Models offer a model of the one of the Chinese ships you cite. I saw it on Ebay and thought the box art looked a lot like the model I put together.

I appreciate your sharing. Thanks!

Given that a fair chunk of the Japanese, Chinese, Argentinean, Chilean etc pre-Dreadnought navies were built by Vickers-Armstrong at the Elswick Works in Newcastle and in Barrow in Furness, there's a good chance that it started life as a Japanese model of an important Japanese Navy ship...

If you ever get the chance, the Barrow Dock Museum in the Lake district has got an extensive collection of "builders models" (effectively a combination sales brochure and spec sheet) including many ships that went to foreign navies (or were pressed into the RN in 1914...)

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/inde ... um-barrow/;

best,
M.

Hi,

I seem to recall seeing some pictures of a similar build a few years back, where the builder indicated that his model came from a company that primarily sold only to the internal Chinese market. I can't find that article now, but I did come across a couple images of a kit from a company called Zhengdefu (which appears to have also distributed some kits outside China under the name KiTech) which looks similar to the OPs kit.

Pat

Bronco does a 1/144 'Chih Yuen' which appears similar to the ship in question.

Bronco does another, in 1/350, of th 1895 Chinese "Turret Ship" 'Dingyuan' which is very different.

jRatz wrote:Bronco does a 1/144 'Chih Yuen' which appears similar to the ship in question.

...built by Armstrongs at Elswick in 1885, and, interestingly, armed with 3x8inch Krupp guns, 2 Armstrongs 6-inchers, and no less than 10 quick-firing Hotchkiss. A product of globalisation and European free trade, even under Victoria!

best,
M.

Thank you all for contributing to this thread. I appreciate the great information and link to the museum (wonderful works!).

I know nothing about ships or ship models but your model looks well tidy to me.Thanks for sharing.