Vic Smeed’s HMS Cossack MM500

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Big push now to get Cossack afloat as the the new season is a month or so away, in the paint shop (shed) with the Halfords grey primer 😀

Regards Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

What great building/painting weather we are having ! The Cossack has been blown over with grey primer, and red oxide below the waterline, leaving the black line to be put in by hand 😀

Regards Ray (painting dept)

[Eddie LancasterParticipant @eddielancaster]

Looking good Ray,

Regards.

Eddie.-

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Tonight, and to get away from the endless coverage of you know what! We are making depth charges at 1/96th scale to go on the rear deck of Cossack 😀 having saved loads of .22 shell cases from a shooting gallery at our War & Peace show and knowing eventually a use would be found for them, they are exactly the right diameter, they just need shortening and a cap put on the other end. I will solder the ends on tomorrow.I

Try as I may go get my 14 year old grandson to build model boats, he likes shooting, motor bikes and girls. Still the shooting has paid off now 😀

Regards

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Just did the Waitrose Dash, a great new sport!!

Well after posting the last photo of Cossack it made me realise how rubbish my planking was 😕😕 still at 30knots in the Atlantic I won't be able to see if 😀

Regards Ray

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Ray. Get the course paper out and attack the hull a bit, then put a wodge of P38 filler one end and drag down the hull in one sweeping move with a wide flexible spreader. Works for me, Do it in one sweep and resist the temptation to go back and it will cover 99% of the dips.

Don't leave it….

Ashley

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Ashley,

The Captain has added the shoddy workmanship to his snagging list, but realizing the shipyard schedule is tight he is letting it go until the first re-fit, he is however very pleased with the depth charges of the stern deck 😀

Private W.Wood VC passing in the background..

Regards Ray

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

Hi Ray

Used to do some clay pigeon shooting and sadly girls are a distant memory but I'm still into bikes.

One of mine. Hardly used any of them last year and I had retired! Hopefully will get more use this year.

Depth charges look good, pity you had to paint them!

Chris

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

That's cool bike and rather space aged compared to the old Triumph Bonnevile my dad had with a sidecar, I still remember flames coming out of the exhaust when he turned on the tap😀

Regards Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All

Saved. £16 today 😀 I saw some very nice Danfort anchors at my local boat shop, so nice !! at £8.00 each and needing 2nd here's the 1/32" ply and coffee stirring sticks, I think they will do 😀

regards Ray

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Ray…you didn't venture out did you !!!!!!!!!!

As there is now no rush for completion…and you wont be sailing anytime soon, you can do the hull !

I try to finish boats as much as poss before sailing as once its on the water, my minds eye says "that's done now" and I want to move on.

Ashley

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Ashley,

No venturing out recently !! although I do go for a walk for exercise round our housing estate.

I've been working at home in our back bedroom for 2 weeks now, I can't say I like it much

I have a couple of boats to finish off Cossack being one of them, but the urgency has disappeared…..

Regards Ray

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

It’s funny how finishing a boat can be of the utmost importance normally, but when, as we are, almost FORCED to be doing nowt but hobby things at home, they become more of a chore!

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

How is everyone getting along with this one???

They should all be finished by now??

Ashley

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Ashley,

How's Bluebird ?? But I know what you mean 😄 Cossack is sea worthy but no radio installed 😉 big sticking point has been the stuck on portholes as the standard 5mm punched black plastic looked too large need 3mm so may have to make a punch !! But there are loads of them 😢

Eddie was the only other Cossack builder and finished his last year 👍😄😄😄

Are you guys back to normal at your lake ? Or is it still no car park ??

Regards Ray

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Bluebird finished Ray…as is the Crusader, Swordfish…Mintanic…Walrus….

yes waiting car parking. Daren't take Bluebird or the Cobb on me bike!

Portholes…it will be a right trail punching 3mm ones, separating the backs and getting them in line! The punched hole/felt tip can work fine?

Ashley

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

The new flotation and ballasting facility, £15 Asda paddling pool, needless to say it's been so hot I was in it before the models 😀

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Ah! Is that why the water level is low then?

Colin

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Ha ha Colin,

It's actually 9" deep without me in it 😀 good size for testing ! Considerably deeper with me in it 😉

Cossack ended up weighing 10 1/2 lbs

Regards Ray

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

lovely models Ray……………always loved the Cossack and the Daring class from being a kid building airfix models.

[John W EParticipant @johnwe]

This pic goes with my next posting

below

John

Edited By John W E on 26/06/2020 19:20:54

Edited By John W E on 26/06/2020 19:21:35

[John W EParticipant @johnwe]

Hi Ray, this is my excuse, I started off with a Model Maker magazine with the article in it for HMS Cossack – plus the plans on the desk – and alongside I had a Model Boats magazine with the build articles and plan for Vic Smeed's HMS Harlech Castle as well. I was debating which one to go for.

I took Norman Ough's book out to see what extra detail would have to be put in – or – how close it was to the exact vessel. This led to me obtaining a set of drawings for HMS Hedingham Castle – which in turn led to information being obtained for HMS Porchester Castle. Porchester Castle was the one Castle Class vessel used for the film the Cruel Sea – she was also built on the River Tyne – not even a stone throw from where I live. So, the magic pencils came out to draw the frames for Porchester Castle on a piece of plywood at 1:48 scale, just to give an idea of what it would look like. Consequently, now, there is mysteriously a 6 ft building board with frames set up on the work bench here – and I am in the process of diagonally planking it. This is a long way from building HMS Cossack from balsa wood – but she is still on my build list – so – we will just need to reschedule the builders for further employment at a later date .

[John W EParticipant @johnwe]

Hi ya, can anyone tell me why when I typed out my message – then come to add a photograph and then posted it. The wording had gone and all that was there was the photograph,. Hey ho.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hello John,

That will be a great model for a build blog, I hope you keep us posted on the build

Where the photos go is something of a mystery to me also my second photo always seems to go before my text !!

I have double diagonal planked my MTB but never a displacement hull, still plenty of time, a Denny steam gunboat has always appealed to me in 1/48th which is a scale I havn't tried yet.

I want Vic's drawing for Cossack @ 1/96th scale If you ever fancy building one?

The Cruel Sea is one of my favourite BBC dramatizations for radio, introduced by Donald Sinden, who I believe was actually on the North Atlantic convoys..

Regards Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

HMS Cossack is ready to go to sea, but I thought long & hard about the potholes which are a major feature of the ship, having tried standard office punched Fablon sticky plastic at 5mm but they just looked to large and crude, having previously used proper etched brass John Haynes products on Diamond, not happy !! But my granddaughter is keen on jewelry making and suggested small 5mm nickel plated jump rings which have given a really pleasing effect, floated into position on superglue, painted grey then black gloss dropped in with a cocktail stick, hey Preston a look I can live with and at £3.50 for 300 a cheap solution 😀👍👍👍,

Noel your big carrier must have hundreds of these ?

Regards Ray

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