Airfix Mary Rose

[Swordfish Fairey]

I have had a hankering to build one of these since it first came out and when I saw one on Amazon for £2.99 + post I jumped in and bought it..........


It looks to be well moulded with some nice detail on the hull.................Although there are three broken guns on the stern castle deck starboard side, easily repaired................


Just one thing, there is what looks to be a moulding stalk on the bow, this is supposed to be there as it represents a shield with the Tudor Rose on it that most ships of this period carried, so do not cut it off.....................


There is also a part missing on sprue B that looks as if it was never there in the first place.................Can you see where it should have been??.....Again easy to repair/replace..............


The sails are fairly thick as you would expect but I intend replacing these with Pva'd paper ones anyway....................


The destructons are standard Airfix and there is a nice touch with the decoration on the hull using Cartograf decals, there are two flags included and they are self-adhesive.........




I have some very small tubular electrical pins in my odds n sods box so I thought I would replace some of the guns...............


They look a wee bit large but when painted should look o.k...........


I want to depict her just before she foundered so I have cut the hull at an angle and flattened the base to fit on the 'sea' she will be mounted in..................


I am going to use a picture frame for her so here she is sat on the glass leaning over before her demise...............




I'm not too sure about the frame I want to use, it may be too large, what say you??


This is making a nice change from the Black Pearl build and should keep me busy between BP deliveries..It is taking me back to my plastic roots so to speak, as one of the first models I made as a kid was the Victory in this series, although it was only 2/- then, 10p for our younger members.............

Tony

[Mark]

Looks like a nice little kit. I quite fancy this one, but never saw it in the shops.

[davetwin]

This is a cool looking build. In my opinion I think the frame could do with being a little smaller

[Swordfish Fairey]

Thanks Dave, I am leaning towards it being a bit big too, when I get the sea done I will have another think about it.....................

I have slapped some Vallejo "Water effects" on the glass and built up some of the waves, by all accounts it was quite choppy on the day she capsized so I can indulge myself ........
This is after painting the backing board dark blue for depth, if you will forgive the pun..........


And on some white card to show the surface, I have used the Vallejo acrylic gel a few times and it has worked well.................


A few examples..............




Tony

[number1]

Good idea with the diorama, was thinking of buying this when I saw it in my lms, but at £7 I never bothered.

[Swordfish Fairey]

Thanks number1..............

I have given the hull a quick coat of Halford's appliance white as it gives a nice smooth surface for the decals and I have decided to use the picture frame but, the glass is going to go on the top with the green painted backing board in its original position........................




The netting had already been painted mat black and the mesh now highlighted with grey..............

[Swordfish Fairey]

This build was supposed to last for a while in between Black Pearl deliveries but I am enjoying it so much that it has rather taken over my spare time. ............

The hull has had some Humbrol matt 29 (Brown) applied and I have done some detailing on the anti-boarding net area...........Some white caps have been picked out and the hull sits nicely in the 'sea' as well.........




She is still not stuck together as I want to add all the markings before I do that. ..............


I will have to start practising on making sails soon, I want to show it looking like it has been subjected to some strong gusts.............


Tony

[number1]

That sea sure looks swell (pun intended)

[Mark]

Groan.........

[Swordfish Fairey]

Double groan!..

[Swordfish Fairey]

Some of the decals have been applied and they have gone on very nicely using Micro Sol/Set.................The ones along the upper gun deck were cut into short lengths to make it a bit easier to apply................



I decided to cement her together as well as I could foresee damage to the decals if they were applied before glueing.........

Tony

[Swordfish Fairey]

Had a quick play with the sails today and I am reasonably happy with the results................I used ordinary copy paper soaked in Pva glue and then once dry a light coating of Humbrol 94........







They do look nice and thin at least.............

The rigging looks like it could be a bit of a pig to do......................

Tony

[davetwin]

The sales do look very nice and love the decals, well done

[Swordfish Fairey]

Thanks Dave.................

I have been playing with the rigging this afternoon and also the rest of the sails................









I may need to go and have a lay down as this is just too small for the eyes/mitts these days.................


Tony

[number1]

Looking fantastic, K awarded

[Swordfish Fairey]

Thanks number1.................

Tony

[Mark]

Amazing ! The sails came out superbly
Wish I could do a sea scape that convincingly !

[steve131]

Very nice paint really makes it come alive. K