The last battleship: HMS Vanguard (Hasegawa 1/450)
I have not contributed anything to modelling sites for the last 6 months, and here is the reason. Perhaps unwisely, I decided to build a model of HMS Vanguard, the Royal Navy's last battleship. And, before someone says it, I know that Vanguard was not the last operational battleship. She was the last battleship to be commissioned, although long outlived by the Iowas.
But what a great looking ship! At the risk of provoking a debate, I think that Vanguard was the best-looking British military ship ever.
Having decided that I just HAD to build her, the only option was to tackle the venerable Hasegawa kit, originally from 1969, and never updated. It also has a weird scale (1/450) which makes challenging to buy aftermarket parts.
But I will not mince words. This is, absolutely and without a trace of doubt, the worst kit I have ever had my hands on. I should have given up at the start, and use my time to build 3 satisfying models. The gallery will show some pictures of parts just to give you a taste. The main parts looked like Lego blocks, without any engraved or raised detail. But, unlike Lego blocks, the fit was atrocious. There was also a mould ejection seam that run along every single part, which meant sanding around every nook and cranny. This kit brings dishonour to the Hasegawa family.
In summary: the only original parts that made to the end were the hull, deck, major building blocks of the superstructure, and stacks. Even these were modified, for example by drilling the portholes, and engraving the hull plates. For the rest, you can assume it was either 3D printed, part of a photoetch upgrade, or scratch built. A wooden deck from Artworx and the Vanguard set from Atlantic models were used. The armament, type 262 radars, boats and Carley floats were 3D printed. A lot of other things were made from Evergreen or spare bits and bobs. I will not bother you with a kilometre-long list of modifications. If you are interested in a detailed build report (and more photos) please check https://www.marcellorosa.com/hmsvanguard.
But here she is, finally. Finished just in time for the Australian Model Expo 2024, where she got a commendation.
Proving once again one of the laws of scale modelling, halfway through my build a fully modern resin kit was released in a more standard scale (1/350), albeit at a price that makes grown man cry: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/chuanyu-model-ship-cy535-hms-vanguard--1501088
The detail on your ship is amazing, Marcello (@marcellorosa1). I am thinking 6 months is probably a quick build for something this complex. Well done.
Thanks, George. This was one of these cases of two steps forward, one back, all the way. Every time I thought I was getting close to the finish line, something happened (usually after I looked at another reference image...).
She is a pretty ship and your model does her justice. Well done, Marcello!
Absolutely, one of the prettiest! She deserves better from kit manufacturers.
Marcello, just to reiterate what George stated, this looks like 6 mo well spent in my opinion. I hear you on the challenges, but truly, these are top rate results (build quality AND finish!). You've given this kit more than it deserved, and for that I commend you. If this looks as good in person as it does from here, I think show-goers will be appropriately impressed. Well done!
Thanks Andrew. She did well in the Expo, where she got a commendation in the Ships/ Powered/ large scale category. But the competition was fierce, and she was outclassed by the combination of extremely talented modellers and state-of-the-art kits. Still, I am happy to have brought this 55 year-old kit to life.
Great job. We rarely see these built anymore.
I'd dare say there is a reason for this. I have some really nice kits in the stash, and arguably I should have invested my time in them. To me, the most amazing realisation was that Hasegawa was still reboxing this kit as recently as 2011. What was going on in their minds?
An absolutely wonderful result, Marcello! I agree with George Blair, it is really amazing how much quality work could fit in just six months!
Congratulations!
Hi Spiros; I was averaging one model every 2-3 months before this one. The funny thing is, if someone wanted to build this kit out of the box it would probably take a week, even considering all the sanding and filling. It only has 70 different parts (140 in total considering multiple gun barrels, etc). But it would not look like Vanguard at all.
Careful, you're making Hasegawa look good with the incredible job you did on this model. She looks spectacular. I especially like the crane detailing and the rigging. Really well done!
Thanks, Greg. The crane jib I owe to Atlantic Models, but the base was scratch built.
A nicely built of that last battleship, Marcello @marcellorosa1
It must have taken you quite some time to apply all those details.
Well done.
Thank you for the encouragement, John. I promised myself to do a nicely newly tooled kit next, with all the details that come with those, without having to improvise.
This model is so intricate it’s amazing! I would never have the patience to complete it myself, but you’ve done it remarkably well!
It was one of those situations where once you get started, it is impossible not to notice more things to add. Every new photo showed some new detail that I missed.
A triumph of talent and stubbornness over plastic. Beautiful!
Thank you Tom; I confess to the stubbornness part.
Excellent build turning what sounds like a real cruddy kit into an masterpiece.
Thank you Dan; your encouragement means a lot.