Fleetscale News

The revamped Type 22 semi kit in 1/72 scale is now ready. The difference is that this now comes with moulded superstructure parts. The order page will be updated in the next few days.Prices for the new parts are as follows:

Precision moulded with surface detail, 3 part deck £60

Funnel and foundation - picture below - £39

Foremast foundation inc Goalkeeper magazine £15

Foremast £14

Main Mast and foundation £23

Olympus intake foundation £28

Forward Superstructure £36

Bridge £56

Pictures will be posted shortly of the parts. All the parts are precision moulded with surface detail using a technique we have developed that ensures lightweight with strength and structural/dimensional integrity.

Bridge £56

Mainmast & Foundation £23

 Foremast £14, Foundation (inc goalkeeper magazine) £15

Finding the correct paint can be a problem and expensive. What better than the actual paint used by the navy for their ships. We will shortly make available ex MOD paint in 500ml tins. When thinned Stuart Bolton tells me it sprays very nicely either with a conventional spray gun or with the airbrush type. It touch dries in 3 - 4 hours, is very durable AND is the CORRECT colour, no messing.

I had an e-mail enquiry about the paint used on a hull below the waterline and had a word with Stuart Bolton. He uses “Hycote Clove Brown LBM123″. This is a spray paint in a can and is an Austin Rover colour. You should be able to get it from Kevin Cooper or any good motor parts retailer. He says two cans will be enough for two coats
 
Other experienced modellers also use this paint, because it is the right colour when seen when the model is on the water.

Below, prototype mouldings of the new superstructure for the Type22, lightweight, foam filled. It’s never been easier to build a semi kit.

Part of the superstructure positioned on the middle deck section

No, not a computer graphic, not a Fleetscale model.  This is the real thing and what a beauty it is. Having acquired literally hundreds of pics taken from a modellers point of view I am wondering what to do with them.

 Some could go on our gallery under “Real Ships” because that is where we put pics to help modellers, maybe a CD could be made available for a small fee because there are just too many to put on the website.

There is now a gallery of model pics feature which I am sure that anyone building or contemplating building a Fleetscale kit will find helpful. Looking at close up details of another modellers ship can help anyone that’s having problems working from the plans supplied.

There is also a section on real ships where photographs taken by model builders of the real thing are included. This another useful help feature. If any of you have such pictures and would like to share them please do so on this gallery.

To have your finished or part build Fleetscale models shown on this gallery it would be best if you were to register - no, it doesn’t cost money - with a username and e-mail address - and you can upload your own pics. If you don’t want to do that just send your pics to me by e-mail and I will do it for you - remember to give me your name so you can get full credit for your model.

Another benefit of registering is that you are able to download certain pictures - for instance those of real ships and the “help pictures” - and in that way you can peruse them at your leisure. The “help pictures” are pictures that I am arranging to take or have taken showing various stages of building a kit.

If you upload your own pictures - having once registered - it will take 24 hours for them to show as I will creat your own folder (category) and ensure the pics are trimmed to the correct size. it would be best if they are more than 1000 pixels in width. The size in MB’s doesn’t matter. Our e-mail address is the one on the main fleetscale.co.uk site on the left hand navigation panel.

So come on, send in your pics. Oh, by the way it is my experience that ship modellers are very skilled at building their models but not very good at taking pics. Uncluttered backgrounds are the key to a good pic, and nicely focused too, that’s another essential.

Progress is moving apace on the Type 45 “Super Kit”. Below is an early picture of the first stages of hull manufacture. The overall length of the 1/72nd scale hull will be in the order of 83.5″ and beam will be 11.5″. I can’t show any other pics because it has to be kept well under wraps for the time being. Remember, this will be a kit with superstructure.

Great news! Fleetscale will shortly commence work on the new Type 45 daring Class. This will be in 1/72 scale and will be a complete semi kit as is HMS Victorius, and our new Type 22. That means it will be built on THE definitive hull and will come with a fully moulded lightweight superstructure. Our new complete kits are almost on a par with Revell for ease of construction.

 

It is anticipated that the release date will be sometime in the Spring of 2008. The Type 22 and the Type 45 in 1/72 scale will look good together. You saw it here first.

Fleetscale will shortly be introducing HMS Campbeltown in 1/72 scale as a complete a kit as can be done. Already available as a hull and a few fittings we are adding a 3 part moulded deck - moulded accurately and with fine detail - plus a full range of all fittings.

That’s not all however, the superstructure including the fairly complicated mast structure will also be supplied. These will be moulded using our newly developed technology which was originally utilised in HMS Victorious for the island superstructure moulding. This is lightweight but strong but does not add too much weight topside which is no bad thing.

I expect that this will be released in early 2008 if not sooner.

Due to the fact that we are unable to obtain our usual supply of propellors the cost of all running sets has increased. The propellors we are now using are considerably more expensive but are however top quality and are more to scale than any others previously supplied. The increases have not yet been applied to all the hullkits on the website. For instance the increased cost of the Vosper running set is £19.11 and that’s for two propellors.

HMS Victorious is now available for purchase by credit/debit card on the main site. Please note that Fleetscale cannot accept credit/debit cards any other way. It’s no use phoning in and giving your card details because we use the Netbanx bureau service. It is very secure and safe to order in this way. Click on the address below to go straight to the Victorious page:

HMS Victorious

Here are the prices of HMS Victorious. We are now ready to supply and anyone wanting to order can contact me by e-mail and I will set up online payment on an individual basis until it is released officially and on the main website.

Hull including drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £205.00

Hull openings cut out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £50.00
This is recommended as this procedure
takes us some time, even with the proper tools

Drawings only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £20.00

Flight Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £97.50
This is a substantial, accurate moulding, and
due to the flanges on the hull will take little
work for a satisfactory fit.

Superstucture - Island (inc funnel and caps) £125.00
This supplied complete, and almost completely
assembled with just a few parts to (supplied)
add in order to complete the structure.

Openings cut out on above . . . . . . . . . . . . included in above price

A complete set of fittings is now available, also a running set. There will also be instructions on assembly supplied making the most complete Fleetscale kit to date.

If you would like to pay by PayPal contact me on:

4sales(at)fleetscale .co.uk and put an @ in place of (at). That procedure is to stop the webbots that gather e-mail addresses for spam mail.

Here is a picture of HMS Formidable, sister ship to Victorious, built by Stuart Bolton. I think you will agree that this will be one of our finest models.

 

 

Here are some pics of development so far. Note the
moulded in foredeck. The main deck is still under development
and should be ready soon. Estimated release date of the complete kit is September.

Here’s the superstructure, supplied complete and assembled.There are a few more bits to be added at this point. There’s a full set of ships boats and some aircraft.

HMS Victorious was a WWII aircraft carrier and is the subject of our latest model kit soon to be released from Fleetscale. Available in 1/128th scale the LOA is 178cm and beam 23.5cm (widest point) Victorius will be our most complete model ship kit ever. I will post some pics in the next few days and you will have to agree that this is a superbly detailed hull that comes with moulded in foredeck and a separately moulded complete deck.

The control bridge is supplied and is an intricately moulded item that will require little work to complete. The ships boats are unlike anything you will have seen before and there will be a supply of aircraft too. Just wait for the pics!!