Long before this year's discovery of the Exeter wreck, I had wanted to build this ship - and so had acquired this kit:
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Until my recent work bashing HMAS Sydney from an Airfix Ajax kit, that is. Not being an RN cruiser expert, it took me some time to realize - and even so perhaps I am giving Airfix too much credit for anticipating this - but the fact is an astounding number of RN cruisers shared similar if not identical hulls, weapons and superstructure components with the Leander class, as depicted by the Ajax kit. Including the York class - of which Exeter was a sister - despite the Leanders being light (6"-gun) cruisers and the Yorks being heavies (8" guns):
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A comparison of dimensions between Exeter and Ajax indicates the Airfix hull could be converted into a 1/600 scale Exeter by adding only 0.09" in beam and 0.5" in length! And so I started the conversion of (yet another) Airfix Ajax hull:
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But now where exactly to add in the extra length? My uncertainty can be discerned from the 5 tentative marks in the center of the new keel plate (bottom). All things being equal, the logical place to insert extra hull is at the center of symmetry of the hull; the center of the stabilizer vanes, on this hull.
However not "all things are equal" in this particular case:
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However the important question was answered: Exeter's foredeck, ahead of the step-down to the main deck aft, was significantly longer than on Ajax; regarding the upper hull and deck, much of the required extra length should be added to the foredeck (gap in the Airfix profile). Although this is significantly forward of the center of hull symmetry, it is possible - and in fact often more reliable - to split the lower- and upper hull portions at different points; to add the extra length along a "stitched" joint.
And another major item indicated for the Ajax-to-Exeter conversion: the block bridge, though of course located differently on the two ships appears in itself to be almost identical for both!
But now - decidedly late in the scheme of things here - something else also occurred to me:
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This warrants further examination - particularly given the ready availability of this kit - of which I myself happen to have recently come into a copy (THANKS, Mikey!) at a very reasonable price.
Cheers,
-Matty
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