ADVANCED BUILD

Basic hull and deck colours were airbrushed,

frigate, with six of a new design
including the black funnel cap, after which – known as the Type 12 (Whitby
parts, including the 4.5in Mk.6 gun, were Class) – intended as high-speed
test fitted to check for discrepancies ocean-going convoy escorts.
These entered service in 1956 and
served until the mid-1980s, but
the basic form proved the core
for various frigates for decades to
come. A further nine ships were
built to an upgraded design known
as the Type 12M Rothesay class,
with an additional five vessels split
between the South African Navy

FIGHTING
and Royal New Zealand Navy.
The Type 12’s successful hull
design was retained, allowing
for high speeds even in adverse
seas – a crucial factor in being

ROTHESAY
able to counter the latest Soviet
submarines – with Type 12M
ships employing the new SeaCat
surface-to-air missile system
(replacing 40mm Bofors on earlier
ships). One of the two Limbo anti-
submarine mortars was removed,
Toby Knight takes on a multi-media challenge in the with the area plated to provide a
shape of Atlantic Models’ splendid 1/350 HMS Yarmouth, flight deck and small hangar for a

finishing it as sister ship HMS Plymouth

T
he Royal Navy’s Rothesay-
class frigates were
developed in response to
improvements in Soviet
submarine capabilities following
World War Two.
In 1945, it was considered that
future escort ships should be
capable of achieving at least 25
knots, but this changed after
Soviet scientists managed to
obtain late-war German submarine
technology. This meant
wartime surface submarines
were replaced by types capable
of 20kts underwater during the
1950s, essentially making many
of the Royal Navy’s late-war
destroyer conversions (Type
15 and 16) and frigate classes
obsolescent.
The UK’s solution was a
dedicated anti-submarine
 ADVANCED BUILD | HMS Plymouth F126

MicroMaster’s replacement 4.5in gun was a vast improvement over When putting full-hull resin kits into a base, consideration
the kit alternative, as it included a ladder at the rear, handrails and must be made as to how they will fit into the surroundings;
various bolted panels – just as on the real turret here, the hull stabilisers have been trimmed for easier
access into the seascape

Planning is also crucial to ensure correct posture for the final

MODEL SPEC scene; Plymouth is test fitted into the seascape foam block,
Type 12M (Rothesay Class) allowing it to sit slightly to port and at an angle
Frigate HMS Yarmouth 1968-1986
By: Atlantic Models
Stock Code: ATK35024
Scale: 1/350
Price: £109.50
Available from: Atlantic Models
www.atlanticmodels.net

Wasp HAS.1 helicopter. Two of the
“Several items were replaced with 3D-printed Rothesay Class would be sent to
parts from MicroMaster” fight in the South Atlantic in 1982,
these being HMS Plymouth and
HMS Yarmouth.
Casting off
Atlantic Models’ 1/350 HMS
Yarmouth depicts the vessel
between 1968-86, but allows
all ships of the class, including
those in the South African Navy
and Royal New Zealand Navy to
be built – the aim here was to
build HMS Plymouth during the
Falklands conflict. Construction
started with major components
such as the bridge, main
director platform,
funnel unit,
fore mast, aft
superstructure
and hangar and
main mast and
director deck
house. While this is a new kit there
are several complex castings and
some parts just needed a swipe
with a sharp knife or sanding stick.
All the main parts were then put
aside to be built separately and
then added when appropriate.
The lower hull was glued to the
upper piece using Bob Smith
rubber-toughened CA glue (www.
bsi-inc.co.uk). Once dry, this was
wet-sanded and areas requiring
additional attention were touched
up with more glue and re-treated
as necessary. With this initial
step completed, the hull was
sprayed with Mr. Leveling Thinner-
diluted Mr. Surfacer 1500 (www.
albionhobbies.com). Over this
the hull was airbrushed with
Colourcoats NARN52 Royal Navy
Light Weatherwork Grey (www.
sovereignhobbies.co.uk), after
which those items on the deck
were masked. The deck then

Small parts such as radars, the Gemini boat,

MRS3 Director and Limbo mortars were attached to
wooden sticks with Blu Tack for ease of handling

Airfix Model World 53

ADVANCED BUILD

Bridge railings were next, followed

by the replenishment-at-sea
fittings, which are between the
superstructure and gun turret

Initial PE work concentrated on the mast, forward deck The hangar superstructure was built separately,
and superstructure. Note the radars on the foremast and including all PE components and the SeaCat missile
top-mounted World War Two-era HF/DF array launchers, before being added to the main deck

received NARN23 Royal Navy was a small hull. The later pedestal and were a vast
WW2 Deck Grey, over which a amount alternatives improvement over the original
mix of Tamiya XF-24 Dark Grey of work were the PE parts, as the latter can have a
and XF-63 German Grey (www. required to Mk.VIIA somewhat ‘flat’ appearance.
hobbyco.net) was airbrushed to remove the version – the
provide an element of weathering. support rods. type mounted Fitting out
The boot topping was masked and Thankfully, the on Plymouth With the replacement parts primed
sprayed using XF-69 NATO Black. connection points are during the Falklands and painted, additional fittings
so fine they can cut easily conflict – and were detailed were then built and prepared,
Extra refinement using a sharp blade. beautifully. The resin kit lug was including the SeaCat missile
Other large assemblies were The last items replaced were removed and the replacement system, Limbo mortar plus the
painted and masked in the same the 20mm Oerlikons, which in the part is then a simple drop-in white metal Corvus chaff launcher.
way, especially the bridge, funnel kit are PE pieces mounted on a task. MicroMaster’s gun bodies Other items replaced were original
section, aft superstructure and locating lug cast into the upper are mounted on the correct, white metal liferaft canisters – a
hangar. The funnel cap was
sprayed black, but no numerals Detail work was added, working
were placed onto the sides; from bow to stern for ease of access.
Mounting the model on a wooden
Plymouth usually had a ‘6’ in block reduces direct handling
these positions, but all markings,
including pennant numbers,
were overpainted by the time it
entered the Total Exclusion Zone.
Photo-etched (PE) brass parts
were then treated with NARN52
Light Weatherwork Grey to ease
painting later.
Moving on to the deck fittings,
several items were replaced with
3D-printed parts from MicroMaster
(www.micromaster.co.nz), a
relatively new company from New
Zealand. While the kit’s 4.5in Mk.6
turret is perfectly adequate, the
resin items provided a whole new The black boot line was painted, after which
level of detail, with finely rendered further 3D-printed extras were attached,
hatch, access ladder plus hand including replacement 20mm Mk.7 Oerlikons
and steps from MicroMaster, plus aerial bases
holds all the way down the sides. and liferaft canisters included with the kit
The turret base itself is superb,
with accurate bolt detail; the only
addition was an aerial box and
aerial, using a small square of strip
and a bristle from a paint brush.
MicroMaster parts also replaced
the kit’s PE ladders, as they even
had tread plates on the steps and
weren’t as fiddly, although there

54 Airfix Model World KeyModelWorld.com


Detailed view of midships showing the various radars, fire control director
and SeaCat launcher on the hangar roof
set of early versions is currently
in development and fortunately a
sample was provided by Peter Hall
from Atlantic Models. While work
is ongoing to perfect the shape,
it was felt these were a better
representation than the kit parts.
The 182 Torpedo Decoy was fitted
on the quarterdeck, albeit usually
hidden under a crane tarpaulin on
the few reference pictures from
the conflict.
Moving on to the bridge, the
railings were attached, which
was relatively simple. However,
PE Part 4 required one run to
be removed aft and reformed
forward to ensure it fitted the deck
curve properly. Similarly, the chaff
launchers are shown as curved on
the instructions, but are actually
angled. Moving forward, the
replenishment-at-sea equipment
was assembled as per the
instructions, but note, it is a small,
fiddly construct.
KeyModelWorld.com
Attention then turned to the MRS3
Director and platform, which was
a relatively simple affair. Ensure a
short section of ladder is added to
the rear of the platform as trying to
fit it later is difficult. Next, railings
were added to the funnel platform,
along with a MicroMaster ladder
and searchlights – these last
items were painted separately and
attached later, while a small ladder
section was added on the port
side, allowing access up onto this
raised platform.
Masts and boats
The next area tackled was the
aft superstructure and auxiliary
conning position. Atlantic’s
3D-printed HF whip antenna
bases are slightly rough and
ADVANCED BUILD | HMS Plymouth F126
Close-up of the MRS3 gun director, which is located just aft of the bridge. Note
the fine detail in the 3D-printed “at rest” Oerlikon adjacent to this unit
required filler and sanding to
smooth the surfaces. A further
small section of ladder was added
on the starboard side.
The foremast was a simple affair
and was assembled from the
top down, starting with the Type
993 and 978 radars and various
yardarms. Two sections of ladder
were added on either beam, and
a further small section at the
base leading to a lower platform.
Building the foremast with the
aid of Blu Tack is highly advised
to prevent parts being knocked
off, especially with
the top-mounted
HF/DF array.
A small error
was noted in
the instructions
concerning the main mast: the
yardarms are shown facing aft
when they are orientated pointing.
Other than that, it is a case of
adding the railings and IFF antenna
along with the SeaCat director. A
further small ladder is required on
the starboard side.
The Wasp hangar was built as
suggested, with railings atop and
the approach light bar, along with
nets and the hangar door. A small
section of ladder was required on
the port side plus a short length
of railing not mentioned in the
instructions, but apparent on many
photo references.
The quarterdeck was missing the
boats’ petrol store – which can be
seen on period photos – on the
starboard side astern, so it was
replicated using the signal flag
stowage containers. MicroMaster’s
replacements were used instead
of the kit’s flight deck ladders and
a small amount of wire was
Airfix Model World 55
ADVANCED BUILD

The detail contained in MicroMaster’s 3D-printed ladders and Mk.6 twin Atlantic Models’ Type 12M is not overly cluttered, building cleanly and easily
4.5in gun was magnificent – while the latter is impressive, the former even – even complex areas such as the SeaCat launcher, director and part-built Wasp
have tread plates came together well

The Limbo mortars were reduced from two to one on the Type 12M, making Despite priming, some materials displayed a different hue even with the same
for a less busy stern. MicroMaster ladders replaced the kit parts, with extra cable paint; while at first this might be deemed detrimental, it is actually very similar to
reels added after checking photo references the paint in reality

wrapped around a large hawser
reel to represent cable. There
were two additional cable reels
that needed fitting, added from
the PE fret.
The ship’s boats were slightly
different on this vessel when
compared with the kit items;
while a Gemini is supplied for the
starboard side, it was held in place
on a small platform and the ship
had a crane fitted. Fortunately,
Peter Hall was able to supply a
crane to prevent having to scratch-
build one. The 25ft Admiralty
Cutter, fitted to the port side, was
also replaced by a MicroMaster
version as it was better detailed.
Worn trim
With all main parts attached to the
deck, the railings, safety nets and
liferaft canisters were added. The
Wasp HAS.1 helicopter was built
and painted with a mix of XF-17
Sea Blue and XF-18 Medium Blue.
Finishing the ship was relatively
simple, all painting occurred as
the build progressed. Several
PE items required touch-ups to
cover blemishes made when Tamiya 87044 White Surface
removing parts from the fret. Primer, followed by a hull stripe “Atlantic Model’s kit
Accommodation ladders then had of 70.930 Dark Blue; upper works is excellent straight
the handrails and steps painted were then finished with 70.837 from the box”
with a 50/50 mix of Vallejo 70.871 Pale Sand. Once dry, the cutter
Leather Brown and 70.982 Cavalry was attached to the davits and
Brown (www.creative models. set aside until final assembly.
co.uk). A few pieces of firefighting The Gemini was painted with
equipment and the end of the 70.991 Dark
Limbo mortar were accentuated Sea Grey, with
with 70.817 Scarlett. All main deck the underside
railings then had the stanchions treated with
treated with AK Interactive’s
AK-3056 Winter Shadow Base
(www.ak-interactive.com), but any
dark grey colour would suffice.
Moving on to the SeaCat
launcher, the head was
painted in 70.303
Yellowish Rust to
match reference
photos, while the
netting on the flight
deck railings was
touched up with
70.991 Dark
Sea Grey.
The 25ft
Admiralty
Cutter received

56 Airfix Model World KeyModelWorld.com


Mission Models MMP-035 NATO
Black (www.missionmodelsus.com).
A coat of H102 Premium Clear
Semi-Gloss (www.albionhobbies.
com) then sealed the model.
Photos taken during 1982
showed that all Task Force ships
suffered heavily from rust; HMS
Plymouth had a significant amount
of corrosion just above the boot
line, which was simulated using
various AK Interactive rust tones.
A handy hint is to start with the
lightest shade and then work
darker hues closer to the centre.
Various vertical streaks were
added, plus a large band
of rust running horizontally
KeyModelWorld.com
across the top of the boot topping
– visible on all colour photos
of Plymouth in 1982. With this
finished, AK-024 Dark Streaking
Grime was added to break up the
rust and show some dirt. From the
boot topping, AK-306 Salt Streaks
was applied randomly and then
blended upwards with thinner.
All afloat
The seascape was carved from
a block of 30mm Styrofoam from
4D Modelshop (https://modelshop.
co.uk) before the ship’s waterline
shape was set and carved using
a sharp craft knife. Basic wave
shapes were created in the same
ADVANCED BUILD | HMS Plymouth F126
Initial rust effects were added along
the boot line and from the deck edges.
Good references are hard to come by
and just a few quality photos exist, so a
degree of artistic licence was used
way, after which a hot wire cutter a slight gap between hull and the
was used to give a more rounded seascape, it was filled with cotton
context. A sheet of diluted wool soaked in Liquitex Varnish.
PVA-soaked watercolour paper While this created the impression
was then applied, as this was of white-water effects down the
more malleable and shaped to the side of the ship, in places they
contours better. Once dried, the were far too large. Therefore, it was
paper was trimmed and the ship’s resprayed with the Sea Blue/IJN
outline re-cut. Green mix to reduce the contrast
The initial contours were now – once dried, this received a
smoothed and resembled a rolling further layer of Heavy Gel to
sea. A layer of Liquitex Heavy
Gel (https://liquitex.com) was
then added via a large flat brush,
creating plenty of small textures
within each swell. A second layer
was added once dry, which added
yet more surface variations. This
was then sprayed with an 80/20
mix of XF-17 Sea Blue and XF-11 IJN
Green to recreate a South Atlantic
swell, after which the ship’s outline
was sprayed with diluted XF-18
Medium Blue; this was also used
for the wake to simulate churned The completed Wasp was a complex
water. Gorilla Glue secured the element in its own right, being added
ship to the base and, as there was to the flight deck after the decals and
initial weathering. Note the later type
of Gemini boat crane on the right. Paint
brush bristles were used for aerials
Airfix Model World 57
ADVANCED BUILD

blend it with the rest of the scene.

Using the texture created by the
heavy gel, the area of the hull
wakes was dry-brushed carefully
with 70.951 White.

Ocean swell
The wake nearest the hull was
enhanced with Wilder’s SN01
Snow (www.wilder.su), diluted
Prior to the lower hull being glued to the upper hull, the basic ship outline was drawn onto a sheet of high-density
with Liquitex Gloss Medium Styrofoam, which would become the seascape
and Varnish. This gave a more
3D-foam effect than just cotton
wool and varnish.
Once dried, a further layer of
gloss varnish was added.
Hull wakes were set with a
combination of Wilder Snow
and AK-8036 Water Foam;
unfortunately, the latter dries quite
‘flat’, so was combined with the
Basic waves were cut into the surface with a sharp craft knife and the hull shape was cut to allow the ship to fit with the
former to add depth.
lower hull attached
Next, bow waves were formed
from gloss varnish-covered cotton Test fitting of the completed ship
in the seascape. The visible boot
wool and then carefully curved to
line shows why the lower hull
shape. Additional cotton wool was was added for a rough sea
stretched out the entire length of
the wake and blended using gloss
varnish, while Wilder Snow was
applied in places before being
treated similarly.
A thinned wash of 70.820 Off
White then blended the wake with
the rest of the seascape and, once
dry, everything received a final
coat of Liquitex Gloss Varnish.

“Bow waves were formed from gloss

varnish-covered cotton wool”
 ADVANCED BUILD | HMS Plymouth F126

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Further layers of Crew figures came from Starling Off White. The aircraft handler
paint and varnish were Models 1/350 STA83 RN Carrier has white overalls (70.820 Off
added for a glassy
sea look. The hull-side Deck Crew (www.starling-models. White), while all faces and hands
wake was added using co.uk) painted initially in a navy were painted with 70.845 Sunny
cotton wool soaked in
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while life jackets were treated with Coming home
UA219 Olive Drab (UA219); map The model represents HMS
pads were picked out in 70.820 Plymouth heading towards the
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