The Japanese Myoko and Takao classes are amongst my favourites of all WW2 cruisers. They were heavily armed, fast and imposing-looking vessels. In 2006 I decided to build Hasegawa’s newly re-tooled (2000) kit of Myoko. My plan was to build a highly-detailed and accurate model to displace from the display shelf my old model of the cruiser Chikuma (M58) which I had built in the 1980s. My plan was thwarted by the difficulty posed by the Flyhawk dedicated detail set which proved to be far beyond my patience and skill level. As a result, the project languished in the "too-hard-basket" for many years. In 2024 I decided to finish it and accept compromises in accuracy and scale fidelity. I did use some of the troublesome Flyhawk parts, and added many other aftermarket items to eventually finish the model 18 years after starting it.

I chose to build this model because the subject has a long and checkered history for me. I built the Airfix 1/600 kit very badly in 1964, then rebuilt the same model to a better, but still underwhelming standard, in 1974. I wanted to finally get it right and also do it in 1/700 scale. That became possible when I found this very nice resin and white-metal kit by Hi Mold in 2008. Although it dates back to the early days of resin kits and had no photo-etch, it was vastly superior to the Airfix kit. I finally got around to building the model in 2023. I have made a few detail improvements to the kit to bring it up to modern standards. Unfortunately, soon after I started the project, a new and even more detailed kit of sister ship HMS Kent was released by Starling Models.

I built this model from a very crude Japanese resin kit. Only the hull, turrets and superstructure up to the boat deck were usable. Everything else was hand-made.

I decided to upgrade my old, sub-standard build of Matchbox’s venerable HMS Kelly, as a quick way of augmenting my collection. It was an experiment of only mixed success, despite replacing many of the original parts.

Soviet Cold War naval craft are one of my particular interests. This little plastic kit required substantial changes to improve its accuracy and scale fidelity.

Takom’s kit of Bismarck’s 15 inch B-turret was an obvious choice for a ship modeler like me. The kit is sound and includes quite a lot of photo-etch brass details. I replaced the kit gun barrels with turned aluminium aftermarket barrels which look a lot better than the original plastic ones.

This model is based on the vintage Revell tooling from 1966, released under the title British Vosper MTB. According to the experts, the kit most closely resembles a US licence-built boat, made under Lend-Lease for the Soviet Union but never delivered. The project was time-consuming as it involved many hand-made parts, aftermarket photo-etch and correcting a warp in the hull.

The most time-consuming project I have done. The model is based on the old Italeri Forrestal kit from 1988. It required an endless stream of aftermarket parts, handmade corrections, replacements and added details to bring it up to a reasonable standard. The project dragged on for 12 years. The model represents Forrestal in the Mediterranean in her pre-SLEP configuration. All aircraft squadron insignia were researched and then hand-painted. As I like Vigilantes, I included a pair of visiting RA-5C from the USS Nimitz, which are on-deck and ready for launch - a purely fictional event but still plausible as Nimitz was in also in the Med at this time.

At the time, the German-built ships Ting Yuen and her sister ship Chen Yuan were amongst the most powerful warships in the world. I find this transitional period of warship design to be of particular interest.

In 2003 I bought 2 copies of IHP’s HMS Wild Goose kit with the intention of building in parallel, two different versions of Modified Black Swan Class sloops. Whilst I finished one of them in 2004 as HMS Amethyst (M112), the other one lingered as a partly-built backlog item for another 14 years until I found the enthusiasm to complete it as HMS Wild Goose (1943). The 2 models stand in contrast, with different masts, radars and light AA. The colourful Western Approaches camo scheme for Wild Goose is a further distinction between them.

Soviet WW2 River gunboats have long interested me with their combination of standard tank turrets and lightweight narrow hulls. This kit was quite a challenge to build.

The Russian round battleships are rightly quite famous and a number of resin kits have been produced of the first one, Novgorod. However, all the kits depict the ship in one of the early (1870s) configurations. I wanted to model her in her main configuration of the 1880s-90s. The changes and additional detailing necessary to achieve this were substantial and I could not have done it without a Russian language monograph supplied to me by Alexey Doronin of Moscow.

These vessels were larger, sea-going versions of the Soviet WW2 river tanks, with two 85 mm turrets - the same as those used on T34/85 tanks.

With the aid of 1/200 plans and photos of a 1/100 model by PG Huff, I was able to built this detailed model of the famous German cruiser Emden as she appeared at the time of her destruction in 1914. The starting point was the 1994 Revell plastic kit. It was a major project spread over 8 years. After I had completed the model, I was advised that the 5.2 cm secondary guns had probably been removed before WW1 began.

At the time of her arrival in Australian waters in 1871, Cerberus was one of the most powerful warships in the Southern hemisphere. She was the first ship to have the classic pre-dreadnought layout with twin turrets fore and aft and a central superstructure between them. The model represents the ship early in it’s career before the flying deck was shortened. I made many changes to the Combrig kit to enhance the level of detail.

This model was built from a Combrig resin kit and portrays the ship at the time of the Battle of Moon Sound when she encountered the German battleship Konig (and survived). Correcting and detailing the kit was a major undertaking.

ICM’s nice kit of the Seehund class of mini-sub. The only change I made to the kit was to replace the commander’s hatch with a handmade clear part.

This little model took out Best Ship and Best in Show overall at a club competition. The sea-scape is my usual style made from acrylic gel medium on a painted MDF board.

HMS Eskimo at speed in Ofotfjord, 13 April 1940 (Second Battle of Narvik). The British Tribal Class destroyers were attractive-looking ships. The first model I ever built solo, was the Airfix 1/600 HMS Cossack. I built this much more detailed model of a Tribal Class from a Samek resin kit.

The first 1/350 scale ship model I completed. I made only minor changes to this Dragon kit.

A simple little white-metal kit of the IJN’s prolific but relatively ineffective WW2 AA gun.

I made this model for my father for his 80th birthday. He served on HMS Amethyst in 1945 - 1946. The model is based on a resin and white-metal kit of sister ship HMS Wild Goose. I made a large number of changes to the kit including replacing the bridge and fore shelter deck with scratchbuilt parts.

This class of IJN subchasers were attractive little ships and Tamiya’s kit seemed like a good representation. However, initial appearances of a kit can be deceiving and I made many changes to improve the level of detail and accuracy of this model. I could have gone further as the 3 inch gun is still a little over-scale, but I felt 39 hours was enough time spent for such a small model.

I built the 1/700 Vosper as a stand-alone model in 1999 and subsequently decided to build a small diorama around it in 2003. The Vosper required a lot of detailing to improve the old Pitroad kit. The dock and other items are mostly resin castings by White Ensign Models.

This small model was inspired by a photo of a WW1 German destroyer battling heavy weather in the North Sea.

I built this Classic Warships kit as a companion to the Seydlitz. Both ships are represented as immediately before the Battle of Jutland. I went to a lot of effort to improve the accuracy and level of detail. At the time, it was the only kit of HMS Lion available. Better kits have since appeared but IMHO, this model still holds up well against models built from the newer kits

I first built this model in 1965. My parents found in their attic when they were clearing up to move house in 1987. I decided to rebuild it as a waterline model in WW2 troopship configuration. I was fortunate to have a superb reference book to guide the project. I worked on the model off and on for 14 years and it took a great amount of time and patience.

I built this model from one of the early Classic Warships resin and white-metal kits which dated from the very early days of resin warship models. The kit was craftsman-style and required a lot of effort to complete. I replaced most of the bridge with handmade parts and fabricated the masts from brass rod. In January 2001, the model was badly damaged and I had to rebuild the masts. I took the opportunity to mount it on a scenic base and add figures.

The very first 1/700 resin warship kit from Combrig. Although the kit was basically sound, it took a lot of work to complete it to the standard I wanted to achieve.

After the relative failure of my two previous 1/700 ship models, I was determined to improve my standards. On the basis of excellent tips from my friend Lester Abbey, I was able to achieve the standard I was seeking with this submarine. I added my new style of sea-scape to the model in 2003

My original build of the Matchbox Kelly. This was a rushed and half-hearted attempt which I was never happy with. I rebuilt the model in 2022-23

This model is based on the original Fujimi kit from 1972. I attempted to improve it with a few Pitroad replacement parts. I also took the opportunity to experiment with weathering techniques. Unfortunately the model turned out poorly but I did learn from the experience.

I built this from the original Fujimi Waterline series kit which was tooled in 1971. At the time I was happy with how it turned out but it looks quite dated now without photo-etch railings or rigging. I plan to update the model in the near future.

The old Airfix Ark Royal. I started it as a teenager and promptly lost interest but came back to it and completed it two decades later. It was the first ship model I mounted in a sea-scape. The sea was originally blue but has turned green due to yellowing of enamel gloss varnish. Other than drilling out portholes and cutting the hull to waterline, it is virtually box stock. It won the ships section of a competition in the late 1980s.

Though I had built many 1/600 ships in the 1960s, I chose this kit for my first foray into 1/700 scale due to its simplicity plus Tamiya’s reputation for accuracy. Although both the kit and the build are crude by current standards, I have kept this little relic to remind me how far I have progressed in 45 years