Lachlan's model of QE2

[Alan Snelson]

Hi Lachlan,

Good to hear from you again and to have another update on the progress of your model. I was interested to hear you say that you don't have the patience for cutting timber in to 1mm strips but I suppose it is all relative. The patience of model makers in general never ceases to amaze me and having seen pictures of your models I simply can't comprehend the amount of patience you obviously do have. Keep up the great work and let us see some pictures soon. I know this has already been answered but you are right about the colour, it was more of a charcoal grey and definitely not black.

[Lachlan]

Thanks for your advice about colours. What I've noticed about colours on models is that the colours have to portray the original livery (of course) but they also have to carry the right visual impression having regard to scale and finish. The finish I use is a clear satin (sort of medium gloss)acrylic over the colour coats which I spray with a flat finish. This encourages some reflections off the hull surface without creating distracting hard reflections which would be a bit crazy and out of scale with a high gloss finish.

So the colour has to be correct enough to convey the visual impression of the right colour and do so having regard to scale and the presentation of the model. Thus I have taken the Black/Grey that was in the Federal Standard chart to which Twynkle referred us and had a colour mixed that is a little bit more charcoally than that. I suppose there's another point too which is you'll only ever see it in photos unless you come to Australia to have a look for yourself!

I hope I am not upsetting the purists. The photos show where the after decks were up to a couple of weeks ago. I find these curves and details take ages and I can assure you they'll finish up looking better than this - at least that's the plan. One more thing - I am making a once-off apology for the mess in the background that is to apply to all the photos I put up. Until all the sanding is finished and the painting starts I don't bother tidying-up because it gets very dusty.

Someone else must have a model going that we can have a look at.

[Twynkle]

Hi Lachlan,

Your work is Total Genius!
Her stern is unmistakably 'QE2' - just Love it!
Had we known that you are in the Antipodes, we'd have insisted that QV had allowed us to make a call to see her old fleetmate!
It's great to know that there will be a slight sheen; QE2 does shine, specially along the beam of her hull in sunlight and then it gets reflected upwards from the water.
Thanks so much for letting us watch it grow.
All the best
Rosie

[June Ingram]

Hi Lachlan -

Magnificent work, and I do very much like your approach to obtaining just the right hull color for your model.  Please show us more pictures as the fine work progresses !

June   

[Lachlan]

Thanks for your comments June and Rosie,

since my last report I have put the timber decking on the after end of One Deck around the swimming pool and added the windows and doors for the cafeteria whose name I have forgotten. There were also doors on either side for access to the One Deck alleyway and toilets and a towel store. I've also started the screens that surround the pool area. These fair into the screens at the after end of the Quarter Deck above and the bulkhead at the after end of the Lido will be next.

I don't really need to do all this detail yet but I'm putting off turning the model over to finish fairing the hull which is a patience-testing job. Anyway it's a bit cold at the farm where the model is for painting the hull. The other job while the hull is upturned will be the propeller shaft fairings and I haven't thought of a way of making those other than shaping them by a lot of sanding. I should make the rudder, too and paint it at the same time as the hull is painted. I've just thought that I have to do the decks at the for'ard end before the hull is faired and painted. It might be too hot for painting by then!

I'll post some pictures in a week or two. We're going to be away for all of September so progress on the model will stall again.

[June Ingram]

Hi Lachlan - Thank you very much for the detailed report on the status of your model.  It sounds to be wonderful and encompassing many hours of work.  I as I am sure all of us will be looking forward to pictures of our beloved QE2 in model form.  What a wonderful tribute to our wonderful ship !  June   

[Clydebuilt1971]

Hi Lachlan,

This question has probably already been asked but are there plans to make the model operational via radio control or will she remain static?

Regardless its a work of art already!!

Gav

[June Ingram]

Hi Lachlan -

Do you have an idea of the weight of the model when finished ?

Thanks,

June

[Lachlan]

Gav, I have enough trouble making these models to be static without making them waterproof and RC'able as well! That a whole other set of skills I don't have.
June, the weight of the model will be a bit more than the Oriana one was and I think that was about 15 kilograms.
Bob C - if you look at the image you attached and the one I have attached you'll see how different the hull shapes are, and it's not hard to pick which one's right. BTW I don't recall where that pic came from so I can't attribute it but it is a great image of QE2's underwater shape: no parallel bits there.

[Lachlan]

Hi all,

some months have gone by since my last report. Nothing happened for most of the time but I have made a bit of headway.
I have put in the side-screens on I Deck around the swimming pool and am now about to do the same for the after end of the Quarter Deck. Then the Upper Deck and Boat Deck will get done, the hull will be faired in around these decks and we'll turn our attention to the forward end of these decks. Then we fair-in the hull around the forward end, turn the whole thing upside down, fair and paint the hull and so on. That'll keep me occupied for a while.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Congratulations on your progress! Great to see the latest work on your picture.

When looked at in thumbnail size, the blue glue(?) bottle looks like a worker in blue overalls and a yellow helmet, in almost the right size for a real worker working on the real QE2 .

[June Ingram]

The work on your model is progressing very well !  I shall look forward to more photos as your work continues !   

[Rob Lightbody]

That's incredible, well done indeed.  You've got the shape perfectly, you can just tell its right by looking at it.

[Alan Snelson]

I am completely in awe of your skill, patience and dedication. So looking forward to the finished masterpiece.

[Peter Mugridge]

This must be on a par with the effort involved in building the real thing!