Lachlan's model of QE2

[Lachlan]

Hi all,

a little update: I have roughed-in the bulwarks on the forward decks. There is still some finishing to do before the hull can be finally faired and painted. Then we get to the good bit which is adding all the detail. BTW you can see the front page of one of the QE2 Calendars on the wall in the background in one of the pics. I find these pictures very helpful in getting the shapes right.
Cheers,

Lachlan

[Lynda Bradford]

Lachlan, you must be very pleased with your latest piece of work as it is plain to see that your work is progressing very well.  I am impressed with the shaping of the hull and the bow of the ship.  Good to know that the QE2 Calendar pictures are assisting in the process. 

I saw your photo of the decking that you posted before Christmas and I have to say I was most impressed.  When my husband was building model steam boats I liked the details, such as the decking that started to make the boat look so realistic. 

Last year I was taking part in a WWI project, researching the story of the home front in our area.  Part of the project was using a memory box for an artistic impression of a local auxiliary hospital, where the description was of a room with a crimson runner carpet on a polished mahogany floor. When I started to work on this the artists gave me a box of wooden lolly sticks to work on the floor and immediately I thought of the work my husband had done on decking, so I gave him the lolly sticks and using his model building tools he transformed them into a stained and polished wooden floor, which looked fabulous.  So you never know how your model building skills will be used in the future 

Looking forward to more updates

[June Ingram]

Hi Lachlan - Thank you very much for your post regarding the latest work on your model, our QE2 !  It (she) is coming along marvelously well !  and without a doubt QE2 even if we were not told who the model is.  I am looking forward to more news and photos as your work progresses.  June   

[Lachlan]

I have news on the 1/96 QE2 model I am making: after a long break work has recommenced. I am having to rectify a mistake I made when building the hull. I thought I could economise with time and materials by using thin strips of timber but I have had to go back and do some surgery on the hull to reinforce these areas.

I will post some photos of the hull when it is ready for painting. It's not very photogenic at the moment.

Cheers,

Lachlan

[June Ingram]

I have news on the 1/96 QE2 model I am making: after a long break work has recommenced. I am having to rectify a mistake I made when building the hull. I thought I could economise with time and materials by using thin strips of timber but I have had to go back and do some surgery on the hull to reinforce these areas.

I will post some photos of the hull when it is ready for painting. It's not very photogenic at the moment.

Cheers,

Lachlan

Hi Lachlan -

Hope all is going well at your "shipyard".  It would be great to see some photos of the hull work if you happen to have any.  I am very pleased to hear that work has begun again on your model.  There is a lot of awesome work going on there !

June   

[Lachlan]

Roy's post about the model of QE2 having started life perhaps as a towing tank model is interesting. I did not say in my earlier post that whilst the QE2 model in the Museum is big and impressive it lacks anything like the detailed finish I would expect of a professionally built model such as the ones of QM and QE that are exhibited alongside the QE2 model in the museum.

Maybe the lack of detail is because it was finished-off "enough" rather than finished-off completely. Still an impressive model though.

Cunard must have had a professionally and purpose-built display model of QE2 made for their board-room purposes. Or maybe by then they couldn't afford it, but if there is such a model, I wonder - where is it? Did the shipyard commission or have their own staff make models such as those of QM and QE that are now in the museum or did the owners have them built at their own expense? It might have been the case that by the time QE2 was finished the machinations of ownership of her builders were such that models were the last things on their minds.

I was in the shipping industry for many years representing shipowners in Australia and saw many models of ships operated by lots of different companies. Twynkle is right, they were often built by apprentices in shipyards and as a result many of them were exquisite in their detail with highly polished fixtures and fittings. Some of the companies operated their own shipyards which built ships for their own fleets as well as others. They were  very different from the nice but plain models which were provided from other shipyards.

When these companies were rationalised and their fleets flagged-out or sold, the collections of models disappeared. Maybe they went to museums or were otherwise appropriated, but they were symbols of great corporate pride and are probably now collecting dust somewhere.

The best one I have seen was a model of SSFrance in her owner's offices. At 1/48 scale it was around 22 feet or 7 metres in length and was beautifully detailed.

As for my more modest model it is more bore-some than awesome at the moment. Lots of filling, fairing and sanding preparing for painting. Thanks for your encouragement June, I'll post some photos soon.

Cheers,

Lachlan

[Lachlan]

The model I am making is progressing. The hull is nearly ready for painting. The openings for anchors and mooring gear are being done and the propeller shafts and fairings are also being finished. There are lots of details to go into the hull including somehow showing the bow-thruster tunnel covers. Also the port holes all need to be marked and drilled prior to painting. That is easier said than done: getting them at the correct spacings and sizes and in line with the sheer is a bit tricky.

It's pretty cold here now and we don't always go to where the model is but I do make some other bits such as the swimming pool which I can pop into the opening left for it when the time comes. I have all the lifeboats made now, but not the launches yet. I will make the funnel and the mast here at home in due course for fitting when we reach that stage.

Does anyone have a good photo of the Cunard lion that was presumably tiled as a mosaic on the bottom of the swimming pool? When we were on the ship I never had a look to see whether it was tiled or painted!

[Lynda Bradford]

Good to hear about the progress in building the model.  I have seen a picture of Cunard Lion at the bottom of the swimming pool, which I think may have been one of Isabelle's photos, but I am not sure.  If I find it I will post a link. 

[Lynda Bradford]

Have a look at the link to the topic on QE2 Swimming Pools https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,2460.msg27027.html#msg27027

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Yes, I see that Lynda has already given you the link to my photos -- thank you, Lynda!

As you will note, the lion was not a mosaic, but was painted on.

You could also have a look at these to check the approximate position of the lion within the swimming pool :

https://www.flickr.com/search/?w=55206992@N00&q=qe2%20%22swimming%20pool%22

[Twynkle]

It's good to remember feelings in the feet too!
White tiles, then the painted Lion, possibly in cadmium with a fair touch of ochre!
 

[Lachlan]

Lynda and Twynkle,

Thanks for those references to images of the lion in the pool. I'll see how steady my hand is when I have a go at painting it.

[June Ingram]

Great work, Lachlan !  I am looking forward to pictures in due time.   

[Lachlan]

Some progress has been made.

First, the pool assembly with its jaunty lion logo has been test-fitted. It still needs more detail and is not yet fitted properly but looks to be working.

Secondly, the hull has been painted. The paint-line towards the stren will be faired when the detail at the stern is painted by hand.

Thirdly the bulwark at the forward end of the Sun Deck has bee roughed-in. This took ages - I'm slow with compound curves. Now I'm moving to the Boat Deck.

More progress soon.

[June Ingram]

Thanks, Lachlan, for posting the photos of QE2's build in your "shipyard".  You are making wonderful progress ! and her decking is superb !!  The pool assembly with lion is marvelous !

Keep up the great work !