Brazilian Minas Geraes Class

Hi all,

Does anyone know where I might find some plans for this class of battleship. I'm not particular on which ship in the class.

It will be a while before I have enough skill to actually build one of these... But hey. A guy can dream. It would be nice to have these plans on hand.

Thanks!

 

Loyalhannah/Taubman has it (probably G Goff)

http://www.taubmansonline.com/ under Misc Navies 1/144 scale got to look around but it is there.

 

Thanks a lot!

Taubman was actually the first place I looked for these... though I was looking under the alphabetical listings.

I wish that site was a little more organized. Oh well.

What's so special about G Goff?

 

It's a Goff set.

 

Goff drawings are pretty terrible. The measurements on the different views have been known to not line up, the details wrong, etc.... But if its your only source, what else can you do?

 

I forgot about that one, indeed my 2.5yr old can draw better boats...

 

PropShaft,

What are your plans for this build? If you are planning a non-combat scale model, then a G Goff plan is most likely not ideal for you.

If you are planning a 1/144 combat ship…… Most guys simplify details. These boats take a fair amount of abuse. Length, Width, correct number of props & rudders is important. Superstructure is generally “stand-off” scale. Is it recognizable as the ship you intended to build? Good enough. Even most who build in a lot of detail year 1 are down to “stand off” scale by year 3 as bits and pieces are blown off and damaged.

 

Don't do the hating on poor old George, I have seen combat boats built with Mc Donalds 1/4 pounder boxes as turrets (really very scale for Allied).

 

If I built this it would be a combat boat. I don't intend to make it any time soon though. I've been working on and off on my liberty ship for about three years now . In school, time has never been on my side.

I was asking about this particular boat because I really like the design. I admit, it may not be a brilliant battler, but I have a weakness for dreadnoughts.

If I ever get proficient at building ships, and I gain more experience with weapon systems, I might consider this boat as a third or fourth build. I wanted to be sure that plans were available for it though.

 

The Minas Geraes is a fairly standard British dreadnought hull design of the period. I'd grab plans for a similar British DN and scale appropriately (St. Vincent class is very close).

 

The Minas Geraes may be a fairly standard British dreadnought hull design as far as length and width….. However (Please correct me if I am wrong here) it appears to me by the pictures that I can find that it is a dual shaft, single rudder ship.



That means that she has no drag props, and a litigated smaller rudder area than her AXIS counterparts.
At 28 second speed you will not be able to out run anything, so you had better be able to out turn them.
If you have your heart set on a Brazilian ship go for it. If you like British dreadnought looks, go with the HMS Erin.

 

Erin is damn handsome

 

You might also be interested in the Argentinian dreadnought Rivadavia. While still having 28sec speed and one rudder, you get a three shaft layout, a nice 5.5 units, and a good turret layout. Plus the post-modernization ones are quite handsome.

 

I did have some interest. Not sure that I could ever get over the rudder issue......
I could not find prints.

 

Hmmm... That's something to consider. Would a single rudder ship be less maneuverable than a double rudder? Does rudder area equate to sharper turning?

Important note: I would be building this ship under the MABG (Big Gun) rules.

She is a nice ship. Thanks for pointing her out. Aren't those 4 props instead of 3 though?

 

Generally, bigger rudders = better turning, but it's not the only factor to consider when basing a ships turning ability. With a three shafted ship (like Rivadavia) powering the center shaft and using the outer shafts as drag props can make a ship turn tighter than a four shafted ship. Reason why is the single (or double fmt) rudder can more effectively "catch" prop wash from a single powered shaft. More propwash being caught and directed by the rudder = better turning. That's why bigger rudders can help turning because they catch more propwash and direct it away. Drag props (solid disks on unpowered shafts) help with turning by producing drag. This slows the boat down, forcing the prop(s) to spin faster to get the boat up to speed. Spinning the prop(s) faster causes more propwash equaling better turning. Hope that helps explain turning to you. And yes, Rivadavia is a three shafted ship.

 

He is doing big gun, all the fast gun advice you guys are giving him on rudders, speeds, units, turning does not necessarily apply.

 

Mina's Gerais is a difficult build in Big Guns. She's a relatively small ship, and getting all six turrets in will be a significant challenge. In addition, the control issues with the wing turrets will be significant. As far as I know, no one in Big Guns has successfully built a battleship with six turrets. That said, Brian Alexander just up the road from you has come very close with SMS Nassau, which is smaller than Mina's Gerais.