Well there you have it Roberts will see battle on the 19th. Pics will follow of the details when see comes up from the bottom and is dried out.
The Roberts is looking good John, but I think the bridge and funnel are taller than the plan. The interior layout is very neatly done. It'll be great to see the little beastie in action! Maybe I'll use HMS Gorgon on the 19th so we can have a monitor squadron. They both have approx. 4' turning circles. I can see Roberts leading with its bow cannon and Gorgon following close astern with its stern gun. Can you post directions to Uniacke House? Bob
Good eyes Bob. The funnel is taller that plans but is only there for the battle. The real ss will be made during the winter and is still on the bench.
Boomer, That's the actual hull shape of WWII 15" gunned monitors HMS Abercrombie and Roberts. They were an improvement on WWI monitors Terror and Erebus (which also fought in WWII). The WWI monitors had different bulges that went straight into the hull side a bit above the waterline. In the WWII monitors the hull sides sloped up from the outer edges of the bulges almost to the deck at 35 degrees (effectively doubling the armor thickness as in the T34 tank), and carried 5" armour plate, heavier than most if not all WWII heavy cruiser armor. Bob
And when Bob says it's tricky to lay up, believe him! They are very cool little ships, and John, you've done nice work on that one
Tugboat, When I laid up Abercrombie/Roberts hulls I started the two halves separately, gelcoating almost to the midline of each, then glassing the sides, bulges, and part of the bottom. Each mold half will sit on its bulge with the deck edge down. This helps keep the glass laying flat over the narrow strip of vertical side just below deck level until it sets. I figured that method out after struggling with the first hull. Bob
Roberts had its real test today and worked great. speed needs to be slower as it was about 26 seconds or more but it ran for two battles and never missed a beat. Now i will detail it and pick up the adaptor for the guns.
Chuck, If Joy wants a Roberts/Abercrombie I've sold the mold to Tugboat. He can probably make a hull for her. I should have a new British 15" turret mold soon to replace the worn-out one, and have a couple of spare 12-sided barbettes in my basement. Bob
