0 Attachment I found this while doing the regular ebay search: FS GEORGES LEYGUES 1/144 SCALE COMBAT MODEL WARSHIP KIT SWAMPWORK'S MFG FS GEORGES LEYGUES 1/144 SCALE COMBAT ... US $100.00 Used in Toys & Hobbies, Models & Kits, Military View on www.ebay.com
I am the buyer of this model. It was a spur of the moment purchase but I figured to take the plunge. Of course for an extra $55 I could have had Battle Connections USS Mississippi that I have been eyeing. After the purchase I when through my room looking for an old Swampworks catalog I had ordered (it was from 1996!) and read up on the Georges Leygues. I might be in over my head as a beginnner model.
It looks easy enough to build. Superstructure looks simple. This is a shoot and scoot boat. Put two cannons in tha back and have fun!
According to the catalog, it says that it is more suited for intermediate gamers, as the size makes it difficult due to weight and internal space. Still, it's worth a try.
This is true, we generally recommend a large cruiser, predreadnought, or battlecruiser for someone's first build. They are roomy enough to be easier to work on (fitting all the components in, sufficient weight allowance, etc). Smaller cruisers, destroyers, and whatnot you run out of weight allowance and space pretty quickly, while Battleships are large, with more elaborate (complicated) setups have more things to go wrong (not to mention more $$). That being said, that philosophy is based on past experiences going back to the 1980's. There's so much more info, examples & help available now that it is... no longer as true as it once was. I strongly advise you to thoroughly read thru the build threads on this site, especially of the smaller boats, to see what others have done (both wrong & right, as mistakes often teach more than successes!) Best of luck, and most importantly: HAVE FUN!
Probably the most important consideration is to keep as much weight down low at the bottom of the hull as is possible, and make your superstructure very light. Light cruisers tend to all be very tippy. You might want to consider using a LiPO battery such as this: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__58960__ZIPPY_Flightmax_8000mAh_2S1P_30C.html (myself and Tugboat have been using them for a few years now).
Congratulations on your purchase. I hoped someone closer (that I could shoot at) would buy it, but c'est la guerre (sp?). Don't be intimidated or put off by the opinions of others about this kit. It will most likely be a piece of cake to get running, depending on what skills you already posess. When people think about how difficult a job may be, they usually are also considering the tools involved, without even realising it. With rudimentary tools it would be a pita- with a well equiped shop it would be a pleasant couple of weeks. Either way with a kit that complete you should have her ready to go well before the water turns hard. If you look up the Georges Legs on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French...es_Leygues You will see that she was a La Galissoniere class cruiser: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French...es_Leygues Scroll down the page to find the names of her class sisters, and I found a couple Gloires on this site. Below on this For Sale page with some good pics of the internals: http://rcnavalcombat.com/Forum/tabi...fault.aspx A build thread- no pics but info and people to ask how when you need to: http://rcnavalcombat.com/Forum/tabi...fault.aspx And at Port Polar Bear: http://www.portpolarbear.com/report...Glorie.htm And the Montcalm: http://www.portpolarbear.com/report...ntcalm.htm That should get you started. If you haven't already, check out the old "Hullbusters" archive for lots of DIY info and ideas. If the kit doesn't have the deck layout drawing I or someone else here can send the plan from the French naval history archive. Have fun!
A bit tangential, but have you had any luck starting up a group in your area yet Jeff? Pittsburgh, right? Hows the fleet coming? You were planning Big-Gun if i remember right? You should post here more often, pics and build threads and such.
Life took a big turn sideways for me a while back. I had to pretty much drop everything to care for my elderly mother. That's why I haven't been around for a while. I have had to move back to her home- my place is to far away from emergency services if necessary, and set up a workshop there. I'm finally ready to get back into the hobby, even though I'm still setting up the shop for faster production and making Indiana type cannons. Check out my notice on the independents in PA page. The threads on ship construction, gun construction, changes to the hobby and new/overlooked technologies should (hopefully) start next week, in a couple of weeks at the outside- fingers crossed!
Thank you all for your encouragement. The more I look at the model the more excited I am about it. It is a smart looking ship;I only hope I can do it justice. Of course, seeing the goal is to have people try to sink it, perhaps I won't get too attached to it. I've built a couple of hulls before but lose interest when coming to the superstructure. I believe it has premolded superstuctures which would be a big help. I'm seeing it as a winter project so I plan to use all the suggestiond you guys made. I'm looking forward to spending some time going through the suggested links.
Oh no, the goal isn't to have people try to sink it, the goal is to make the other poor captains swim for their side. If you sink in the process, well, it happens sometimes when you engage the enemy more closely.
There's been some progress (not by me!) on 3D printed torpedo cannons for Big Gun. It looks quite promising with some development work
Ok, here's a teaser for a build discussion I plan for later this year: I know I can make a working 1/144 Type IX U-Boat that will make holes in targets; I'm pretty sure I can do a Type VII and I think I can do a Type XXIII, but only as a dynamic diver. I'm not sure the XXIII is worth it with only 2 attacks and running back to port to reload. The only limiting factor, in terms of reducing the size of the sub, is the size of the receiver. Yeah- wolfpack in a suitcase. That being said, nothing more gets released until I work the bugs out of the Hedgehog launcher countermeasure. I'm working on a BALANCED addition to Big Gun. Battle of the Atlantic stuff. More when I'm ready.
