HMS Burdock South Atlantic 1941
 
I bought a White Ensign Models Flower Class Corvette HMS Buttercup (HMS Burdock is my version) 700 scale resin kit at Telford some five years ago or so, and thought it might be a quick and simple project to attend, and with numerous references available, it would be easy to pick up on the detail required for almost any of the long forecastle class.
 
My key reference was the John Lambert and Les Brown book “Flower Class Corvettes” and especially the coloured camouflage drawing of HMS Burdock showing her in Dark Blue and Yellow splinter pattern in the South Atlantic in 1941.
 
John Lambert had also written “Flower Class Corvettes in World War Two” for Warship Perspectives, and the detail of drawings is perfect for one of the most well covered topics in the warship range.
 
Also as a back up reference I had the Man O’ War “Flower Class Corvettes” by Antony Preston, and Alan Raven, and so I had all the close up deck pictures I could wish for.
 
The WEM resin kit is a great little build even if the lower hull doesn’t fit but a ship called Buttercup wasn’t for me, and happily, Burdock had the trendy camouflage scheme which made this a winner.
 
The photo etch with the kit is all you could ask for, and there were no extras to look for although I did make paddles for the dingy from stretched sprue.
 
The rigging is a departure from my usual in as much as it’s a hybrid of fishing line, and stretched sprue. I find that the longer lengths of rigging as better in the  fishing line medium because they will last longer for me, and are resistant to my clumsy approach to building. The shorter lines are much better in stretched sprue as the junctions – usually in multiples – are easier to terminate accurately and cleanly.
 
A good touch is the pennant number, and Harry Abbot’s BattleFleet Models Coast Guard set was perfect for this leaving a good number of letters and numbers for the spares box. By the way, the came off the paper backing and stuck to the hull very satisfactorily.
 
Finally, the explosion is all cotton wool – by a good brand one if you try this – all glued down with PVA.
 
Happy modelling………….
 
 
Peter Fulgoney –January 2012.