Posted by John M
on February 25, 2009, 5:16 pm
82.29.20.24
I've recently managed to finish building "Manchester Challenge" - another intriguing 1/1200 kit from Gary Anson at Loft Lines. These ships were another example of British eccentricity - despite all appearances, ships in this class were in fact container vessels. The containers were carried in the hull itself, loaded via the many hatches on deck. Built during the late 1960s, the slightly odd dimensions resulted from a need for the ships to be able to navigate the entire length of the Manchester Ship Canal. They were also ice strengthened to allow year round access to destinations ports in Canada. Unfortunately, they proved to be too small to be competitive in the emerging container shipping business and enjoyed only short lived success. In later life, the ships of this class were often seen with additional containers being carried on deck which rather spoiled their neat appearance. You can see lots of photos of Challenge, Concorde, Courage and Crusade on the "Photoships" website.
Photoships
The kit is basically a one piece casting in a creamy coloured resin. Gary has included masts into the single piece moulding, but I decided to trim them away and replace with my own made from brass wire. The main mast has a radar platform and this can be cut from thin plastic sheet.
What looks like a goalpost mast on the stern is in fact a gantry to raise up the rear navigation light. I made this using stretched white plastic sprue (no painting required). The grey "deck" at the stern is a permanent canopy covering an outdoor workspace. The two electric cranes behind the funnel are also stretched sprue and possibly a bit too heavy - I may replace them with new cranes made from brass wire.
All the painting has been done using Revell Aquacolor acrylics. Gary includes a very useful rub down (Letraset style) decal for the hull sides. Of course, I managed to mess up one side and had to fill in the missing bits with a brush and white paint. The black band on the funnel is a bit rough and will be replaced (eventually).
I really enjoyed making this model which makes an out of the ordinary addition to my merchant "fleet" in the display cabinet. Anyone interested in tackling the Manchester Challenge kit should contact Gary directly for prices and availability. ( gary.anson@talk21.com ) I believe that finished and painted versions can be sourced from Les Hodder at Wirral Miniships.
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