HMS 'Astraea' (1893)

Scale: 1:48. A half block shipbuilders model of HMS 'Astraea' (1893), a 2nd class cruiser. The model is made entirely in wood, gouged out internally and constructed in bread and butter fashion. The hull is painted a coppery-brown below the waterline with the upperworks and bulwarks painted black, and divided by a thin white line along the waterline. There are a number of features painted on to the black part of the hull including portholes, loading doors and apertures, all picked out in red and white paint. There is a rudder fitted at the stern and the ram bow is complete with a hawsepipe painted red on a black background. There is a single deck, with two bridge decks at bow and stern, painted creamy-white, on which is mounted a pair of main armament guns with shields, painted black. There are three other guns with shields mounted along the bulwarks in the waist area and finished in natural wood. Other fixtures include a pair of stump masts in stained wood and varnished, a pair of truncated funnels painted yellow-brown and five ventilator cowlings painted yellow-brown, all of which are mounted on grey blocks of superstructure. On deck at the bow and stern are two capstans, three deck hatches and two sets of towing bollards. The model is mounted on a wooden backboard painted creamy-white, with a stained and varnished mahogany edging. Name "Astraea" on plaque. The model has been recently restored with the additions and repairs finished in a natural wood colour.

Original size: 318 mm x 2130 mm x 137 mm