HMS 'Iron Duke' (1912)

Scale: 1:96. A full hull model of the battleship HMS 'Iron Duke' (1912), made entirely in wood with wood and metal fittings, and painted in realistic colours. The hull is painted dark bronze below the waterline and dark grey above. Hull fittings include hawse holes; torpedo net booms in the retracted position; bilge keels; portholes on two decks; open stern gallery; four three-bladed propellers; and balanced rudder. The superstructure, five gun turrets, two funnels, single mast and other fittings are all painted dark grey, identical to the upper hull. The two turrets forward and three aft turrets all accommodate two guns. The mast is supported by four tall pillars astride the tall bridge and pilot house. Abaft the mast are the two funnels with a number of boats nested around them. Other fittings and features include a wave deflector; five small guns placed in the bulwarks forward of amidships on the port and starboard sides, with two further guns at the port and starboard quarters; and ensign staffs at the extreme bow and stern. A large section of deck, as well as other smaller sections, can be removed possibly to accommodate a working motor or engine. The four propeller shafts, extending into the model's interior, and still with their electrical connectors and silk electrical flex attached, indicate that the model could propel itself through water. When the deck sections are removed they reveal that the hull has been carved from solid wood. The model is mounted on a pair of plated metal crutches and displayed on a rectangular polished mahogany baseboard with bevelled edges and six bun feet. The pillar cradle supports are not permanently fixed to the model allowing it to be easily removed from its baseboard.Alfred Graham & Co