HMS Majestic
HMS Majestic was my first attempt at a ship in the 32-stud width category.  I'd built two cruisers
in the 16-stud category before; one of these was the Armada light cruiser that can be found under
Other Vessels.  I was serously bereft of grey plates when building Majestic, so the centre decks
were done in black and the aft in grey, blue, and red (the two 6 x 8 plates to the inside aft of the TT
on the after deck); the upperwork decks were done in black and white.  The fighting tops on all of
my ships are primarily black, thus explaining why they don't photograph well.  Strangely enough, the
end result came out remarkably well.

Majestic's working functions are limited to swiveling and elevation of the weapons.  The 5.4" DP twin
turrets (the little ones) have proven particularly useful, although the guns do not elevate independently
of one another.  There was no provision for aircraft or utility boats on Majestic as designed  This may
change, however.
 

The fantail of Majestic, with the old 8-pdrs and torpedo tubes.  The torpedo tubes ended up in the torpedo
boats you can find in the Other Ships section; the 8-pdrs ended up gracing an early harbour sentry.
 

This is the second quarter of Majestic.  The starboard 5.4" DP turrets are clearly visible here, as are
the "stacked" lifeboats.  There's a crewman enjoying the air on the observation deck, just for scale.
 

These are views of Majestic from the bow--again, out of focus because of the lousy old cheap-o
camera I'd used back in 1997.  The forward port and starboard 5.4" DP twins in the left are not
readily visible unless you look carefully; bridge detail has also been washed out in both because
of its white/black composition.  The left photo does, however, give one a good sense of the height
of the ship in relation to its hull.  A better feeling of the bow is conferred by the one on the right.
Darn flash!  Darn camera strap!  I'm glad I have since bought a much better camera.
 

Finally, here's my favourite Majestic picture.  It's also one of the most maddening--for once,
the focus was all right, the ship was centered, and not put off by clutter in the background--but
alas, my viewfinder didn't run through the lens, so I didn't see the occluding camera strap until
I got the photos back.  Rats!
 
 
 
 
 

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