Can anyone help a complete Dunderhead?

[Harry Faversham]

I'm a complete novice regarding WW1 Naval wargaming, my knowledge knows no beginnings. I'm after a small (doesn't have to be 100% accurate just nice looking!) fleet of Jutland period/type warships. I'm after British and German:-

Dreadnaughts
Battleships
Battle Cruisers
Armoured Cruisers
Cruisers
Destroyers

Which would give the most visually pleasing ships for both sides from this manufacturer...

http://www.magistermilitum.com/scale/1-6000.html#order=name&limit=36&p=1&dir=ASC&cat[

Are there any little tricks of the trade to painting theses ships, different shade of sea grey to tell our lads and the Hun apart? All I really know is the Germans had black turret tops with a white thingy on top for identification, even the Destroyers?
Any help or advice would be gratefully appreciated... somebody take pity and help fill this empty vessel!!!???

[warrenpeace]

This article by Mal Wright is the one that you need to read:

http://www.gwpda.org/naval/s1200000.htm

There's some specific advice somewhere about the difference in painting 1:6000 scale vs. larger scales such as 1:2400 or 1:1250. Having seen some 1:6000 that were painted darker shades, which made these very small models harder to distinguish, it may be that these smaller models need to be painted in lighter shades. I think you might find that discussion in a search on TMP (The Miniature Page).

I paint 1:2400 scale. My earlier destroyers and torpedo boats, both Germans and British, are painted dark, almost black, as they looked at the start of the war. Destroyers and torpedo boats didn't have wooden decks like the cruisers and larger ships did. They were all dark at the start of the war. On 1:6000 scale there's no point in painting any small areas with the red or tan cortizene. I don't bother with that on 1:2400 scale. Destroyers completed after the start of the war I paint in mid-grey, both Germans and British. I don't know of any air recognition paint schemes on British or German torpedo boats or destroyers in World War 1. (When I paint my Russian Baltic fleet the destroyers will be all mid-grey from the start.)

I paint British battleships and cruisers at the start of the war in dark to very dark grey, with ivory colored decks. I will paint later British ships in a lighter shade of mid-grey, but still with very light decks, and still with dark turret tops. I paint German battleships and cruisers with mid to light grey hulls, very light grey upper works (superstructure, turrets, and funnels), and with dark turret tops on the battleships and armored cuisers. I paint the German decks in Howard Hues "deckplank" shade, which is darker and more yellow than the ivory shade I use for the British. I don't know if that's perfectly accurate, but I've read that the German decks were darker, and my particular color schemes produce a nice contrast between the British and the Germans. (When I paint my Russian Baltic fleet, the bigger ships will be mid-grey with tan decks, again to give a contrast with the German look.)

The only air recognition markings that I know of are the white circles on some of the German turret tops on battleships and cruisers, but I think that only came along in 1917, or at least after Jutland. Since I intend most of my fleet actions to take place before or at Jutland, I don't paint that detail on my 1:2400 scale models. It's would be pretty hard to paint that on 1:6000 scale models.

[Harry Faversham]

Cheers Warren, that's a great help. I kind of thought of doing the British and German ships with different shades for the decks, nice to know I can, and they'll still look correct.

[Harry Faversham]

I've just gleaned a light grey resin model of HMS Lion, it's three and a half inches long, what scale would that be then and can anyone identify the maker for me?

[georgec]

I've just gleaned a light grey resin model of HMS Lion, it's three and a half inches long, what scale would that be then and can anyone identify the maker for me?

A 700' long HMS Lion would be 3.5" long at 1/2400 scale.  Is it  one made by Panzerschiffe?

http://www.panzerschiffe.com/images/A-112.jpg

[Harry Faversham]

Looking at that piccy, yep that's the manufacturer, doesn't look too bad now I've painted it!