Excellent stuff - I like the new blue color you've used for the bridge glazing and portholes.
Now the only thing that needs updating are the big searchlights. Those things have always struck me as being far too large (they are double the size of the USN 36" lens models!) and look sort of ridiculous. Though having said that, I'm actually not sure if the RN used a larger model of searchlight than the USN - so I may just be completely wrong!
My original look was at full scale. Had another look at x4 to have a good look at the window colour. I have been using the light blue that has appeared on a few of the French units from GD and Latuch. I'm not sure which looks better.
While looking I did notice a block of 4 portholes under the steam pinnace was a couple of pixels out of line. I wasn't sure if this was on purpose or a slip of the mouse.
Krakatoa, they were meant like that (I think they may have been washrooms). You'll also find a raised porthole for the Admiral's WC near the muzzle of the aft 6in turret!
Rest assured all the portholes are where they are meant to be, the 3x3 porthole is so much easier to place without any distortions, especially for superstructures.
I don't think I can take credit for the new blue, I've playing with new colours for a while and I took this one from an FD scale aircraft, I think Skyder2598 is the originator of these shades.
I really like it too because its still blue but natural-looking and you can shade it easily too. I intend to use it from now on for all my works, including FD scale.
I've also switched to a hemp-grey rigging mix to better represent the rigging and the radio antennas. I'm still not convinced hemp looks better than grey for masts, but it certainly does for cranes and davits etc. to help it stand out from the superstructure shades. I'm happy with the result though.
I'll look into the searchlights. A 44in searchlight would be roughly 7 pixels, though its a pain to get circular looking circles at smaller scales so eight might be better, so that would be 4 pixels smaller.
Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft
Hood your drawings are amazing! I think the G3 Final design would have been a right brute if she was built. Its a shame that she wasn't.
I'm drawing a fictional Imperial German 18in capital ship and am looking for inspiration, while looking at your drawings I noticed that the H3b has two differently sized turrets, i'd just thought i'd let you know.
1. The G-3 was the final result of a lot of infighting among factions in the Royal Navy. One can see the usual compromises; guns (smaller), armor (thinner), speed (slower) than each faction wanted. The limiters are; docks and canals (2), politicians, gun technology and powerplant limitations the British have ~1921. It will take a decade for the US to catch up^1.
2. Just as the USN had the Panamax problem, so the RN has the Suez problem. Even with the planned 1920s dredging in the works, the draft limited the size of the hull. The other limiter is the British drydocks with only one available to take one of these monsters (Liverpool?). Germany had the other one.
3. The armor is thick, and all or nothing. The thick end of the float citadel incorporates the forward turrets, the forward control tower and ends just ahead of the break between the amidships main turret and the engineering spaces.
4. It can be extrapolated that British torpedo defense is as faulty in this design as it proves later to be in Prince of Wales. The forecastle is as vulnerable as the North Carolinas^1 to scalloping. The screw arrangements are even worse in the regard to a possible torpedo strike.
5. If the main armament is comparable to that fitted to the Nelsons, then shell dispersion at the outer range envelope will be as big a problem for the G3s as it proved for those ships.
6. Though not known at the time, the anti-aircraft defense both in directors and guns is totally inadequate to the projected 1930 threat, but for 1921 it is outstanding. Best in the world.
7. The anticipated opponents and referents; the Lexingtons or the South Dakotas would have been meat on the table to this monster. The Japanese Tosas and Amagis would be similar dead meat. Not until the North Carolinas would there be a foreign ship, that on paper could meet this design on equal terms in a gunfight. Torpedoes? That would be a different fish kettle. Same goes for shock damage from aerial bombing. However, since neither of the referent enemies know this, and it would not be revealed until action, they would have to assume it is not a problem for the British.
All in all, a very outstanding on paper reaction to Jutland lessons and proof that British shipwrights were still a decade or two ahead of their referent rivals.
^1 The Americans finally technically catch the British.
Thank you for creating that 'Proud Monster', I makes me want to make another attempt at getting Action Stations (The DOS based game that featured these as optional ships..) running so that I can test them out against the Bismark...
Those things have always struck me as being far too large (they are double the size of the USN 36" lens models!) and look sort of ridiculous. Though having said that, I'm actually not sure if the RN used a larger model of searchlight than the USN - so I may just be completely wrong!