DKM Bismarck in 1/350 Scale

[UrpoK]

Hi Ernest,

That

[Pat]

The one place I'd expect to see some obvious weathering would be the anchors and the anchor chains as they cross the deck and the Hakenkruez at the bow.

I don't know if her anchors were ever used, but I suspect that they would have been during acceptance and shakedown and even one use would take the paint of the chains and dragging the chains over the deck would cause some scratching.

[Rokket]

Interesting, WOULD they have been used? I agree with Pat that they would have at least been "exercised" and tested, and one time would be enough for "less than perfect" finishing.

[Greif]

Thanks for the kind words Urpok.  This has actually been a rather challenging build for me.  I have never built a surface warship before, so I had to learn a couple of new techniques.  Planning the build has also been a learning experience.  Figuring out the proper sequence for the painting has been quite and exercise, and I have made a few mistakes along the way.  Live and learn I guess!

Thanks again!
Ernest

Hi Ernest,

That

[Greif]

Hi Wink and Pat,  I am planning to do a bit of weathering.  Your comments a dead on about the heaviest of that being around the anchor chains.  I have to keep in mind that at this scale any chipping and rust, especially rust streaks are going to be quite small.  I still have a ways to go with construction before I get to weathering.  I will post some "in progress" photos later today.

Ernest

[Greif]

Here are the pictures I promised earlier.

Ernest

[Greif]

And a few more!

Ernest

[billp51d]

             Ernest.. Very nice work.. Beautiful ship !
                                                     Bill

[Greif]

Thank you Bill.  This has been a difficult build with alot of discovery learning for me.  Unfortunately, I also made alot of mistakes in both technique and presentation.  The looks would not hold up so well under the magnifying glass, so I am lucky the model will not undergo that sort of examination!

Ernest

             Ernest.. Very nice work.. Beautiful ship !
                                                     Bill

[Pat]

That looks pretty good in the pictures Ernest.

I like the way you've simulated the shrouds for the turreted guns.

Are there PE railings for that scale?  Or are they just too pricey and difficult for the number you'd need for that ship?

[Greif]

Hi Pat, thanks for the encouraging comment.  The model is just fine for display purposes; my problem with this build is that I know what I am capable of, and I did not get there this time.  There are PE Railings for the kit; I have the ones for around the hull at deck level.  The PE set which includes all the railings is fairly expensive and as this is somewhat of a "one off" build for me, I opted not to purchase it.  I hate to admit it, but surface ship models just don't capture my heart, and building the Bismarck has been a bit of a grind. 

As an aside, the same friend of my wife that I built the cannon kit for saw the build a couple of weeks ago.  Her husband likes to display ships and subjects related to ships, but, according to her,  does not have the time or skills to build them.  She asked my wife if I could build a 1/350 model of the USS Hornet for her to surprise her husband with on their anniversary this fall.  Of course my dear spouse told her I would be glad to build the model (sigh).  So I now have the Trumpeter USS Hornet kit, with 3 additional aircraft sets and a PE set of 2.0 cm AA guns (which do look pretty cool) waiting in the wings.  Fortunately, I have much more time than with the cannon to build the model; the couple's anniversary is in mid-November.   Also fortunately, the Hornet has ALOT fewer parts then the Bismarck so planning painting and construction sequences should not be the nightmare for me that this build has been.

Ernest

That looks pretty good in the pictures Ernest.

I like the way you've simulated the shrouds for the turreted guns.

Are there PE railings for that scale?  Or are they just too pricey and difficult for the number you'd need for that ship?

[Rokket]

Wives! well, enough said

[Pat]

I can definitely understand the scenario of skills outpacing justificable finances to install PE railings.  There are certainly a lot of those railing on Bismark and once you've put in one rail, it's not much of a challenge to put in others.

I built several WWII surface ships for my father when I was still a teenager, and my skills weren't nearly what they are now.  Like you, I could easily do a far better job on them now, and although I appreciate the effort that others have done on some, my interests don't lie with WWII surface ships.  WWII U-boats, for sure, and perhaps a PT boat would be interesting, but not any others.

Good thing you have so much more advance warning for the Hornet build.  I've been there before too (with the wife volunteering me for something that wasn't my cup of tea - not building Hornet).  Fortunately, I have her aware enough to mention that such a build might need a year, not just a few summer months.

[Rokket]

guns look especially good. Hey, it's another notch i the built and hopefully some fun too!

[TRM]

Great work Ernest.  I know of the perils with PE  (1/700 being incredibly difficult)  I began bashing a Missouri kit in September and came to a standstill when I realized what I wanted to get and how much it would cost...Happily my VIIC fell in my lap to fill the void.  Now seems like it will consume the majority of the time .  All in fun.  Keep up the great work, looking forward to seeing more.