Hello all!, not sure if some of the old guys like modelcrazy and them are still around. But he, and many other helped me out a lot when I first started this hobby several years ago. I ended up buying my dream home, getting promoted, and a few other curve balls that life threw my way. But I have finally in the last month or two began to sit down and start modeling again!
I have picked back up on where I left off on the new tooled (few years back) trumpeter 1/350 Bismarck. Still have quite a bit to do with her but the superstructure is starting to take shape! I will share pictures once I have some time to take some decent ones!
Have a few models on my rack to start after I complete the bismarck, I just purchased the trumpeter italian heavy cruiser Zara for one of my next builds. I will create new threads for each new build as I start them. But I will update this one with bismarck pics as I complete the kit.
Thanks! Glad to see some of you guys are still here, to include Steve. Looking forward to finishing this bismarck, I bought the zara today with the upgraded wooden deck and anchor chain from artwox. Be my first time doing a wooden deck on a model. So I am excited to see how that turns out!
Thanks for the warm welcome back everyone! I put a couple of hours in on the Bismarck last night. I forgot how many frets of PE came with this model. But it is starting to come together. I bought some EZ line stuff to attempt rigging for the first time. Might mess around with one of my early models that are… well not the best of my work haha! Just to see how to use it and run it.
Not sure if I will attempt to add rigging to the Bismarck yet or not. But I plan on doing it to the Zara once I finish her. I will be starting on that model next I believe. I bought the Trumpeter 1/350 version of it. I have had a lot of luck with the trumpeter kits and they seem to be one of the best. So I will start the Zara Italian heavy cruiser, which comes with PE railings and other frets of PE with the kit. I am adding the artwox wooden deck and doing the rigging (attempting it anyway) with that model.
Should have some progress pics of the bismarck up soon!
Looking forward to the pictures when you get a chance to post them. I recently tried EZ Line for the first time, on one of my older productions, and learned “they” are correct - the EZ Line will curl if it comes into contact with CA glue where you don’t want it to.
Here are some photo’s of the Bismarck. A lot of detail in the superstructure on this model. been chipping away at it! Do not judge the paint on the super structure yet, it will be done once everything else is done and touched up!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2svbH5D]
So, with the amount of PE with this model and the next couple of ships on the shelf I have to build. I have grown tired of trying to perfect bending PE perfectly by hand with a set of PE pliers and never being happy. I ordered a PE bending tool for my table. With this, bending all this small PE should be much easier, streamlined, and hopefully perfect!
Today I spent about an hour before work working on the anchor and anchor chains. Probably not the best but I am happy with how they are turning out!
Aside from that I am currently working on the multople small guns and secondary guns for the ship. Once they are all done they can be applied to the superstructure and various other parts.
I always wondered what the thinking was putting a giant, high-visibility Nazi flag on the deck of the ship. Must have made a really nice target in the bombardier’s bombsight…
I have always wondered the same. Why would they put a huge red and white flag painted on the bow and stern basically saying, “HEY, place your bombs here!”. Only thing I could imagine is they were so sure the ship would never be sunk and were so caught up on themselves, they just did it. haha
It probably was for the same reason that ground troops lay out air recognition panels out,so that their own planes wouldn’t bomb them,stuff looks the same from way up.Japanese did the same thing,as the decks of carriers had big rising suns on the deck towards the bow,and letters on the stern end of the deck.
I am back in the full swing of scale modeling, and have once again began adding to my collection of future models to build. I started with the 1/350 RN Zara heavy cruisier with the artwox wooden deck upgrade. I also just bought the 1/350 HMS exeter heavy cruiser with the artwox wooden deck. I also purchased the artwox wooden deck and photo etch detail kit for my old ICM 1/350 german Konig battleship I have had forever.
Now today I noticed that a model I have wanted for a long time was in stock at squadron, so I had to buy it! It is the Trumpeter 1/350 RN Roma battleship! I also bought the detail up kit (PE railing, brass barrels, and other parts for the Roma, as well as the artwox wooden deck.
Next question is, after the Bismarck is finished, which one to start next?!
Some updates with my progress on the Trumpeter 1/350 Bismarck.
I still have a good bit of work ahead of me. A bunch more PE railings and other things, some detailing on the decking, cleaning up some paint work, and of course finishing and mounting the main battery. But finally getting close to being done with this build!
