Hello to all, must say this is a very informative forum. I'm just home after quite a big abdominal operation, from which the recovery period could be lengthy. My normal activities are now restricted due to movement limitations so I decided to try my hand at ship modelling. I have bought a Tamiya 1:350 Bismarck. The ones I have seen completed have wooden decking and also brass detailing , but I'm unable to find these kits !. Can anyone point me in the right direction please. I would also like to try painting the hull at least but I don't want to purchase spray gun etc at this stage, can a decent job be made with brushes ?. Just had a thought about wire for rigging and anchor cables also. Any other advice or tips will be most welcome. Regards John
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Morning John.
best wishes for your recovery.
Pontos Models are one company who do upgrade sets including wooden deck replacements for Bismarck. There are others and someone will point you in the right direction.Some of these sets have lots of photo-etched parts and look incredibly complicated so unless you have the experience I'd be careful about being too ambitious at first.
Jon. -
Many thanks Jon
I will check Pontus out. Looking forward to the build but I want to get all my ducks in a row before I get started, don't want to be saying " I wish I had thought about that earlier" .
CheersComment
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Hi John
Welcome to the forum.
The Tamiya 1/350 Bismarck kit will build into a superb model straight from the box. However if you have extra patience and cash to spare then the details can be enhanced with after market products. There are many AM products for this kit. Do a Google search 'Tamiya 1/350 Bismarck wooden deck'. You will get wooden decks from the likes of Shipyard and Hunter etc. Do another couple of searches 'Tamiya 1/350 Bismarck photo etch' and 'Tamiya 1/350 Bismarck metal barrels'. You will see all that is on offer. There are also companies who resin upgrades.
You could very easily spend many times more on upgrades than on the original kit. *THIS* for example.
As for painting - many superb results are obtained with brushes. OK using an airbrush is easier in many ways but if you use multiple thin coats to get nice coverage then brush painting is an option.
Anyway I wish you a speedy recovery and have fun building this iconic ship.
JimComment
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Cheers Jim
I've had a look at some kits as you suggested. I have decided as this is my first model attempt I'm going to stick with the kit as is from the box. I'm sure there will be plenty learnings from this first build that I will take forward to the next kit. Painting - Brushes it will be on this occasion.
Many thanks for your comments.
Regards JohnComment
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Hi John
You have made a wise choice. Using aftermarket stuff is really not for a beginner in my opinion. Photo etch requires some very specific skills. The kit instructions have to be worked in with the PE instructions and some of the parts are ridiculously tiny. By building 'out of the box' you will end up with a model to be proud of whereas spending a lot on very difficult AM stuff could so easily end up with you being frustrated and disappointed. Have a look on YouTube - some interesting stuff on 1/350 ships including the Bismarck. As always with YouTube there is also plenty of dross!
Blog your build on the forum. You will only get encouragement and helpful advice. We are a polite, friendly bunch. Above all have fun!
JimComment
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Welcome John
If you are interested I am currently building a 1\350 Bismarck although it's not a tamiya one it's the Revell version I bought second hand with the full pe set I just might give you a idea what goes into it.
You are welcome to have a look.Comment
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A welcome from me as well John .
Hope the recovery goes well and as Jim says you do a blog .
John .Comment
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As stated hope the recovery goes well John.
Nice kit and as a first time, I wouldn't bother with loads of the PE extra as they can be fiddly and frustrating at times.
If all goes wrong and not going according to plan you could do what I ended up doing to mine and doing the sunken one :tongue-out:
You will be fine, just do it at your pace and take your time.Comment
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Most certainly. Also don’t forget spraying cans, either those made for modellers or for more general-purpose application. Painting a hull that’s about 70 cm long neatly with a brush isn’t going to be all that easy, but two spraying cans (one red and one grey) plus some masking tape should make fairly short work of it.Comment
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Some great advice and tips, they are all very much appreciated. Many thanks to you all for taking the time to respond.
Regards JohnComment
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