The Ship Model Forum

This photograph is not very clear. However, some boats had rails for mine-laying, see e.g. V47:


Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/SMS_V_47.jpg

The funnel colour is a controversial topic. The colour was likely different for different operations, i.e. specifically ordered for a specific operation. It was apparently only applied at sea and painted over before the return. I added on my models a red rear funnel for Jutland - but without any convincing argument besides that I thought that it was used as an identification mark and therefore would have make sense to use it on all ships.

Thank you again for all of the information. A further question; would the aft funnel be painted red at Jutland like the capital ships? Also, when ships sortied did they always paint the funnel?

What do you mean by that? Could you post a picture of the part you are referring to?

i am really interested in their stern rear devices in some classes-like v-48 or S-boats. How did they work in battle?

To further qualify this in terms of modelling: according to textbooks on shipbuilding of the time, a concoction of oilpaint, tar and sand was used. This was spinkled with sand before drying. So after a few weeks out in the sea, the colour would be that of aged tarmac.

I found German 'Panzergrau RAL 7021' (e.g. Vallejo Model Air 71.056) a suitable base-colour that than can be modified with pastels and washings.

An add on to the colours: I think that the decks were painted black - most steel decks of German ships of that period were painted black.

Thank you!

A remark to the colours:

the larger ships were painted in two grey colours, both of them being light greys. The darker one is called dark grey, but was usually not dark at all. This grey was used on the hulls, wheres the superstructure and on some cases part of the hull were painted in the lighter grey. The separation of these two greys can be difficult to see, because there was no big contrast between them (at the end of the war, there are examples of the darker of the two greys being much darker).

In case of the torpedo boats (destroyers), they were originally painted black, but starting in 1915, they were painted in the darker of the two light greys (the "dark grey"). Officially, that was changed in 1916 (as wefalck has written), but many destroyers were painted earlier in grey - and some smaller torpedo boats (e.g. those with "A" numbers) were painted black also after 1916.

I think that G 39 and her sisterships never were painted black, but always in the darker of the two light greys.

From 29.04.1895 to 14.12.1898 torpedoboats were painted dark grey all over, then up to 04.12.1916 black all over. From then until the end of WW1 they were dark grey again.

From their introduction in the early 1880s to 1895 they were painted in the same livery as other ships, that is black hull and ochre superstructures, funnels etc.

These are the official dates according to the Marineverordnungsblatt etc., but in reality, there may have been some delay in them being repainted.

So does this mean German WW I torpedoboats were dark grey and not typical German light grey?

The flyhawk instructions call for it to have a dark grey hull and dark blue decks

Planning on building the 1/700 Flyhawk G-39 1916 but the directions show it as black as does the old Warship Profile Torpedo Boat B110. I thought German Destroyers and Torpedoboats were in typical German light grey during the war? Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

I made a list of all kits of ships which had fought at Jutland:
http://www.modellmarine.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4426:gemeinschaftsprojekt-100-jahre-schlacht-vor-dem-skagerrak&catid=359:gemeinschaftsprojekte

It is now nearly three years old, but I do not think that there are now more kits for German destroyers available in 1/700:

V 150 class by Choroszy Modelbud
G 37 class by FlyHawk
B 97 class by NNT (B 98)

So, has anyone compiled a list of what's available? I'm interested in 1/700 (and have the Flyhawk G-37-G-40 model) but I'm sure others would be interested in other scales.

Yes, moved. Probably better to move posts to another topic.

So, the museum has already moved ? What a pity that I never made it to the old Admiralty-Building

Have to write to them again and see what other models of the pre-1918 navy might be around ...

Sorry no digital photos of the Goeben. Elbing were photographed on film in the early 80-ies. Perhaps the model put up in the exhibition, because the Museum has not yet fully staffed after the move. Now exposed to many new models which never existed before. I was able to photograph only 20% of the exhibits.

Alexey, are you saying that there are models of SMS GOEBEN und SMS ELBING in the Central Naval Museum ? Or where are they ?

I would be very interested to have (colour) pictures of both models.

See also my post here: http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=103494

Thanks !