The time has almost come to begin what I hope will be my ultimate build. I can't seem to do a ship without going wild and crazy (or finishing the previous one, for that matter
) so hopefully this will be an interesting and probably LOOONG term build log. For those following my other 1/72 Gato build don't worry... I haven't given up. I originally intended to do that one as a "filler project" while waiting for the Bismarck but it morphed into quite the monster project in the interim. I can at least see the end of the tunnel on that one now and I'll try to keep both logs going.
Anway, I finished Trumpeter's 1/200 Arizona last summer and loved building it...
...It even won "Best of Show" at a local hobby shop contest last month but I fully intend to blow it out of the water with the Bismark.
Here's the basic plan which I am still developing:
I'm going to build the Bismarck just after commissioning with the light grey paint scheme. I'm doing this mostly because everyone does the later schemes and I like to be different, plus the idea of a brand new battleship appeals to me.
On the Arizona I didn't sweat the small stuff but this time around I want to go into intense detail and accuracy. I also want to do "glass" portholes and windows; something I haven't tried yet on a ship.
Finally, I like to pick a "gimmick" that gives my work some "wow factor" and makes my ship stand out from the crowd. On the gato submarine I did a scratchbuilt pressure hull and deck; this time I am seriously considering hand-planking the Bismarck deck with wood strips to get something special.
Anyway, my Bismarck is in the mail and I am waiting impatiently for it. The next update will be an assessment of the kit. Hopefully there will be others doing build logs on the same kit so we can compare notes!
)
