MarOnca wrote:
this looks really nice, kinda love the Tirpitz.
I completed Heller's 1/400 Tirpitz about a year ago, using Tom's Modelworks PE, which really spruced it up, but the
kit was nowhere near as nice as this Tamiya. Had a real PAIN getting the deck only attached, even bought feeler gauges, for car points, to help guide it in but still ended up ALMOST throwing it against a wall. I had gotten the kit at a LHS in Florida in 1996, done most of the upper sub-structures, guns, and boats, then they sat in a container for about 15 years, of course had to re-spray everything. Had done the deck up nicely, but the drag with that kit was the dividing area between 'planks' was ridged UP, which defeated the idea of doing a wash that would fill in between planks to slightly different shade/color. As it was, I had to do so much deck touch-up, using three different shades of "brown", (sand, wood, light tan, and one artist-oils Sienna), that it still worked out OK. I was pleased, deck-wise.
it kinda got ruined with my attempts at rigging, using line probably too thick. Yet to get good pictures of it, though,
that a whole project itself, (right back-drop, cut foam, I have two completed Schellboote, also from Heller, to place alongside a to-water gangway, four gangways came with the PE).
other things to do. I hated it(sorta) when I got done, but then also want/ed to do a 1/200 Tirpitz. Go figure.
it is 25 inches long, and aside from a 25-inch long SR-71A above my stereo, is the largest model I have done. Certainly the most complex. Had a 25-30 inch long Tirpitz profile, printed on joined regular printer paper, taped together, above the door, inside, of my hobby room, probably still there.
Hello MarOnca,
I think that the Tamiya's Tirpitz is a very nice kit, although it was released long ago. I don't know anything about Revell's version, but that might be another nice kit as well, together with Pontos set in the future.
We started too many ships at the same time, and are having quite a hard time finishing one; only a 1/350 AFV club I-58 submarine (at completion version) managed to sail out of the stash.
Regarding your Heller's Tirpitz, that seemed to be a valuable experience for a modeler. Not long ago we bought a 1/800 Bismarck by Academy, and decided to build her just for fun; it was a good decision. The kit was designed to be motorized, so not to mention the underwater hull accuracy at such scale....and the superstructure and turrets were nothing near Tamiya's, or even Heller's. I painted her a camouflage I made up myself. Not too bad, I hope.
So to mention your 1/200 Tirpitz, is that the Trumpeter Bismarck to be converted? Using Pontos's Bismarck set would be nice, only that the price is rather high. I always dream of having large model kits in my stash. My biggest one right now is a 1/350 Tamiya USS Enterprise. She is waiting her turn to be built, but for how long I wouldn't know.
BTW, you can post your Heller's Tirpitz here too, if you like. I will definitely want to see it. Sounded like she got lots of improvements.
Have a nice time modeling!
Aop & Aur