Hi all, I'm back.
After a few years of too many expensive, overly ambitious and stalled-out/failed projects I was almost ready to throw in the towel and quit scale modeling altogether. I retreated from the modeling interwebs, boxed up and/or got rid of a bunch of stuff and took some time to do other things... but the urge to build came back (it always does, given enough time!) so here I am for another go at it.
One of my biggest modeling regrets of the past was my first Big Bismarck:
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=121249 ; I got maybe 80% finished but the model was heavily damaged during a move and I never went back to it.
I
did buy a second kit back then however... and as this particular Trumpy kit has probably more aftermarket offerings than any other ship model in existence I succumbed to temptation and have collected various extras for a future build here and there over the years.
As for the kit itself, there are several things I don't like about it OOTB but with some mods and the combined might of the aftermarket I believe it has the greatest potential of all the 1/200 kits and is a fascinating as well as famous subject to boot.
Anyway, I need a winter project to to keep me busy and I feel like it's time to put together my fantasy "Überbismarck" and chase my personal scale modeling "holy grail"; a 1/200 ship that looks convincingly realistic even up close and under magnification. I'll never get there of course, but I'm hoping I can at least produce some serious eye candy.
So, here's what I've got:
The Pontos 1/200 Bismarck sets, both the regular and advanced add-on set.
KA MK1 Bismarck Value pack
Every DKM Veteran Models resin set (including their newly released stuff)
Scaledecks Bismarck deck
3d Printed anchor chains
Archer rivets
various other small doo-dads I may or may not use as well as salvage from Bissy #1
The Scaledecks offering is especially impressive to me... no longer will I have to put up with the unrealistic color, texture and wood grain of older style laser-burned stick-on decks OR go though masking-hell trying to get the look of hundreds of slightly different shaded individual planks...
Here are KA, Pontos and Scaledecks for comparison:
Now I have done some work previously on this kit and did/am doing quite a bit of modification in an attempt to accurize the "Bissy canoe" Trumpeter gives us and make it my own. I ended up undoing my earlier attempt to copy the squarish hull features on the bottom of the actual ship however as it just wasn't working out to my satisfaction and I'm getting old enough now to realize that nobody really cares what's on the bottom of a ship where nobody can see it so maybe I shouldn't either.
The original hull also had a bit of a "banana" shape to it and the keel was not totally level like it should be which needed to be addressed.
Anyway, I also have a 1/100 Bismarck hull and plans that I'm saving for retirement or something so I've tried to use it as a guide and am going for my own "artist's impression" of the hull that is closer to reality and doesn't scream "Trumpeter (mal)engineering" but isn't too fussy about perfection shapewise while still looking the part
and being convincing scale-wise.
For comparison: lower hull this build, center Trumpy stock (my first build) and upper 1/100 hull:
...and checking the new hull vs the plan cross sections:
I added a lot of material to the hull as well as a lot of sanding; now Bissy sits on a level keel and more closely matches the plan cross sections. I also ground out from behind and/or replaced warped hull portholes and have the bar step holes ready to go:
... step 1 on doing a little bit of stern reshaping to better match the plans too:
... had to fix a couple portholes I did previously as they were slightly crooked:
Finally, some inspiration for things to come using the broken superstructure parts of Bissy #1:
My project goals:
-Aiming for Bismarck as she appeared in the late fall-early winter of 1940 (no stripes, giant swastikas painted on the decks, no rangefinder mounted to conning tower and sans many later small improvements).
-Looking for a very clean and crisp build, very little (maybe no) weathering, adding craptons of details and trying for an accurate appearance while not getting bogged down in rivet-counting or adding details/reshaping mods which detract rather than add to look of the model.
-Doing something on Bismarck no matter how small +adding a thread update at least once a week to keep the project moving forward.
This should be fun!
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). 
I, too, was gone for several months due to my knee replacements but as of late I've been doing a pretty good job of doing something on my ship at least 2-3 evenings a week. My problem right now is that I keep seeing chickens and get distracted on what I should be concentrating on. 
For example, right now I need to finish painting the 5" gun turrets and then start on the 36" spotlights next. Instead, what am I doing? Trying to come up with a way of making realistic looking loudspeakers (The ones in the Pontos Advanced Detail kit are crap!) And before that I was trying to find what a Stokes Litter looked like, as the TFD plans indicate there were several mounted to the sides of the superstructure. But, in spite of all my deviations, I really enjoy this hobby, and I hope you approach it this time with a different attitude that you had a year ago. It doesn't have to be 100% perfect and if you're having fun, that's what's important. I know enough about you to know that whatever you do will be a masterpiece and I can't wait to follow this build.
