Yevgeniy,
Thank you for your kind words. Have I told you that I am part-Ukranian? -my grandmother was born in Poltava!
To clarify a few things: yes, the ship looks good, but one of the things I found out while building it is how limited the references are. I do not have access to any German dreadnought pictures apart from those in the basic references mentioned in this thread or available in the internet. I have no technical backgound and I am not dedicated enough to mastering dreadnought technology. I did not understand, for example, how the torpedo net booms worked, with the result that my hull detail is wrong. It is only my visualisation, as I whatever pictures I could find did not help me. Same for the rigging, which was an educated guess. Then, my own limitations: the photo-etched torpedo net shelf -I could not keep it straight! I shied away from scratchbuilding funnel walkways. I have also failed to do a multi-hued wooden deck - I hated the result and overpainted it. I assume most modelers feel the same way about their models, though: learn from your mistakes and make a better one next time! That said, I am waiting to see Drazen's finished model, which should be special.
I do my weathering with a combination of washes and pastels. For example, the rust on the main anchors is a wash (Rustall from the USA) while hull rust streaks are pastels, from the Tamiya weathering system.
I should also state that I have mixed feelings about this kit. While the detail of the individual pieces on the sprue is very fine, the fit caused me great frustration in many phases of the build. That said, I am grateful the kit exists!
As for the Luetzow, which I built last summer, it is my favorite at the moment. It also required a lot of refining of the kit parts, as the Heller details are overscale, and the camouflage scheme gave me fits, but I like the result, and I like the way my "sea-level" photographs look. You will laugh with what pleases me most: the flags in almost "windless" conditions!
I have now started the Hasegawa Yukikaze 1940. Great fit and a simple colour scheme -and references! i am a fan of the IJN and these are good times to be one!
If i can be of further assistance, do not hesitate!
Anthony