Calling all SMS König class fans

[Anthony P]

Yevgeniy,
The rigging did not turn out too bad in the end. The ship is finished now and pictures have been posted to the website for the gallery, so you will all be able to see all my mistakes in detail At least it does not look too bad without magnification from 1 meter away!

Funnels: I tried to do this by cutting up spare 1/350 vertical ladders (not rails) but gave it up. I found it impossible to keep the cut PE straight - it became very fragile and kept twisting after I cut it. I have seen two other techniques though that may be of interest to you:

- If you want to use cut railing or ladders, after you cut it up you glue the straight edge that remains after the cut on the funnel and then you glue very thin wire on the vertical PE bits that protrude from the funnel. I hope this makes sense as I am afraid I cannot express it better in words. If I remember correctly, Jim Baumann used this technique in some models.

- i have seen pictures in Japanese modelling magazines (Model Art) in which they drill the funnel and insert brass wire or rod (as thin as possible) in regular intervals and then glue wire on this at a small distance from the funnel to represent the rail. It is interesting to see that they cut the wire that is glued to the funnel AFTER they glue the wire representing the handrails to it. This makes sense to me, as it would allow clumsy modellers like me more space to work and keep the handrail in a straight line.

I have to tell you though that I have not tried any of the above personally!

Best regards
Anthony

[Yevgeniy]

Anthony,

Thank you very much for such expanded reply.

First of all I have not seen your model in the gallery yet - eager to do it and will write you after that. I am still long time to go to posting pics to the gallery as I move to superstructure only (finished wooden base, hull, both decks, casemates, all turrents, capstains, installed and painted everything many times - painting and masking took 60-70% of my time till now).

I understood that cutting 1/350 railing/ladders will lead to PE twisting (as it always is when cutting PE). Of course PE can be straightened by simple actions - like laying on the dest and rolloing the modelling knife handle over it. But in any case it will not be 100% strait.

The idea of drilling, putting bits of PE and than wire seems less problematic but will take more time.

I think I will choose 1/700 PE like on Drazen's picture.

Happy modelling,

Yevgeniy

[ModelMonkey]

Tony's fantastic 1/350 SMS Gro�er Kurf�rst (ICM) is in today's What's New.

[Yevgeniy]

Anthony,

I was very curious about your G.Kurfurst so I visited your gallery on MW and saw it even before.

I think you are trying to be modest by talking about 1 m camera shots, mistakes and the like. The ship is GORGEOUS.

I also like your particular style of weathering. Pardon me but I like your Lutsow even more. That yellowish weathering for white parts of the hull... Fantastic touch!

Congratulations with finishing your Grosser Kurfurst. Mine is only 50% finished

Yevgeniy

[Anthony P]

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

[Yevgeniy]

Anthony,

I did not know you are part Ukrainian. Great to meet a countryman on MW! We shall do Vilna Ukraina (like Moscow cruiser from Trumpeter) sometime to have a Ukrainian ship (before it will become Indian or Chinese )

As to your "mistakes" I believe there is no way to have everything "perfect" - otherwise modelling process will never end and there will be no finished model at all! You ship is great anyway and the guess for the rigging is more than "educated".

I will not laugh at your liking flags - I also like those smaller features more than say guns and the like as it is smaller things which give "life" to our models.

Look forward to see more of or ships.

Yevgeniy

[Yevgeniy]

Hi all,

I already asked this question on Main Forum but so far no reply - if you help me here please ignore the same topic on Main Forum and vice versa.

Were the "windows" on Konig/Grosser Kurfurst (pre-Jutland version) forward superstructure glazed? I mead "windows" under part J2 and in part J7. These are the "observation decks".

Will be very much thankful for your information.

Yevgeniy

[Yevgeniy]

Hi all,

I post this question in Tips and Ticks section and already posted it in Calling All Ship Fans and in Main Forum - so far no reply. Hope my question will be better placed here and I can receive answer quicker. If you answer here - please ignore same question in other topics. (I will ask Moderators to delete my posts on this issue afterwards and I appologize for this in advance)

So my question is: Were the "windows" on Konig/Grosser Kurfurst forward superstructure glazed? I mead "windows" under part J2 and in part J7. These are the "observation decks".

Will be very much thankful for your information.

Yevgeniy

[JIM BAUMANN]

Hi Yvengeny

I am sure that INGURA will chime shortly...
but I reckon definitly glazed.

The glazing may have taken the form of 'drop down' (or up ) hinged window sections but I cannot conform

I have an image of Koenig whee it 'appears' that the sun is glinting off the windows.

I glazed my windows there anyhow....

Best wishes

JIM B

[ingura]

...

[Yevgeniy]

Good morning, gentlemen!

Receiving advice from such reputable modellers is always a pleasure!

Mr. Baumann's photos of Koenig is definitely my reference. The only pity is that they are so few. From those which are available I could not get wether those parts are glazed. After the answer I definitely know!!! Thank you, Jim!

And I am very grateful to you, Mr. Ingura for the pictures and information on parts J9 and J10.

Yes, now I have 3000 words. Thank you both very much.

Yevgeniy

[ingura]

....

[JIM BAUMANN]

@Yvegieny

If you want more pics of my Koenig --and my model is a long way away from perfect...
just drop me a PM or e-mail--and I will shoot any photos for you that you could possibly need!
I asusme you have had a look here...?



@ Ingura

those are REALLY helpful pics-!
Next time I have Kaiserliche Marine Fever--I shall be in touch before doing anything!!!

JIM B

[Chucker]

Can German speaking fellow modelers please translate this

grau Schiffsrumpf bis zur H�he des Hauptdecks bzw. des Hauptdeck-Schanzkleides bzw. der Backau�enkante und der Verl�ngerung ihres Straks im Bereich des geschlossenen Oberdecks,

hellgrau Oberdeck, Aufbauten, Ventilatoren, Schornsteine, Masten, etc., Kanonen, T�rme, Schutzschilde

I undestand "hellgrau" part, but I�m not sure I understanded correctly "grau" part

Hi,

I just started on my Grosser Kurfurst kit after a long hiatus and in trying to find some references found this forum. Drazen had asked after the translation of the above quote and I noticed that it had not yet been answered. Since as a novice builder and a novice on these ships I can't contribute much else, I'll contribute my German knowledge:
"Gray = hull to the level of the main deck as well as the main deck stern cover (note, not sure what that would be, at least on Konig class) and also the outer bulkhead of the fo'c'sle and it's extension around the closed upper deck."
To me that means the whole secondary battery deck should be in the darker hull colour.

I do have one other tip that I haven't seen mentioned. Regarding the funnel maintenance rails, the Tom's Modelworks PE includes them for both funnels. I haven't installed them yet, but I can only imagine they are much easier than scratch building from 1/700 railing or bits of wire. Of course it also probably means buying 3 sets of PE for one kit.

I actually want to build mine as an early Konig (I ordered the kit online and they sent Kurfurst by mistake, but as has been stated the kits are all the same). I have the WEM pre-Jutland mast, but I have not found any pics of Konig that show the small round compass platform included on the WEM part. Does anyone know if she ever had one? Or because of the extra flagship deck, did she not have it. This platform is clearly visible on early pics of Markgraf and Kurfurst.

[Chucker]

Well I was bothered enough about not knowing what Schanzkleider were that I did a little research. Turns out they are just bulwarks or windshields, nothing to do with the stern. I got confused because on a modern ship the Schanz is the the aft maneuver deck beneath the flight deck and Kleider means clothing or covering, so I just assumed it was some sort of stern cover, like a maybe a gallery or something. Sorry.

Irrelevant in this case since the Konigs did not have main deck bulwarks.

[Yevgeniy]

Hi all!

I would like to ask another question on Konig/Grosser Kurfurst ships which I can not figure out from photos/drawings for 100%.

In pre-Yutland version was the height of both masts equal above the waterline or different? If the forward mast was taller what is the difference (approximately)?

I make pre-Yutland version from WEM mast and follow WEM instructions (copying part K54 from aft mast also for the forward one). I dry-fitted two masts and preliminarily installed them on superstructures (decks) - they look as though they have the same height above waterline. Is it correct?

Thank you in advance.

Yevgeniy

[ingura]

...

[Yevgeniy]

Peter, thank you - now I know how to proceed with my masts.

Yevgeniy

[Yevgeniy]

Hi all!

I want to ask for your expertise on SMS fleet namely about waterline on barkasses/motorboats/cutters and all those other boats onboard of capital ships.

Was it painted red (with/without black line) as on the ship itself or not painted at all?

I am dubious about it: these boats were not intended to stay on water all the time so that protective painting was not needed.

Sometimes on pictures of models (incl. SMS Konig and sisterships) one can see red waterline on motorboats but not waterline on barkasses. Sometime one can see black waterline and red underwater part. I am really confused about it.

Here are the examples:
1) http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... index.html (picture No.3)- no waterline on barkasse, instead black waterline on small boat, same on motorboat
2) http://balancer.ru/forum/punbb/attachme ... item=62942 - one of price winners from Ship Modelling Championship with Retvisan (Russo-Japanese war battleship) motorboat (scale 1:100 as far as I know)
3) http://balancer.ru/forum/punbb/attachme ... item=62943 - Retvisan model in itself

I need you advise to continue with my Grosser Kurfurst project.

Thanks in advance.

Yevgeniy

[Aidan]

Generally, although not in all cases, open boats would have a uniform hull colour, whereas launches would have a black lower hull. As for an actual waterline, I've never seen one on any ships boat.