The Ship Model Forum

I am leading up to the purchase of a 1/100 Hull of the Bismarck and thought that I would publish my experiences in building such a fine ship so that I and other modelers can see what can be done. I know that I am avidly studying a couple of other builds to help make my learning a little easier ( herbie's 1/72 Yamato, kiwimedic's bismarck and norberto's 1/100 Bismarck) and to achieve a very fine model.
The hull I am going to buy from Scale Shipyard, as well as the turrets, and maybe a few other bits and pieces.
Undecided as to whether or not she will be static or RC.
I have been planning this for years and now i want to do it, I bought 1/100 plans from Nick Fox in 2003, and with people starting to lean towards larger scale models I can not think of a better resource to tap to help build this wonderful ship.
As with most people these days the ol' wallet needs to be topped up before embarking on these grand plans and that is all i am waiting on.
Any tips or suggestions on how to help complete the model are all warmly accepted.
I might even create a PDF file of building a model as i go along, using bits and pieces I have gathered on the forum in each process of building, because I will be compiling all the information prior to starting on a particular section (inc. pictures I find).


So here's to a successful build,


Cheers,


Brad

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Coming Soon: 1/100 DKM Bismarck

hi brad
good luck
i look forward to watching your progress at least one of us is going to build this ship
gary

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a bad day sailing is better than a good day at the office

Hi Brad
good to know about another Bismarck model in 1:100 scale.
if you need change some experiences feel free to ask and to show your experiences about the model
best luck for you too...
be welcome

Hi Brad you have certainly chosen an iconic warship to build . I wish you all the best with your Bismarck project , it would appear that Bismarck will form the most popular series of builds on this board.
Dave Wooley

O

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Simple but effective.

I have just ordered the hull, and Lee said it will take about 14wks to complete then it will arrive. As this is the first time I am building in such scale and detail, I am thinking that I work from the bottom up.
I will start with the hull, prepping, drill portholes, shaft exits, then paint, move onto framing for support then decking. If anybody has any extra's to add it would be helpful.


Brad

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Coming Soon: 1/100 DKM Bismarck

Brad,
You may want to review a couple of the fibreglass hull builds here as to order. From what I've seen, adding the deck support is a first step to ensure hull shape. Look particularly at the Udaloy build as he had an issue with the width of the stern resulting in a hull cut and repair not plannned.

Brad,
I ahd just started building up a 1:100th Bismarck as well, but have adopted another project that needs to cut in line... While your waiting for your hull, I would do as you already are, check the build articles for starters... If you havent already been there- http://www.warshipmodelsunderway.com has some excellent articles on working with fiberglass hulls, and some good pointers on how to get going. I would locate a source in your area for some lexan, as it is invaluable for framing the inside of the hull.

I collected some pretty good reference books as well- in addition to the nick fox plans you mentioned, I also bought joseph kaisers battleship bismarck, the original- and the model. Both are outstanding. if there are any questions, feel free to PM me, I have built many models from Lees hulls- You'll be quite happy with the products that you recieve.
Best
Brad

Hi SSN and Brad,
Thanks for the input, prior to the hull arriving in three months time, I plan to troll through a lot of the large scale builds and put together a rather comprehensive plan of construction (no time frames) including pictures of how to get the job done. I'll probably put it in a word format and print it out for myself, I am not 30 yet and very computer literate, but I am still old school in that I prefer having paper in my hands, essentially I am putting a lot of the builds that are on various forums, condensing them, putting them in a chronological order for reference and guide, I feel that this is sound step in completing a model of this scale, having a plan of attack in the construction will always help in knowing what goals I have to achieve at the moment, what I have to do and what is coming up. This will probably take up a bit of time, i will probably put up the headings on how to construct a model for people to speculate on, add their input and modify as necessary.

Brad, I have seen those books on the amazon.de i think I do really want to get them but they are so expensive, though i do have three months to save for them, I also am getting the plans from lee as well, I have a number of books regarding modelling (Mike Ashley, Brian King and the AOTS), so they should help but seeing the detail that people give in their forums, they seem to be in greater detail and provide some good pictures to show what they have done and how they did it.

Brad

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Coming Soon: 1/100 DKM Bismarck

Brad:

Get Joseph Kaiser's book, they are The BEST source out there, also the 5 AJ Press books are a good thing to get, they are out of print but they do pop up on the boards from time to time.

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W.L. Upshaw
The Scale Shipyard

World's Largest Supplier of Large Scale Warship Hulls and Fittings
http://www.scaleshipyard.com

Hi Brad
I have seen Joseph Kaisers model and had the pleasure of meeting with JK on a number of occasions and there is so much to see that I tend to view his Bismarck as a large collection of models rather than one single model which of course it is. It could be said with some justification that JKs Bismarck is probably the definitive model to date. Kiwi Medic has corresponded with JK for some years and has learned much but as Kiwi medic has mentioned there is still part of the vessel that JK had difficulties with. There is much on the model that available plans do not show and it is here that both JK and Kiwi medic have spend much time researching. There are other aficionados on the Bismarck such as Hans Gally and David Enor and I’m sure there are many more. I would say that your research will eventually determine the model you build but that can apply to any model. The more research and information you can muster the more accurate the model will be. I have posted up a number of photos of JK Bismarck on this site unfortunately there is no way of knowing where they are. JK published 2 volumes, one detailing the model the other the full size ship and both are worth tracking down.
Dave Wooley

The Josef Kaiser books are still available through Simon Frey in Germany. Price is 39.95 euros plus shipping. Paypal accepted. Text in German.
Perhaps the Bismarck fans could post their research books for the rest of us. Here's some of mine so far:
The Battleship Bismarck-AOTS series - Jack Brower
Warship Pictorial 19 Kriegsmarine Bismarck - Classic Warships Publishing
SHIPCRAFT 10 Bismarck and Tirpitz - Steve Backer
The German Navy at War 1935-1945 Volume 1 The Battleships - Breyer and Koop
The Battleship Bismarck - Elfrath and Herzog
The Discovery of the Bismarck - Robert Ballard
Schlactschiff Bismarck Das Model - Josef Kaiser
Battleships Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II - Garzke and Dulin
Plus many books on the Bismarck and Hood which usually just have a few of the well known long range pictures.
So, what else is out there?

Don't rely too heavily on the "Anatomy of the Ship" book, there are accuracy issues with it.

Could you be a bit more specific about the accuracy issues of the AOTS Bismarck book? Please.

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W.L. Upshaw
The Scale Shipyard

World's Largest Supplier of Large Scale Warship Hulls and Fittings
http://www.scaleshipyard.com

I had heard that there were a few accuracy issues with the AOTS, though i cannot remember where or what they were but I have a set of 1/100th plans from Nick Fox (based on Hans Gally) and I will also have another set from the scale shipyard. So hopefully i am covered.

Currently I am looking for the Josef Kaiser books I have found the German site and I can't read German, is there anywhere else to get it from?

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Coming Soon: 1/100 DKM Bismarck

From what I know now { I built a 1;96 Tirpitz 20 years ago } there are "accuracy" problems with every publication . That being said Bismarck in many ways was an enigma up until 20 years ago then slowly more and more photos began to appear . I have seen snippits of this and many of the plans are not so much inaccurate as incomplete .
Best of luck Brad on your project.
Dave Wooley

This picture was taken 20years ago and shows David Ennor's 1:48 scale Bismarck being launched.

Dave Wooley

That's awesome, it is also a big boat with a very big trailer,

I figure the more information that I have relating to the design and layout of the Bismarck that I have the more accurate the result will be.

I have just started going through a lot of builds and articles I have found to put forth a plan of attack in build the model.

I will post my results here as I still have about 15 weeks or so before the hull arrives. It will give me something to do while the hull is being constructed.

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Coming Soon: 1/100 DKM Bismarck

Hi Brad
Wellcome to the mad world of building Bismarck.
A few comments if I may.
You have done some very good things so far.
You have purchased some of the best plans available in the world from Nick Fox. He is a good friend of mine and I have been feeding him much information over the years so his Bismarck plans are allways improving.
Lee Upshaw is also a friend of mine and I have seen his product ................ very nice indeed.
You can never have enough information!
Buy as many books on Bismarck as you can.
Photos are the next important thing. Photos are the best information of all. One photo is worth at least 10 thousand words. BE VERY CAREFUL with photos as many photos of Bismarck are in fact Tirpitz and it was a very different ship.
You will allways be finding new information on the ship so you may have to change things as you build.
I study photos for hours and have built up a reasonable walk around of the ship in photos.
The other day I found out something new about Bismarck that no one else has realised. It means I will have to modify my model. It is a nuisance but that is just one of those things. Sometimes a "As built" plan comes to light so you will need to modify. (Had to do this to the funnel)
When it comes to a fibreglass hull.
Clean it down well before you start anything. Get rid of all those chemical remains on the hull from production.
Measure the hull in at least 20 places and pack it in or out so that it is bang on.
Make up some frames so when in place the model remains at the correct width. Do this on a flat surface so that you do not accidentally build in a twist ................ Once built in, very difficult to remove. You may also want to bond wooden plate in the bottom of the hull. This keeps the bottom of the ship flat. (Do not make it too thick as the shafts are not too high off the bottom of the ship anyway. Also think about access for maintenance and repair.
When putting in the framing that will take the deck, remember to recess it so the deck does not end up too high. Check with Lee to find out what allowances he has made.
I would reccomend that you build and place the rudders as the real one was. They work very well on an angle. There are many fittings available as well as photo etch for Bismarck 1.100, So you are very lucky there
Take your time and enjoy the build. I make mistakes all the time when building my model and that is part of modelling.
I have allways told my friends when building models ............. treat every job and fitting as if they were a little model. Eventually Bismarck will come together as hundreds of little models that make up Bismarck.
Hope I have not muddled your brain

Regards
Philip

Hi Phil,
Thanks for the tips, i have attached a photo of the books that I currently own the additions will be Josef Kaier Books. in relation to the frames, what i have done is in the AOTS book it has the sections in 1/400 all I did was magnify it on a photo copier to 1/100 scale I will get some wooden frame and cut it to the correct measurements, I have still not decided whether or not to make it RC or static but I will make the bottom of the framing flat along the length of the keel so that I have the option of installing all the bits and pieces to make her move. One thing that I am very fascinated in is the way you have worked with brass, is it difficult to learn to work with because i can already see that once you have painted yours it will look very authentic, I am leaning towards brass if possible because of the realism factor. While I am thinking about planking what sort of timber did you use?

I am now just waiting for the hull to be completed (can't wait) so I can start working, I have recently switched my study and I am now in the second master bedroom which i now have ample space to take up with a boat, the best thing is that the wife did not mind still skeptical of the whole idea I think she still does not understand how big this thing is going to be not as big as those 1/72 monsters but big enough.
Still trying to find time to compile my project outline for the build but I will get there in the end.

Brad

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Coming Soon: 1/100 DKM Bismarck