The Kaiser class battleships of the German Imperial Navy were the immediate predecessors of the K�nig class. The latter has become reasonably well known since we have got a couple of nice kits from ICM on 1/350 scale. On 1/700 scale the situation is somewhat better thanks to the resin kits from Combrig in particular.
But as 1/350 is my favourite scale I was eager to see if something can be done using the ICM kit as a basis and converting it into a Kaiser class ship. SMS Friedrich der Gro�e, the High Seas Fleet flagship will be my be the objective of this project. On the site of The Dreadnought Project a set of detailed original drawings can be found, and when you know that the frame spacing of these ships was exactly 1200 mm it's a matter of simple math to resize these drawings to 1/350 scale.
First step is to take out a section of 8 mm from the hull, at it's widest point, exactly in the middle between stem and stern. And since the hull is also somewhat too wide for a Kaiser (29 m the width should be), I also scored out a wedge at the keel, 4 mm at the widest point and tapering towards the bow and the stern.
As you want to get an impression, surf to the subject of the Baden/Bayern class battleships, my SMS Baden project has progressed already much further. The Friedrich will be much easier: first the ship is smaller instead of larger than the K�nig, second the main armament turrets can be used from the kit and third the superstructure is much simpler than that of Baden.
To be continued, of course!
).
Maarten .
