Calling all Scharnhorst and Gneisenau fans!

[redalb2253]

Thanks Dan that helps.

[Olaf Held]

I always found it a good idea to compare the unknown paints to the known ones (contrast-wise). I recall a b/w photo of the superstructure and that dark grey was just a tad lighter than the dark grey of the small band around the base of the bulkheads. That band was painted the same dark grey (RAL 7016) as the steel decks. It is just this that makes me believe that the dark superstructure was in range of RAL 7024. A "Dunkelgrau 51" is just too light, the contrast to the dark band around the base would be just too great.

With regard to "mud Grey", whatever that could be, there is only the "Schlickgrau 58" coming to my mind, which was a "petrol-proof" paint, and these paints were (intended to be) used on submarines only.


Happy painting ~ Olaf!

[Dan Banks]

Looks like Trumpeter/Hobby Boss is doing SH & GN in 1/350. Maybe a litte simpler for the Dragon haters and a better bow!

[Thegreenmachine]

Just started my 1/700 Scharnhorst and decided to covert it to a 1940 appearance when she sunk the Glorious. Now, I'm not sure about the AA arrangement on the funnel platform. Were there four 20mm guns or just three 20 mm guns? The 20mm Vierling came at a later stage (in Brest I assume).

Another thing that gives me headaches are these elevating platforms on both sides of the hangar. Were these already there in 1940 or were they added later? I know these carried 20mm Vierlingsflak after Scharnhorst was modified in Brest. But what about them in 1940?

The other changes I have to do:

- open admirals bridge
- Turret A with rangefinders
- deleting the 20mm Vierlinge on Turret B and on the 15cm turrets
- deleting the torpedoes
- different radar configuration

Anything else? I plan to swap most parts with the Gneisenau kit and built the Gneisenau in her later appearance.

[steviecee]

I saw this photo on a site I regularly visit and I never have seen this scheme depicted. Can anyone comment on the colors used. The caption says it is the Gneisenau. I am not affiliated with that seller





https://www.ebay.com/itm/Foto-Kriegsmar ... Sw8BRaxJmM

[DastardlyDick]

Hi All,
As someone with very limited experience of ship building, I need to ask a few questions.

I have the Dragon kit for Scharnhorst in her 1941 configuration. Interestingly, it came with no swastika decals at all - not even the separated lines, so a new set has been purchased.
The hull is complete with only a couple of minor issues, namely the crease just aft of the bow, and the deck not quite lining up with the anchorways? which I've sorted out with some putty and painted using Tamiya Hull Red and Life Colors Dunkelgrau 51, and I've decided to do the superstructure in Life Color Hellesgrau 50. I also treated myself to the Artwox wooden deck.
As the instructions leave a lot to be desired (IMO), I've also decided to build from the bottom up, rather than build all the sub assemblies then attach them to the hull having had issues with a Trumpeter kit in the past! I'll be following the excellent build that's on here too!
Now my questions (no doubt the first of many!):-
What colours do I use on the turret tops? The box art has them yellow, but I've also seen red and dark grey?
What colour should I use for the anchors?
Thank you in advance for any help

[Dan Banks]

According to the most current information the yellow, red, blue, grey, black, turret tops and deck crosses were determined by area of operations and how far out to sea the ships were. You don�t want colorful turrets or swatztikas in the middle of the Atlantic. When SH & GN attempted to breakout the first time, they wore red. The second attempt was probably the same, once outside Luft airspace they changed to RAL7024, dark grey. At the end of the operation by the time they docked at Brest, they were yellow, and the deck crosses were back. All this was for the German Air Force that had bombed and sunk two KM destroyers in February 1940.

[DastardlyDick]

According to the most current information the yellow, red, blue, grey, black, turret tops and deck crosses were determined by area of operations and how far out to sea the ships were. You don�t want colorful turrets or swatztikas in the middle of the Atlantic. When SH & GN attempted to breakout the first time, they wore red. The second attempt was probably the same, once outside Luft airspace they changed to RAL7024, dark grey. At the end of the operation by the time they docked at Brest, they were yellow, and the deck crosses were back. All this was for the German Air Force that had bombed and sunk two KM destroyers in February 1940.

Thank you Dan - very interesting - it appears that "Blue on Blue" is not a modern concept!

I'll go with the yellow turret tops, although Gunze and Humbrol have discontinued the colour - I'll try mixing Tamiya Flat Yellow with some other colours and see what happens.

[maxim]

Some of Gneisenau's 15 cm guns are today located in Stevnsfortet, one of the fortresses built by the Danish Navy in the 1950s to defend the exists of the Baltic Sea and Copenhagen itself.

Two 15 cm twin turrets and one 15 cm single mounting are now part of the museum there:







More photos:
Gneisenau's 15 cm SK C/28 guns

[Timmy C]

Hah, I'm hoping to visit Stevnsfortet when I go to Denmark next month!

[drasticplastic]

This should tickle your fancy:
http://www.modelcollect.com/austratt-fo ... g-include-

One of Gneisenau's turrets land-mounted in Norway.

[Guest]

Hello,

Does anyone have or know where I can get scaled drawings of Gneisenau as she was originally built or how she appeared at comissioning?

Thank you,
Mike

[maxim]

Likely at the Bundesarchiv in Freiburg.

[bailey]

Thank you!

I'll look for a web address to contact them.

[bailey]

I've been pecking around on the internet and have found several links to the http://www.bundesarchiv.de, but most of it is in German and what little is in English is very confusing. Any idea of how I can get to someone there who could help me with these drawings?

Any help would be very much appreciated!

Thank you,
Mike

[steviecee]

open it up in google and hit translate in the upper right corner

[bailey]

Hello,
Let me be more specific with my request in the hopes I can find what I'm looking for. I'm looking for early, as commissioned, drawings and photos of Gneisenau. I'm starting at the bow to determine the shape and function of the top of the bow where cables and ropes were fed through, tying off the ship from the bow. Any photos, especially close ups of the bow area, would be very much appreciated.
Thank you,
Mike

[Maarten Sch�nfeld]

Hello,
Let me be more specific with my request in the hopes I can find what I'm looking for. I'm looking for early, as commissioned, drawings and photos of Gneisenau. I'm starting at the bow to determine the shape and function of the top of the bow where cables and ropes were fed through, tying off the ship from the bow. Any photos, especially close ups of the bow area, would be very much appreciated.
Thank you,
Mike

I suggest you take a close look at this article from Stein Gildberg, I believe he paved the way a good deal for you. http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery ... /index.htm

And for your need of drawings: https://www.das-geschichtsbuch.de/produ ... hvfflbbjxm
There is this drawing set, published alongside a book 'Vom Original zum Modell - Die Schlachtschiffe der Scharnhorst-Klasse'. This title has been translated in English too as 'Battleship Scharnhorst'.

The series is roughly comparable to the Anatomy of the Ships series, but not equally elaborate though. I don't know whether all the captions in the drawings have been translated to English though. After all these were German ships.

[DarthLarson]

Trumpeter's 2019/2020 catalog is listing 1/200 scale kits of both Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.

[Ivan]

Good afternoon. Help me deal with the Scharnhorst 20mm anti-aircraft armament for 1943 ..... seven quad and ten single ... everywhere indicate ... but on all visible drawings and models I can count only five Flakvierling 38 ...Thank you in advance. With respect Ivan