Calling all Bismarck and Tirpitz fans

[ArthurN]

Can anyone advise whether PE or resin ammunition ready lockers or their covers have been manufactured by any company in 1/350 scale ? I am busy with Tamiya's Bismarck which is notoriously bereft of this sort of detail by today's high standards.

[Timmy C]

Can anyone advise whether PE or resin ammunition ready lockers or their covers have been manufactured by any company in 1/350 scale ? I am busy with Tamiya's Bismarck which is notoriously bereft of this sort of detail by today's high standards.

Veteran Models did/does: https://www.bnamodelworld.com/model-shi ... abdaed35bf

[ArthurN]

Thank you. Noted.

[Dan Banks]

For anyone who is interested, I got the new 1/350 Trumpeter Tirpitz, and the lower cut out section of the bow does not have the groove with the sounding equipment, it�s the same as Bismarck. Very disappointing with all the information that is out there on these ships

[engine5t3]

Re. Trumpeter 1/350 Tirpitz

So this item just arrived today, had high expectations after their Bismarck release. Those expectations have been squashed. They completely threw any research out the window. This kit is nothing more than a Bismarck with a different paint scheme. So many errors. It really appears they did no research at all on this subject, just assumed the two brothers were identical, which is surprising because I thought they did a fairly good job with their Bismarck. Revels 1/350 Tirpitz is far far more accurate. Skip this one guys.

[Timmy C]

That's interesting, engine523. Looking at the instructions here, it seems they at least have the torpedo tubes, upper deck crane position, new radars, extra AA guns, and other details correct. Can you be more specific as to which differences were not captured?

[engine5t3]

So far Timmy I have noted the deck ventilation fire & aft is wrong, as well as the ventilation around the rear of turrets Bruno & Caesar are all inaccurate, the hull intakes around the bilge keels are Bismarck, the rudder anodes(I know, nit picking) the open bridge area, stack cranes, back side of stack is faceted should be round, they added a structure that doesn�t exist behind the armored bridge ( should just be platforms, forward anchor shackles not there, the open directors on the tower should be enclosed�just a poor effort after all that they put into their Bismarck. A lot to fix for the premium price they are charging.

[engine5t3]

It also looks like the stack cap is also Bismarck, and the bow is wrong as well ( not surprised, Revell got it wrong as well).

[pascalemod]

If I want to build a Tirptiz 1/700 today, in 2022 - what are my best options? What kits in 1/700 are out there that are most accurate and possible to buy?

I am aware of Revell Tirpitz but this is impossible to buy and find at any reasonable cost (160 dollar I seen one kit only). What other options?

[engine5t3]

Pascalemod,
Unfortunately I do not know enough about the 1/700 scale offerings to give you an honest assessment as to accuracy.

[pascalemod]

not enough coffee when you posted this "kids in 1/700"?

I did what now?

[pascalemod]

you posted this "What kids in 1/700 are out there that are most accurate and possible to buy?"

OK, we can delete that. I am on a strict 1 cup per day of coffee diet, but fat fingers that's another story, apologies.

I suppose we all wait FH Tirpitz but still wondering about Dragon or Trumpeter - no go?

[Iceman 29]

Does anyone know what the black revetment and the rings on the guns of the Tirpitz and Bismarck are for, they are only seen at certain times, especially when the ships are refitted?

[Fliger747]

To be not helpful, I don't know for sure but these seem to be featured in gunnery trials photographs. As someone who did a lot of air photo interpretation at one time, I suspect that these are used to evaluate the training and recoil of the guns externally given the contrast and even spacing. Much as the A4 rockets evaluated by the US were painted with a pattern to help evaluate the telemetry.

A good question and looking forward to a definitive answer!

[Iceman 29]

Tks Tom, not impossible..

[Fliger747]

Another possibility, used for infrared photography to gauge the heat distribution and possible stress buildups during test firings. Just a little odd as I haven't seen anyone else do this. These were fairly unique weapons , by Krupp I'd guess. and at least for the Kriegsmarine and a small lurch into the unknown.

[Fliger747]

Pascal:

Looking closely at the dockside photo with the battery swung out, I believe what we are looking at is a covering of the barrel held on with bands spaced at intervals. At the muzzle the bands are more significant.

Tom

[Iceman 29]

Thanks, Tom, you have partialy the response.

seems to be this one:

[Iceman 29]

I found these thoughts on the KBismarck forum.

https://www.kbismarck.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1146

And the artillery test report:

http://www.kbismarck.com/artillery-testing-report.html

[Iceman 29]

Apparently the measurement was recorded on a cathode ray oscillograph, probably a screen, a kind of oscilloscope, perhaps with a screen with strong remanence to be able to read the measurement:

In the report:

"H. Vo [muzzle velocity] measuring system.
66. Cathode-ray tube oscillograph.

Since the Vo measuring system had only been partially completed, no final judgment can be rendered.
As far as the brief testing period allows, it can be said that the quadruple cathode graph recorder, which is the first of its kind ever to be installed, proved effective from a purely technical and operational perspective. A deficiency has surfaced anew that the quadruple cathode graph instrument, just as had been in use in the former single cathode tube scopes aboard the battleship �Gneisenau�, has no selectively adjustable locking device for the reversible moving part that allows several rapid salvoes to be photographed on single film [plate].

The system could only be tested during the firing of the secondary artillery. The measurement results obtained are attached in the special report of the AVKS � caliber firing �Bismarck�.

67. Connection for the Vo measuring system to the central firing device.

The connection of the Vo measuring system to the central firing device was originally designed so that the actuating impulse for the deployment of the cathode graph scope and for the initiation of the timing device in the turret would be connected by �S clamps�. Consequently, the entire additional electrical load of the Vo measuring system (14 relays, approx. 6 amps) had to be absorbed by the central firing device. Since the central firing device, however, is only fused for 2 amps, the fuses burned out when the initial operating sequence of the Vo measuring system was begun during the firing start-up. This led to serious disruptions during firing. In order to continue Vo measuring, the connection with the central firing device was done via attachments on the �D clamps�, i.e., in back of the firing relays. Since the turret�s electric firing circuit is considerably more heavily fused than the central firing circuit, no more failures occurred due to the connection of the Vo measuring system.

68. Drilling access ports into the barrels [for data collection probes].

Now, since the cathode graph scope has become a permanently installed onboard system, it is incomprehensible why, at the same time, the barrels were not drilled to accept the measuring probes.

If there is any hesitation about permitting the drilling of the barrels, then the cathode graph scopes, which have now been even provided with their own rooms, are simply carried aboard ship as dead ballast.

Aboard �Bismarck�, only the 15 cm barrels had been drilled for the planned shot group [strike picture] firing; while the 38 cm barrels had not been drilled at all. Presently, the same applies to �Tirpitz�, so that, unfortunately, no shot group [strike pictures] of the heavy artillery could be made by the AVKS, despite both completely installed cathode graph systems, and thus, no Vo, nor sequential total measurements, could be carried out at all. "