The Big One... Trumpeter 1/200 Bismarck 1940 build

[Goodwood]

I'm guessing that's a 1/96 scale hull...I somehow doubt you'd be able to fit a 1/72 scale one into your house in such a way.

[Channell]

Yep, it's a 1/100 Scale Shipyard hull. I also got a whole slew of parts (including everything scale shipyard offers for it, apparently), a full set of plans and some related books from someone who gathered it all together but decided to abandon the project before starting it. I got a price that was too good to pass up.

[Goodwood]

So you've got two 1/200s and a 1/100, Jason. Just how the bloody hell are you going to depict this third monster?

For my money, you just gotta do it in "final day" colors with the yellow turret tops.

[Channell]

So you've got two 1/200s and a 1/100, Jason. Just how the bloody hell are you going to depict this third monster?

For my money, you just gotta do it in "final day" colors with the yellow turret tops.

Don't forget my 1/72 U-boat, Gato and 1/200 Missouri too! I am the epitome of biting off more than I can chew.

Well, to be honest I won't be starting on the real "Big One" for a long time; I just had an opportunity and jumped on it. I'd like to develop my skills some more before tackling it as well; my ultimate modeling fantasy is to create something huge, insanely detailed and 100% worthy of museum display and this might just be the ticket.

A unfinished 1/200 kit would be invaluable as a reference for scratchbuilding a 1/100 version too... I'm sincerely thinking about repairing Bissy #1 and finishing the damn thing finally (even if it's not my "ultimate build" like I wanted it to be) just for the experience.

As for turret tops...

Unfortunately I have only two steadfast, unbreakable rules when it comes to Bismarck:

First, the ship is a SHE, as hundreds of years of nautical tradition demands.

Second, she didn't have yellow turret tops. Even if she did, she didn't... so she won't. I refuse to believe anything else.

[sgtryan13]

Dude, you are outta your mind with all the3se Bismarcks! I though I was bad with my carriers and un-started 1/200 fleet!

My suggestion would be to finish the 1st Bismarck, you are sooo close anyways, and it looks great, plus it is a nice motivator when you actually finish a big project.

[KevinYoung]

Dear god, what have I done?

lmao Awesome .

[Channell]

Announcing Operation Bissy Rescue!

I spent the evening working on putting my dropped Bismark #1 back together with the intent to finally finish it... I REALLY need to finish one of these big projects!









Luckily, I've got multiple parts sets already to replace the worst of the damaged railings/PE.
Still some work to do but it shouldn't take too long to get 'er back to where I was when I quit work on it last year.

[GazzaS]

Dude, you are some kind of crazy! But I like it

[Goodwood]

Fascinating, captain...

[bismarckbuilder]

Hi Jason
I'm new to this post.
I have built a few wooden ships, I did the Wasa and the Santisima Trinidad, so now I'm gonna try plastic.
I.m waiting for my Bismark to arrive, I have received the KA kit already and see that I have bitten off a major project.
I have been following your build and see you have done a magnificent job.
There is another build which you might want to check out go to florymodels.co.uk and look for the trumpeter Bismark build.
Wish me luck
Jim

[Channell]

Thanks! I've seen the flory models build, definitely one of the best builds for this kit that I've seen!

[MadAxeMan]

nice to see you back at it

....and the Bizmarck was a he
When I call my boys "Ladies" or "Girls", they get very offended
You just can't decide a he is a she because you feel like it, and not offend him (especially when the 1/100 is bigger than you)
It's the Bismarck, not Bismarcie (Besides, if any ship screams Dude, it's surely this one)

this explains the mishap with your first build
Get it right, it's a he, and then it will be an awesome build(s)

[Channell]

nice to see you back at it

....and the Bizmarck was a he
When I call my boys "Ladies" or "Girls", they get very offended
You just can't decide a he is a she because you feel like it, and not offend him (especially when the 1/100 is bigger than you)
It's the Bismarck, not Bismarcie (Besides, if any ship screams Dude, it's surely this one)

this explains the mishap with your first build
Get it right, it's a he, and then it will be an awesome build(s)

NO WAY!!!

SHIP = SHE... and that's how it's been since the first European pushed a dead tree trunk over and rode it across the Danube river back in 30,000 BC. (True story!)

Bless Linderman's sailor-slaughtering little heart but I'll be dammed if I let a Nazi turn hundreds of years of nautical tradition on it's head!

[MadAxeMan]

as far as I can tell, Lindemann wasn't a nazi

the Bismarck is a worthy exception to the tradition
there's just nothing she about it, Lindemann got it right
the Bismarck is a he.

[Timmy C]

Here's a forum thread on the progeny of Bismarck's "he" versus "she": http://www.kbismarck.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=55

[Propman]

Mr. Channell, Do you need some props for that big Bismarck ? Give me a yell if you do at propmeup1@verizon.net

Thank you,

Keith

[kawubke]

NO WAY!!!

SHIP = SHE...

I assist you on that

nice to see you back on the "Bissi" trail.

I for myself have also odered a second Kit to replace some Parts i have build last year. So you are not the only one that got insane
But that absolutely stunning advanced set from Pontos has lead me to this...

hope you will show us some great buliding pics soon.

Greetings from Germany
Thomas

[Channell]

I'm good on props Keith; I have a set of brass props for it already. Thanks though!

Real life is getting in the way of models again; I've been trying to redo my kitchen and get an animal barn up before winter and it's eating up my free time. More will come though, especially after the snow starts falling; I'm anxious to work on both Bismarcks! The 1/100 monster will have to wait for at least another year or so before I start cutting on it though.

[anyahajobuzi]

Hi Jason!

I hadn't followed your Bismarck-adventures for a while, and was quite shocked when I just checked in after so long!

You have an 80-90% finished ship that you are turning into a wreck?! And is that a Bismarck shaped canoe?????
Well, you love the Bismarck, I give you that!
I think you are so far doing very great at it! I sure would like to see a finished one !

Best of luck with your one ship German Navy

Cheers: Laci

[Channell]

Thanks all for the votes of confidence!

Good to hear from you Laci! Hope your 30 hours of summer was nice way up there. I can't wait to see more of your CVN now that winter is coming. But yea, clearly the Bismarck causes insanity in everyone who looks too closely at the subject!

Well, I'm still building stuff but it's the wrong scale:



All things come fair for my wife and I... she puts up with my model insanity and I get to put up a 300 sq foot "goat palace" for one of her hobbies. I can't stand the beasties myself but I suppose it's a good plan B for the upcoming apocalypse... I hear goats almost taste better than neighbors. Anyway, I've still got to put some walls on the "palace" but I'm really proud of finishing the roof! But back to ships:

Like I said earlier, I started repairing my original Bismarck but I am constantly haunted by all the little things I could have done better, not to mention all the fabulous Pontos brass I didn't have back then that are just screaming to jump out of the stash and onto a new model. I don't know if I CAN just finish it when I know I can do so much better and already have all the stuff to do it.

Case in point:



One of the big problems with stick-on wooden decks is that even though they are very thin, they still tend to leave some details recessed below the level of the deck that shouldn't be. Most folks just live with it since that's really a minor detail but that's far too sane for the likes of me.

My solution is to cut the offending part out of the plastic deck (away from the edges of the detail itself), patch the hole in the deck with styrene and carefully file and sand the cut-out piece to fit in it's spot in the wooden deck at the right level with it.





Yea, it's a little thing, but it's the little things that really set a build apart from the rest!

Oh, and I'm still playing with the shape of the hull bottom. I've got Bismarck plans now too, so I might end up actually trying to make the shape right this time as well.



More to come when I have more!