"Jot Dora!" - 1/700 Bismarck, Dragon kit
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2020 3:14 pm
Started some five years ago before Flyhawk released theirs, I finally finished this beast using Dragon's "Sink the Bismarck" release. It's not the most detailed build out there, but I like to think it's "good enough" for an overall impression and let photography fun do the rest.
I aimed for when the Jot Dora signal was given to Prinz Eugen to commence firing, so no main deck railings (couldn't figure a way to do realistic folded-down railings). It's uncertain whether the signal was sent via flags in addition to the usual measures, but I like the extra colour they add. The Arado is there for aesthetics - would not have been sitting out there during the battle.
Brass barrels from Master; PE was WEM's and the kit's own. The WEM set is a bit disappointing: the instructions show several parts that aren't actually on the fret or aren't as depicted (e.g. Arado rudders and cross braces shown but absent, FuMo 23 main radars' rear pieces aren't angled), and I actually used the kit's PE radars instead even though that, too, was frustrating: they were all different sizes despite the real things all being the same! For the crowsnest, I removed the molded solid one and used styrene sheet for the new base, using the PE range dials as the bulkheads. I drilled open the bow anchor hawsepipe, and bridged the gap between the bow fairleads with wire.
Painting was handbrushed with mostly Lifecolor; deck variations were via pencil crayon (thanks Vlad for that idea); rigging is UNI Caenis. Decals from Hawk Graphics. Anchor chain from a Trumpeter spinoff.
I aimed for when the Jot Dora signal was given to Prinz Eugen to commence firing, so no main deck railings (couldn't figure a way to do realistic folded-down railings). It's uncertain whether the signal was sent via flags in addition to the usual measures, but I like the extra colour they add. The Arado is there for aesthetics - would not have been sitting out there during the battle.
Brass barrels from Master; PE was WEM's and the kit's own. The WEM set is a bit disappointing: the instructions show several parts that aren't actually on the fret or aren't as depicted (e.g. Arado rudders and cross braces shown but absent, FuMo 23 main radars' rear pieces aren't angled), and I actually used the kit's PE radars instead even though that, too, was frustrating: they were all different sizes despite the real things all being the same! For the crowsnest, I removed the molded solid one and used styrene sheet for the new base, using the PE range dials as the bulkheads. I drilled open the bow anchor hawsepipe, and bridged the gap between the bow fairleads with wire.
Painting was handbrushed with mostly Lifecolor; deck variations were via pencil crayon (thanks Vlad for that idea); rigging is UNI Caenis. Decals from Hawk Graphics. Anchor chain from a Trumpeter spinoff.
