The Ship Model Forum

Amongst the zillion other projects I'm dabbling in, I've started on this bit of madness as well - planking the deck of the Tamiya 1/350 Bismarck with real wood. I only plan to plank the main deck, and use the WEM photo-etch superstructure decks for everything above the main deck. The margin planking is 1x3 planks (HO scale), while the deck is 1x2, cut to 1cm lengths.

To date, I've got most of the margin planking (which runs along the bulkheads and deck edge) down. I've also started laying some plank on the main deck, just to see how it looked. I'll finish the margin planking before I go any further with the main deck.
I figure this should keep me busy during lunch for the foreseeable future!

VERY time consuming but will be TOTALLY worth the effort when your done. You have officially inspired me sir.

Good luck Martin, take your time, and some drink to relax, while fixing all those pieces

It is more time consuming to use 1 cm lengths, but I suggest 2cm. It looks way cleaner to use 2cm in my opinion.

I also find it easier to say, not make a long planked row all across the ship, but stay in one area. My Yamato has some errors but will certainly be nice when finished. good luck

This took me 6 weeks and I took this shot with a webcam about a minute ago. There are some errors if you can tell. I have ripped up alot of planks. This was done with a ruler and hobby knife.

DeadByCheese wrote:It is more time consuming to use 1 cm lengths, but I suggest 2cm. It looks way cleaner to use 2cm in my opinion.

You are the 2nd person to suggest 2cm, thanks.

You will probaly come out with a better ship at the end because I have never used photoetch besides railings.

Question for you Martin - were you able to remove the moulded in details from the deck in such as way as you cna use them again or are you going to have to rebuild them from scratch?

John

johndon wrote:Question for you Martin - were you able to remove the moulded in details from the deck in such as way as you cna use them again or are you going to have to rebuild them from scratch?

John

I'm going to have to rebuild them - I carved them off with a flat blade.

Martin, you GO, boy!

Looking Good

Nice job Martin,I did it in my tamiya Hood,just finished the deck,VERY time consuming ,but looks VERY nice

Looks real good, is there somewhere a How to guide to do this? would love to have a real wooden deck on my future 1/350 New Jersey (maybe after I finish my 1/350 Gettysburg)

Spunk-Y wrote:Looks real good, is there somewhere a How to guide to do this? would love to have a real wooden deck on my future 1/350 New Jersey (maybe after I finish my 1/350 Gettysburg)

I'm using this as a guide. It's from the now defunct Model Fleet site and was written by Dan Van Gartzen,

That looks fantastic, I admire your patients. I had been contemplating attempting wood planking on one of the smaller projects I have yet to tackle (1:350 Emden or Varyag). Of course, as it turns out they make laser cut wood decks for those two. I know the second I start planking my Tirpitz they will have put out a deck for that as well.

Is that 1/700 or 1/350

One further note: if you are going through all the pain of doing a real wooden deck, then by all means try to do it the way a real ship would, and include nibbing strakes. These are the planks which follow the deck outline, and are indented to allow the deck planks to die into them. To just run the deck planks out to the edge of the deck and taper them to a point is technically inaccurate.

Gerarddm wrote:To just run the deck planks out to the edge of the deck and taper them to a point is technically inaccurate.

Yes, but since I don't want to completely loose my mind, I won't be doing that!!

A few progress pictures...





I used up all the planks I had pre-cut....time to get the chopper out!

it looks better than the real thing!!.However on that scale i would just replace the whole plastic deck pieces with one-piece of wood which then i ll sand down , and scribe.I do that in some models in 1/700 and it is less time consuming than individually place planks on the deck, and you dont have to worry too much of going out of line as you built up .The only thing is you got to be careful when you glue all the superstructure on it so it is aligned properly, and generally speaking you will need to glue everything back on it (all the small vends, gun tubs etc).

What brand of planks are you using?

Wow! incredible work. Of course now I am pullng my hair out thinking how long my Mushashi project is gonna last once I am done with North Carolina