Dan Vadas

The main gun assembly was particularly difficult to work out due to the VERY poor instructions. I'm not at all happy with the effort, or rather lack thereof, that GPM put into these. Why on earth would they bother "detailing" how to assemble a bucket, axe and German helmet for instance, but show only a very basic drawing of the really complex assemblies? Makes my blood boil 🤬.
 
Not to worry, I eventually worked it all out . The pics below are of the breech and the elevation/sweep support bracket. I've managed to make it work both ways. I used a piece of 3mm PVC tubing for the elevation pivot, as the kit probably didn't allow for this assembly to actually work :



 
This whole assembly, including the outer skin, is still only dry-fitted, there is quite a bit more work needed before I can permanently mount it :



 
Danny

Gidday Danny.
Looking good. It's hard to believe this is card. 
Pity about the instructions or lack thereof.
All the best.
Mark.

Looking good!
Is that arrangement going to be stiff enough so that the gun won't "droop"?
 

The main gun assembly was particularly difficult to work out due to the VERY poor instructions. I'm not at all happy with the effort, or rather lack thereof, that GPM put into these. Why on earth would they bother "detailing" how to assemble a bucket, axe and German helmet for instance, but show only a very basic drawing of the really complex assemblies? Makes my blood boil 🤬.
 
Not to worry, I eventually worked it all out . The pics below are of the breech and the elevation/sweep support bracket. I've managed to make it work both ways. I used a piece of 3mm PVC tubing for the elevation pivot, as the kit probably didn't allow for this assembly to actually work :



 
This whole assembly, including the outer skin, is still only dry-fitted, there is quite a bit more work needed before I can permanently mount it :



 
Danny

It's 1/25 scale. I wouldn't doubt that there would be a lot of PE etc out there. This particular kit doesn't seem to have Laser-cut Treads, at least not from GPM as far as I could tell.
 
I DID however, just now find THIS laser-cut set for the frame and wheels. Too late now, I'm already most of the way through laminating the paper templates for same . Besides, I'd have had to wait about a month to get it, plus pay nearly 30 Euros for a 5.50 Euro kit once the postage was added .
 
Danny

Thanks for the compliments Doris, I'm nowhere near your level of skill with card though .
 
Hi David and welcome to my build log. Chris has given you good advice about not jumping straight into Bismarck as a first card build - it's not an easy one by any means. Card glue is fine for these models. I had one or two issues with the kit, nothing major and I think I covered them in my log so you may be able to avoid some of the errors I made which I later corrected. If you want a copy of the Part Finder spreadsheet I made, and also the translated instructions, send me a PM and I'll email them to you. The spreadsheet is particularly useful.
 
Danny

The main gun assembly was particularly difficult to work out due to the VERY poor instructions. I'm not at all happy with the effort, or rather lack thereof, that GPM put into these. Why on earth would they bother "detailing" how to assemble a bucket, axe and German helmet for instance, but show only a very basic drawing of the really complex assemblies? Makes my blood boil 🤬.
 
Not to worry, I eventually worked it all out . The pics below are of the breech and the elevation/sweep support bracket. I've managed to make it work both ways. I used a piece of 3mm PVC tubing for the elevation pivot, as the kit probably didn't allow for this assembly to actually work :



 
This whole assembly, including the outer skin, is still only dry-fitted, there is quite a bit more work needed before I can permanently mount it :



 
Danny

The main gun assembly was particularly difficult to work out due to the VERY poor instructions. I'm not at all happy with the effort, or rather lack thereof, that GPM put into these. Why on earth would they bother "detailing" how to assemble a bucket, axe and German helmet for instance, but show only a very basic drawing of the really complex assemblies? Makes my blood boil 🤬.
 
Not to worry, I eventually worked it all out . The pics below are of the breech and the elevation/sweep support bracket. I've managed to make it work both ways. I used a piece of 3mm PVC tubing for the elevation pivot, as the kit probably didn't allow for this assembly to actually work :



 
This whole assembly, including the outer skin, is still only dry-fitted, there is quite a bit more work needed before I can permanently mount it :



 
Danny

The main gun assembly was particularly difficult to work out due to the VERY poor instructions. I'm not at all happy with the effort, or rather lack thereof, that GPM put into these. Why on earth would they bother "detailing" how to assemble a bucket, axe and German helmet for instance, but show only a very basic drawing of the really complex assemblies? Makes my blood boil 🤬.
 
Not to worry, I eventually worked it all out . The pics below are of the breech and the elevation/sweep support bracket. I've managed to make it work both ways. I used a piece of 3mm PVC tubing for the elevation pivot, as the kit probably didn't allow for this assembly to actually work :



 
This whole assembly, including the outer skin, is still only dry-fitted, there is quite a bit more work needed before I can permanently mount it :



 
Danny

The main gun assembly was particularly difficult to work out due to the VERY poor instructions. I'm not at all happy with the effort, or rather lack thereof, that GPM put into these. Why on earth would they bother "detailing" how to assemble a bucket, axe and German helmet for instance, but show only a very basic drawing of the really complex assemblies? Makes my blood boil 🤬.
 
Not to worry, I eventually worked it all out . The pics below are of the breech and the elevation/sweep support bracket. I've managed to make it work both ways. I used a piece of 3mm PVC tubing for the elevation pivot, as the kit probably didn't allow for this assembly to actually work :



 
This whole assembly, including the outer skin, is still only dry-fitted, there is quite a bit more work needed before I can permanently mount it :



 
Danny

The main gun assembly was particularly difficult to work out due to the VERY poor instructions. I'm not at all happy with the effort, or rather lack thereof, that GPM put into these. Why on earth would they bother "detailing" how to assemble a bucket, axe and German helmet for instance, but show only a very basic drawing of the really complex assemblies? Makes my blood boil 🤬.
 
Not to worry, I eventually worked it all out . The pics below are of the breech and the elevation/sweep support bracket. I've managed to make it work both ways. I used a piece of 3mm PVC tubing for the elevation pivot, as the kit probably didn't allow for this assembly to actually work :



 
This whole assembly, including the outer skin, is still only dry-fitted, there is quite a bit more work needed before I can permanently mount it :



 
Danny

Great work!

Very nicely done so far, Dan!

Quick-Find Indexes to Build Logs from Kits
 
 
Up to 1500 May 2024.pdf1501-1750 May 2024.pdf
 
1751-1800 May 2024.pdf1801-1850 May 2024.pdf
 
1851-1900 May 2024.pdf1901-Present May 2024.pdf
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Links above take you to a number of "Quick Find" Indexes to the Build Logs for vessels made from Kits on this Site. They are alphabetically entered by Ship Name and Builder, as well as showing the Kit Manufacturer and whether the model has reached completion. NOTE - these Indexes do not contain those models that are Scratch-built with the exception of "Ships in Bottles", "Radio Control Models" and "Restorations".
 
The Indexes are grouped in the various Building Types we have on this site - Wooden Ships, Small Craft, Plastic Models, Card, Radio Control, etc so you can easily find the type of build you are looking for.
 
They are in PDF files, so you will need to have a PDF Reader installed in your computer to open them. These are available as free Downloads from various sources on-line, such as Adobe Reader:  https://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/
 
When you click on the Link to open your Index of choice you will be asked to Download the file. Select a Folder to download to (optional - the Default is your "Downloads" folder). Any time you open that file from this page it will overwrite the previous file, and paste the new one in.
 
The Indexes will be updated as new Build Logs are started, usually within a few days of them appearing, so it's advisable to update your Indexes periodically. You can view the downloaded Indexes from your computer without having to download them every time, but new ones may have been added since then.
 
In the Index Click on the blue Ship's Name for the Build Log you want to view and it will open the Log. If you want to return to this page there is a Link at the top of the Index marked "Return to Model Ship World" that will bring you back here.
 
To find a particular model quickly in the PDF Index - Click on the Edit Menu and select "Search", which will drop down a Dialog Window. You can type in the ship's name or the Builder (or even the Kit Manufacturer) and it will go to the first one in the list. Keep pressing the "Next" button to find the one you want and then Click on the blue Ship's Name to open the Build Log. This feature is particularly useful in the larger Indexes which have many pages. The pages have a Scroll Bar on the right which you can also use, or if your Mouse has a wheel you can turn that to also go down quickly. Pressing the "Page Down" key on your keyboard also goes down a page at a time.
 
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
 

The driver's seat :


 
The engine has a few details, most of which are completely hidden once it's fitted :



 
I found out a bit too late that I'd fitted the engine a bit too far toward the rear. There were no pics or diagrams anywhere in the instructions as to where it should have fitted . It SHOULD have been hard against the firewall. I had a fair bit of modification to do to the radiator later on to get it to fit :

 
The radiator and fans. The centres of the fan spindles took a bit of work :


 
No parts were supplied in the kit for these two exhaust pipes, so I made them from PVC tubing, heated with a hot air gun to get the bends. It took a few goes to get two pieces which looked the same and actually fitted :


 
My progress to date :

 
Danny

Thanks for the compliments Doris, I'm nowhere near your level of skill with card though .
 
Hi David and welcome to my build log. Chris has given you good advice about not jumping straight into Bismarck as a first card build - it's not an easy one by any means. Card glue is fine for these models. I had one or two issues with the kit, nothing major and I think I covered them in my log so you may be able to avoid some of the errors I made which I later corrected. If you want a copy of the Part Finder spreadsheet I made, and also the translated instructions, send me a PM and I'll email them to you. The spreadsheet is particularly useful.
 
Danny

The driver's seat :


 
The engine has a few details, most of which are completely hidden once it's fitted :



 
I found out a bit too late that I'd fitted the engine a bit too far toward the rear. There were no pics or diagrams anywhere in the instructions as to where it should have fitted . It SHOULD have been hard against the firewall. I had a fair bit of modification to do to the radiator later on to get it to fit :

 
The radiator and fans. The centres of the fan spindles took a bit of work :


 
No parts were supplied in the kit for these two exhaust pipes, so I made them from PVC tubing, heated with a hot air gun to get the bends. It took a few goes to get two pieces which looked the same and actually fitted :


 
My progress to date :

 
Danny

The driver's seat :


 
The engine has a few details, most of which are completely hidden once it's fitted :



 
I found out a bit too late that I'd fitted the engine a bit too far toward the rear. There were no pics or diagrams anywhere in the instructions as to where it should have fitted . It SHOULD have been hard against the firewall. I had a fair bit of modification to do to the radiator later on to get it to fit :

 
The radiator and fans. The centres of the fan spindles took a bit of work :


 
No parts were supplied in the kit for these two exhaust pipes, so I made them from PVC tubing, heated with a hot air gun to get the bends. It took a few goes to get two pieces which looked the same and actually fitted :


 
My progress to date :

 
Danny

....... continued from last post.
 
Hull skinning begins by first using a rounded stick and a piece of high-density foam to shape the sides where they are rounded :


 
Then the top edge of one side is glued to the edge of the deck :

 
And the other side is also glued along the deck edge :

 
The Keel edge at the bow is next pushed against the hull and glued to it, followed by the aft section of skin :

 
Finally the remaining sections are glued to the hull. If the hull has been shaped properly there should be no (or at least minimal) gaps :


 
Now we start fitting the cabin, starting with both sides :

 
Then the front and back :

 
And finally the roof, which in this case has a slight curvature. The white card needs to be painted to match the cabin - another poor piece of design by the manufacturer :

 
Railings and a screen are CA glued to the deck. A couple of tiny spots of PVA glue are used to position the pieces before the CA is applied :


 
Last things to fit are the rudder, prop shaft made from 0.4mm wire and a shaft support, and a PE prop :


 
  Danny
 

The idea with those is that you drill a hole about 2/3 the diameter of the thread first to make them easier to screw in.
 
Danny

Thanks very much guys .
 
No, I've had enough of this model .
 
Well, this is it - Bismarck is FINISHED . Here are all the final pics - enjoy :






















 
Thanks to all those who followed this build, and especially those who commented. Now onto HMS Hood .
 
  Danny

Thanks very much guys .
 
No, I've had enough of this model .
 
Well, this is it - Bismarck is FINISHED . Here are all the final pics - enjoy :






















 
Thanks to all those who followed this build, and especially those who commented. Now onto HMS Hood .
 
  Danny

Thank you John and Carl.
 
All the portholes and steps are fitted. The closest set of steps are about to be painted :


 
There's another Boom near the bow :

 
The main entry ladders are made from PE. I scratchbuilt the platforms :


 
It's now time to fit the screws and rudders which I made 5 months ago :


 
The final things to fit are the two flags, as I usually do. It signals the end of the build . I de-laminated the paper to make it look a bit more realistic, and glued the pieces back-to-back :



 
I only need to glue the model to the base, which I made a while ago. It's just been given it's final coat of lacquer (I'd forgotten to do that earlier ). The final pictures will be posted a bit later today.
 
  Danny

Thanks for the compliments Doris, I'm nowhere near your level of skill with card though .
 
Hi David and welcome to my build log. Chris has given you good advice about not jumping straight into Bismarck as a first card build - it's not an easy one by any means. Card glue is fine for these models. I had one or two issues with the kit, nothing major and I think I covered them in my log so you may be able to avoid some of the errors I made which I later corrected. If you want a copy of the Part Finder spreadsheet I made, and also the translated instructions, send me a PM and I'll email them to you. The spreadsheet is particularly useful.
 
Danny

Thanks for the compliments Doris, I'm nowhere near your level of skill with card though .
 
Hi David and welcome to my build log. Chris has given you good advice about not jumping straight into Bismarck as a first card build - it's not an easy one by any means. Card glue is fine for these models. I had one or two issues with the kit, nothing major and I think I covered them in my log so you may be able to avoid some of the errors I made which I later corrected. If you want a copy of the Part Finder spreadsheet I made, and also the translated instructions, send me a PM and I'll email them to you. The spreadsheet is particularly useful.
 
Danny