LED

Nine hundred and ninety nine portholes on the wall,

Take one down and drill it around.

998 portholes on the wall...

Not worth a photo.

And, if I decide to get the Pontos detail kit, then a pox on RGL and the rest of you.  A pox, I say!!! 🫣

However, the Pontos kit is for the Trumpeter model, not the Academy model.  I looked at the high end Academy Admiral Graf Spee and it did not include masts.  It looks like I am just going to have to be extremely careful with the masts.  I am 0 for 4 though.  Ugh...

As a taxpayer, I only wish😆

Questions:

1. I absolutely know I am going to wreck my masts.  I also know that my cat likes to eat them - I actually completed the Tamiya HMS Rodney (1:700), was about to post my success story here, and  ...  my cat destroyed the superstructure and masts.🫣  I was recovering from a wonderful pair of rotator cuff strains, finally had a good sleep, and woke up to an odd crunching sound.  He found the top half of the ship quite tasty.  Who would have guessed.  So, given all that, is there a good source for material for masts or maybe brass kits for them?
2. I found most of this stuff on Squadron.com.  Is there a source that has most of this that maybe sponsors this site or is otherwise a great experience?  Is Squadron.com a good vendor that I can count on?  BTW, that 'Model Ship World | Ship Kit Database' in the sponsor/advertiser section is really well done.  I wish it had more plastic kits in it, I'm not skilled enough yet to tackle a wood kit.
3. And, is it worth it to drill out the port holes if I don't model the ridge over them?  I've never worked on a ship this size.  I've never had to deal with that.  Drilling them out doesn't seem to bad, but either fishing small wire cuttings or brutally small PE over the port holes seems horrific.

And, some GREAT footage of the Admiral Graf Spee in Montevideo (British Movietone):
 

And, Skynea History is well worth one's time as well:
 

Wrong about some of the history.  Always take a peek at Drachinifel as a source.  There are some AMAZING stills in this video that may prove useful for me and future Admiral Graf Spee builders.

After my failed attempt at the 1:700 scale Dragon Z-39 I poked around the interwebs and found a site that presented skill levels in their reviews.  ‘CyberModeler Online’ is a very nice review source.  <sarcasm>Surprisingly</sarcasm>, the Dragon kits are ‘Expert’.  But, the Academy Graf Spee kit I bought concurrently was a ‘Beginner’ kit.  I've been lurking this site for about a year.  It has kept my interest in the hobby going.  So, here I go again!!!

I’m going to model her as she was while ‘showing the flag’ just before WWII.  She, and her captain, were caught out by the start of WWII.  It is not likely a good thing to be in the wrong hemispheres (both of them) as an unescorted cruiser against the world’s best and largest navy.  Her crew applied many hasty, at sea, camouflages – some of which are cool. I really like the brush painted bow wave she sported on her final sorties, but I don’t know if she also sported the fake second funnel at the same time.  Regardless, she did not take fire till the Exeter, Ajax, and Achilles plinked her at the Battle of River Plate.  Thus, she probably should not be heavily weathered, and she had been well cared for.  That means just two main paint colors and no camo pattern.

I’m going to whale this one a little bit.  I mean, I paid for her a year ago so any mullah spent now just seems like a justifiable new kit purchase.  I’ve never used 3D printed parts but I think working those in will be easy and effective.  I could not imagine bending PE for all those secondary guns.  The Eduard PE will be used for railings and for some easy PE stuff – I did OK with the Z-39, but it was difficult.  The plastic rails provided in the kit provide a nice and easy template for the PE.  Regretfully, the Eduard PE doesn’t have the ‘CORONEL’ plaque that was placed on the superstructure while the WEM PE does – but the Eduard instructions are derived from the Academy kit instructions and I’m thinking that will make things much easier for a noob like me.  I have never tried a wood deck, but there is no time like the present and the Artwox deck seems to fit no fuss, no muss based on build threads I have read.  And, I’m going to ‘nope’ on porthole covers and whatever – I want to have a win here. 

Another thought for the more skilled and ambitious.  There is a really cool photo out there where the Graf Spee is anchored near the HMS Hood and Resolution for the coronation of King George VI in 1937.  I think that will require back dating her secondaries since she was refit to include the below aftermarket secondaries in 1938.  Look at this beautiful photo:

If any of you see anything amiss, please comment.  I have yet to click the ‘Buy’ button and will probably not do so for a couple of days.  I am planning on using Squadron.com for the purchases.  If anyone has better sources please inform me.  They seem ok though.

Aftermarket:

Paint:

Happy Hunting and Pray for Me...

@RGL,

For some reason YouTube put this in my picklist:  The Stealth Ship So Powerful They Couldn't Build Any More

There is some nice footage of the Zumwalt in there.  The photos you presented seem to have most of what you might want, but maybe take a peek

And, tossed...

Two broken masts, one lost part, and the writing is on the wall.

The plastic is extremely brittle, the sprue attachments are huge in relation to the part, and the fit is weird.  Additionally, it is odd what they think is a necessary additional part.  A cross member of a tripod mast - but, only one of them.  My guess is that they want to increase the part count to make the build more challenging.  Anyway, weird.

Based on what I am finding during the build - the quality of the plastic results in the smaller parts being brittle - I don't think it would survive even if completed.  I'm not into scratch building at this time and I don't want to buy a second kit to keep a build looking good.  This thing will break if the sun shines on it.

So, writing Dragon off my kit manufacturer list.  Not a good experience.

On the positive side, I handled my first PE ok.  The included PE was really well done.  It wasn't too fragile and allowed me to make mistakes and fix them with re-bends.  The detail offered by the PE was amazing.  The only issue is that I primed the PE on the fret.  I think I will prime/paint after structural build next time.  That's my fault.

Oh well, better luck next time.  My next kit is going to be a Tamiya 1/700 Rodney.  It won't break, the parts won't be useless, and it will go together smoothly.

Thanks for the advice...

I have perused this site and others - and, ahem, actually read this kit's instructions - and came to the conclusion that I needed:

• A glue that worked well with PE - and would give me time to fiddle
• A decent magnifying headset with a light
• And, a pair of bending tweezers

Everything is coming at me in separate packages, with shipping times into the eons 😄.  Turns out the photo-etch bending tweezers are kinda not needed - and those showed up almost immediately.  Got my glue last night.  My headset will show up Monday.  And, now I have to break down my 'modeling bench' - really just an ironing board with some butcher paper over it - to deal with washing/ironing work clothes.  Ugh.

I think I'll wait till I get that headset.  It is kinda the most important of the purchases.  Man ALL that photo etch is small and there are a LOT of fiddly plastic bits as well.  Every single discrete construction step in this kit includes PE.  I cannot get around it other than by not incorporating it.

Again, thanks for the painting and construction advice.

GLHF

4 minutes ago, king derelict said:

I never got on well with my Tamiya PE pliers. The jaws quickly went out of alignment. Possibly it was just a dud pair. The magnifiers with light are a big help to me.

I tend to stick the hull to something that I can hold to minimise handling of the model. I use a piece of plastic packing material liberated from work and double sided tape. Others use paint bottle tops and blu tack.

There is a big deep hole of tools that you can throw money into

Alan

I've been poking though your builds.  You seem to glue the main deck to the hull early in the build.  Is there a reason for that style?

I like to paint it separately, but I am open for suggestions...

Anyone want a photo after the clear coat was applied???  😝

I am thinking the hull red paint is relatively fragile.  It kinda seems so, therefore the clear coat to protect my nice new 'waterline'.  The next thing to do is to mask the red a little above the line - or if the black is wide enough then leave that as the waterline.  Then try to pre-shade the mess I created.  Finally, clear coat again and apply masking for the cool dazzle.

On perusing lots of your builds I notice that most (all???) of you glue the deck to the hull prior to painting.  I have been painting it separately.  Is there a reason for this or is it just personal preference?

Finally, I ordered Tamiya bending pliers.  Yup, I got suckered, but I at least know they will be quality pliers.  I should have paid more attention to what they actually were.  I could have bought them at Home Depot...  I also ordered a head mounted lamp with magnifying glasses.  Finally, I'm getting new glasses tomorrow.  When did this cheap hobby get so damn expensive🤑

Amazing...

And, to be honest, I would have never thought this topic would work - but it does.  I kept skipping past it, but that was a mistake.  Love the activity and the cargo.  Plus, this gives a solid opportunity for weathering.  Just wow...

I'm going to have to grind some of your other builds.  Looking at the 'oil canning' shows me I didn't get the technique right.  It looks downright 3D - like you are carving out part of the paint coats.  Nicely done...

Well,

This thread will include the mistakes as well.  The Vallejo Model Color Flat Black has a completely different viscosity (consistency???) than the other colors I have used.  Between 'the runs' (it is a very 'slippery color') and my lousy skillset with the airbrush my pre-shading went to heck.  I actually ended up kinda fixing the mess with a few of those Tamiya weathering q-tips.  Oh, the humanity.

By the way, the Vallejo Hull Red is a bit difficult to work with as well - for the exact opposite reason as the flat black.  I had a hard time finding the right mix to get it coming out of the airbrush.  On the positive, once I got that set the hull red line was rock solid - there will be no need for touch up.  The actual color is a touch redder than how it appears here.

I think the pre-shading will actually work.  It will take more work than I expected with the hull grey, but I should be able to feather it in.  I am also going to rattle can the bootstripe with my trusty old Tamiya Flat Black.

This is going to be a slow build.  Now off to building the structures and masts.  Pray for me😇

And, as promised!!!

The "Amazing My Ship is Primed Photo"

I will attempt light 'oil-can' with pre-shading since @RGL did all the work in his thread.  However, I'm not going to scribe the hull plates because this kit is in 1/700 scale and this ship was in this paint scheme for about four to six months.  She became operational in January '44, did a bunch of mine-laying work in the Baltic, and was damaged in June '44 whereupon she was sent back to the shipyard.  I think the pre-shading will 'oil-can' the ship enough for six months of hard duty.  Plus, I don't think I have the skill to do real 'oil-canning' - but, we won't go there.  Also, I think I will try the more advanced stuff RGL does at 1/350.  And, I might not document a potential failure here😁

I'm really hoping the primer sticks to that photo etch.  It seems to have, so off we go...

The hull grey the Germans used seems to be more silvery and lighter.  This is using the color chart I linked in the topic lead and my using the Mark I Eyeball for a 1 to 1 mix of those colors.  Plus, when I look at the two kit builds documented here and another I have found I think that is true.  She will be a good looking ship.  Hope she does not turn into:  1st) A Glue Blob, and/or 2nd) A Paint Blob  -another reason for limiting the number of primer coats on this 1/700 scale model.

BTW, this kit is exceptional.  I have not glued a single part together, but I can see the detail.  It is amazing.  And, for the first time I don't think I am going to sway from the instruction sheet in any meaningful way.  Man, the instructions are laid out the way a ship modeler builds out.  You guys would like this kit.

GLHF

 

12 minutes ago, king derelict said:

I'm still learning how to use PE but I would recommend the following basics. 

 

A hard surface to cut on. I use a piece of acrylic but I have seen glass or metal mentioned.

A scalpel to cut with. I use a round profile blade. You can use the scalpel or a single sided razor blade to slide under a piece of PE trapped under a steel rule and bend it up against the straight edge. That works for straight bends. A series of drill bits can be used for curved bends. 

I use Vallejo primer on PE and it sticks quite well but I think you have design yourself to touch ups if the PE is going to get handled.

I haven't really used OR pliers. I bought a set and the jaws quickly went out of line.

 

I do have PE benders and rollers they are great but pricey. I started out with the stuff above and it all worked fine for the average OR

 

Hope this helps

 

Alan

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the advice @king derelict.

Quote

A scalpel to cut with. I use a round profile blade. You can use the scalpel or a single sided razor blade to slide under a piece of PE trapped under a steel rule and bend it up against the straight edge. That works for straight bends. A series of drill bits can be used for curved bends.

Based on what I see from your comment I can get rolling.  Hopefully, we will see actual progress tomorrow in my thread!!!  I have a nice piece of heavy glass downstairs.  I'll grab it tomorrow and get my game face going.  And, bend my knee praying to the Gods of Scale Modeling.  This is going to be a tough build for me.  But fun.

So, I'm woefully unprepared for this build.

The PE is part of every sub-assembly excepting the hull.  I have no tools for photo-etch.  I wasn't expecting that.  I thought I could get the major assemblies done without the PE, but some of the PE is deep in the build and kinda locked in place.  

Can anyone provide a list of the basics?

My 'research' indicates:

1. A pair of PE pliers
2. A good (diamond) file
3. And, maybe a bending tool

I don't want to break the bank, but I do want decent equipment.  I will be using PE on my next builds.

This video from 'Norwegian Modelling Bench' is the best discussion I have found - but, his skill and his needs are far beyond what I am looking to attain three models into this...  I just need the basics for this kit.  I can get more stuff for either the Graf Spee or the FFG-57 when I start using some after-market.

Also, do I have to do anything special regarding the priming and/or paint for PE?  Opinions differ radically.

Thanks for the nice comments...

I kept finding this site when Googlin' builds for the North Carolina, Fletcher, and Repulse.  The NC build kinda s31t the bed, the Fletcher was quite a bit better after reviewing RGL's build, and the Repulse came out pretty good after finding a nice build in another site.  I think I am ready for a public build.  It will be OOB, but I think this kit will shine OOB.  This is where I am at.  When I bump to 1/350 I may try railings or even some rigging - but, not now...  

The instructions look very well laid out and clear.  They even credit some relatively well known modelers (maybe, don't know - too new at this) as 'Project Supervisors' - Rob McCune and Timothy Dike.  You can actually read Dike's review of this kit here...  He was spot on.  His unpainted photos will help me deal with the photo etch.  It is much easier to see the final shape of a 'complex' fold when there is not a lot of camo painted on it.

CyberModeler gave the 1/350 Dragon Z-38 a Skill Level tag of 'Experienced'.  After looking at the sprues I would hazard this 1/700 kit is likely for the experienced modeler as well.  By experienced, I don't mean 'God's Gift to the Modeling World', I just mean lots of small parts.  I think I can handle that at this point.

After close review of RGL's and MikaH's builds I am going to prime early and paint in major structures.  There is a simple 'wavish' camo pattern on the funnels - but I don't think it flows into the superstructure - which will be a good thing...  After the Repulse, I don't think the dazzle pattern will be a kill shot.  Keepin' on keepin'...

This kit did not include mines.  I wonder if I can get a rack of them at 1/700???  They look awesome.

BTW, my thoughts on storing the mixed paint for the base hull color:

1. Uh, I have two colors
2. That means I have two bottles
3. So, in a mixing jar the paint contents go
4. And, then the mixed paint goes back into the bottles.

My next kit is the Academy Admiral Graf Spee - so, I will need that mix again soon anyway!!!

These build logs are wonderful:

RGL:

MikaH:  

I have completed two recent ship builds - the Tamiya 1/350 Fletcher and the Tamiya 1/700 Repulse.  I picked the Fletcher after absolutely failing on a Trumpeter 1/700 North Carolina.  When I say an 'absolute fail' I do mean it.  What I ended up doing with that partial build will make nobody happy...

Anyway, after researching the web I chose the the Fletcher and then after that the Repulse.  I wanted success and I wanted a build progression.  I loved both kits, but wanted something that could challenge me a bit more.  It has been multiple decades since I built a scale model so there has been learning process - and a bit of a rework process😊

I chose this Dragon kit because it gets great reviews for detail and accuracy and because it includes a bit of photo-etch.  I have never worked with photo-etch.  This will be something new...

And, look at her!!!
 

Ain't she a beaut with that 'dazzle' camo pattern.  That will be a paint challenge.  She seems to have had that scheme right out of the shipyard in late '43 and a monochrome scheme after she took damage and got repaired.  Then again, maybe this photo (which was obviously used by World of Warships when camo'ing their image of the ship) is Fake News.  Who knows.  Don't tell me.  I love accuracy, but I am in lust with this😍

Anyway, for whatever reason everybody posts a photo of the box art and frets - so, here goes:

I guess that really doesn't show it in all it's glory, but me being in a wheelchair kinda limits the angle.  This is how I see the world😁

And, here are the paints I am going to use:

I am getting my Vallejo Model Color color matrix from:  https://app.box.com/s/2hz3x8hp57kqk8qqyu40y0lndkdnc696

It seems to be the go to for matching air and naval colors to Vallejo stuff - which I can easily get about 2 miles away.  I am seriously looking at the Sovereign Hobby's stuff once I run out of this.  Part of the Fandango behind the North Carolina is that I ended up with about every paint available for almost any navy.  Ugh.

Since I can't read the notes, these are the paints/mixes:

Hull & Superstructure

Hellgrau (light grey)                      70.989 + 70.883                                 Sky Grey + Silver Grey                    Mix 1:1                 Hull & Superstructure

Mittlegrau (medium grey)           70.989 + 70.991                                 Sky Grey + Dark Sea Grey              Mix 1:1                 Hull (Dark Over pattern)

Deck:

Dunkelgrau (darkish grey)          70.991 + 70.987                Dark Sea Grey + Medium Grey   Mix 3:1                 Deck
 

As 'The Noob of Noobs' I really like it when folks document their paint.

Questions:

• Given this amount of photo-etch (minimal) what tool(s) should I expect to use/purchase?
• And, how can I save paint after I mix it.  That was a problem with the Repulse.  I never got the same color/tone multiple times.

And, a comment:  Yowser, RGL and I have extremely similar tastes.  I find a potential subject using that well laid out PDF and there he is with a build.  I'm doing this public build here because of that dude.  He and some others around here were the reason I found this site.  I'm looking at you CDW and COG.  My research pointed right here.  GLHF.