DKM Gneisenau by king derelict - FINISHED - Flyhawk - 1/700 - PLASTIC

[king derelict]

8 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Those masts are really nice.  In a lot of the upgrade sets from places like Five Star, etc., the sets are very detailed but usually don’t include brass mast replacements so you’re stuck with the out of scale plastic.  Infini and others do sell brass masts, but good to see that they were included in your set.

 

The Flyhawk plastic masts look quite good - but then you put the brass ones next to them and there is no way you can use the plastic ones. It is impressive that they actually tapered the brass masts. 

Alan

[king derelict]

The detail work continues. I finished the four platforms that are hung under the bridge. The last two took hours mainly because I was struggling and deforming the platform as I tried to add the Y support. Eventually the inevitable happened and the railing broke away from the platform and split in two from too much bending. I managed to find a suitable bit of spare PE railing and glued it to the platform and added it to the structure. The Y structure was abandoned for that platform - so sue me!

The final one went together quite easily for some reason and is the right hand of the two platforms in the photo below.

Adding the first of the railings was almost relaxing after that

As a bit of a diversion I started on the two large derricks. There are six plastic parts to each crane and a host of tiny PE. I decided not to use the PE parts that replace the supports for the top winches. The PE looked too delicate to adequately support the winch and then stay in place while the cables were added. I have no moral fibre I guess. 

These should look quite nice when finished i hope.

Happy Weekend

Alan

 

[CDW]

Just now, king derelict said:

As a bit of a diversion I started on the two large derricks. There are six plastic parts to each crane and a host of tiny PE. I decided not to use the PE parts that replace the supports for the top winches. The PE looked too delicate to adequately support the winch and then stay in place while the cables were added. I have no moral fibre I guess. 

 

These should look quite nice when finished i hope.

Happy Weekend

Alan

 

Looks great!

The cranes are slightly different than the Scharnhorst ones. Impressive that Flyhawk captures those small details rather than using a single mold.

[Old Collingwood]

That is looking Superb Alan  - just look at all that detail, really nice job you are doing mate.

 

OC.

[RogerF]

I've been catching up with your progress after returning from my holiday on the Baltic and I'm very impressed. It is quite tricky deciding on the sequence of build with wooden decks, paint masks and endless PE to contend with. With Bismarck, and probably Hood when she arrives, I intend to paint the hull first then paint the plastic deck detail that protrudes through the cut-outs in the deck (after removing any plastic that needs to go before the wood deck is fitted) and build the superstructure in blocks that can be painted and dry fitted to each other until it's time for them to be fitted permanently to the deck. This should make painting much easier, especially with Bismarck where the Baltic camouflage is going to be a big challenge for me in this scale.

I find researching detail and colour schemes a very rewarding part of model building and learning about the anatomy of the real ship helps me understand how parts fit together. We're all crazy for working in 1/700 scale but anything bigger will leave me with no space for additional models so 1/700 it shall be!

Microscopic 'flying parts', PE and plastic, are a real pain but I will wear an apron with the bottom hem taped to the edge of the desk so as to form a hollow into which the AWOL parts can be caught before they descend to the carpet never to be seen again. Of course parts flying away across the workbench are a different matter!

Great stuff Alan and I'm learning from your experience of building an FH 1/700 ship, you are certainly working at a much faster rate than I will be once I get started!

[king derelict]

20 hours ago, CDW said:

Looks great!

The cranes are slightly different than the Scharnhorst ones. Impressive that Flyhawk captures those small details rather than using a single mold.

Thanks for the nice comment Craig. This is another great Flyhawk kit and I do like the way they really work on the details even if it complicates the production of the kits. The cranes are very neat even if they are getting grumbled at a lot. There are PE radar towers (I think) which are included if you want to build a later Geisenau instead of the earlier configuration.

Alan

[king derelict]

20 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

That is looking Superb Alan  - just look at all that detail, really nice job you are doing mate.

 

OC.

Thank You OC

It is a spectacular kit to work on. There is so much to detail that it is very rewarding to watch it come together. I still have a long way to go before I'm finished but its definitely not a slog

Alan

[king derelict]

14 hours ago, RogerF said:

I've been catching up with your progress after returning from my holiday on the Baltic and I'm very impressed. It is quite tricky deciding on the sequence of build with wooden decks, paint masks and endless PE to contend with. With Bismarck, and probably Hood when she arrives, I intend to paint the hull first then paint the plastic deck detail that protrudes through the cut-outs in the deck (after removing any plastic that needs to go before the wood deck is fitted) and build the superstructure in blocks that can be painted and dry fitted to each other until it's time for them to be fitted permanently to the deck. This should make painting much easier, especially with Bismarck where the Baltic camouflage is going to be a big challenge for me in this scale.

I find researching detail and colour schemes a very rewarding part of model building and learning about the anatomy of the real ship helps me understand how parts fit together. We're all crazy for working in 1/700 scale but anything bigger will leave me with no space for additional models so 1/700 it shall be!

Microscopic 'flying parts', PE and plastic, are a real pain but I will wear an apron with the bottom hem taped to the edge of the desk so as to form a hollow into which the AWOL parts can be caught before they descend to the carpet never to be seen again. Of course parts flying away across the workbench are a different matter!

Great stuff Alan and I'm learning from your experience of building an FH 1/700 ship, you are certainly working at a much faster rate than I will be once I get started!

Thank You for the kind comments Roger.

I envy you your Baltic holiday; its a region I would like to explore. Your build sequence is broadly how I started out but now I seem to have installed the main parts of the superstructure and adding detail and paint as I work around each area. This was largely because I didn't think I would have enough areas to safely handle the subassemblies when the PE was on and thought they would be safer already on the hull. So far its working out but I suspect I'm going to get in difficulties at some point as the whole ship becomes delicate to handle. There is still a lot of off ship parts to work; gun turrets, life rafts and boats too.

The flying small parts and PE is a challenge to me. I seem to spend too much time on hands and knees with a flashlight under the work table. I seem to be most at risk attaching the parts to the assembly under construction. I try and work over a white paper towel to reduce bouncing and aid visibility when the part falls from the tweezers but I don't know how you stop the escapes from the ping from the tweezers.

There is still a huge amount of parts still to be worked on and installed so it is still going to take a long time for me to finish Geisenau

Thanks for commenting and I look to your Bismarck log

Alan

[king derelict]

I'm still working away at the detail and slowly the PE frets are getting emptier. I've completed the large cranes; they just need final painting.

added the railings around the upper platform on the funnel and on the upper decks, The first guns were installed and the boat racks were made (and were very delicate, both to make and place)

I probably need to get the boats painted and added before the deck gets more crowded with fragile stuff.

My new paint supplies arrived so I can work on touch up too while I can still reach the areas I want to work on.

I rounded up all the parts that I had not yet painted along with the brass masts and airbrushed primer onto them.

 

 

Thanks for checking in

Alan

[Old Collingwood]

Amazing work Alan  - looking so realistic.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

7 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

Amazing work Alan  - looking so realistic.

 

OC.

Thank you for the kind comment OC. The parts and PE still to install seems to be going down but there is a lot a lot of stuff still to install. No rush; its fun working on a new area each day.

Alan

[king derelict]

The last pieces of superstructure were added and the PE enhancements began. The platforms are mounted on girders made out of two PE with the edges bent and them glued together to form a box structure. The bending tool was a huge help to get the thin section to bend cleanly to 90 degrees.

The railings and platforms were added and the assembly installed. More boat racks to add around the area but i was PE-ed out for the day

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking

 

Alan

[king derelict]

Not as much progress as I would have liked today. I built the PE boat rack that sits between the rear two structures and started to move it into place. It was a tight fit and as i added a bit of a nudge the rear structure popped off. I guess the wood deck was too tight and it wasn't really glued down fully onto the deck below. It did allow me to place the boat rack and then press the structure back into place. Unfortunately this had the effect of popping the forward structure off which has the catapult and all the other PE on it.

It was not a good moment watching it bounce across the work surface. Luckily it seemed to land on the few substantial parts of the piece and little real damage was done. I was able to restore it to its place on the ship without any damage beyond the need to touch up some (more) paint. I decided to go off and do something else after that excitement

 

 

So I went and brushed the cats. That will teach them!

Have a great weekend all

Alan

[king derelict]

I'm still working away in the details of the ship. I started the ships boats. There are several very small PE parts to enhance the boats.

Some of it may be a bit excessive. I'm not sure I see the value of adding the brass cabin roof. Its plain; just like the original. I omitted it but the windscreen, rails and canopy rails dress the boats up quite a bit

 

Detail painting to finish them and some PE life rings. to add

 

The last boat racks were added to the edge of the upper deck. I'm a bit confused about them. The instructions show railings running along the deck edge in the same place so I'm not sure if I have this wrong but it seems to match the diagrams in the instructions and there are notches in the deck for the boat racks where I installed them. I think I will have to cut the length of railings short to cater for the boats. 

Guns are slowly being added. I'm trying to complete the areas that will difficult to access when teh railings are added and adding the railings before other parts make them vulnerable. I'm leaving the bow and stern bare until last so I have somewhere to hold without ruining the delicate stuff.

I have started with thin black weathering washes and to help with the shadow detail.

 

 

 

 

The main runs of railings and the ships boats will be next to be added. Its starting to get busy.

Thanks for checking in

Alan

 

 

 

[CDW]

Looking super Alan!

When I built my Scharnhorst, I must have knocked some of the small parts off a dozen times and had to re-glue them during the process. You're doing a great job of building it then keeping it all together.

[lmagna]

Really making some progress Alan. VERY impressive. 

[RogerF]

Flyhawk PE in 1/700 - Holy Moses, what a challenge. My first venture into PE in this scale brought me down to earth with a bump (see my newly started Hood blog). The size and detail of some really is insane. I toyed with the idea of giving up on the PE altogether but re-reading through your progress to date I'm motivated to carry on regardless. I think we learn as we go forward, certainly I get that impression from your experiences so far, and your determination as you proceed from obstacle to obstacle is an example to us all. Your Gneisenau really is starting to look 'the business' and I will try to emulate your patience, finger-skills and breath-holding ability. The worst part for me is spending an hour or more bending over the desk fiddling with microscopic detail as my back starts telling me I need to give it a rest. There are some great tips you've shared along the way (sliding ladders up from the lower deck to the upper through the appropriate hole rather than the other way round is just one example) and it's what makes these detailed blogs so valuable. I will persevere, despite the daunting tasks that lie ahead. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and illustrating them with so many detailed photos Alan, it  will make life that much easier for me as I get down to building my Hood in earnest.

This bit on the end of my little finger detached itself from the mast platform I started yesterday:

[Old Collingwood]

Superb work Alan.

 

OC.

[popeye the sailor]

my word Alan........she quite a ship your building!  I think you and I share the same thoughts about PE..........daunting to add,  but not adding it would leave the model looking bland.  your doing a spectacular job    the detail is awesome!

 

I'm trying to branch out and look at some of these projects.   I used to look at so many,  I hardly had time at the table.  the more I look at these projects,  the more envious I get.......I have three ships....a 1:350,  a 1:450,  and a 1:500 in my stash.  I'm itching to start one,  and seeing these projects isn't helping my moderation,  considering the projects I already have in the works.  but I do enjoy the eye candy,  and glad to include your to the list  

[king derelict]

On 8/25/2021 at 8:48 PM, CDW said:

Looking super Alan!

When I built my Scharnhorst, I must have knocked some of the small parts off a dozen times and had to re-glue them during the process. You're doing a great job of building it then keeping it all together.

I know the feeling. The top yard of the aft mast is my bête noir. I have knocked it off so many times. I actually found it on teh floor yesterday while I was looking for something else and hadn't realised that I had done it again.

Thanks for the kind comments. Looking at your Scharnhorst photos I think I got the easier of the sisters to build.

Alan

[king derelict]

On 8/25/2021 at 9:26 PM, lmagna said:

Really making some progress Alan. VERY impressive. 

Thank you Lou

It feels like its going slowly working with the details of the Arado and the ships boats but I'm taking my time.

Alan

[king derelict]

On 8/26/2021 at 8:26 AM, RogerF said:

Flyhawk PE in 1/700 - Holy Moses, what a challenge. My first venture into PE in this scale brought me down to earth with a bump (see my newly started Hood blog). The size and detail of some really is insane. I toyed with the idea of giving up on the PE altogether but re-reading through your progress to date I'm motivated to carry on regardless. I think we learn as we go forward, certainly I get that impression from your experiences so far, and your determination as you proceed from obstacle to obstacle is an example to us all. Your Gneisenau really is starting to look 'the business' and I will try to emulate your patience, finger-skills and breath-holding ability. The worst part for me is spending an hour or more bending over the desk fiddling with microscopic detail as my back starts telling me I need to give it a rest. There are some great tips you've shared along the way (sliding ladders up from the lower deck to the upper through the appropriate hole rather than the other way round is just one example) and it's what makes these detailed blogs so valuable. I will persevere, despite the daunting tasks that lie ahead. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and illustrating them with so many detailed photos Alan, it  will make life that much easier for me as I get down to building my Hood in earnest.

This bit on the end of my little finger detached itself from the mast platform I started yesterday:

Thank you very much Roger, your comments are much appreciated and I'm glad you find useful items in the log.

I'm still very new to model building with about a year of experience now and I am still learning a lot with each build. I can't imagine tackling the Geisenau six months ago. PE is still a huge challenge to me; trying to keep it neat and sharply folded. Some of the parts seem to be a deliberate challenge to the builder rather than necessarily enhancing the model!

With all the tiny stuff on Geisenau I am increasingly using a cocktail stick with the end rubbed in beeswax to pick up and set the parts in place. It gives me more control of positioning the part than the big wax pencils and you can use a lighter application of wax to make sure the glue pulls it off the stick.

My two biggest issues are 1 - no looking far enough ahead in the build sequence and making some later steps harder than they should be and 2 - situation awareness. I get so focussed trying to get perfect positioning as I add a part to the model I ignore the feeling that something is touching my fingers until I realise I just bent or knocked something else off the model. On Geisenau I am deliberately leaving everything off the bows and stern to allow me two places for my stubby fingers to go.

Alan

[king derelict]

On 8/26/2021 at 12:08 PM, Old Collingwood said:

Superb work Alan.

 

OC.

Thank you kindly OC. Been a bit slow these last few days but still working on her.

Alan

[king derelict]

On 8/26/2021 at 1:54 PM, popeye the sailor said:

my word Alan........she quite a ship your building!  I think you and I share the same thoughts about PE..........daunting to add,  but not adding it would leave the model looking bland.  your doing a spectacular job    the detail is awesome!

 

I'm trying to branch out and look at some of these projects.   I used to look at so many,  I hardly had time at the table.  the more I look at these projects,  the more envious I get.......I have three ships....a 1:350,  a 1:450,  and a 1:500 in my stash.  I'm itching to start one,  and seeing these projects isn't helping my moderation,  considering the projects I already have in the works.  but I do enjoy the eye candy,  and glad to include your to the list  

Thank you very much Popeye. I'm glad you enjoy the log. Its still a big learning experience for me and I am still daunted by a few of the kits I have lined up for the future. I have a 1/700 USS Wasp (LHD-1) that I am rather in awe of. If Geisenau and Prince of Wales come out well enough I may screw up the courage.

Alan

[king derelict]

I seem to have been moving very slowly in the last few days. Weekends always seem to bring a lot of errands and tasks away from the work bench. Current events finally inspired a friend to have her accordion hurricane shutters checked and serviced. Its much more fun doing it now instead of March. Anyway that's a digression.

I'm still in the little details. I was highly delighted to paint the PE life rings and attach them to teh cabin roof of the motor boats.

That encouraged me to attempt the Arado which has a lot of PE including the cockpit frames and float frames. I had trouble getting the wings to align properly on the fuselage and the primer got beaten up in the several attempts. I was also disappointed to realise that the tail plane wasn't on the sprue and there wasn't a spot on the sprue that it had fallen from. A scrabble through the remaining parts turned it up on its own tiny sprue. The machine gun took a bit of fiddling to get in the right place and I'm not confident it will survive painting. The instructions require you to cut the spinner off the plastic propeller and glue it onto the PE blades. I stuck with teh whole plastic assembly - its very hard to see the difference between the metal blades and the plastic ones.

 

I added boats to the racks and found I would have been better to have done this earlier in the build. Working under the derricks is a bit nerve wracking and the boat racks are delicate too. I detached the starboard rack while trying to add the boats. I might have been better adding teh boats to the racks and adding the whole assembly to the ship but that also felt very delicate. 

 

 

 

 

I'm left with the rest of the boats, the guns and the railings along with a few bits of deck equipment at bow and stern to finish the build but I suspect there are still some days ahead before its finished. There are an awful lot of parts and PE still left - presumably the Scharnhorst bits. There is a sprue of life rafts and I have been puzzling to find them in the build instructions or photos but looking at Craig's (CDW) Scharnhorst I see she has them. Geisenau just has the boats and the life rings. Does anyone know why German ones are square?

Thanks for looking in

Alan

[Old Collingwood]

Wow mate  that  is so much detail  - aside form giving your eyes a break  - pat yourself on the back  - praise well deserved Alan.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

No wonder you knock stuff off! It is getting so crowded with detail that it would be almost impossible not to. Great work.

[king derelict]

On 8/30/2021 at 11:55 PM, Old Collingwood said:

Wow mate  that  is so much detail  - aside form giving your eyes a break  - pat yourself on the back  - praise well deserved Alan.

 

OC.

Many Thanks OC, its much appreciated. Stuff just keeps piling in there and more to come

Alan

[king derelict]

16 hours ago, lmagna said:

No wonder you knock stuff off! It is getting so crowded with detail that it would be almost impossible not to. Great work.

Thanks Lou

Yesterday was quite a debacle regarding knocking stuff off. Difficult to know if I made a net gain in teh day

Alan

[king derelict]

Yesterday was a day to try the patience. After finishing the PE railings around the aft upper deck I started on the complex shaped railing that runs around the deck with the 105 mm guns. It did not go well.

After a couple of attempts to work with a continuous length of railing I cut it into two shorter lengths. I still found it very difficult to form the curves to fit and test fitting was a nightmare because of the scenery around the area. In the course of the next two hours I knocked off the boat rack (which was not fun to reinstall), a ladder and one of the barrels from the 105mm guns. The PE was getting increasingly beat up too. 

The last try of the day got it close enough. Further efforts were going to damage the PE and make it look worse.  After clean up it should look reasonable and there are more parts to hide some of it. I gave up at this point and raided the beer cellar. 

 

A fresh day today and I cut and bent the port side railings and had them installed in twenty minutes with no collateral damage. I seemed to get the shape without too much trouble this time. I don't think it would have been better done earlier in the build because of the boat racks and boats that have to be placed. I'm wondering if making a cardboard template of the deck would have been a good idea then all the test fitting could have been done less stressfully off the ship. Of course that would require thinking ahead. I wonder if I will remember the thought for next time something like this occurs.

I masked and sprayed the white circle of the identification marking at bow and stern

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent adding the 150 mm guns and the large cranes. Adding the cranes was a tense operation; there was very few areas free of PE to grip them while placing them. 

 

 

 

 

As an aside I'm not sure if this is a Florida thing or not but I often have trouble with Blue-Tac sticking a bit too tightly to parts and often leaving a residue when it is removed. This was particularly bad with the cranes and the first one was very difficult to clean up because of the PE. Out of curiosity I put the second crane on the fridge for a few minutes and it released cleanly from the Blue-Tac

I just realised that Geisenau has torpedo tubes but I don't think I've seen them in the build instructions. I'll have to poke around a bit.

Thanks for looking in

Alan