¹⁄700

SMS Lützow

The Derfflinger was the lead ship of the Derfflinger class battlecruisers. They where the first armed with 30,5 cm guns. She was launched on the 14.03.2013. The commision was in September 1914. It took part in all major engagments in the North Sea and was badly damaged during the Battle of the Doggerbank and Jutland. After the Jutland Battle Derfflinger was rebuild with a new triopod mast. Christian Höltge shares with us his first build commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland from the First World War. Model Shipwrights is pleased to present Christian's 1/700 scale SMS Lützow.

The Lützow was the second ship of the Derfflinger class battlecruisers. They where the first ships armed with 30,5 cm guns. She was launched in November of 2013. With the outbreak of the war, the commissioning was only in August 1915. During the trials she gots a heavy turbine damage, which repairs lasted until February 1916. From March on, she sailed with the fleet and took part on the bombardment of Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth. In May it made some practise shootings in the Baltic Sea to prepare for the battles to come.

On the 31. May 1916 it sailed as the flagg ship of the I. AG under Vizeadmiral Hipper with the High Sea Fleet against the British Grand Fleet; the two fleets would clash at the Battle of Jutland. During the battle it sank along with her sistership Derfflinger not before laying a heavy toll on the British fleet with the sinking of HMS Invincible. Lützow was hit hard causing her bow torpedo room to be flooded. Hipper left the ship on the torpdeboat G-39 for his new flagg ship the SMS Moltke. Lützow was then escorted by 4 torpedoboats home. But when turret B cames under water and the ruders and screws came out of water, it was decided to leave her. All remaining crew leaves the ship and the Lützow was torpedoed by G-38 and finally sunk. 128 officers and crew died in the battle.

The kit I used is from Flyhawk Model and comes complete with all necessary parts to create a nice model. The kit closely depicts the ship during February - April 1916, as I built it. But in this time there where no 8.8 Flak guns mounted, so I leaved them away. For depicting the ship during the Battle of Jutland there are some changes necessary though.

The model is painted with Lifecolor Paints and the hull and small parts were painted with Vallejo. I used 30,5 cm turned barrels from Flyhawk and 15 cm from NNT. The wood deck is from Woodhunter . The deck is really beautiful, but to be true when you use it, you will have to sit all molded parts higher on top of the deck. In the end, painting the deck is easier. The water is made with water effects from Vallejo; three thin layers first and then a fourth with forming the waves.

Model Shipwrights would like to thank Christian Höltge for providing photos of his SMS Lützow.