I was wondering if anybody but me would be interested in a mask for the camo scheme Graf Spee was wearing when she got "bruised?" Might be useful for a campaign some day.

Maybe if we knew somebody who made masks like this as a business we could convince them we'd buy it, if they offered it.

That doesn't match what Trumpeter shows on their color chart, what a surprise. I don't think she had the false stack aft when she sank, but maybe.

I just finished reading about the sinking of the Graf Spee. I'm almost positive that I read that that Langsdorf removed all camouflage and repainted the ship before he sought to engage the Royal Navy. I'll re-read that section tonight when I get home.

Here is a website that has pictures of Graf Spee in Montevideo after the battle prior to the scuttling.

http://www.deutschland-class.dk/admiral_graf_spee/gallery/gallgrafspeemontevideo.html

Some of the pictures clearly show the two white bow waves, and you can also see the "splotches" of camo. Now that I look closely at the pictures it does seem that the after section is a darker color, like in your picture, rather than a one color hull like Trumpeter shows.

Great site Rodger, got that one saved. I don't see the camo on the hul. Might be Kenny's info on the repaint sa it looks like some of that going on in the picturesl, But I sure would like to get a mask set for the upper surfaces. She is my Crusin for a Bruisin entry

Yeah, it looks like the only hull camo by the time of the battle was the false bow wave. The superstructure still had the green pattern, though.

--Karl

Look at the 10th picture down, the one that says, "Admiral Graf Spee seen from the starboard side." It seems to me the hull aft, from about the level of the 3rd 5.9" gun, looks darker than the area forward of that spot.

I was going to do the Graf Spee as my "cruisen for a bruisin" entry also, but I think I'll do her for the "Big Guns" campaign. I haven't got anything else in the stash that qualifies for big guns and I've got the U.S.S. Laffey that will make a good C.F.B entry.

And you doubted me.

I can do it but it will take a while. I'll need to hand draw the camo for the port side and the front of the superstructure. Be patient. This isn't my day job.

Can some one get me a scan of the color profile? The better the profile photo, the more accurate I can make the masks.

[email protected]

Check this site out maritimequest.com and go to German crusiers it has pictures after the battle and she still had the camo .

That's a great site Steve, thanks for sharing.

what a super site. Sorry guys maybe my eyes are going,but the only hull camo I can detect is the bow waves On the upside, I just picked u the wooden deck set for the Trupeter version. In honesty though, Iwish Academy had come out with their deluxe version earlier, man theat kit has EVERYTHING !! I still need to buty the gun tube set and check into other PE that has all the non railing PE.

I have the Fujimi kit on order so that I can get the profile correct.

Steve, I noticed that too about the hull camo.

Ahoy!! I don't usually do ships, but Graf Spee has always been a favorite of mine. Anyway I've started the Trumpeter version as it looked more accurate than Academy's and got bogged down with the railing. I can't tell from the photos if the main deck railing continues past the single 150mm gun mounts or if the railing ends just before the first forward gun mount, and then resumes just aft of the last gun mount. I tried rotating the second and third gun mounts (the ones closest to the hull sides) and when they are at 90 degrees they would conflict with the rail if the rail continued past all of these gun turrets. Or is this a fault of Trumpeter and should turrets 2 and 3 on both sides be relocated inwards slightly so that they don't hit the railing when turmed. I hope I have made myself clear as I am more a tank builder than a ship builder

1. The only camo Graf Spee ever carried on her hull was the false bow waves;

2. She was NOT carrying the false funnel or the false B turret at the time of the battle;

3. She NEVER wore greens in her camo pattern;

4. The pattern on the superstructure consisted of Dunkelgrau 2 and Dunkelgrau 51 over the base color of Hellgrau 50.

There is excellent movie footage of her taken from a small boat in Montevideo harbor after the battle that shows much of the pattern.

I am presuming the camo scheme "evolved" during the cruise, as did the disguise. some of the photographs I have seen taken on board, seem to show just fake guns added atop A turret, going back to the forebridge, with no fake turret structure, and in some pics the top of A turret is all dark grey & in others it has light grey camo as well.

Si