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Prinz Eugen - May 1941
JJ1973
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Posted: Saturday, March 12, 2016 - 11:50 PM UTC
Hi Russ,

some more progress here as well!! And really great work! Slowly but steadily and with an astonishing degree of perfection and accuracy!

It's great to see this wonderful model back on!

Cheers,
Jan
RussellE
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Posted: Sunday, March 13, 2016 - 03:16 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Russ,

some more progress here as well!! And really great work! Slowly but steadily and with an astonishing degree of perfection and accuracy!

It's great to see this wonderful model back on!

Cheers,
Jan


Thanks mate small steps at the moment... The hull's in the paint shop at the moment getting a clear gloss coat to protect all that matt paint.

Your Belfast's looking amazing! Looking forward to the full update
mgrummitt
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Posted: Tuesday, March 22, 2016 - 10:29 PM UTC
Looking good Russ!! Keeping an eye on this and your KGV build as well!!
RussellE
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Posted: Sunday, March 27, 2016 - 03:58 PM UTC
Thanks Mike

slow steps
RussellE
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Posted: Sunday, April 10, 2016 - 04:41 PM UTC
update, 11th April...

Just so no-one thinks i'm not working on the Prinz, here's some evidence to the contrary...





This is proving to be an absolute dog of a kit. Every part needs sanding and fitting to match the mating part. Walls are not consistent height, so gaps need filling and sanding, then there's the ejector pin marks that are all too obvious



and then Trumpy nicely include the gap that will need filling either side of the superstructure..



Thanks for looking. More, uh, eventually... after lots of sanding and filling and sanding and filling ....


now where are those new tool Airfix kits i've got stashed up...
JJ1973
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Posted: Sunday, April 10, 2016 - 10:36 PM UTC
Hey Russ,

great to see an update on your Prinz, mate!!
The issues you are having with the kit are really looking quite bad - well, after three 'Trumpis' I am quite used to the ugly sink marks, but all the other things you are mentioning - don't look like fun

Don't be too worried about the cruisers timeline... I will be following your build, even if you need a couple more years Don't let Trumpi discourage you!!

Cheers,
Jan

RedDuster
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Posted: Monday, April 11, 2016 - 12:32 AM UTC
Great to see some progress Russ,

I do find the poor fit on some kits slightly annoying.

Good luck with the filling and filing.

Cheers

Si
RussellE
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Posted: Monday, April 11, 2016 - 02:47 AM UTC
Thanks guys and than you for sticking around for the long haul

yep-will get there eventually you can see on the desk all the sanding and filing dust, just to get to where it is now... and still so much more superstructure to build yet.

Trumpy really don't do themselves any favours when kits are this much work: instead of a quick easy build allowing the builder to finish and purchase another kit (thus increasing their sales), you end up taking 2-3 times as long to get a decent result and put off buying anymore kits until finished; not only that it kinda makes you not want to take up another long term project from them, reducing sales even more... Just my 2 cents

RussellE
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Posted: Sunday, April 17, 2016 - 03:01 AM UTC
ok guys, I have quite a dilemma and am I'm going to need your help here:

Trumpy have molded on doors on the upper superstructure which is fine. WEM have also provided watertight doors of two sizes.

Now, there's not enough watertight doors in the WEM set to replace all the molded on doors (there's just enough to do the doors on the shelter deck and some on the next level above), BUT, the dilemma is, the doors on the upper superstructure are a different size to either of the WEM doors.

So, should I remove all the molded on doors and purchase another AM set to replace them all, or are the molded on doors the right size on the Trumpy kit, and should I just leave them be?


any advice on this would be greatly appreciated...
RedDuster
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Posted: Sunday, April 17, 2016 - 03:11 AM UTC
Hi Russ,

My methodology, I only replace moulded on doors, if they are poorly moulded, bland, or missing.

On my Repulse, the moulded on doors are pretty good, so I won't be replacing them at all. If I find any missing I will use etched doors.

I hope that helps

Si
JJ1973
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Posted: Sunday, April 17, 2016 - 09:19 AM UTC
Hi Russ!

After being over-enthusiastic about removing molded on parts and replacing them with PE parts, over time I do agree more and more with Si's approach. Many of the molded on doors and hatches are quite ok and look all right, to the extend that replacing the with a fairly two-dimensional PE door doesn't make it look much better.
Meanwhile I am away from that approach to use whatever the PE frets provide just to know I've used it... so Si's advice seems perfectly reasonable to me.

Should you look for more extra doors, you'll find quite cheap sets - WEM and Eduard I know of - with DKM doors and hatches only. I have a few only to find out that, over time, I hardly ever use them...

Cheers,
Jan
GazzaS
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Posted: Sunday, April 17, 2016 - 03:08 PM UTC
Hi Russell,
Thought I'd stop by and catch up with your Prinz. The hull looks excellent, so does the painting so far.

I've got two warships in my stash. Hopefully I can find a way to fit them into my building schedule.

Cheers,

Gaz
RussellE
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Posted: Sunday, April 17, 2016 - 03:24 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Russ,

My methodology, I only replace moulded on doors, if they are poorly moulded, bland, or missing.

On my Repulse, the moulded on doors are pretty good, so I won't be replacing them at all. If I find any missing I will use etched doors.

I hope that helps

Si



Quoted Text

Hi Russ!

After being over-enthusiastic about removing molded on parts and replacing them with PE parts, over time I do agree more and more with Si's approach. Many of the molded on doors and hatches are quite ok and look all right, to the extend that replacing the with a fairly two-dimensional PE door doesn't make it look much better.
Meanwhile I am away from that approach to use whatever the PE frets provide just to know I've used it... so Si's advice seems perfectly reasonable to me.

Should you look for more extra doors, you'll find quite cheap sets - WEM and Eduard I know of - with DKM doors and hatches only. I have a few only to find out that, over time, I hardly ever use them...

Cheers,
Jan


Hi Si/Jan

yep-definitely agree-am weary of replacing things with PE just for the sake of it, if the kit's parts are okay. This kit's a bit hit n miss though, some doors good, some bad and just look like slabs of plastic.

I had some bonus points on a hobby site, so I've took the plunge and got Tom's modelworks doors, which look quite interesting so we'll see...


Quoted Text

Hi Russell,
Thought I'd stop by and catch up with your Prinz. The hull looks excellent, so does the painting so far.

I've got two warships in my stash. Hopefully I can find a way to fit them into my building schedule.

Cheers,

Gaz


Hi Gaz, great to see you drop by

Thanks for the kind words-hoping to get this done by the end of the cruiser campaign-fingers crossed.

Your B29 is looking awesome by the way! A really enjoyable build log
RussellE
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Posted: Monday, April 25, 2016 - 05:18 PM UTC
26th April update

okay, most superstructure components are assembled and ready for filler.

This kit's a case of every part requiring cleaning up, dry fitting, more cleaning up, dry fitting and then gluing together.

I've taken Si and Jan's advice and am leaving the doors were they're acceptable and only replacing the dubious ones...

So here we go


back dating continues




this is the kind of thing i'm up against here



thanks for looking

more soon (ish)
mgrummitt
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Posted: Monday, April 25, 2016 - 06:25 PM UTC
Hi Russell,

You're build is looking great!! Looking forward to seeing more!

Cheers,

Mike
JJ1973
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Posted: Monday, April 25, 2016 - 11:27 PM UTC
Hi Russ,

great to see some good and substantial progress on your beautiful Prinz, mate!!
But your pictures tell the story - truly not the best imaginable fit...what a shame for such a great kit!! But great to see that you are taking the challenge and your results look spot on!!

Cheers,
Jan
GazzaS
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Posted: Monday, April 25, 2016 - 11:29 PM UTC
Russel,
Even though the gap in the funnel trunking is huge, I find it less disturbing then all of the smaller gaps that are very near to portholes and their eyebrows....is there a proper naval term for those eyebrows??

Trying to remove putty adjacent to surface detail is one of my least favorite tasks.

Gaz
RussellE
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Posted: Tuesday, April 26, 2016 - 02:35 AM UTC
Hi Mike, Jan and Gary

Thanks for dropping by on this build

Jan, you're on the money: this is an otherwise great kit, let down only by poor tool-making; but the problems are not insurmountable and can be overcome I know I keep whinging about it, but when there are so many other great kits in the stash begging to be built... arrghh!

Gary, you're spot on saying those pesky gaps near the eyebrows are even more disturbing: I've found applying stop putty with a sharp scalpel to be the most accurate way of avoiding surrounding detail; then using the side of sharp scalpel blade and scraping sideways the best way to remove the excess whilst avoiding the surrounding detail

Even then, I've still managed to "shave" a few eyebrows off
AussieReg
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Posted: Tuesday, April 26, 2016 - 06:46 AM UTC
G'day Russ.

I have just taken a stroll through this entire thread, what a great build! I noted that it was January 2014 when I last stuck my head through the porthole here to see what was happening. The work you have put in, and the techniques used to overcome the fit and mold issues is inspiring. I'm really looking forward to following the next chapter on this build.


Quoted Text

Even then, I've still managed to "shave" a few eyebrows off


Better that than having them burnt off by a nasty recalcitrant backfiring gas hot water service (he says from painful experience!).

Cheers, D
RussellE
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Posted: Tuesday, April 26, 2016 - 04:42 PM UTC

Quoted Text

G'day Russ.

I have just taken a stroll through this entire thread, what a great build! I noted that it was January 2014 when I last stuck my head through the porthole here to see what was happening. The work you have put in, and the techniques used to overcome the fit and mold issues is inspiring. I'm really looking forward to following the next chapter on this build.


Quoted Text

Even then, I've still managed to "shave" a few eyebrows off


Better that than having them burnt off by a nasty recalcitrant backfiring gas hot water service (he says from painful experience!).

Cheers, D


Thanks D

I know, I can't believe myself how long this thread's been going-as i say though, they're no shelf queens, just works in progress. I do plan on finishing this and the KGV this year though to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Bismarck hunt.

hm, not sure about that method of losing your eyebrows-seems having your flatmates shaving them off whilst your asleep is a lot less painful
warshipbuild
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Posted: Tuesday, April 26, 2016 - 06:11 PM UTC
Hi Russel,
I am just wondering if you have a 'Friday Afternoon', or rogue kit there.
I have PE in my stash but have not checked any of her parts for fit issues, but yours seems to be the only one I've seen where these ill-fitting parts and the resulting large gaps are present.

This is a bloody shame, because the Prinz was a subject which many of us were waiting for in 1/350. I am still perplexed as to why she was done in her 1945 guise though, when we were all expecting the 1941 fit instead.
Keep lugging away at it - you'll get there in the end I'm sure.
RussellE
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Posted: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - 02:52 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Hi Russel,
I am just wondering if you have a 'Friday Afternoon', or rogue kit there.
I have PE in my stash but have not checked any of her parts for fit issues, but yours seems to be the only one I've seen where these ill-fitting parts and the resulting large gaps are present.

This is a bloody shame, because the Prinz was a subject which many of us were waiting for in 1/350. I am still perplexed as to why she was done in her 1945 guise though, when we were all expecting the 1941 fit instead.
Keep lugging away at it - you'll get there in the end I'm sure.


Hi Dave

I'm of the opinion the kit is let down by poor tool making, in what is an otherwise really well designed and long awaited kit. I haven't seen too many builds of the Prinz, either at shows or on-line (believe me, I've looked), so it's hard to say how many others have seen these issues, but I have worked in the tool making industry for 20years & can identify where poor tool making is the problem

Okay, here's some personal gripes: walls for superstructure are various heights and don't always have a straight edge; alignment ribs are not correctly located, meaning that mating parts sit too far in/out; and worst of all (this is what I was trying to illustrate on the shot of the funnel, not the gap) is the mismatch between core and cavity on parts, requiring heaps of work to blend out. Look at some of the shots of the prop shaft housings and shelter deck at the start of the blog and you'll see what I mean about the mismatch, which is very evident on most parts where there's a split line on them.

Most of these items are all part of model making and can be overcome, but on a kit with several hundred parts, in this day and age???

Not that I'm going to let this stop me! And it shouldn't stop you either! (Or anyone else for that matter). Maybe I'm just too pedantic??? Please let me know if I am

As for the year of fit, I believe Trumpy did have plans to release a 1941 fit, but who knows what happened to that? GFC maybe? Or maybe they're waiting til i finish this build, then will release the 1941 fit
RussellE
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Posted: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - 04:11 PM UTC
28th April update...

"hold on" I hear you say! "A second update within a week! This must be a record!" Truly it is, and I am shocked as well!

First up lets start with the funnel assembly, I've capped off the holes on the back of the 'boxes' as it just didn't look right with them open

and styrene strips used to level up the deck to the walls

and filling in holes and ladder recesses where necessary




I've got plans for these, Mwoarhahahahaaa!

this is where the fun begins




and the rest


Thanks for looking
AussieReg
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Posted: Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - 07:35 PM UTC
Nice work Russ, very neat repair work with the styrene strips, but I see a whole heap of sanding coming up with the amount of putty you have thrown around there!

Cheers, D
RedDuster
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Posted: Thursday, April 28, 2016 - 12:19 AM UTC
Hi Russ,

Great to see the Prinz really moving on.

I can see the filing and filing is going to be a right pain.

Good luck with it mate, will be worth it when it is done.

Cheers.

Si
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