Well, it's time (actually a few days late, sorry!) to start the Sink the Bismarck Campaign. This is for any and all ships or aircraft, on either side, that participated in the hunt and sinking of the KM Bismarck 75 years ago. If you want to read the rules and/or join in, go here.

This should be a fun and interesting campaign with historical interest in remembering this incredible saga. Looking forward to seeing the models!

Michael

Thanks Michael for proposing and leading this campaign, it's a great idea to commemorate those events that happened 75 years ago.

So this will be my contribution to the campaign:

HMS Hood



I will be building the Trumpeter 1/350 kit, along with various after market parts: the comprehensive Lion Roar set, some Eduard, Pontos deck, along with with other things that I will use as it seems fitting. Certainly there will be some Masters turned barrels, since the Lion Roar 'only' provides the big guns and the 4" ers.

Here's starting picture (from 21 May), the kit, the main extras, and some references:





























And, after washing everything - the plastic with mild dishwasher, the PE and brass with alcohol, first plastic has been cut. The degaussing cable needs to be removed and replaced, it was a double cable.











So much for today, I hope to get some substantial progress tomorrow or Saturday. I will post key pictures and short reports here, and for who ever might be interested in more details, I'll have a build log on this one here in the model shipwrights forum that I'll be doing parallel.

I am looking forward to this campaign very much!!

Cheers,
Jan

Echo Jan's thanks

Here is my start and a some progress shots







The moulded on sea chest gratings compared with he etched repalcements.



Removal under way.



done



Prop shafts and rudders in place, small amount of filler needed.



Grills in place.



Porthole surrounds, iron ladders and other hull detail going on.



Deck detail removed as per the pontos instructions, for wood deck to fit.





Detailed updates will be on the build thread on "Ship types by class" but I will always keep this thread updated with the major points of each update.

Cheers

Si

Here is a link to an off-site listing of just about everything that flew or floated and took part in the hunt for the Bismarck.

http://www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Atlantic/OOB_WWII_Rheinubung.htm

Thanks for the link Andrew.

Man Si and Jan, you aren't wasting any time!

Michael

Very interesting Link Andrew,

A few ships I didn't know where involved!

Hi Michael.

Big project mate, need all the time I can get!



Cheers

Si

Indeed, Simon and Jan are wasting no time though I appreciate they both look like they have a lot to do with all those extras.
I hope I can find my way out of the Cruiser Campaign and join in but that looks remote at the moment but if I can possibly maybe something in the aviation line later.

cheers
Michael

I'd like to do the Hood myself but given all my other projects (and my utter demoralization in the face of Jan's planned masterpiece), it may be a Swordfish.

Michael

Well, well - we shall see regarding the 'masterpiece'...a long way to go and very many chances to cause smaller or bigger catastrophes...but thank you for your kind words!!

And indeed, not time to waste - as Trumpy arranged for a little 'rough' start

Portholes drilled out, and the degaussing cable removed (including some smaller cuts to my fingertips ). Initially I was hoping to save the lids above the portholes, but that soon became unrealistic, so I will see how I rebuild them - probably some copper wire.





Mating of upper and lower hull





First impression: way better than the (some years newer) Repulse kit. Bow and stern lining up quite well, and no stronger force required.





Second Impression - there is a slight misfit almost along the entire joint of the hull halves. Half a mm, even less, but surfacer required along the entire length of the ship







And sanding the next day - starting with a medium coarse paper, but soon working up to some stuff that I don't usually use while modeling, more when working at the house...so that would have been the death to any hull details anyway...
But I think it's doing the job. Bow and stern looking all right, and some more surfacer - maybe two rounds, we will see - should get me there.













As this filling and sanding process will keep me busy next, I am not sure whether there will be much to show, but maybe I start with some other parts, like weapons, boats... while the hull is drying. The hawsepipes will be opened of course, and some more details to work on, but first I must get the general shape right.

So - no time to waste...

For now,

cheers

Jan

Hi Jan,

Nice progress, the waterline split is a bit of a pain when building full hull.

Good job on the cleaning up.

Cheers

Si

The highlights of today's progress.

The interiors for the three big sea chests.



Painted and weathered.



In place, and viewed through the grill.



Port bow and quarter finished.





Cheers

Si

Nice work, Si - quite a lot of work going into the 'below the waterline'-section, that's pretty cool and often neglected (as with my Hood...)

Cheers,
Jan

So here's the progress on HMS Hood for this weekend.

I'll keep it short and snappy, more details and pictures are on my separate build log. And on the hull - there really isn't all that much to show. Filling - sanding - filling - sanding...

Here is where I am at:







Not too bad, but not quite there yet. Next layer of Mr. Surfacer is brushed on, this time with a smaller brush on remaining areas of concern, and the hull is drying.

In the meantime more destructive work done - removed the molded on anchor chains and cut open the hawsepipes.







Then I tried to find a color, matching the required 507B - and indeed I found a Tamiya one that's close enough without mixing, XF 66, here compared to the Snyder and Shorts Paint Chips:





Finally I started with some small stuff, a Vickers quadruple .50" machine gun mount. This one is built from a BigBlueBoy set:



I made a couple of beginner mistakes, since this is the first of this type I tried my hands on, but even this one looks not too bad















That's it for now, next progress should be here in a week from now!

Thanks for looking!

Cheers,
Jan

Hi Jan,

Looking great, the quad 0.5" look excellent, and maybe trickier than the North Star ones I am using on the Cossack and Repulse.

Top job Mate.

Si

A quick update today's progress.

All the etch, well nearly is on the hull, and the maindeck goes down.



A few more small details.



four sets thereof.

A good coat of Halfords red primer.



boot topping next... And quite possibly some more destruction.

Cheers

Si

Thank you very much Si! Great progress on your Bismarck, as well!!

Guess what - all the North Star stuff that I urgently wanted to get, mainly bridge equipment and Vickers .5" quads, are out of stock...not that I wouldn't have an idea where at least some of them went...

Cheers mate
Jan

Thanks mate,

I did order a couple of sets of each.

Cheers

Si

More colour gone on today.

Black for the boot topping.



The boot topping masked and the mittelgrau on.



next job, maybe tomorrow, more masking and the dunkelgrau.

Cheers

Si

I agree Micheal! IF I can finish the Prinz for the cruiser campaign and IF I'm able to build a type XXI for the dive campaign, then maybe I'll squeeze in either HMS Punjabi, or if time is getting short maybe a Swordfish wing thing, if no-one objects to a flying entry that is???

Really looks great with some color on, Si!!

Cheers,
Jan

Thanks Jan,

Feeling I am making progress now.

Cheers

Si

Quick update,

The mittlegrau masked off.



sprayed and unmasked.



Decals next.

Cheers

Si

Looks good, Si!

It's always difficult to judge colors from a monitor, but the effect and the contrast certainly look right!

Cheers,
Jan

Thanks Jan,

And the final shot was taken with flash, weather was dodgy yesterday, so couldn't risk a natural light shot outside.

Cheers

Si

A small progress today,

A small problem with the boot topping when I took the masking off.



a quick bit of work with the old hairy stick, and fixed, kit decals for the hull stripes on.



The decals for false stern wave would not have gone over the etched steps, so a little masking and a bit more hairy stick craft and job done.



Cheers

Si