Dear all!

First of all, let me wish you all a happy new year and all the best for 2020!

And thank you all for your continuing support throughout the last year, even when my pace was - and still is/will be - rather slow. Your support is highly appreciated and very helpful whenever real life is keeping me away from the workbench for too long and/or motivation is low...

Thank you once again for your very kind comments on this build!

Before I start catching up with all your fine builds over the next days, a small update. Work re-commenced at least for a brief period over the last weekend.

First thing to do was to check the instructions and compare what still has to be done. I highlighted the Resin parts vs the PE parts for my reference - and well, there's quite some small stuff to be done still...



I decided to paint the PE and small parts, including the assembled ones, all in Fehgrau (= RAL 7000) since there is not much of camouflage pattern to the ship, actually, there is none...

So prepared the parts



and painted:











And the assembled parts, the color enhances some of the details I think.









Some touch ups to the ship's sides with the airy stick to smoothen the appearance, and overpainting the boot stripe, which I think was too thick. I will paint a smaller one.





And with this, work for 2020 at least has started, even though it's only a small start. I should finde (hope to find) more time next weekend!

Thanks for looking in,

cheers

Jan

Hi Jan,

Happy New Year Mate, good to see some progress.

Looking excellent

Cheers

Si

Jan,

Looks like you made a lot of nice progress. Those rubber boats look awesome.

Mark

Really nice work Jan!

You're definitely taking it to the next level and those rubber dinghies look particularly nice

Coming along great! Paint is definitely making those teeny details pop.

Si, Mark, Russ and Rory -

thank you very much for your kind comments!! I'm really glad to have you all along!

I hope to get another update next week!

Lovely progress so far Jan. Will look great when the Detail is all onboard.....Cheers mark

Hello, Kapitan Jan!

Your frigate is looking great! Those BUSTER boats are really fantastic - they will certainly add some realism to the overall finished build.

And like a lot of other comments, the eyesight is such nowadays, that I can only get about an hour's worth of work done, before I feel the strain.

And best to you, in this year 2020.

Look forward to the next posting!

Tim

Mark and Tim,

thank you very much for your kind words and for looking in!

Well, now it's about three (or four?) weeks since my last update, time is flying, and the 1:1 is keeping me rather busy. But I managed to squeeze in some bench time now and then, so it's time for an update.

Well, it's certainly not the kit's fault, but 1/700 will not become my scale. If I could have spent the time modeling that I spent searching for parts that sprang away from my tweezers when I was about to install them...I would not be ready, but could show substantially more progress. (not to talk about motivation - those disruptions certainly don't help...)

But here we are.

Anchors and MASS (Multi Ammunition Softkill System - chaff launchers) installed. One of those MASS launchers was lost, I had to scratch build one. It's the one port side aft, you can see it looks a little different.









Hand painted the black details on the BUSTER boats







Some details on the superstructure and antenna platforms added, and the ESM mast.















Some more details, life rafts and antennas/radome installed. Still some touch ups needed.













So progress is slow, but she is progressing. Makes her a little bit similar to the 1:1....

Thanks for looking in,

Cheers
Jan

Nice to see the small details going on Jan.

The Rhibs look outstanding. Progress might be slow mate, but quality as always.

Cheers

Si

Jan,

Again nice progress, she is looking fine.

I was thinking she look large for a 1/700 kit in your photos until you shown the dime. I would have to put my 10x lens in my optivisor before taking that kit on...LOL.

Mark

Agree'd, 1/700 is too small. I struggle enough as it is at 1/350.

She is looking really good Jan

Wow! Those BUSTER boats! So tiny and yet very nicely done mate

Coming along nicely! If it weren't for that coin giving away the scale.... hmmm, I'd have thought she is much larger too...

Agreed... 1/350 is much less, well, delicate.

Great subject, superb workmanship.

Dear all,

thank you so much for your kind comments. And your patience and understanding... Again, it's way over a month since the last update.

Well, in fact, the 1:1 made more progress over the last weeks than the 1:700, so that took most of my time. We're underway again for sea trials, something that takes an enormous amount of time with modern warships. (Well, I just don't want to think about the fact that, let's say, HMS Repulse during first world war, from keel laying to commissioning, was faster than we are with just our sea trials...)

Anyway.

1:1 during Kiel canal passage. All pictures of the 1:1 are with friendly permission and copyright by TKMS.









I'll post some more of our tour later this week - I wanted to do this over the weekend, but time's just flying by with all the normal stuff you have got to do when coming back from sea.

And I squeezed in about two hours worth of bench time, installed the Hitrole machine guns, some booms and cranes and the hangar doors. All needs some touch up and paint, but at least some progress.















That's it for now, I can't promise but I hope to find some more time next weekend, and to catch up with MSW, too.

Cheers

Jan

Jan,

Nice.

Both 1:1 and 1:700 are looking great Jan!

Great work on both, my friend!

Mark and Russ,

thank you very much! Progress is slow, but there is progress!

I found some time over the weekend, so another update on the 1/700. I installed all the resin parts, of which some are REALLY tiny...however, all went well, no losses. Now all those parts of course need touch ups, as do some areas where you can see glue. This will be a mixed job with airbrush and hairy stick, the next time I find some bench time. The sub-assemblies are still missing for a reason - I think the decals need to go down first. And then there's quite a bit of even tinier PE. Railings, radars, antennas and stuff. And two last big 'sub-assemblies', the two helos.

So here are the pictures:

Last weapon systems assembled, the RAM missile system, two launchers



And all the small stuff...

















Next weeks will be busy again, some sea time with the 1:1, possibly it will take me to the end of march for the next update.

I hope you still stay with me, thank you very much for looking in and commenting!

Cheers
Jan

Progress is progress mate, and each small step is taking you closer to the finish line!

I still can't come to grips with how tiny the parts are!

We aren't going anywhere. She is looking better and better as the weeks go by!

What Russ & Rory said,

Those small parts, the handing of the detail is superb.

Have fun with the 1:1 scale.

Cheers

Si

Lovely detail work Jan. Looks better each time I see her.....Cheers mark

Dear all,

thank you very much for sticking with me and your kind comments!

Last weeks were mostly 1:1 time, brought her back from Kiel to Hamburg via the Kiel Canal. The picture shows us entering the lock at Kiel Holtenau last Thursday.



I did manage a little bit on the 1/700 though, mainly touch ups and build helicopters - I will post a small update the next days.

Cheers and thanks

Jan

actually, it does not, of course that one shows just a view from the bridge out of Kiel naval base.

But this is us entering the lock...



Cheers
Jan

Hi Jan,

Great progress on the model, and thanks for the 1/1 scale shots too! Do you have any off time on board to work on the model, or is that all at home construction? I'll bet your crew would be amused with the 1/700 version!