I got one a while back and am thinking of building it for the Dreadnought campaign. Anyone here build it and have any input on it? I haven't been able to find much, if any, info about it and would like to know what i'm getting myself into before starting.

Also, does anyone know of any aftermarket parts for it? I've seen PE sets for the Tamiya version, but nothing for the Academy.

I've never seen the kit myself Garry But I understand it to be a knockoff of the Tamiya kit. PE sets for the Tamiya "should" work. Probably why there's no dedicated aftermarket sets for it...............Mike

I have it and I also built the Tamiya Tirpitz. It is virtually the same kit. The moldings are not as "crisp" but for what I paid for it ($20) it is wonderful. Any of the PE sets will work with it. I would recommend the Gold Medal Models which I used on the Tirpitz. This time I got the Tom's which is OK, then I opted to order the White Ensign Models upper deck set to show the wood and metal gratings. I think overall with care and attention to some detail, this will build into an excellent kit. I plan to use mine in the dreadnaught campaign

Thanks for the input, guys. I assumed the Academy kit wasn't up to par with the Tamiya kit, but I got such a good deal on it I couldn't resist. I'm going to order the Eduard kit for it and give it my best shot. It's my first ship model, so if anything, it should be a fun (and hopefully not too frustrating) experience.

ZzZGuy, I've read your post and that's what got me to thinking about building mine. My hat's off to you and the amount of work you're putting into your ship. As I started off scratch-building wooden models, the thought of adding real wood decking is very appealing, but I think for my first plastic ship I'll stick to OOB (except for the PE parts) just to see how everything goes together.

Can't wait to see your finished piece. Are you still contemplating writing an article covering your steps? I think that would be invaluable to those of us less experienced modelers.