# Building Log - DKM Scharnhorst 1943 - 1/350 Dragon Kit + extras



## caledonia2006

Just about ready to start this build; as several people have expressed an interest in me doing a building log, I have opened this post

The basic kit contains 1,300 parts, which comes in 14 Plastic bags containing 29 plastic sprues + Hull + bag with 5 PE sheets + stand.

I have added the aftermarket MK1 wooden deck and MK1 enhancements containing 4 PE sheets + wooden decks for the ships boats.

I will be using Lifecolor paint set for the WW2 Kriegsmarine.

I found this company in America who do paint masks for models. http://gatorsmask.com/ships.html I have bought the one for Scharnhorst, see below.

Have also purchased some North Star Kreigsmarine Figures, first two are Officers and Ratings, last one is in working positions, will use some of these in my future 'SOYA' and add them to my 'U-99' dio if I get around to it.

Finally I found a photo of the Scharnhorst in Norway with the camo I am using and with an Arado 196 Float Plane, so have found a Trumpeter 1/350 kit.

Get comfortable, it will be a long build. Hope you enjoy. Derek

p.s. due to the 5 photo postings limit, I have had to spread the photos over three postings, apologies for the inconvenience.


----------



## caledonia2006

*Photos continued*

Photos continued


----------



## caledonia2006

Photos continued


----------



## caledonia2006

Made a start with the 2cm Flak Guns, I don't think Dragon have done a particularly good job of them, the Barrel seems too small a diameter and too short. They also instruct you to cement it onto the Pedestal directly instead of the Barrel fitting to the Yoke which is then cemented to the Pedestal. Anyway have tried to make the best of a bad job, so the photo below is my compromise. The Gun Sight and Shoulder rest have been taken from spares from my KGV build, these were Gold Medal Models PE. 9 more to go. Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

I have been Googling for info on the 2cm Flak Gun for several days now, and finally have found a couple of good photos. I will see if I can modify the kit components and the MK1 upgrade to make these guns more realistic. Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

Bit the bullet and bought Brass Barrels, so here is the old with the new. Still think the brass barrel is a bit short, but will just have to live with it. Just 9 more to do. Derek


----------



## Pete D Pirate

This is going to be some build.
Looking at the pic of the crew figures, I'm astounded that they can achieve such detail at 1:350 scale.
Really appreciate you taking the time and trouble to log the progress in detail. (Thumb)


----------



## caledonia2006

Thanks for your interest Pete, always nice to get feed back. Yes the figures are excellent, I wonder if they used 3D printers, I know one Guy why does whole ships, aircraft etc at 1/700 scale with a 3D printer.

If you have any queries just ask, I'm no expert, but will try to help if I can. Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

Finally got the 10 off 2cm Single Barrel Flak Guns finished.

Points to note: -
1) The only company I found who could do the 2cm barrels was Aber Models Poland, there may be others I don't know about.

2) Instructions say to drill 0.3mm holes for the Barrels, I found 0.4mm holes necessary.

3) The Gun Sight and Elevator Wheel PE in the Dragon kit I found to be undersized, so I used the Gold Medal ones from my spares box.

Moving onto the 2cm Quad Flak Guns. Derek


----------



## Farmer John

I don't know HOW you do it, but I can see WHY. They do look good.


----------



## caledonia2006

Thanks for viewing Farmer John. If you or anyone is interested, I can do a posting on the Tools and Materials I use. I will be happy to try to answer any questions. Derek


----------



## makko

I am following this with interest too, Derek.
Rgds.
Dave


----------



## Pete D Pirate

caledonia2006 said:


> Thanks for viewing Farmer John. If you or anyone is interested, I can do a posting on the Tools and Materials I use. I will be happy to try to answer any questions. Derek


Yes please. (Thumb)


----------



## caledonia2006

*Suggested Tools Part 1 of 2*

Hi Dave and Pete, thanks for viewing. Pete as requested I have added a few notes about the basic tools needed to make a plastic moulded injection ship kit, in case anyone has one hidden in a cupboard and is not sure what tools are needed. Everyone has their own preferences which I respect, so treat this as guidance only, even the beginner probably has some tools that will work just as well.
Because of the website 4-Photo restriction, these notes will continue over two postings.

First photo - 
-Side cutter
-Set of needle files
-Pointed tweezers
-Craft knife: a curved blade is good for handling photo etch, the straight angled blade is a good all rounder.
-Last item is a fibre glass eraser, good for sanding awkward corners and cleaning up cement overspill.
-Fine grade wire wool is also handy for cleaning up seams etc. as is Halfords wet &dry paper 1500 grit

Second Photo
-Tamiya Masking Tape 6mm and 10m wide
-Small craft knife

Third Photo
-Small long nosed pliers
-Miniature drill set
-Pin vice

Fourth Photo
Thin Glue such as Mr Hobby shown on the left, and Loctite GEL super glue, are the two essentials. Mr Hobby is thin, and uses capillary action to join pieces together, very thin minimum mess. The GEL is good for rigging and for holding very small pieces in position.

The Rocket glue is only needed if you plan to use photo etch (PE), very strong, but gives you enough time to position items accurately. Overspill is easily cleaned up with the fibre glass eraser mentioned above.

The ZAP thin CA glue, again is only needed for (PE) where you have seams, here the thin nature of the glue uses capillary action to join the seams.


----------



## caledonia2006

*Suggested Tools Part 2 of 2*

Fifth Photo
-Blue Tack is a modellers favourite for holding things in position while gluing and painting, and picking up very small objects.
-Filler, you use a lot of this on model aircraft, but very little on ships, handy to have though.

Sixth Photo
-Bending tools; only needed if you are planning to use photo etch, a straight edge (a 6" steel ruler would do) and an old single sided razor blade are ideal. But you might want to think about a hold and bend tool if you want to get serious.

Seventh Photo
-If you are using photo etch, this is a must have tool, used this all the time on my models. There are other tools on the market, but this is my personal favourite.

Finally a word of caution, if you are intending to enhance your model with photo etch, you need to get it before you start modelling, as it is nigh impossible to add on later.

Hope this is of some help. Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

I have laid the plastic components of the first of the 2cm quad flak guns onto the instructions (E1, E2, E7, E8 and E9), you can see the mouldings are nowhere as detailed as the CAD drawings, so I don't know why Dragon went into so much detail on the drawings.

The next photo shows the Plastic and PE components of one gun provided with the kit along side one of the finished guns.

When gluing the PE to the plastic, I use the Gel CA, I never use it directly from the tube, I wipe a small amount onto a tissue in order to discard the old glue left in the nozzle tip, then place a small amount onto some scrap card and use a sharp wooden cocktail stick to 'butter' the glue onto where the PE is going

Will post more when I have finished all 5 off 2cm quad flak guns. Derek


----------



## makko

Good Lord, Derek! Those parts are miniscule! It's a good job there are only 5!! Keep up the good work.
Rgds.
Dave


----------



## caledonia2006

Thanks for viewing Dave.

Here are the 10.5cm Twin Anti-Aircraft Guns. Each gun comprised of 7 off Pieces. I used the Kit Barrels, as the brass ones were of negligible benefit in my view. Rather than juggle two barrels and a base, I found cementing B3 to B7: B4 to B8 etc, then cementing B3 to B4 etc. and presenting up this 4 piece sub-assembly to the base an easier option and made easier the fitting of the barrels parallel.

Second last photo shows the 10 off 2cm Single Barrel Flak Guns, the 5 off 2 cm Quad Barrel Flak Guns and the 7 off 10.5cm Anti Aircraft Guns mounted on scrap card ready for priming, but I will continue the Gun assemblies so that the card is full.

A query for any experts on German Weaponry, the next Gun?? to be made are E1 and E2 as shown in the last photo, I can't find any information on this Gun??, does anyone know what it is

Derek


----------



## trawlermanpete

Glad you opened the post,will watch it with interest,Good Luck......Pete


----------



## caledonia2006

Thanks Pete, hope you find it useful.

In the first photo there are two of these items, they don't look like guns, wonder if they are fire monitors?

The remainder of the photos are of the 8 off 3.7cm Twin AA Guns, each one comprises of 6 plastic parts and 9 PE parts. Careful how you assemble them. To me its not clear how MA10 is assembled, so I used them as quadrants on each gun as the second photo below shows. Derek

p.s. I understand that the mystery item is a 15cm practice loader used for crew training.


----------



## makko

Well, who would have guessed what the mystery item was! My first thought, like you, was a fire monitor. 120 parts for the 8 twin guns - Remarkable!
Regards,
Dave


----------



## caledonia2006

Thanks Dave, I found a photo of one onboard the Bismark, see first photo.

Have moved onto the 15cm Guns. The second and third photo below shows various stages of construction. As the Turret of the Single 15cm Gun is open, I have cut off the breech block of the plastic Barrels which I am not using and used them to fill the void.

The next two photos are of the Twin 15cm Guns. The PE ladder comes with the kit, but I have added the handrail (spare from my KGV build) as I found a photo which shows them present.

I have illustrated how I roll my handrail; I use say a screw driver shaft and an eraser; I apply gentle load to the screw driver as I roll it over the handrail, and repeat until the correct radius is achieved. I then 'butter' the landing area with the 'Rocket Odourless' CA and land the pre-rolled handrail in place.

This only leaves the three off 28cm Triple Turrets to be done.

Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

Finished the 28cm Triple Turrets, a combination of kit supplied PE and MK1 PE after market. The kit is short of 2 off Item A6, so I cobbled up something from my scrap box to fit onto one of the Turrets.

Will now concentrate on the superstructure, but first I want to assemble the Hull and Deck in order to check the superstructure fit as I go along.

The kit has the option of waterline or full hull, I will be doing the full hull; I understand the fit is pretty poor. Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

A few shots of the Hull assembly and Deck, first the components, see photo 1 below.

Supplied is a small triangular piece, see photo 2 below, which is a good idea, as when you fit it to the lower bow section, see photo 3 below it acts as a guide to ensure both halves of the bow are aligned, it takes a bit of fiddling to get it right, but worth the effort. You need to glue it in position obviously. 

If you are using the stand provided for the model, remember to drill the holes from the inside of the Hull, as access is not possible when the Hull halves are cemented together. This applies to the deck also as some holes have to be drilled from the underside before assembly.

Before fitting the hull halves together, I did a trial fit of the deck. In order to get a good fit I took a heavy duty craft knife and sliced both ends of all of the diaphragms on order to make the hull wall more flexible, see photo 4. I will leave off the deck until I have the Hull joint finished.

Here is the state of the Hull at the moment, see last photo, to be honest it's not as bad as it looks, about 50% of the joint is perfect, there are two areas both sides where the upper half of the Hull is wider than the lower half. The area at the stern is peculiar in as much as the joints come together perfectly, but unfortunately the plastic turn inward at the joint leaving a valley. This is the first layer of filler, will leave overnight, I used Deluxe's 'Perfect Plastic Putty', applied with a syringe 

Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

First photo shows the Hull after sanding off the filler, a few areas still need addressing, however they are too shallow for the filler to work effectively.

For the finer filling I switch to Mr Surface 500, this is a thick primer which I use to fill the finer faults. The Mr Color Leveling Thinner is used to thin the Mr Surface (as it tends to thicken very quickly in a used bottle), also clean the brush, and clean off any Mr Surface that gets onto unwanted areas of fine detail.

I apply two fairly heavy coats to the full length seams with an old brush, and leave to dry overnight, I then sand off with an fine 240/320 Grit Sanding File. Several areas still requires attention, so lighter coats of Mr Surface were applied and sanded, this was repeated several times. The finish now looks good but you can never tell until a primer coat is applied. I don't want to prime it yet as I want to drill out the +350 portholes with a 0.7mm drill, which is my next job before fitting the deck. Cheers Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

Finished drilling out the Hull port holes and fitting the Deck. The first photo shows the lack of definition of the port holes and the second shows the improvement. Note the third photo of the Scharnhorst's anchor way, comparing it to the previous photo it is much more rounded so some cosmetic surgery is necessary.

The deck was a good fit, the slots previously mentioned in the diaphragms helped with the fit. There is a gap between the two deck sections, I checked the deck housing fit beforehand and there is no problem with this gap. I will sand down some 1x2mm Evergreen strip and fill it in.

Derek


----------



## makko

The anchor way is a work of art and deserves to be reproduced faithfully!
Rgds.
Dave


----------



## caledonia2006

makko said:


> The anchor way is a work of art and deserves to be reproduced faithfully!
> Rgds.
> Dave


Hi Dave, Thanks for your posting. The Anchor Way set me a few problems as regards its geometry. A lot of modellers I found when Googling tend to build up this area to a bulbous shape. I am not convinced that this is correct. If you look at the first two photos, to me there is no deviation from the hull plate plane. I may be wrong but that's what I am going for, so the last two photos show the results. Dragon have obviously got the position of the port holes wrong as they are too high.

I will post further progress in my next postings due to limits on number of photos/posting.

Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

I wanted to investigate what impact the 1mm error Dragon made regarding deck lengths had on the superstructure, so I made up the basic first level of the three superstructure sections.

The mid-section Detail 13 on the plans had a few points to note.
For Item N28 read N28+N30
For Item N30 read N30+N31
Be careful of your assembly sequence, K3 has to slip into the tapered sections of K22+K25 and K23+K26
I like to drill out the port holes as I did with the hull.
There are four doors, to fit the kit comes with the option of plastic or brass, I chose brass as the detail is better. But the doorway is hollowed out so a I used a very small amount of blue tack to hold the brass in position whilst I apply thin CA. See photo 1 and 2.

The third photo shows the first level of all three superstructures in position.

The fourth photo shows an error on the kit where the margin rail has been missed out, and I have used some Evergreen to replace it.

I found it easier to lose the 1mm deck length error between the forward and mid-section of the superstructure, I had to trim the semi-circular deck sections just forward of the pencil. Bear in mind I am using a wooden deck so it is an easy matter to hide the mismatch.

Derek


----------



## makko

Thanks for the comprehensive update, Derek. All in all, so far just minor errors. I like your interpretation of the anchor way.
Rgds.
Dave


----------



## caledonia2006

Thanks for your comments Dave, much appreciated.

I will spread this update over two postings as usual.

The lower Bridge front panel is of clear plastic in order to allow you to mask the windows for painting. I have chosen to drill and file out the windows, I don’t fancy masking such small windows. After painting the model, I may choose to use glazing solution. Similarly I have omitted the clear plastic Item P5, and may use glazing solution instead.

I have added an Evergreen 1mm x 2mm strip and filed it down to eliminate the 1mm deck gap on the superstructure. Also I have attached the mid and aft sections of the superstructure and reinforced the joints. I will eventually attach the forward superstructure section to the mid-section at a later date.

Dragon have several unidentified parts, L38 and L40 fits to the sides of L10, also H1 goes under H10.

Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

Have been busy making sub-assemblies; the following photos show the sub-assemblies and a dry fit on each area. I will add the PE to the sub-assemblies next.

The sub-assemblies have been chosen with fitting the wooden decks and the order of painting in mind. 

Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

Made a start on the PE for the Aft Superstructure. For the larger PE a 'Fold and Bend' tool such as the 4" 'The Small Shop' is very handy. The first photo shows the Tool, also the components for the Scharnhorst's Catapult.

The MK1 PE is very fragile and snaps easily, not nearly as good as Gold Medal Model PE. The Mk1 instructions have a number of errors, and parts not identified, the kit item U9 is shown 180 Deg. out on the Mk1 instructions, it does not identify where B35 goes (opposite B39).

The handrail contours around objects is sloppy, I have substituted some of my spare handrail from my KGV build to make them tidier.

The Dragon kit does not identify where K73 goes, see the third photo, the pencil identifies the item. Item B35 goes to the left of K73.

Finally a couple of general shots of where I am at with the PE. I still have to clean up some joints.

As I am off on holiday next week, the shipyard will be shut. Derek


----------



## Farmer John

caledonia2006 said:


> The handrail contours around objects is sloppy, *I have substituted some of my spare handrail from my KGV build* to make them tidier.


Are you not worried about rejection?


----------



## caledonia2006

Farmer John said:


> Are you not worried about rejection?


I won't tell if you don't. 

A small update.

Made a start on the Stack; Dragon got the baffle identification wrong, but it's pretty obvious when you do a dry fit. MK1 are out in sympathy with Dragon, there have been a few errors with Item numbers, here is another one, they have two C70's where as the lower one should be C35.

Have to remove all the ribs from the Stack Platform for PE. I assume in the 3rd. photo the steel PE are Ladder walkways. The 4th photo shows the PE parts for the aft section of the Stack Platform, and the ladder walkways added to the Stack. Last photo shows the above platform finished. I will be moving onto the fwd. section of the Stack Platform. Derek


----------



## Samsette

That last photo, and Photo 1 in Post #31 really illustrate the challenges faced in modelling to that scale. I am scratch-building a Sam boat in 1/16 of an inch to one foot, and rigging the topping lift and cargo blocks are challenge enough for me. My hat is off to your work with the PE parts of your model. Keep up your photographic progress reports.


----------



## caledonia2006

Samsette said:


> That last photo, and Photo 1 in Post #31 really illustrate the challenges faced in modelling to that scale. I am scratch-building a Sam boat in 1/16 of an inch to one foot, and rigging the topping lift and cargo blocks are challenge enough for me. My hat is off to your work with the PE parts of your model. Keep up your photographic progress reports.


Thank you for following my build, and for your kind words, it is appreciated. Derek

Finally got the Stack finished, I counted 64 pieces of PE. Off to do the boat deck now. Derek


----------



## makko

Looking very good!
Rgds.
Dave


----------



## caledonia2006

Thanks for viewing Dave.

I have now cemented the Stack to the Boat Deck Structure and fitted all of the Ships Boats supports. The handrail around the Boat Deck was a bit of a problem due to all of the curves so a placed a piece of card on top and traced the curves from the underside. I then used this template to shape the handrails, but because of the way I traced it, I had to spin the handrail 180 Deg. about its longitudinal axis so that it would be the correct orientation when I removed it from the template.

I also used a bit of builders licence; the handrails were solid brass in areas on the outside, and embossed with the handrails on the inside to represent stretched canvas. I reversed this to make it a little more interesting.

Plenty more to do in this area of the superstructure, but I am now going to concentrate of the forward superstructure. Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

Well I've been looking at this model for two days now planning the build/painting sequence, and I am slowly coming to the conclusion that I am going to have to abandon the wooden deck, and paint it instead, there are so many stairways etc, that are so dimensionally dependant on height and access that for me it would be impossible to retro fit and paint.

I thought going from HMS Roberts to the KGV was a big step, but the Dragon Scharnhorst is in another world.

Anyway I have ordered the paint for the Deck, as I think this is the only way for me at least to progress.


----------



## chadburn

Which Motorboats did she carry pse.


----------



## caledonia2006

chadburn said:


> Which Motorboats did she carry pse.


According to the kit, the following Ships Boats etc are included. I haven't got to them yet.

One 11.5m Admirals Barkasse, 
Two 11.5m Verkehrsboots, 
Two 8.5m dinghies 
One 5.2m skiff, 
One 4 m Dinghy 
Eight oval life rafts.


----------



## caledonia2006

A small update; have been working away at all of the PE in way of the Bridge. Have been concentrating on the platforms and ladders at the filter inlets. Letting the CA dry overnight before I clean up the joints. MK1 Design have made several errors in their PE part numbers, they are fairly obvious but annoying still.

The Triangular webs under the upper bridge wings should be C07 and not C02
The guard rail at the ladders beside the boats crane should be B08 and not A08

Still got plenty of PE to add. I have not fixed the Deck supporting the upper bridge and fire director, as the crane pedestals have still to be fitted. 

From the photos below, I think you will understand why I chose to paint the decks, as fitting all of the platforms and guard rails after fitting the wooden decks, would, for me at least, be impossible.


----------



## caledonia2006

This week I have been trying to finish the PE on the superstructure. In the photos below the Superstructure is still loose from the deck, and the forward Superstructure is loose from the Boat Deck, I think it will be easier to paint if I leave them separate.

On the uppermost platform on the fwd. Superstructure under the Radar, I have added some wire braces to each of the four Yards, this is not on the kit but appears on the box art and on photos of Scharnhorst. These yards are very slender, and probably would not survive the rigging without these braces.

In Detail 8, I have replaced the kit part numbers MC38 with some 0.75mm round Evergreen, as these parts look ridiculously small.

I will now be moving onto the ancillary fittings i.e. Cranes, Reels, Ships Boats etc. and finally the Masts.

Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

Neither the kit nor the PE aftermarket provide handrails around the aft Range Finders so I have added some from my spares box. See first two photos.

Have made up and fitted the lower section of the aft Mast. I found it easier to fit the three platforms first to the loose mast, then the handrails and finally the ladders before fitting to the superstructure with the two braces.

Unlike the KGV kit where the breakwaters, bollards, fairleaders, skylights etc. were moulded as part of the deck, on the Scharnhorst all of these have to be fitted individually.

Derek


----------



## Pete D Pirate

Absolutely fascinating, Derek.

I found it intriguing that the architects felt that traditional skylights on the foredeck (of all places) would be a nice touch.
It's a bit of a shame that it's all going to be painted - because then, all that beautiful PE detail is going to meld in to the overall drabness of 'battleship grey'.

Can't wait to see how you paint the crew members, though.
Whiskers for the CPOs and wris****ches for the officers?

Thanks again for your time and trouble in sharing. (Thumb)


----------



## caledonia2006

Thanks for viewing Pete and for your kind comments. I might have to leave the buttons off the 1/350 figures uniforms 

Last update of the year before the shipyard closes for the seasonal break.

Been concentrating on the ships boats, searchlights and torpedo launchers. These are now ready for priming. I have left off the lenses and the covers from the searchlights as after priming I want to silver inside the housing.

Neither the kit nor the MK1 aftermarket PE provided enough grab rails for the top of all the ships boat cabins, so I used sections of 1/350 ladder from my spares box.

The lifebuoys on top of the ships boats cabins come from North Star.

The last picture is a little experiment I tried for depositing small amounts of CA glue, I found that rounded surfaces were best for releasing the glue, so recently I have been sharpening cocktail/toothpick sticks as shown, and found them very useful. They get clogged up after a while but it is only a one minute job to remove the glue and re-shape the point.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

Been doing a bit of work on the ships cranes, below is a sequence shot of the construction. The Kit and Mk1 aftermarket PE have several errors. On the Kit they have provided a single winch drum for both lifting and luffing functions. I have split the barrel provided with a micro saw, rotated it and glued it back on. Have then used some scrap plastic to make two disks which I glued on and filed down, see first two photos.

I then assembled the PE, MK1 have provided a double fall hook arrangement, which I think is wrong as I have a photo which shows a single fall arrangement, but I will just have to live with it.

I then fitted the Cranes to their Pedestal which had been fitted earlier to the decks, and rigged one of the Cranes using' Pearsalls Gossamer Silk' thread, which is used for fishing. In order to straighten the thread I put some PVA glue on my finger and run the thread through several times and hang it vertically till dry. I then use spots of PVA to fix them to the sheaves. I have rigged the thread in a way which I think would work, using the short drum for luffing and the larger drum for lifting. The PVA fixing the thread is still drying, but should dry clear. Happy New Year. Derek


----------



## Farmer John

I wish you a detailed and meticulous new year, you seem the person who knows what to do with those virtues.


----------



## caledonia2006

Thanks for Viewing John, and for your good wishes.

Finished rigging the second boats crane.

Assembled the main cranes; I used the back plastic frame from the kit as well as the PE to make it stronger; the PE was very delicate and fiddly.

Assembled all of the Reels; the instructions only tell you where half of them go, so will have to apply some logic in determining the others positions.

Finally I fitted the prop shafts and supports. The Dragon kit got their positions wrong as usual. In Detail 19 of the instructions M3 and M26 should be swapped over.

Although this concludes the major parts of the build there are still a lot of small details to be added, and there seems to be quite a few bits left on the sprues without a home, so I will have to go over the instructions/model to find out if there are logical places for them to fit.

As these parts will be too small to be worth recording my next post will be when I am ready to prime, but before that I will have to group all of the loose fittings by colour.

It may therefore be a few weeks before my next posting.
Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

*Part 1 of 2 Update 17 Jan 2016*

Latest update over the next two postings due to number of photos.

I found where the remaining Reels go, the info is buried in the instructions.

The main Cranes should be single fall and not double fall, but I will leave it; you would think that the aftermarket guys would get it right.

I read that the Scharnhorst did not have a flag pole on the stern at the end of her life so I have left it off.

I have left off the handrails along the ships side until I prime and paint the lower hull half and boot-topping.

I have masked off the areas where the superstructure lands as I want to use a plastic cement for strength.

Where the superstructure hand rails are covered in canvas, I will be painting on Micro-Glaze with a brush. I did a test sample which was successful. For the primer I will be using Tamiya Primer, see last photo next posting.

I have mounted the small components on scrap glossy card for painting. They have been segregated in accordance with their final colour. Some components like the boats will have to be turned over to access the hidden side. The large brass sheet contains the ships boats oars; I will paint them before detaching and touch up as necessary when fitted.

I will be using Lifecolor paints throughout for the painting, and the Lifecolor Kriegsmarine set, see last photo. However I may alter some of the colours so that they blend in better.


----------



## caledonia2006

*Part 2 of 2 Update 17 Jan 2016*

Continued from Part 1


----------



## caledonia2006

A small update; have primed all components of the model with three light coats of Tamiya primer identified previously. 

It is not clear where the lower edge of the boot-topping is located so I have chosen the joint line of the two Hull halves as its location. Have therefore masked off the hull as shown at this location on the first photo and primed the underside. I then painted the underside with Lifecolor UA606 from the paint set, and sealed it with two light coats of Humbrol acrylic satin varnish 135 in order to protect it, see the second photo. The varnish changed the colour slightly by making it a bit more cherry red than the original brown/red.

Finally I removed the masks from the hull. Notice on the last photo I had previously added a 0.75mm dia. ‘Evergreen’ strip to the hull to represent the degaussing cable seen in the 1943 photos available on the internet. This cable was not provided in the kit nor the MK1 aftermarket.

Will now mask the lower hull half, and prime the upper hull and deck with the Tamiya primer.

Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

Another small update.

Have now masked off the lower hull. Have decided to reinstate the aft flagpole, as mentioned previously, I read that it was not fitted in 1943, but as you can see there would be a large gap at the stern of the ship if omitted which would look peculiar.

The handrails have now been fitted, so will leave everything to cure overnight and then prime the upper half of the hull and deck.

Last photo shows the results of using the 'Window Glaze' to simulate the canvas fitted to some of the handrails as shown in photos of the Scharnhorst in 1943, came out quite well I think.

Derek


----------



## makko

I agree with the window glaze - very convincing!
Rgds.
Dave


----------



## ART6

I am amazed at how you do this Derek. You must have very steady hands and excellent eyesight. Going by your photos many of the parts are so small that I wouldn't be able to see them never mind fit them!


----------



## caledonia2006

Hi Makko/ART6, thanks for following and your kind words.

Been painting the hull camo this week based on Dragons interpretation of the ‘Operation Ostfront’ 1943 scheme, but using the Lifecolor set identified previously. 

Masked off the lower hull, and airbrushed the upper hull with Lifecolor UA603 throughout. The deck was then airbrushed with Lifecolor UA755 (worn out hemp). 

I then applied the first stage masking using Tamiya 6mm tape and also Tamiya’s 2mm and 3mm ‘tape for curves’. The camo was them hand brushed on. The masking was then modified at the bow for the near black patch.

Will paint the deck fittings and propellers before moving onto the superstructure.

Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

This week I have been painting the camo and decks of the FWD superstructure, also the Deck Fittings. Will add as much of the rigging as possible before fitting to the Deck, but before that I will paint the rear superstructure camo and deck. Derek


----------



## makko

Great work!
Rgds.
Dave


----------



## caledonia2006

Thanks for your kind comments Dave.

This week I have been painting the Aft superstructure. Dragons instructions are pretty vague in the boat deck area so what I have shown probably is not accurate. I also painted the Turrets and all of the ships boats. I think the motorized ships boats underwater area should be painted black, but I am not sure if I will attempt this as it is difficult to get a straight clean line. Derek


----------



## caledonia2006

Haven’t had much modelling time this week due to illness. I used the ‘window glazing’ product on all of the bridge windows, ships boats windows, and searchlights.

The first photo shows the glazing material just applied to the bridge windows and still wet. Note on the searchlight above the bridge windows I have used the PE bezel rather than the clear plastic lens provided in the kit, inside the searchlight was painted aluminium. The second photo shows the dried glazing material on both the bridge windows and searchlight.

Looking at the photos on the screen, I see that I still have some touch-up painting to do. Amazing how you never see these little areas before you post the pictures.

The other two photos show the superstructures populated with the armament, ships boats, winches etc.

As an aside, since it is the 75th anniversary of the HMS Hood tragedy on 24th May this year, I bought this kit this week, always wanted to try a 1/700 kit as it may solve my storage problems. Must say at first glance I am pleasantly surprized at the detail on the kit which contains 429 pieces, and even more so with the Flyhawk super detail PE set which contains over 700 items.

Derek


----------



## makko

I am very inpressed by the "real" look of the searchlight. In my experience, the small details make or break the model! Looking good.
Rgds.
Dave


----------



## Samsette

Ausgezeichnet, as they would have said in the KM. Really outstanding work.


----------



## ke1stcav

What've size bit did you use to drill out the portholes?
I see you have blue taco to hold one of the brass doors, do you leave it there and glue around the door opening?

Thanks Ken E


----------

