Graf Spee build

[KiwiKev]

Thought I would build the third installment in the Battle of the River Plate ships, after Exeter and Ajax. The 1:600 Graf Spee kit parts look crisp and well molded. I will post some progress shots here.

[KiwiKev]

Before gluing the deck down I took the time to glue in some internal supporting tabs. The recess inside the hull for the deck does not give a perfect fit, and so tabs glued at just the right height ensured the deck would be flush with the top edge of the hull all around and a positive fit.

The funnel assembly is the first one completed, and painting started. Servicing rails were glued around the lower portion, as well as a PE ladder. Supporting frames were glued to the under side of the search light platform, and a slight forward extension built on. This accommodates some 20mm mounts which were there, and though the kit doesn't supply them the scrap bin came up with a few. The main mast was cut down quite a bit in order to replace the over-thick portions with some much thinner sections, and some additional bracing struts were run forward to the top of the funnel. You can also see the fore mast sitting there in this shot, also created from much thinner styrene rod. The various bridge wing levels of the main control tower also need modifying but that's for another post.

The main gun barrel ends were so thin they were virtually the same thickness as the 5.9 inch ones, so copper wire replacements were added. Thank goodness for supa glue, couldn't do this sort of thing in the days of PVA and UHU. I've also enlargened the turret range finder arms, and filed off the molded on ladders in preparation for fitting some PE.

[KiwiKev]

Progress on the control tower build. The superstructure deck forward of the tower has been raised 1mm, which necessitated cutting the superstructure deck section. This allowed the wind breaker of the forward lower open bridge to be lowered and in fact the whole thing has been replaced with thin styrene.

The white deck house directly in front of the tower for what I presume is an AA director has been scratch built to replace the original tower base.

There's a lot of extra detail in terms of port holes, servicing rails, and window shutters. Hopefully it will look OK once painted. The original molded front window frames are actually too high if painted entirely as windows, but in fact half of them should be the battle shutters in the lowered position, which is what the white styrene squares are supposed to represent.

The rear of the control tower needed the most work. The original main bridge wings were reworked to replace the over thick walls, and to model the split level effect around the back. PE rails, ladders and radar antenna round this all out. Not sure the radar antenna is actually correct, it comes with the Bismarck / Tirpitz PE, but looks better to me than the original, so what the heck!!

[KiwiKev]

The 5.9 inch mount as supplied at left, and right as modified. It's a subtle change involving trimming no more than 0.5 mm off the bottom of the shield to lower it slightly, and creating a new wider front plate with less slope, and an angled top side edge either side. The original shape was not quite right, a bit too angular and tall. I used the much better corresponding mounts off the Scharnhorst model as a guide.

In the drawing below, the red lines indicate changes, dark grey areas to be filled. Probably no one else will be bothered but if they are here is the info. There are also siting port hatches on the front faces either side of the barrel slot, not shown here.

[KiwiKev]

The 4.1 inch mounts while better on this model than those on the Bismarck and Scharnhorst kits, can still do with some additional detailing. I scratch built replacements for the earlier two kits, but found the mountings on this kit could be used OK, as long as the barrels were replaced and some additional shaping and detailing added.

The rear gun director position also looked quite different on later models than on this kit. Luckily the original deck-house, when rotated 180 degrees and with some added facets, worked out OK. I also added the "T" mast on top of the aft director, which helped support HF radio antennas. I've scavenged some PE intended for the Scharnhorst to detail the catapult area. This may not be entirely accurate but it adds to the interest.

[KiwiKev]

Two views of the progress so far. Just started drilling out port holes of which there are many. I set myself 30 or so per sitting to break it up, so that hopefully I can retain my concentration and center them correctly.

[KiwiKev]

The deck treatment for this model is a slightly streaky application of Humbrol Satin 71 along the line of the deck planking. The tint in this tin seems different to previous tins, less yellow and more of a tan colour, which I prefer. Dry brushing after with a dark colour across the planking highlights the raised lines that represent the caulking.

Because the main deck was the only one with raised lines, I experimented with another method of simulating them on the superstructure decks. I used a 0.1 mm fine tip pen to rule lines on the flat deck. After this was properly dry, I then applied two thin coats of Humbrol Satin 71, lightly enough to let the lines show through.

I think this treatment gives a pretty good result. Not quite the same quality as the veneer decks you can get for some models, but not too bad for a cheap and readily available alternative.

Both techniques are visible in this photo:

[Pretty Mediocre Modeller]

I must say you are doing a very impressive job of superdetailing this old kit!

[KiwiKev]

The hull is complete. Port holes drilled, bilge keels added along with the rudder, props and shafts, anchors, the white fake bow waves painted, and some weathering, which I may have over-done, but we'll see how it all looks at the end.

Starting to look quite good. A lot of masking coming up to ensure the deck fittings and superstructure walls can be painted without ruining the deck paint.

[Sailorman]

Looking good!

[KiwiKev]

Control Tower features raised deck and detailed open bridge and scratch built twin 37mm before it, battle shutters and PE on the tower, detailed 5.9 inch and 4.1 inch detailed mounts.

The Arado was left fairly simple once the canopy and float struts were replaced. Some catapult PE was borrowed from a set for Scharnhorst, as were booms for the aircraft cranes. The small deck house on which the aft director sits was modified and rotated 180 degrees to make it more accurate. Main turret range finders were extended and ladders were replaced with PE.

A couple of overall shots including one showing the model with the Exeter and Ajax, completing the set of ships in 1:600 for the Battle of the River Plate.

[Sailorman]

That's a lovely trio. Very well done!

[KiwiKev]

Final pic. On a seascape.

[DoubleD]

Excellent work Kevclap

[KaleuNW]

Good photographic presentation of what appears to be an excellently built model.

More photos of it - if possible, in larger format!

From the shipyard on Lake Lucerne

Wilfred

[KiwiKev]

Good photographic presentation of what appears to be an excellently built model.

More photos of it - if possible, in larger format!

From the shipyard on Lake Lucerne

Wilfred

 

 

If you right click on the images and select "open in new tab" you will see the image full screen. Took me a while to figure that one out too.