by Philip LaVoie
1/350 DKM Bismarck (Tamiya)
I finally completed my winter modeling project, Tamiya’s 1/350 scale Bismarck, which has become my most detailed model to date. It’s also the first time I modeled a ship waterline, thus the first time attempting to create an ocean-looking base. Overall I’m pretty satisfied with the results. It’s easy to see why many consider the Bismarck to be one of the most aesthetically beautiful battleships that has ever sailed. Unfortunately, these photos do not bring out the rich colors of the water or the ship’s deck, but you get an idea.
Since I was going all out on this model, I decided to create a real wood deck. The plastic deck was discarded after cutting a new one out of thin plastic. I love using those ‘For Sale’ signs as cheap plastic stock. Square-ended hobby toothpicks were glued over the new deck, sanded, stained and varnished, and attached to the painted hull.
The main superstructure was removed from the plastic deck and built separately. After completion, it was attached to the wood deck. I used Tom’s PE Bismarck set, an extra railings set, WEM’s Superstructure Deck Plates and Kriegsmarine light AA weapons sets, and Eduard’s figures to detail the heck out of it.
It was painted to represent the 1941 operation "Rheinübung" scheme.
To help show the massive size of the Bismarck, I modeled the U-boat U-556 which often accompanied her on several missions. It’s the 1/350 resin VIIC U-boat model from Artitec, a simple little kit which has some beautifully molded details on its deck.
Lastly, the water was made by gluing aluminum foil to the display base and spray painting it royal blue gloss. It was then sprayed with a clear gloss coat and finished off with a generous coating of Future Floor Wax.
The ships were glued in place, and white bathroom caulk was used to simulate the wake patterns.
