by Paul Helfrich
1/2400 SMS Kaiser (Viking Forge)
This is the Viking Forge 1/2400 rendition of SMS Kaiser. This was one of the better Viking Forge kits I've built, although still not up to the standard of the GHQ 1/2400 line.
The Kaiser was the lead ship of her class, commissioned in 1912. She fought at Jutland and Heligoland Bight and was later surrendered and scuttled at Scapa Flow, along with other heavy units of the High Seas Fleet.
The Kaiser class ships mounted 10 12" guns in five double turrets - one forward, two wing turrets, and two superfiring turrets aft. This was the same turret arrangement as the battlecruiser Seydlitz, another High Seas Fleet unit I've built. The Kaisers also mounted a secondary battery of 14 5.9" guns and a tertiary battery of 12 88 mm guns.
The older ships with wing turrets are very interesting and present a contrasting appearance to later ships with all turrets on the centerline.
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