by Robert Apfelzweig
1/350 DKM Admiral Graf Spee (Trumpeter)
This is my just-completed build of the German "pocket battleship" (Panzerschiff) Admiral Graf Spee. After reading over various reviews of the new Trumpeter and Academy kits, I opted for the more expensive Trumpeter model because it seemed to be more accurate and better detailed. Of course, the first thing I had to do when building it was to putty in the stern anchor slot (which faces the wrong way, though it is shown correctly in the box cover illustration) and then drill and scrape a new one in the correct configuration. Otherwise, the model is a fairly easy build and seems to be quite accurate as an early war model. However, as designed, the main and secondary battery guns won't rotate unless placed loosely into their positions, so I had to scratch-build some simple devices to keep them in position but still allow them to rotate. The 4.1-in heavy antiaircraft guns are extremely well-designed and do rotate, though they cannot be elevated very far. I purchased the newly released WEM brass photoetch set and bought the RB models 11-in. aluminum and 5.9-in. brass gun barrels. The WEM set is quite useful but its instructions seem to presume that one is building the Academy kit; the plastic part numbers it references (to modify or replace) do not agree with those in the Trumpeter kit. In addition, I decided to stay with Trumpeter's boat rack, since the WEM brass set did not attach properly and its wing supports for the small boats (located above and inboard of the third pair of 5.9-in. secondary guns) offered no means of attachment to the rear superstructure. I opted to portray the ship as she appeared during the famous Battle of the River Plate in December 1939, when, tracked down by three British cruisers off the coast of eastern South America, she fought an inconclusive engagement but, having suffered some significant damage, then sought refuge in the neutral port of Montevideo, Uruguay. The British were much the worse for the battle (their leader, the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter, had all her main guns knocked out of action) but British Intelligence cleverly planted rumors that heavy naval reinforcements were already in position outside the mouth of the River Plate, waiting to engage the Admiral Graf Spee when she would be forced to leave within 72 hours of seeking sanctuary. The Graf Spee, should she manage to escape, faced a long voyage across the Atlantic with her fuel and water purification systems knocked out, and her commander, Captain Hans Langsdorff (a veteran of Jutland), chose to scuttle her on the evening of December 17, 1939 just outside Montevideo harbor. The majority of her crew were interned in Argentina (with some, particularly wounded, left in Uruguay), and on December 20 Langsdorff, still ashore, wrapped himself in the old Imperial German flag and committed suicide with a pistol. There are quite a number of close-up photos of the Admiral Graf Spee available on the Net that show her, with superficial damage and her Arado spotter plane burned out, interned at Montevideo. These helped significantly in my attempts to accurately display her camouflage scheme, particularly on her bridge. Those curious about further information on this very interesting warship should consult the Wikipedia article.
