1:700 Battle ship Bismarck Germany 1941

Bismarck and the eight days that decided

The largest German battleship of her time was named after the chancellor who unified Germany. She entered service in 1940 and spent almost a whole year training in the Baltic. Only in May 1941 did she put to sea, together with a heavy cruiser, on an operation against Allied convoys, and it was that voyage that brought her both fame and destruction.

On 24 May there was an engagement in the Denmark Strait in which the British battlecruiser Hood blew up and sank within a few minutes. The British then began a vast pursuit. The decisive moment was a torpedo hit from the slow Swordfish biplanes launched from a carrier, which damaged the steering gear and deprived the ship of any ability to maneuver. On 27 May the British battleships caught up with her and, after a gunnery duel, the vessel sank. The model represents exactly this form, including the striking camouflage pattern of the spring of 1941.

Advice on building and painting

The camouflage with its dark diagonal stripes is the most striking element on this ship and decides how convincing the result is. It pays to spray it through masks of thin adhesive tape rather than brush it on. The wooden deck areas tend to be very fine in 1:700, so it is better to lay down a light base and bring out the shadow only with a dark wash. The finished ship looks best on a longer base, where it has open space around it. Before the final varnish it is worth covering the decks and spraying only the vertical surfaces, so that the difference between wood and steel stays clear. The main turrets are better left free to rotate and glued on only at the very end.