1:350 German battleship Konig (For ICM S.001/Aoshima AO43707)

A 1:350 König wooden deck (Artwox Model)

This piece is not a kit but an accessory. The wood veneer with an adhesive backing and pre-printed laying of the deck planks is glued onto the plastic deck of a model of the German battleship König from the period of the First World War. The set is cut to the outline of the ICM S.001 or the Aoshima AO43707 kit, so check before you buy that this is the one you have.

Going around the superstructure, turrets and hatches

On this ship the most work goes into getting around everything that stands up from the deck. The barbettes, the bases of the masts, ventilator heads, winches and hatches are either pre-cut in the veneer or have to be carefully trimmed in place. The proven procedure is to leave as many of these parts off the model as possible and glue the deck onto a clear surface, because going around a part that is already in place is always worse than simply setting it into a prepared opening afterward. Where trimming is needed, run the blade in several light strokes instead of one heavy one. On circular openings it helps to mark the outline with the tip and only then cut. The rest of a base can be hidden after gluing under the fitted part or under paint.

Finishing

Check the edges around the cutouts against the light and fill any gaps with a piece from an offcut. The shade is tuned with thinned wood stain, and a final matte varnish unifies the sheen and protects the wood during the later steps of the build.

Who the set is for

• Modelers who build large ships from the period of the First World War.
• Those who want a faithful wooden texture on a broken-up deck with a lot of superstructure.
• Builders who combine a wooden deck with photo-etched parts.
• More experienced enthusiasts who are up for trimming small cutouts.

This is an accessory for a plastic kit. The kit itself, glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.