1:600 DKM Ships Utility Rail

Photo-etched railings 1:600 for German ships (Artwox Model)

An accessory for a ship kit. Photo-etched strips of railings in a form which, according to the name, matches Kriegsmarine vessels. They are cut to the length needed and glued to the edges of the decks and superstructures of a finished model.

What makes the smallest scale different

Of the ship scales, 1:600 is among the finest, and it makes different demands on etching than larger models. The stanchions are as thin as a hair and the whole strip is so light that a breath will send it drifting. At the same time it is the scale where etching has the greatest effect: plastic railings here would have to be so heavy that they would visually bury the ship. Replaced railings suddenly let the silhouette of the hull be seen the way it was designed.

How to work with such fine etching

Set up a quiet place out of any draft and a light-colored mat; a dropped strip on a dark bench will never be found again. A magnifier or a head loupe pays off. Cut the strips off with a fresh blade on a glass plate; nippers at this scale tend to crumple the material rather than cut it. Handle them with fine, slightly curved tweezers and never grip a strip in the middle of its length. Apply glue in a minute amount: dip the tip of a wooden stick and transfer only as much as clings to it. A proven approach is to spray primer and paint onto the etching while it is still on the fret, because painting finished railings on the model is practically impossible in 1:600.

Who the set is for

• Modelers building ships in small scales who want the maximum of detail.
• More experienced builders used to handling fine photo-etch.
• Those who want to keep a clean hull silhouette without visually massive parts.
• Collectors building whole fleets in one scale for a display case.

This is an accessory for a ship kit, not a kit on its own. The model, paints and glue are not included in the package.