Model by modeler Rob Otero and presented/reviewed at the December 29, 2016 meeting of the Tacoma Green Dragons, International Plastic Modelers' Society (IPMS).
While in Norway the swastika was whitewashed. Sides of the hull stripes were half halfheartedly greyed over. A water based paint was used on the deck swastika. The actual colors were enamel. That's why they appeared unpainted over during the dive. The swastika was almost nonexistent. Swordfish pilots confirmed this. So many memoirs from Bismarck and Prinz Eugen sailors mention this as well.
Question: so if the Bismarck's armour was so invincible, and if she could sail in a strait line (and presumably back to safety in France) why did the crew open the seacocks?
She traveled below 10knots wich is very slow, and still had quiet a long way to france. The british catched up and the Bismarck risked to be entered as it did not want to sink. So the germans flooded it themself's to prevent it falling into enemy's hands.
Her rudder was stuck and she could only travel in circles unless they slowed to ten knots. At that speed the British were catching up. Fearing capture of the ship the Germans scuttled her. As a side note strait is a body of water you meant straight.
An amazing ship which only lasted two weeks into battle . . .Lol. Just a modelers note: Prototypical paint color never "scales" correctly to the right shade. Don`t get hung up on so-called paint chips dogma.
....WARNING.....Avoid buying AIRFIX's ..Bismarck...1/600 scale...Though I Managed to make look as real as I could.....But the KIT from Trumpeter LOOKS WILD!
Most of what is said about the armour is false. British armour was actually better than German Armour at the time as German had not progressed beyond the First World War for thick armour. Her conning tower which was the thickest was punched right through by a 16 inch shell. Her armour layout was 1st world war. They cannot claim that no torpedoes damaged her hull below the waterline as she is almost Buried in the silt up to their. Her stern was a known weakness. It only took one 16inch shell to reduce her to local control and finish her as an effective fighting unit. Rodney and Nelson were only poor at manoeuvring at low speed. The KG5s and Vanguard had thicker armour than the Nelsons.
Agree with Syd. What is the point in making ship 'unsinkable' if she can be reduced to a non-functioning flaming wreck so quickly. The Germans scuttled a lot of their capital ships in WW11!
None of the Trumpeter kits compare in hull accuracy (even more so detail) with recent Japanese 1/350 kits. The rear hull of Bismarck is shallow, and the whole hull lacks "squareness". Lots of the usual falsehoods.: Yamato's hits were the longest range hits ever (along with Kongo), and on TWO carriers, the other carrier being out of the war from a single 18" hull hit... The whole plunging fire thing is false. Hoods "thin" 1" deck armor was around 7" thick, comprising 3 decks, in the area she was hit. But the fact is anyway that Hoods deck armor had absolutely nothing to do with her loss. At the range she was lost plunging fire wasn't a thing. Bismark's shells were falling at an angle of around 12 to 14 degrees .... a far cry from the vertical plunging shells always cited. At that angle, Hoods decks were more than capable of deflecting. Recent studies have shown the most likely area of penetration was about a 10 by 10 foot section of the side below her mainmast, a path that could have led thru the 7" or 5" upper belt, to a weakly protected area of the 4" magazine, which then set off the 15" magazine. Bismark's gunnery was actually quite poor during that battle, and her fifth salvo would have missed by a wide margin had Hood not turned to port when she had. Yes, Hood turned into the shot that killed her.
![1/350 BISMARCK [Trumpeter] - Model build part 2/4](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nMUizjW1A-U/mqdefault.jpg)
![1/350 BISMARCK [Trumpeter] - Model build part 2/4](/img/tr.png)
Note: Dorsetshire was *also* an 8-inch gun cruiser....the same class as Norfolk and Suffolk.
While in Norway the swastika was whitewashed. Sides of the hull stripes were half halfheartedly greyed over. A water based paint was used on the deck swastika. The actual colors were enamel. That's why they appeared unpainted over during the dive. The swastika was almost nonexistent. Swordfish pilots confirmed this. So many memoirs from Bismarck and Prinz Eugen sailors mention this as well.
the bow was adapted during construction for the Atlantic and everafter known as the Atlantic bow.
Amazing kit!
Hi could you tell me please where did you get that and all photo etching came with it?
Lots of PE comes with the kit but Pontos and others make more as well.
Question: so if the Bismarck's armour was so invincible, and if she could sail in a strait line (and presumably back to safety in France) why did the crew open the seacocks?
She traveled below 10knots wich is very slow, and still had quiet a long way to france. The british catched up and the Bismarck risked to be entered as it did not want to sink. So the germans flooded it themself's to prevent it falling into enemy's hands.
Her rudder was stuck and she could only travel in circles unless they slowed to ten knots. At that speed the British were catching up. Fearing capture of the ship the Germans scuttled her. As a side note strait is a body of water you meant straight.
Why are they babbling on about the Iowa and Yamato with a kit of the Bismarck laid out in front of them ?
because the are American
An amazing ship which only lasted two weeks into battle . . .Lol. Just a modelers note: Prototypical paint color never "scales" correctly to the right shade. Don`t get hung up on so-called paint chips dogma.
....WARNING.....Avoid buying AIRFIX's ..Bismarck...1/600 scale...Though I Managed to make look as real as I could.....But the KIT from Trumpeter LOOKS WILD!
I want to built in 600
Most of what is said about the armour is false. British armour was actually better than German Armour at the time as German had not progressed beyond the First World War for thick armour. Her conning tower which was the thickest was punched right through by a 16 inch shell. Her armour layout was 1st world war. They cannot claim that no torpedoes damaged her hull below the waterline as she is almost Buried in the silt up to their. Her stern was a known weakness. It only took one 16inch shell to reduce her to local control and finish her as an effective fighting unit.
Rodney and Nelson were only poor at manoeuvring at low speed. The KG5s and Vanguard had thicker armour than the Nelsons.
Bismarck hat great armor better then all britisch ships ,and at that short range rousey field is no matter how thick the armor is
Agree with Syd. What is the point in making ship 'unsinkable' if she can be reduced to a non-functioning flaming wreck so quickly. The Germans scuttled a lot of their capital ships in WW11!
None of the Trumpeter kits compare in hull accuracy (even more so detail) with recent Japanese 1/350 kits. The rear hull of Bismarck is shallow, and the whole hull lacks "squareness". Lots of the usual falsehoods.: Yamato's hits were the longest range hits ever (along with Kongo), and on TWO carriers, the other carrier being out of the war from a single 18" hull hit... The whole plunging fire thing is false. Hoods "thin" 1" deck armor was around 7" thick, comprising 3 decks, in the area she was hit. But the fact is anyway that Hoods deck armor had absolutely nothing to do with her loss. At the range she was lost plunging fire wasn't a thing. Bismark's shells were falling at an angle of around 12 to 14 degrees .... a far cry from the vertical plunging shells always cited. At that angle, Hoods decks were more than capable of deflecting. Recent studies have shown the most likely area of penetration was about a 10 by 10 foot section of the side below her mainmast, a path that could have led thru the 7" or 5" upper belt, to a weakly protected area of the 4" magazine, which then set off the 15" magazine.
Bismark's gunnery was actually quite poor during that battle, and her fifth salvo would have missed by a wide margin had Hood not turned to port when she had. Yes, Hood turned into the shot that killed her.