Tamiya 1/700 Gneisenau [COMPLETED BUILD]

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Jul 12, 2021
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Location
Gloucestershire, UK
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This is a typical Tamiya waterline warship, the moulds dating from 1975 - but the parts are free from flash & crisp. This is essentially the same as the Scharnhorst, with a single sprue changed to reflect differences & instructions to suit. Not that many parts ( including a steel bar to give the model a bit of heft.
Normally I wouldn't dream of blogging a simple model like this, but I'm going to add a wooden deck.................
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For those of you unfamiliar with this add on - it's thin wood veneer that has been laser cut & etched - the veneer is coated with adhesive & you have to peel off the backing paper before sticking to the model. There are cut-outs for all the moulded on detail & on a quick examination looks pretty accurate. The only modification need is to remove the moulded on anchor chain on the fo'c'sle, as a very fine chain replacement is supplied.
I have attempted one wooden deck before, on a 1/350 Revell Emden - which didn't turn out well! This is the first 1/700 model I've attempted with the wood deck & I'm a bit dubious about how thick the veneer is going to look when applied. The Gneisenau had a single colour hull & superstructure, which simplifies things - I can airbrush the main assembly before adding the veneer.
Dave
 
Sprayed the hull & deck overall with light grey & the steel ballast weight added to the waterline plate..................................
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Then, onto the veneer - by Wood Hunter from China -it's about 0.2mm thick - equating to 140mm ( 5.5" ) in real life, not too bad.
The weather here has been hot & this has made the glue backing very sticky & the backing paper tricky to remove - next time, I might put the veneer into the fridge for an hour or so!
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It didn't go that badly, the fit is a bit dodgy in places, but I tried to centre the main parts on the main gun barbettes, the poorer fitting areas luckily seem to fall where the secondary armament is fitted, and I had to trim the veneer at the back of the breakwater, as it was too long. The worst fit is at the bows, but I don't think the planking went that far, only as far as the hawse troughs. I need to go round with a toothpick & smooth down those areas that haven't stuck yet. I need to remember to keep this clean, I have a bad habit of handling things with paint on my hands & in this case would be a real problem
Dave
 
More assembly & the final bits of wood veneer added - as the parts got smaller, the more difficult it was to get the backing paper off......................
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Some of the veneer broke up, but I managed to get most of it where it was supposed to go. I'm just about ready to start adding the armament & other details
Dave
 
Ahoi Dave

The deck planking seems to be a bit noticeable to me, especially the plank joints are very striking.
The decks were quickly weathered and gray-brown in color.
Realistic tinting could be done with pigments.

From the shipyard at Lake Lucerne
Wilfred
 
Ahoi Dave

The deck planking seems to be a bit noticeable to me, especially the plank joints are very striking.
The decks were quickly weathered and gray-brown in color.
Realistic tinting could be done with pigments.

From the shipyard at Lake Lucerne
Wilfred
The veneers seem to vary in quality.The plank ends lining up makes it more pronounced, and gives a line across the deck that shouldn't show up.
I have another veneer sheet for the 1/700 Tamiya Yamato, even this was much cheaper than the Gneisenau, it looks better..........................
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The plank lengths & ends are varied & staggered, and on the face of it looks better!( if the fit is any good! )
Using wooden decks on 1/700 models is by way of an experiment, my reasoning being that if I can do it in 1/700, then 1/350 should be easier. ( I have HMS Dreadnought & HMS Agamemnon in the stash, with wood decks, both in 1/350 ).
The Gneisenau is as she appeared in early 1939, after having her 'Atlantik' bows fitted & with new Arado 196 floatplanes on board. As such she would be in very good condition & show no wear. The red deck bands & swastikas were added after the outbreak of WWII. I'm thinking I'd have put a coat of varnish on the deck, as it's pretty absorbent, and any liquid wash, or pigment fixer will just sink in ( and maybe affect the underlying adhesive? ). It may be better to treat the veneer before applying to the deck ( not water based varnish , I think ). It's all part of the learning curve!
Dave
 
Ahoi Dave

Thank you for your answer.
In my opinion, the deck color of the Yamato is very close to reality.
Good luck with the further construction and the color design.

From the model shipyard in Central Switzerland
Wilfred

PS: Here you can find several posts about my model of the Gneisenau in 1/1200. However, the deck color does not correspond to my current opinion, it is too yellow.
 
Work on this held up - I suffer from osteoarthritis in my right hand, and it has flared up again. Model making with only one hand isn't really fun! Hopefully it'll recede over the next few days ( it usually does ), and I can get back to the bench.................
Dave
 
Finally, I've been able to finish this -
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Really, the whole point of the model was to trial the use of a wooden deck - which has worked rather better than I expected. I made sure the surfaces were as smooth as possible, and cleaned the deck with ISO alcohol to remove any grease. The Tamiya Gneisenau was the least expensive model in my stash, and the wood veneer wasn't that expensive, so I wouldn't have been annoyed if it was a failure. The model itself dates back to 1975, and is showing its' age - the larger parts are fine, but the smaller bits show a lot of flash & need careful cleaning up. Fit of parts was good, no filler needed.
As I said this was a trial, and I have several 1/350 Models with wooden deck aftermarket parts., waiting for my attention.
Apart from the hiatus caused by my wrist & the frustration of not getting benchtime, it was quite a satisfying & worthwhile build
Dave
 
Congratulations for finishing this model - looking very good, so I hope to see the next 1:350 models
 
This is a typical Tamiya waterline warship, the moulds dating from 1975 - but the parts are free from flash & crisp. This is essentially the same as the Scharnhorst, with a single sprue changed to reflect differences & instructions to suit. Not that many parts ( including a steel bar to give the model a bit of heft.
Normally I wouldn't dream of blogging a simple model like this, but I'm going to add a wooden deck.................

For those of you unfamiliar with this add on - it's thin wood veneer that has been laser cut & etched - the veneer is coated with adhesive & you have to peel off the backing paper before sticking to the model. There are cut-outs for all the moulded on detail & on a quick examination looks pretty accurate. The only modification need is to remove the moulded on anchor chain on the fo'c'sle, as a very fine chain replacement is supplied.
I have attempted one wooden deck before, on a 1/350 Revell Emden - which didn't turn out well! This is the first 1/700 model I've attempted with the wood deck & I'm a bit dubious about how thick the veneer is going to look when applied. The Gneisenau had a single colour hull & superstructure, which simplifies things - I can airbrush the main assembly before adding the veneer.
Dave
Hallo Dave alias @Dave Ward
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Birthday-Cake
 
Finally, I've been able to finish this -
View attachment 249255View attachment 249260View attachment 249257View attachment 249258
Really, the whole point of the model was to trial the use of a wooden deck - which has worked rather better than I expected. I made sure the surfaces were as smooth as possible, and cleaned the deck with ISO alcohol to remove any grease. The Tamiya Gneisenau was the least expensive model in my stash, and the wood veneer wasn't that expensive, so I wouldn't have been annoyed if it was a failure. The model itself dates back to 1975, and is showing its' age - the larger parts are fine, but the smaller bits show a lot of flash & need careful cleaning up. Fit of parts was good, no filler needed.
As I said this was a trial, and I have several 1/350 Models with wooden deck aftermarket parts., waiting for my attention.
Apart from the hiatus caused by my wrist & the frustration of not getting benchtime, it was quite a satisfying & worthwhile build
Dave
Dave this is a beautiful piece of work. Truly inspiring, and will definitely help to get me on track again re building more ships ...
 
Ahoi Dave

Thank you for your answer.
In my opinion, the deck color of the Yamato is very close to reality.
Good luck with the further construction and the color design.

From the model shipyard in Central Switzerland
Wilfred

PS: Here you can find several posts about my model of the Gneisenau in 1/1200. However, the deck color does not correspond to my current opinion, it is too yellow.
Hallo @Kaleu NW
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Birthday-Cake
 
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