1/350 Bismarck Revell + Pontos set

[Edoardo81]

Nice paint finish. About the amount of portholes in the PE set, these were probably only meant for locations where the hull angle is very oblique or curved. In models the portholes are cast in the direction of the mould, resulting in oval holes when an angle or round exists.

Yes you're right. Infact in the bow I had to close the portholes with the putty and then redoing them after applying the PE. With this method the portholes are still rounded

[Edoardo81]

Hi guys here I am with an update.

weathering on the hull is done. I'm not really good with this technique, so I always do light weathering.



Next step is to glue the deck with the hull.

I have begun to take a look at the superstructure and above all the first level.

I must admit pontos instructions are really bad. Many details miss or lack of informations.
An example is the end of the first level on the stern side. These stairs have to be kept or have to be erased?


Instructions don't say anything. Fortunately I have found in the corner of an image the solution.
They must be erased. Yes but with what? No number is indicated. So I have to check every single stair to check what's the right one with the link between the deck and the stair


Same thing with the steps. There's a PE paper full of steps and portholes but they are never indicated. So are them optionals?


So I'm beginnning I can use them where is indicated. Not easy to drill in line with 0.3 mm


Hope doing things good

[Edoardo81]

Beginning to add steps.

I'm loosing my eyes!!

[Edoardo81]

Here 3 pictures about the hull full painted and with the turrets

[Edoardo81]

A little update.
Doing the PE for the A level deck.

Next step is to glue the Pe with their plastic parts and then primering all.

[Edoardo81]

Hi guys, I'm back to work.

After completing all PE of the first deck, it's time to glue them to the plastic.





But now a great doubt has come in my mind: how to do the other side!
Doing this side, I leaned the structure on the base, but when I will do the other side, I can't lean the structure because there are all the PE.

So how can I block the structure avoiding leaning it on the base so I can work easly and it withstand the pressure of the drilling and gluing?

Any idea?
Thanks!

[StevenVD]

Be sure to remove all plastic steps if you bought a Pontos set, they would not leave any of those on the model. To do the other side, put some clamps where the PE is not fragile and use these as a base. Like I did here to spare the yardarms if the island falls over:



And don't forget to replace the watertight doors behind the DP guns, they won't tell you for every instance of them, typically they only show you once...

[Edoardo81]

Hi Steven, thanks for the tip!
It's a good idea! I will try.

For the work yes I have noticed Pontos' instructions are not really really clear and so I check many times different sources before doing anything.

[Edoardo81]

Problem solved for blocking the piece while working on it!




Some of my daughter's little toys are also useful!

[Edoardo81]

And one side is ended!

[Edoardo81]

Hi all, little update

I've also completed the other side of the structure. It seems to have turned out quite well. Obviously the back of the plastic is completely massacred with holes etc., but so even looking through the grates you can't see the gray and above all once the primer has been applied it doesn't plug but always remains open.


Now a new problem!



Fortunately I have now learned to re-check everything, to check pieces that have came off (because unfortunately they do come off ) and then in checking what to put on the flat part (let's say the first level) I discovered that a large PE must be glued on top, and some "rails" which are in the circled part must also be added.
The problem is that these damn instructions are not complete or perhaps they are made for professional model makers, because they don't say anything about the parts to be erased. That flat piece in itself wouldn't fit on the plastic because there are several small bumps that don't make the PE stick. and
so the y must be erased. Even the 4 squares along the line of the catapult (two are covered by the red line of the circle) do not match perfectly with the holes in the PE and therefore I had to adapt them.

I honestly have to say that I find these instructions very incomplete and they make me angry every time. He could have put a series of images on the first page of what to erase piece bye piece instead of putting everything together.

Now I don't understand how these binaries should be placed: vertically on the little squares in order to create the suspended track, or horizontally with the squares facing outwards as in the instructions or I still have to fold the squares in order to have the track vertically and the squares horizontally as support.
In the 2 books I have as a reference there aren't even any tracks, so unfortunately I don't have any possible reference.
My goodness, what patience!!!

[StevenVD]

Which books do you have? I used this one and found it useful. I believe the rails would be extended only when the hangar was open.

[Edoardo81]

Thanks Steven.
If you look at the first post of the first page you see the two books. One is Anatomy of the ship, the other one is super drawings in 3D.

[StevenVD]

I once checked the Scharnhorst edition of that Anatomy book and put it back. For all the beautiful 3D renderings these publications have, there are little reference pics. See if you can get a Warship Pictorial or Squadron booklet for completeness. The Kagero books are comparable, I just bought some too. One danger I encountered in this pictorial is that some elements were mirrored on the CAD drawing according to the pictures.

[Edoardo81]

In the meantime I went foward.
Finally all primed!







Moving foward to the next part of the foward superstructure
Put the doors, portholes and step even if they weren't indicated in the instructions (better realism for me!)



Now the eternal doubt: assembling all togheter and then primering, eventually sanding or putting putty where PE and plastic don't fix well and then painting everything, or assembling each part standalone and then correct and possibly fill the parts that are not well aligned?
My doubts are about the external parts of the PE which have to mach with the plastic parts.

[Edoardo81]

I have decided to complete the parts separately because the 2 parts match very well and I can fill the little gap after.

Now beginning with the camouflage on the first level of the superstructure.

[mick]

great work

[Edoardo81]

Thanks mick

Now I'm doing some test to dry fit with the upper part of the foward superstructure.
I also wanna see the if the camouflage will continue in the right areas in the upper part.
After I will complete with the white line

[Edoardo81]

Hi guys,finally the first level of the main deck is completed.
Only weathering misses an some other stuff that will be added

[Edoardo81]

Hi guys, here the final update for this week.

Second level completed also with light weathering.
only compasses and binocular misses.
Also the 2 footbridges miss, because I wait to them. I'm sure I would beat them during the work on the ship, so I will make them when foward superstructure is ended.






Here a test with all dry fitted.
Now I have ended all little details on the base of the superstructure so I think I can glue it on the ship.




And here first check if all parts of the foward second level fit well.


That's all for this week