1:700 German Battleship Bismarck 1941 Wooden Deck (For Flyhawk FH1132)

Flyhawk 1:700 wooden deck, Bismarck 1941

An accessory for ship modelers in 1:700 scale from Flyhawk. It is not a model or a kit: it is a deck of thin wooden veneer, cut to the shape of the decks of the battleship Bismarck as she was in 1941, and a blackened anchor chain. The deck is cut for the Bismarck kit by the same maker in 1:700 scale, which has to be bought separately. The set is not assembled, only stuck onto the finished plastic deck.

The real subject

Bismarck was the largest battleship the Kriegsmarine committed in the Second World War. In May 1941 she sailed on an operation into the Atlantic, in the Denmark Strait she sank the British battlecruiser Hood, and a few days later, after a torpedo hit that damaged her rudders, she was caught and sunk. A wooden covering of the deck was usual on large ships of the day, protecting the steel and reducing slipperiness, and to this day it is among the most striking elements of a ship model.

Use

• first clear the plastic deck of its engraved detail and level it flat
• lay the veneer on dry and check that it lines up with the superstructure and the openings
• glue it on in parts from the middle toward the edges and press it down with a flat tool
• lead the anchor chain from the hawse pipe and hide the end under the superstructure
• once stuck down, the wood only needs unifying with matte varnish; there is no need to paint it

The set is meant for more experienced modelers who build a ship model with an emphasis on detail. Glue and paints are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.