Lindberg "Tirpitz" ...what do we think?

[Willi262]

I recently bought a 350 scale Tirpitz model from Lindberg. Which marks the first time that I have ever (knowingly) purchased something from Lindberg as most of the kits I choose from are made by Tamiya. Right away a few things I noticed. But one of my main questions is, should the decks be painted as metal plates (which would make sense for a BB, and as they are molded on the hull), or painted as wooden/teak deck slats. I haven't been able to find a decent deck photo or picture for accurate reference, so I am a little torn...

 

[eddiesolo]

Hi Steve.

Tirpitz and Bismarck are the same class (Bismarck class) and had teak fitted to the decks. This teak is still salvaged from the remains of her wreck and sold.

This looks good: http://store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/ponwd35007.htm would look just the thing on your 1/350 scale.

Si

 

[Willi262]

Thanks! I guess I will just paint on a wood color and that will be good enough. The only other thing I am intending on is adding some rigging (for which i will need a legible diagram) and possibly some anchor chains to sit on the deck to add to the 3d aspect of the model. The anchor chains as they are are molded onto the hull and look kinda flat and boring.

 

[takeslousyphotos]

This link will tell you everything you need to know about Tirpitz and Bizmarck................. There are some great illustrations for paint schemes:

http://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/bismarck_menu.html

Peter

 

[takeslousyphotos]

Thanks! I guess I will just paint on a wood color and that will be good enough. The only other thing I am intending on is adding some rigging (for which i will need a legible diagram) and possibly some anchor chains to sit on the deck to add to the 3d aspect of the model. The anchor chains as they are are molded onto the hull and look kinda flat and boring.

I just noticed this one Willi ........... and I thought I'd just pop a little correction in here as it's one of the few things I really know about ......... Anchor chains aren't called "chains" they are called "cables" ........ It's a naval thing. They get their name from being in sections. Each one being a "Cables Length" or 1/10 of a Nautical Mile (608 ft) ......... They are joined in sections depending on how long the Anchor Cable needs to be. .......

........ but chains are good enough.

Peter

 

[Willi262]

lol!...I miss the watery lands of my birth, if you'll excuse the bad poetry. I have been stuck in a landlocked province for far too long. I guess that's why they call it the "forward cable locker" hey? I should be a little more "up" on my nautical terms to be sure hehe. I have made a few test fits and I have noticed a coupla disturbing omissions. The 2 hangars flanking the funnel are not there. And it looks like the tower superstructure is missing the weather bridge. And the after end looks like the Admiral Hipper class cruiser stern (with 2 props and 1 rudder), so this model continues to lose points for accuracy... (but it's a lindberg so the bar wasn't set very high already, in my books)

 

[Alan 45]

Bismark had wooden decking at the upper deck on the stern , tirpitz was more armoured and had steel deck , did you know Tirpitz only fired her main guns once in WWII and that was only occasion she left port to attack a convoy heading for Norway. It took four grandslam bombs from Lancaster's to sink her

 

[Willi262]

Well, the "tirpitz" is coming along nicely but I must warn others about a few things I had noticed, detail-wise. As most of you are already probably aware, kits by Lindberg don't rate very well and this one is no exception and I am beginning to see why.

This kit is exactly the same as the motorized version my brother did 25 years ago for his 10th birthday. It lacks the "engine", metal propeller shaft, on/off switch and removable superstructure to allow access to the 'engine spaces'. With a bit of effort it has potential to be made 'seaworthy'.

Let's go to the problems... I have a theory as to why this kit has such sloppy detail. It was made back in a time when access to and ease of information was not there. And most Americans are pretty ignorant about history. Unless it involves the war in the Pacific. The people at Lindberg couldn't seem to decide if they were making a "bismarck class" battleship or an "Admiral Hipper class" heavy cruiser. So they mixed the two figuring nobody would know the difference. And unless you were a naval war history buff and/or had a ton of archival footage to consult, who can call them on it?

If you like adding after market stuff or your own modifications, I would say buy this kit.

If you want a high degree of accuracy, do not touch, pass this one by.

It's missing a lot of the small details, such as mattress aerials for the radar/range finder, some railings and ladders, maybe extra deck clutter, such as fire hose racks, or coils of rope or chain. But the biggest mistakes are the lack of lifeboat cranes, the two Ar-196 hangars flanking the funnel, the weather bridge, and the propulsion arrangement of 2 props and 1 rudder. Still, I am not giving up on it, I have corrected a few of those other points already. Photos to come...

 

[takeslousyphotos]

Sounds like you are having either fun or a headache.............. I spent some time working at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg where the Bizmarck was built.........They have a museum in the basement with a model of the ship which is somewhere around 15ft Long .......... I you go to google maps and search "Blohm & Voss, Hermann-Blohm-Straße, Hamburg ....... Take a look at the satellite view. There is a huge pointed dry dock (now know as Elbe Dock 17) where the Bizmarck was built and fitted out. To give you some scale on this gargantuan ship look at the size of the cars in comparison....... I took a walk in the dry dock when they had a LPG tanker in there and it was lost like a toy in one corner .......... The ship was built in total secrecy and the whole drydock and ship was covered in fake buildings so it couldn't be seen from the air.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it................

Peter

 

[Willi262]

I will be building up a photo album of the construction, and will post it en masse when done. Shouldn't be too long in coming. It's mostly detail paint. I was thinking this kit may also have been done improperly to give "the serious modeller" something extra to do, to inflate the sense of accomplishment when the project is finally finished. It's just another of my theories...

 

[Willi262]

This tirpitz kit is terribad...

Highly inaccurate. If it wasn't for the extra bits I am attaching, it would also look boring. But I have another theory about that too. This kit was designed to be motorized so the guys at Lindberg probably decided not to go 'overboard' on the detail (pardon the pun) because if this thing sank in water too deep for you to get it back, you probably wouldn't care so much.

Still, after nearly 3 weeks since purchase, its one of the fastest job's I've worked on recently.

 

[Willi262]

flash cleaned up and coat of grey primer applied (3 weeks ago)...View attachment 69392

 

[Alan 45]

Well it's the general shape of the bismark class it will be interesting to see how this turns out

 

[Willi262]

Here is a teaser for now. Pics showing some of what I am talking about. More to come...View attachment 69553

View attachment 69554

View attachment 69555

View attachment 69556

 

[Alan 45]

That's going great I like the idea of the crane lifting the AR 196 out other water.

Just an observation, I might be wrong here but I don't think that tirpiz was painted in bismark camouflage

 

[Willi262]

The makers of the model at Lindberg did not produce an accurately molded hull, therefore, I excused myself an accurately molded paintjob. I did it to look cool not because it was historically accurate, which would have been impossible as this model was very incomplete. By the time I had gotten around to hooking up the little Ar-196 I started to slack off. I figured I had already paid more time and attention to detail than the guys at Lindberg ever did! It's still not complete, like 3% left or so, I just want to apply a little rust and wear, like it was sitting around in a fjord, not doing much.

 

[Alan 45]

The makers of the model at Lindberg did not produce an accurately molded hull, therefore, I excused myself an accurately molded paintjob. I did it to look cool not because it was historically accurate, which would have been impossible as this model was very incomplete. By the time I had gotten around to hooking up the little Ar-196 I started to slack off. I figured I had already paid more time and attention to detail than the guys at Lindberg ever did! It's still not complete, like 3% left or so, I just want to apply a little rust and wear, like it was sitting around in a fjord, not doing much.

Oh I see you've done a great job if Lindbergh are really. As bad as you say not knocking your skill or anything,

I like. That camo job myself

 

[Willi262]

I looked at some of the different styles of cammo that tirpitz wore over the years and decided the basic bismarck was the easiest. Maybe if they molded the hull a little more accurately I would try to match it more closely, but since they were so far out in left field, I figured it did not matter anymore. Thanks for the compliment on the painting, I still have a bit more skill to acquire, but I am pleased enough with how this is turning out.

 

[Bunkerbarge]

Bismarck had the three disruptive black and white stripes on the hull and superstructure, and only the hull at one point, and Tirpitz had a dramatic splinter pattern across the ship. Extreemly difficult to replicate on a model and as there seems to be some sort of uncertainty as to the model's heritage no-one can really question the camoflage. The main detailed differences were that Tirpitz has a pair of deck mounted torpedo tubes where there were two additional boats on Bismarck and the Tirpitz had a lot more deck mounted AA guns. A couple of other small differences but not a lot. I would treat yourself to either the Tamiya one or the Trumpeter 1/200th Bismarck next. You will never look at a Lindberg kit again!

 

[Willi262]

I would say after this that yeah, the only reason I'd buy a "lindberg" kit is to 'destroy' it. Go ahead and buy this and don't be afraid to take the knife to it. carve it up. and not feel guilty.

I think mainly I bought this one for nostalgia. It is exactly like the one my brother did back in 1987, minus the motor. Never again will I be afraid to battle damage a lindberg kit. I think that's what they're best for...