ICM 1/350 SMS KONIG WIP

Marcus,

I look forward to watching this build as I have always wondered how these ICM German dreadnoughts built up.  I love all the PE!  This is going to look cool. Thanks for posting a build log.

Steve

Thanks Steve.  The hull for this kit is one piece and was really easy to clean up and prep for primer, unlike all the work I had to do on my Trumpeter kits.

I have that kit on my shelf and it is in the queue close to making it too the bench.  Only bought one PE set. I think it may be my last 1:350- I am running out of display room, so intend to move to 1:700 soon!  Keep posting the WIP shots!

I able to spend some time this weekend cleaning up flash and such.  It took longer than I thought to clean up the hull and deck.  The deck is very thin and weak that it was very near impossible to dry fit it to the hull.  I ended up bracing it with 1/8 inch square tubing.

Installed the port and starboard propeller shafts.  The also required a lot of sanding to make them conform to the shape of the hull at the stern.  Even then I had to add an application of putty and wet sand to eliminate the seams. Then hit the whole thing with red paint from a rattle can.  First time using spraying red from a rattle can, did not think that it had a wide spray pattern, should have taped the upper hull.

Of course I couldn't wait to see how the replacement bass 12 inch barrels would look so I performed a test install to see what I was against.  Turns out the replacement barrels have a larger diameter and are longer then the barrels that came with the kit.  I wasn't able to use the mounts that came with the kit to attach the bass barrels so I used again some 1/8 inch square styrene plus some .25mm strips.  The front of the turret in angled so I had to use the strips to offset the square tubing so the barrels would sit correctly otherwise they would point downward. 

This is all I gotten done this past week jumping between this ship and the dreadnought I have sitting on the bench also.  Next pictures should be of the painted hull and work on the superstructure, but don't hold me to it.

Marcus,

Nice job on the replacement cannons.  It seems as if replacing barrels is not as easy as I was led to believe.  I also like how you strengthened the deck with Evergreen but if I can ask, why did you use tubing instead of say a beam like rod?  Heck, if it works that's great, but I'm trying to figure out if tubing is inherently stronger or what...... That is just how my mind works.... When it actually does that is.

I am really enjoying your project, I have been looking at the Konig class dreadnoughts for awhile and now I just will have to pick one up.

Steve

Steve,

The local hobby shop was out of stock on the beam strips but had square strips in stock.  Used the smallest size they had.  The deck is  really, really flimsy so anyone building this model use either beam or square strips.

Also I will be changing out the barrels with a set of RB models I saw yesterday on the White Ensign site.  The barrels have the correct mounts to fit in the turrets that will work like the mounts that came with the model.  I will not have to make up my owe mounts and these barrels should be adjustable once installed. And I believe they were cheaper than the barrels I already purchase. Now I will have wait the two weeks for them to arrive from England.

Marcus

Not much to show this week even though I spent most of the time cleaning up flash, mold lines and such. 

Almost finish painting the hull, a little over spray of Lt Ghost Grey was suck onto the bottom of the hull by the venting of the spay booth.  I wasn't thinking clearly when I picked up the model while spraying on the grey (it was easier to see where the paint was going) for the upper hull.  So tomorrow I will spay on a little more hull red and it will be done.

Here are a couple of pictures of the hull and lower deck.  The lower deck required some Tamiya green putty and white glue to close the gaps. Also installed the torpedoe doors (4) on the hull and the forward torpedo door on the bow thanks to GMM P.E.

The deck took much more work then I expected after hearing and reading reviews of ICM products.

I wished I could provide better close up, but the only digital camera I own is the one that comes with the IPAD. 

Will not start on the deck and lower superstructure.  Lots of prep work before any assembly can began.

Marcus

I too have this kit in stash along with the RB replacement barrels.  What reference sources are you working with?

I only have pictures I pulled from the Internet and of other builds posted there.  I also have a book on the WWI German Battleships, but it mostly details construction and history along with the same pictures I found on the internet.  

The RB barrels arrived yesterday, I will be installing them tonight.  The barrels look shorter than the replacement barrels I first purchased.  Both manufacturers claim they are 12"/L50 barrels for the Konig, but the RB barrels are more to the size of the plastic barrels that came with the model and of pictures of the barrels on the Konig I have seen.

Marcus

While installing the B&D 12"/L50 brass barrels I kept thinking these barrels are to big for this model.  The barrels were longer in length and larger in diameter, even though the vendor says these barrels were made for the SMS Konig model.  I had to trim the ports on the turrets to get the barrels to slide in, also had to make a mount as they were to large in diameter glue to the trunnions for the plastic barrels.

While surfing the White Ensign website I ran across a set of metal barrels made by RB models.  The barrels also come with brass trunnions that will fit the deck lug in the turret allowing the barrels to move up and down as the plastic barrel mounts are designed to do.

Tonight I installed the first set of 12"/L50  barrels from RB Models. First I had to remove the mounts I made for the other barrels and clean up the surface so everything would sit correctly for gluing.

Here are some pictures of the install and final outcome.  I am very pleased with the results.  The new barrels look more to scale and they match the 12" barrels on pictures I have seen of the SMS Konig.

The B&D barrel is on the right, left is the plastic barrel that came with the model, next the RB barrel with the trunnion dry fitted followed by the RB barrel with the trunnion sitting behind it.

The barrels with the trunnions attached and sitting in the deck lug where the man made mounts did not.

The RB barrels sitting in a completed deck lug assembly.

The final product.  Clearly can see the new barrels are shorter and narrower than the B&D barrels.

Only four more turrets to convert over. What to do with those B&D barrels now, they cost twice as much as the RB barrels. Looks like will to find a another ship with 12" 50cal barrels.

Marcus

 Since the last post I was able  install all of the replacement 12" barrels on the other 4 turrets.  During assembly of the armoured range-finder housing I noticed that the assembly drawings from ICM show that there are viewing slots, but low and behold there were none  molded in the pieces.  Being the noice I am iI banged my head on the work bench wondering how am going to install slots on such small pieces.  Thank god the internet, I found a posting on how to install the slots. 

I eye-ball the cuts and the placement of the styrene.  Still have some filling  and sanding left but I believe this will look petty good once painted and installe.

I like what you are doing. Keep it up .   T.B.