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We’re going to take a closer look at one of the massive Bismarck 1/200 scale kits and see what it has to offer. Let’s get right into it!
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Summary
- The History of The German Bismarck Battleship
- What is Inside Trumpeter: 1/200 German Bismarck Battleship
- Watch The Unboxing and Full Build Review
Background on the German Bismarck Battleship
The Bismarck is one of the infamous ships in the German Navy that sailed during the Second World War. It was the first of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine and was named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The ship was first laid out in 1936 and reached its completion in 1940 as one of the biggest ships ever constructed by a European nation and, alongside its sister ship, the Tirpitz, was the biggest battleship Germany had ever built. It was intended to pursue and harass opposing naval vessels sailing in Atlantic waters and counter two of France's Richelieu-class battleships.
On its first mission with Prinz Eugen, it encountered HMS Hood and destroyed it. During its battle with HMS Hood, it was able to damage Prince Wales, which was also on the scene, forcing it to retreat during the conflict. In retaliation, the British Navy sent out fleets to hunt down Bismarck. When that too proved to be unsuccessful, the Royal Ark then launched swordfish torpedoes towards it and was finally able to disable its steering. The Bismarck, incapacitated, was then surrounded by the British Navy, forcing the crew to sink the ship. This was later revealed after the ship was found in 1989 and evidence of it being deliberately sunk was discovered among the wreckage.
What Do You Get?
The TRUMPETER 1/200 German Bismarck Battleship is a large kit broken up into 7 separate boxes. The hull, which is split into two halves, is inside the largest box. The individual boxes, labeled A through F, contain the sprues and other smaller pieces. It has more than 1,700 parts, composed of plastic, metal, and photo-etched parts, with a total of 45 sprues across all the boxes.
The Hull
The hull is divided into two parts and measures about 1.2 meters. If you want to add a remote control function, you can do so thanks to the model’s construction that supports modification. If looked at closely, there are individual boards and stairwells at the top, indicating that it is quite detailed. The deck is not as accurate as one could have hoped, but given that it is at a scale of 1/200, it is difficult to incorporate textures and finer detailing.
Doing so could have possibly increased the price of the model, so it can't be helped. However, you can always customize it to achieve the desired wooden texture you might be going for. The front and sides of the hull are also intricate; the stern, portholes, hatches, and the attachment points are visible once observed. The level of detail it has is breathtaking when seen up close. The three propeller regions are located at the bottom of the hull along with the rudder segments, and everything is fully molded.
Box A
Box A consists of nine sprue packets, three of which contain two identical packets, for a total of twelve sprues. It includes the rudder—famously struck by torpedoes and thought to be the cause of the ship's demise—as well as a piece with the name Bismarck imprinted on it at the very bottom of the box.
Box B
Box B includes four packets of clear sprue, six packets of gray sprue, and the six packets of brass photo etched, which each contains two etches. The propellers, two steel shafts, and four turrets are all contained in this package.
Box C
Box C contains eight additional minor turrets that can be constructed from the four packets of gray sprues found inside.
Box D
Box D houses three gray sprue packets, each with two identical sprues, that are used to assemble the planes that were stationed atop the Bismarck when it was still operational.
Box E
Box E encases a second major turret with a complete interior that has its own kit and instruction manual. It is an independent piece that includes two transparent sprue packets, two gray sprue packets, a photo etch, copper chains, two steel barrels, and decals for the ship. The copper chains come in two different sizes: 100 millimeters and 600 millimeters. If you want to, you can also buy extra photo etch and brass parts to level up your model building game and customize the ship itself.
Not-so-fun-fact: Swastikas are banned in a lot of countries. In response to that, a lot of manufacturers choose to avoid fully printing the sign and instead just vaguely hint at its appearance. Such was the case for this one.
Box F
Box F contains four superstructures and the four main turrets. It has four gray sprue packets, two of which contain two identical sprues, making a total of eight sprues contained within the box.
Bismarck’s four main turrets each have their own names: Anton, Bruno, Cäsar, and Dora.
The Manual
The manual has the legend for all the parts included in the first five following pages. The primary hull is constructed first, followed by the deck's superstructures. There are 65 steps in total to follow when assembling. The instructions are highly detailed and simple to understand, and even provide illustrations of each part and their proper placement. Within the manual, there is also a color guide, which will be incredibly useful when it comes to painting the model.
Final Thoughts
The German vessel Bismarck is not only a superb model, it also serves as a reminder of a significant historical event that made its mark on the world. The kit itself has amazing attention to detail and includes separate elements that, when combined, add a great touch of realism to the finished item.
The ship is customisable, so whatever you find undesirable can always be altered if you have the money, effort, and time. Even though assembling a model of this scale requires a whole lot of labor and dedication, finishing your build is a very satisfying task that every person should experience at least once in their lifetime.
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Watch The Unboxing and Build Review
Watch as BJ unboxes and shows you everything that's inside the Trumpeter: German Bismarck Battleship kit in 1/200 scale!
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