Jump to content

Kronprinz WWI German Battleship - 1:700 ICM


Paul A H

Recommended Posts

Kronprinz WWI German Battleship

 

1:700 ICM

 

kronprinz_01.jpg

 

The SMS Kronprinz was the last of four König Class battleships, all of which served in the Imperial German Navy during the First World War. Laid down in 1911, the Kronprinz was launched in February 1914 and commissioned just nine months later. She was armed with ten 30.5cm (12 inch) guns and was capable of 21.2 knots. She participated in a number of engagements during the War, most notably the great battle of Jutland, which she survived without damage. In common with most other capital ships of the High Seas Fleet, she was interned at Scapa Flow following the signing of the armistice in November 1918 and scuttled on the orders of Admiral Ludwig von Reuter.

 

Unlike most of the other ships at Scapa, she was never raised for salvage and remains submerged, although she occassionally yields her radiation-free steel for scientific purposes

This is the third of ICM's König Class battleships, following König and Großer Kurfürst. This injection moulded kit is a welcome and affordable alternative to the Combrig resin kit, which up until now was the only game in town. The kit represents another addition to the small surge of WWI-era models we've seen released during the 100th anniversary of that conflict, a surprisingly high proportion of which have been warships. Inside ICM's typically robust box are five frames of grey plastic, as well as a couple of red plastic components, a black display stand, full colour instructions, decals and self-adhesive name lables. Moulding is clean and crisp, with plenty of fine detail. 

 

kronprinz_02.jpg

 

kronprinz_03.jpg

 

Construction begins with the lower hull. The instructions suggest that the outermost propeller shafts and the trio of propellers be added to the lower hull prior to joining it with the upper hull. Personally I would add the propellors at the end, as they are bound to get damaged during the build, but of course it's your choice. You can omit this stage altogether if you want to finish the model in waterline configuration. Once the hull is complete, construction moves on to the deck. The casemate for the secondary armament, along with the fourteen gun turrets, has to be fitted to the underside of the forecastle, before the forecastle can, in turn, be joined to the main deck. The decks themselves are nicely detailed, with chains and planking moulded in place.

 

kronprinz_04.jpg

 

kronprinz_05.jpg

 

kronprinz_06.jpg

 

Construction of the turrets is fairly straightforward, with each of the ten 12 inch guns independently poseable. The squat superstructures are fairly straightforward too, although you'll need to remember to add the tertiary armament casemate before fixing the bridge superstructure to the forecastle. Finishing details include funnels, searchlight platforms, stairways, davits, masts and anchors. A full completment of boats is included, and very nicely detailed they are too. The display stand will be handy if you wish to finish your model in full hull configuration. Personally I'd be tempted to opt for the waterline option, as part of a diorama with one of Mark One's Zeppelins drifting through the skies above! 

 

kronprinz_07.jpg

 

kronprinz_08.jpg

 

The colour scheme shows Großer Kurfürst as she appeared in 1915, along with a very basic rigging diagram. The decals, such as they are, look nicely printed.

 

Conclusion

 

We've seen quite a few WWI-era battleships released to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the conflict, so this kit is already in good company. While a nice set of photo etch will be required to bring the kit up to competition standard, ICM have done a great job of providing a platform to work from. Highly recommended.

 

Review sample courtesy of


logo.gif

 
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...