Search the Community

The ship. The Derfflinger class of dreadnought battleships were the last class of three German battlecruisers completed before the outbreak of World War One. Derfflinger and Lutzow participated in the battle of Jutland Bank (known to Germans as the Battle of the Skaggerak), and played key roles in sinking the battlecruisers HMS Queen Mary and HMS Invincible respectively. Lutzow was scuttled during the battle after sustaining massive damge, however Derfflinger survived a serious mauling at the hands of the Grand Fleet, earning the nickname 'Iron Dog' from the British as a result. Hindenburg, the third ship in the class, was completed too late to take part in the battle and was scuttled at Scapa Flow along with the rest of the High Seas Fleet. The main deck was flush, lending elegant lines to the overall appearance and eight 12-inch guns were carried in four turrets, two of which were in the superfiring position. The secondary armament consisted of twelve 5.9-inch guns housed in the superstructure; torpedoes were also carried. The kit. To commemorate this year's centenary of the Battle of Jutland I will be building Flyhawk's 1/700 SMS Derfflinger, which is a waterline model based on the ship's appearance in 1916. The kit is the special edition which comes supplied with a sheet of photo-etch as well as a seaplane and brass barrels for the main armament. I have also bought a wooden deck by Hunter, and might have a go at making a scenic base for the model. Opening the reassuringly sturdy box reveals various sprues in single bags, plus a sealable bag presumably included for keeping all of the parts together once the kit has been started. There is a metal plate included in order to give the model a bit more weight. The overall quality of the detail and moulding is pleasing, and the torpedo netting is represented as well. The extra goodies contain a sheet of PE, which provides railings, inclined ladders, regular ladders, flagpoles, cranes, anchor chain, a crest plus a few other bits and bobs that I've yet to identify. The complicated sea plane is made of etch and a resin (or possibly plastic) body and wings; decals are also provided. Also of interest is a revision to the standard instructions, so if you're modelling with the basic kit then watch out for parts B31, which the correction states should be marked as B37. First job will be to prepare and glue the baseplate and hull sides, and give all of the sprues an undercoating to get things started. This is my first Flyhawk ship and I'm definitely encouraged by what's on display so far. Thanks for looking in, Ross.