ICM Großer Kurfürst WWI German Battleship - 1:700 ICM

[Paul A H]

Großer Kurfürst WWI German Battleship

1:700 ICM

 

 

The Großer Kurfürst was the second of four König Class battleships, all of which served in the Imperial German Navy during the First World War. Laid down in 1911, the Großer Kurfürst was launched in May 1913 and commissioned just over a year later, just days before the outbreak of the Great War. She was armed with ten 30.5cm (12 inch) guns and was capable of 21 knots. She participated in a number of engagements during the War, most notably the great battle of Jutland, which she survived without major 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, before being raised as part of the recovery operation pioneered by Ernest Cox. 

 

This isn't the first kit of the Großer Kurfürst; ICM released a 1:350 version some time ago, while Combrig produced a resin kit some years previously. This is a welcome and affordable alternative to the resin kit, and represents another addition to the small surge of WWI-era kits we've seen released during the 100th anniversary of that conflict. 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. 

 

 

 

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. 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

The colour scheme shows Großer Kurfürst as she appeared in 1915. 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