[chris190]

I've wanted a model of the Scharnhorst class since my early teens when I saw, and subsequently spent a great deal of time sketching, a builder's model in a London museum; I can also vividly recall the moment when I chucked out the large wooden result of my efforts at part completed hull stage because it wasn't good enough. Clearly a rather strange boy (not much has changed since) but with this excellent and recent kit I can fulfil my youthful dream!

The kit itself is well illustrated on the GPM website and is beautifully printed on A3 paper and card sheets with very clear 3d drawings showing assembly in alphabetical and numerical sequence. I have two other GPM warships in my collection and this is a huge improvement on both, in both accuracy and quality; there is reverse printing for components with visible rear faces and an excellent set of etched details is also available.

Two matters of which to be wary though; if, like me, you use 1mm card as advised for frames you will find that the parts are slightly too thick for their slots and can also increase overall dimensions detrimentally. Secondly, the printed faces do mark from excess pva and I have had to spray with clear coating to guard against this in the future.

The hull uses 1mm card for side and bottom sheeting, in addition to the more usual deck components and frames; curving this I think would be impossible and so I used 0.75mm approx. card from cereal boxes which can be curved fairly well if you slightly damp it. I'm pleased with the underwater hull and with several coats of clear spray over components copied onto 160 gsm card (applied with 3m Spraymount to the grey card base) looks about as good as I would expect to get.

Think I'm in for a long haul on this one but at least there isn't too much armament and other repetitive details which I've found a bit tedious in the past.

Best wishes

Chris