BY BILL ENGAR

BATTLE PLAN:  MODEL SHIP COLLECTORS REJOICE AT THE RETURN OF A LONG-LOST CLASSIC KIT --  NICELY ENGINEERED 16" INTERPRETATION OF THE FAMOUS WWII BISMARCK BATTLESHIP IS EASY TO BUILD -- NEW DECALS WITH HULL CAMO MARKINGS INCLUDED --  ATLANTIS BRINGS D.K.M. BISMARCK BACK IN STYLE!

Monogram Models had an amazing series of 16" ship models with spectacular box art as seen above.  Atlantis Models brings back the Bismarck, which hasn't been available for nearly half a century!

M3008 -- MSRP $18.99 -- 112 PARTS MOLDED IN LIGHT GRAY STYRENE PLASTIC -- 16 INCHES (46.5 M) IN LENGTH -- ASSEMBLY REQUIRED -- GLUE AND PAINT NOT INCLUDED -- RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 14 AND UP

Post WWII, legendary Monogram Models released a small line of wood ship models all 16” in length.  In the late 1970’s, they again chose this size for a new line of ship models that would be much easier to build with intricate details.  They had a nice little collection available including aircraft carriers, battleships, and cruisers.  Displayed together, these models made a very nice set.

The kayak-like shape of the Bismarck was nicely portrayed by Monogram Models originally.

Atlantis Models has re-released what was formerly a Monogram kit of the Bismarck.  This model debuted as a brand-new kit in 1977, repackaged as sister ship Tirpitz shortly thereafter, and it has not been released since.

The main sprue has Bismarck's upperworks and larger guns.  Cranes, boats, rangefinders and even separate floats to the Arado scout planes are included here.

At 16 inches long, Atlantis’ Bismarck scales out to 1/618.  1/600 is a popular scale for model ships.  Your Atlantis Bismarck will display well with your other ship models in that scale.  Atlantis has also released a 16” USS Wisconsin that will look great displayed alongside the Bismarck.  We cover that model in a separate article.

The model is molded in light gray plastic.  There are 112 parts.  Being of 1970’s vintage, there may be a small amount of flash to clean up and a few minor sink marks.  I was actually pretty impressed with molding quality.  Design of the tooling was good to begin with and of course Atlantis does a great job with mold prep and parts production.

A closer look at Atlantis Bismarck's deck.  At left is Monogram's unique pedestal stand.  There's a Bismarck name decal for the raised nameplate, it's even portrayed in iconic German "Fraktur" font!  Separate boats, anchors, and lifeboat davits demonstrate the level of detail engineered into this kit.  Arado floatplanes were well done as are under-hull details.

while there are a number of small detail parts, this is not a complicated model.  Any builder who has successfully finished a glue-kit or two should have no trouble building this kit.  It’d actually be a good first ship kit for those modelers who have never tried one.
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Like most ship kits, painting the wood deck around all the fittings might be the most tricky part.  Get some deck-tan paint and use a fine brush to work around the fittings.

This view of the hull shows some nice features such as bilge keels and the ridge for the side armor belt.  That corner-gap in the prow holds a two-piece insert.  The Bismarck had an elegant clipper-style bow and extra engineering effort by Monogram retained the complex undercut detail.

PAINTING YOUR ATLANTIS BISMARCK
 
The Bismarck had a very short operational career.  Her markings changed quite a bit within a very short stretch of time and the modeler has a few choices regarding how much extra paint detailing can be done beyond a basic WWII battleship scheme.
 
At her commissioning in August of 1940, the Bismarck appeared as most any other battleship of the period with wood decks and a gray hull and upperworks with anti-fouling red below the waterline.  A black line (referred to as the boot topping) separates the gray and red.  Mixing a small amount of brown with red paint is an easy way to come up with your own antifouling red "custom mix" to paint below the waterline of this and other ship models.  This will look best applied with an airbrush, but can be applied with a paintbrush if you prefer.

A great reference we found online with much of this information about Bismarck's whirlwind color scheme history can be found at KBismarck.com.
 

This is an "overflow sprue."  There were so many detail parts on the standard-sized mold blocks intended for the kit to fit in a standard box that Monogram had to engineer this "outrigger" with remaining guns and upperworks deck piece.

Between March and May of 1940, things got really interesting for the appearance of the Bismarck.  The paint scheme was applied that seems to show up in most pictures of the ship.  A partial “dazzle” scheme was applied with three sets of diagonal black and white lines on horizontal hull and upperworks surfaces.  Bow and stern were painted a dark gray.  Two fake, white bow waves were added.  The markings were intended to provide the illusion that the ship was further away and on a different heading which would cause a targeting officer to input inaccurate targeting data.  Most infamously, two large Nazi swastikas were applied to the bow and stern decks.  These had a red surround.  Gun turret tops were painted dark gray.

Decals include flags and "splinter"-type camouflage markings plus false bow waves.  Note the Bismarck name in Fraktur script; this is intended for the pedestal base.

In late May 1940, the dazzle lines on the upperworks were painted over with hull gray.  Prior to the battle with the HMS Hood, the remaining angled dazzle lines were painted over and the large deck swastikas were also painted over with gray.
 
After the battle with the HMS Hood on May 24, 1940, it is believed that the turret tops were painted yellow.  Just three days after the sinking of the Hood, the Bismarck met her fate during an all-out effort by the British Navy to sink the ship.  

On May 27, the severely damaged Bismarck was scuttled by her crew after battling a British armada.  Ark Royal, King George V, Rodney, and other ships pummeled Bismarck with a staggering level of gunfire in a furious naval battle.

Included on the side of the box is a photo from the Monogram archives showing a built-up Bismarck.

Instructions are laser-printed on a double-sided 8-1/2X11 piece of paper (approximately A4).

We've enlarged the kit painting instructions.  This provides a representative version of the ship as it appeared between May and March of 1940.  We'd recommend an online search for additional information.  There is a lot of good information available regarding the Bismarck.

Box bottom shows Atlantis Models' "greatest hits."  These are other historic ship kit models that you'll want to add to your collection if you haven't already.

Here's the view that will greet you when you open your Atlantis Bismarck Battleship for the first time!  Try it today!

Atlantis includes a decal sheet with flags, splinter-stripes, and the false bow wave that will simplify painting.
 
We were pleasantly surprised as we looked over the new Atlantis 1/618 Bismarck.  The 2Modeler guys give this kit an enthusiastic four thumbs up!  As of posting, the Atlantis Bismarck is truly a model kit bargain in the world of runaway 2022 inflation.  You get a lot of bang for your hobby buck here.  Yes, it's a vintage kit, but it will appeal to old or new model ship builders and collectors interested in all things Battleship Bismarck.

SPECIAL THANKS TO ATLANTIS MODELS FOR PROVIDING THIS MODEL KIT TO REVIEW AND ENJOY!
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BONUS FEATURES:  THE BISMARCK

In World War 1, the German Navy used U-boats to great effect thwarting supply lines to the British Isles.  The Bismarck was built as part of the strategy to disrupt and block Allied shipping as plans for WWII emerged.  It was believed that starving Britain of supplies and war materiel would expedite Nazi Germany achieving and maintaining control of Western Europe.

Bismarck in 1940 (Wikipedia photo).  This picture was taken prior to receiving her "splinter"-type camouflage markings.

Bismarck was built with a sister ship, the Tirpitz.  State-of-the-art when commissioned in 1940, the ship’s hull and decks were heavily armored.  Four twin turrets each contained a pair of 15” guns.  The ship could steam at 30 knots.
 
After her commissioning on 24 August 1939, the ship performed trials to verify capabilities and train her crew in the Baltic sea.  Rangefinders and completion of anti-aircraft gun installation was accomplished at this time.  An interesting camouflage scheme was applied to the ship in 1940.  In anticipation of inspection of the ship by Hitler and a number of high-ranking German military officers in early May, large swastikas were applied to fore and aft decks.

​Late in May, 1940, the Bismarck began Operation Rheinübung.  The British knew the Bismarck would leave her occupied Norwegian port to create havoc with supply lines once it got into the open Atlantic ocean.  As she prepared to leave the Denmark Strait, the Bismarck encountered British navy ships Hood and Prince of Wales.  Although 20 years old, the Hood had been the world’s largest warship and was the flagship of the British Navy.  Hood was in dire need of an overhaul, yet essential maintenance and upgrades had to wait.  

Bismarck, photographed from Prinz Eugen with her full camouflage markings.  These were designed to thwart accurate targeting by enemy gunners.

Soon after first sight of the Hood, Bismarck’s targeting officers relayed coordinates to the ship’s gunners, and a salvo was fired at a range of 9 miles (14 km).  Hood was hit near her aft powder magazine.  A cataclysmic explosion decimated the ship, which went down within three minutes.  Bismarck did not emerge unscathed; three hits by Prince of Wales had damaged the ship.

The HMS Hood was launched in 1918, just three years after the USS Arizona.  Much bigger than the Arizona, the Hood was the flagship of the British Fleet and the largest warship for 20 years.  Pre-WWII, many deployments were intended as a symbolic reminder of assumed British naval dominance.  A desperate need for mechanical repairs and upgrades was deferred.  As built, the Hood had eight 15-inch guns--same as the Bismarck.  Early in her career, the Hood was actually faster than Bismarck.  By 1941, Hood's steam works were in poor condition which limited her top speed.

The sinking of the Hood caused great outrage throughout Great Britain.  Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously ordered the Bismarck sunk at all costs.  Had Bismarck not received damage at the hands of Prince of Wales, she would have remained in the Atlantic on her primary mission to destroy Allied supply ships and escorts.  With the need to repair damage, Bismarck steamed towards occupied France.

A PBY flown by RAF 209 Squadron is credited with finding the Bismarck on its way to Occupied France for repairs after sinking the Hood.  The copilot of this particular aircraft was USN--a year and a half before the USA "officially" entered the War.

In spite of being ill-prepared in many cases due to the extreme urgency of the mission, the British Navy deployed a rapid, intense search for the Bismarck.  Radio transmissions from Bismarck were intercepted by the British and on 26 May, the Bismarck was sighted by a PBY Catalina flown by the RAF's No. 209 Squadron.

The PBY Catalina is perhaps most associated with patrol and rescue missions in the South Pacific during WWII, but it was used in Europe and credited with finding the Bismarck.  Atlantis has a vintage Monogram kit of the Catalina that you might want to consider as part of a mini-collection companion to your Bismarck!

We'll claim credit for perhaps making the first model kit review filmed from a rescue raft.  Check out our least-loved YouTube video.  It's about Atlantis' PBY Catalina.  And, no, we did NOT ruin a kit box or decals!  Check out our article where we show the kit and explain how we filmed the video.

The carrier Ark Royal was able to intercept the Bismarck with a flight of Fairey Swordfishes carrying torpedoes.  A direct torpedo hit amidships was absorbed by Bismarck’s well-designed armor with little effect.  A second hit, however, disabled Bismarck’s rudder.  The ship could only maneuver in a large circle.  Her fate was sealed.  British battleships King George V and Rodney were able to close on the Bismarck along with a fleet of cruisers and destroyers.  KGV, Rodney, Dorsetshire and Norfolk collectively fired an astounding 2800 shells, scoring 400 hits on Bismarck.  700 large-caliber shells were fired by the big guns on battleships KGV and Rodney.  If Bismarck was a match for two-decades older Hood with her speed and main gunnery, her armor was superior.

The Ark Royal and a flight of "Stringbag" Fairey Swordfish biplanes.  It's quite ironic that it was the obsolete Swordfish which found the "Achilles heel" of the Bismarck.  However, the aircraft carrier would quickly demonstrate a new method of projecting naval power in early WWII.  The Sinking of the Bismarck perhaps represents the symbolic shift from battleship to aircraft carrier as the ultimate expression of naval surface warfare.

Bismarck’s four main gun turrets were out of action and the crew still failed to surrender.  German officers ordered the ship scuttled.  Debate remains whether or not the ship sunk because of this or the damage inflicted by British warships.  Forensic investigations confirmed that the Bismarck probably would have sunk because of the considerable damage inflicted by the Royal Fleet.
 
The Bismarck had a short operational life.  But her devastating effect on the Hood and the naval gauntlet required for British retribution have given the Bismarck legendary status among naval historians and ship modelers.  Atlantis Models has re-released a very reasonably priced Bismarck.  It’s easy to build and nicely detailed!  Order yours today!

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER REVIEWS AND ARTICLES ABOUT MODEL SHIPS AVAILABLE FROM ATLANTIS MODELS

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