Flyhawk FH1168S - 1:700 German Heavy Cruiser Admiral Scheer 1940 - Deluxe Edition

Plastic model kit of the German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer (1940) in 1:700 scale – Deluxe edition

The Flyhawk FH1168S is the Deluxe edition of the Admiral Scheer kit – the second Deutschland-class ship and one of the most recognisable vessels of the Kriegsmarine. Compared with the standard version, the set has been expanded with a complete package of upgrade parts that allow the finished model to reach a far higher level of precision and detail.

The model represents the ship in her 1940 configuration, when she was reclassified from an armoured ship ("Panzerschiff") to a heavy cruiser. The turned brass barrels reproduce the slender gun profiles better than plastic mouldings, the photo-etched parts allow open railings, ladders and fine superstructure details to be recreated, and the resin components add deck fittings that are difficult to achieve with injection moulding.

What's in the box:

• Injection-moulded plastic parts (hull, superstructure, armament, deck fittings)
• Photo-etched parts for detailing
• Turned brass gun barrels
• Turned metal masts
• Resin components
• Waterslide decal sheet
• Illustrated assembly instructions

Model specifications:

• Scale: 1:700
• Catalogue number: FH1168S
• Manufacturer: Flyhawk
• Assembled length: approx. 266 mm
• Skill level: intermediate/advanced (photo-etched parts and metal components)

Please note: This kit does not include cement, paints or modelling tools. The model is intended for self-assembly.

Assembly:

The Deluxe edition is more demanding than the standard version, as working with photo-etched parts and turned metal components calls for practice and the right tools. Cyanoacrylate glue is recommended for attaching the photo-etched parts and metal barrels, and good-quality precision tweezers for positioning them accurately. It is worth planning the build sequence so that the delicate photo-etched parts are added in the final stages.

For an early-war Kriegsmarine scheme we suggest the typical naval greys: a dark grey hull (e.g. Tamiya XF-24 Dark Grey), lighter superstructure (e.g. Tamiya XF-19 Sky Grey) and a red underbody (e.g. Tamiya XF-9 Hull Red). The metal barrels and photo-etched parts are best painted after degreasing and applying a primer, which improves paint adhesion.

Recommended tools:

• Modelling nippers for removing parts from the sprues
• Hobby knife or scalpel
• Files and sandpaper for smoothing sprue-gate marks
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Cyanoacrylate glue for photo-etched and metal parts
• Precision modelling tweezers
• Brushes of various sizes
• Modelling paints (acrylic or enamel) and primer
• Modelling wash to emphasise detail and recesses

About the ship – Admiral Scheer:

Admiral Scheer was the second of three Deutschland-class ships, which the British press nicknamed "pocket battleships". They were built in response to the Treaty of Versailles, which permitted Germany warships of a nominal displacement of up to 10,000 tons with guns of up to 28 cm calibre. To fit such heavy armament into so small a hull, German engineers adopted innovations that were radical at the time: a welded hull and a powerplant made up exclusively of diesel engines, giving excellent operational range. The ship was named after Admiral Reinhard Scheer, commander of the High Seas Fleet at the Battle of Jutland.

She was launched in 1933 at Wilhelmshaven and commissioned in November 1934. In February 1940 the Deutschland-class ships were reclassified as heavy cruisers. The most famous episode in Admiral Scheer's career was her long Atlantic raiding sortie in the winter of 1940–1941, during which she attacked Allied convoys and lone merchant ships, clashing with the British armed merchant cruiser HMS Jervis Bay escorting convoy HX 84. In terms of tonnage sunk it was the most successful commerce-raiding cruise by a major Kriegsmarine warship.

Later in the war Admiral Scheer operated in Arctic waters against convoys bound for the USSR, and in the final period supported land forces with gunfire in the Baltic. She was sunk on 9 April 1945 at Kiel during an Allied air raid.

Original ship specifications (Admiral Scheer, 1940):

• Length: 186 m
• Beam: 21.34 m
• Draught: approx. 7.25 m
• Displacement: approx. 13,660 t (design), approx. 15,400 t (full load)
• Propulsion: 8 MAN diesel engines, 2 shafts, approx. 54,000 hp total
• Maximum speed: approx. 28 knots
• Range: approx. 9,100 nautical miles at 20 knots
• Complement: approx. 1,000
• Main armament: 6 × 28 cm guns in two triple turrets
• Secondary armament: 8 × 15 cm guns in single mounts
• Anti-aircraft armament: 10.5 cm, 3.7 cm and 2 cm guns (varying by period)
• Torpedo armament: 8 × 533 mm torpedo tubes
• Armour: turrets up to 140 mm, belt 80 mm, deck 45 mm
• Aviation: 1 catapult-launched floatplane (Arado Ar 196)

About the manufacturer – Flyhawk:

Flyhawk is a Chinese manufacturer of scale models, known above all for 1:700 warships as well as military vehicle kits. The brand has earned its reputation through highly precise tooling, an abundance of fine detail and modern renderings of Second World War subjects. A signature feature of Flyhawk's range is its Deluxe editions, in which the standard plastic kit is supplemented with photo-etched parts, turned metal barrels and resin components. The company also develops its own line of detail and upgrade sets for its models, allowing modellers to gradually raise the level of detail of the finished ship. Flyhawk kits are valued by collectors and naval-history enthusiasts worldwide.