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Immediately upon opening the WSW 1:700th SMS Derfflinger box you'll
see a beautifully cast waterline hull that includes most of the upper works. Casting and
detail - both hull and smaller parts - are very fine. Smaller pieces including platforms
and supports, bridge, 8.8cm gun shields et al are resin cast with a very thin wafer
holding the parts together. The four resin cast 12" main gun turrets have the
barrels cast in place, a nice touch which eliminates having to glue and align barrels. The
two resin funnels are highly detailed. Masts, searchlights, 8.8cm guns and various other
parts are white metal. The only transit damage consisted of breakage to one of the torpedo
net storage platforms, easily repaired with a spare piece of PE or 35mm film stock cut to
size (one of my tricks). Two diameters of wire stock are included for the secondary
casemented gun barrels and torpedo net booms. If you’ve read Rob Mackie's review of
the WSW SMS Lutzow, everything he said about
that kit applies to this one.
I began by drilling holes in 2 of the main battery locations, 1 fore, 1 aft, for screws to fasten the ship to its base. Preparation and cleanup were almost non existent. I simply washed the hull with warm soapy water to prepare it for painting. I used Floquil Light gray for the main color and Testors Dunkelgelb for the wood deck, and RLM 74 for the steel decks. Assembly is quite easy with the wafer holding the resin parts so thin that a few sweeps on 220 grit wet or dry was all it took to free them. I’d love to say I had to make corrections here and there to make the kit "right", but the Derfflinger really just falls together. WSW kits do not contain photo etched details so I used the Gold Medal Models 1/700 Bismarck PE set for railings and ladders. The kit does not include any drawings indicating stairway or ladder placement. References or a set of plans would be helpful in determining where to place them. Rigging is stretched sprue and the arrangement is an educated guess, another area where plans would have been helpful. This is an excellent kit. Fine casting is the key. Ease of assembly and minimal clean-up make it suitable for even first time resin builders. Add photoetched railing and ladders and you'll have a stunning replica of one of the finest World War I era warships. See the WSW/B-Resina product page for availability.
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