78013 1/350 German Battleship Bismarck Plastic Model Boat Kit

Yes, this model of the German battleship Bismark is huge! It's certainly not a one- or two-day project, even for the most experienced builder. But's that's good. It's a challenge. Like all Tamiya models it is very well made and quite detailed. The instructions are clear but you will need to spend some time studying them. If you're up for it, you'll be rewarded with an excellent scale model of this famous ship. It's going on my son's shelf next to the one of the King George that helped sink it during World War II.

it's my third ship 1/350 that I'm building,very nice model. It's supposed, you can modify it to use an engine and batteries, so I suppose it should float in a pool.. I think it could have some more details, in the anchors zone, and the airplanes (very basic). I'm still waiting the chains (i bought'em separatly). The more difficult part is always painting, more than is this case, with several combinations. Happily this ship has a lot of tuning aftermark parts. Only one more suggest, about painting instructions, they should be more detailed.. What I still have trouble is with the level lines, and with the railing and the glue. Additionally I'm in doubt what material to use for the cables.

Any model Tamiya makes is always good but I don’t understand why it does not come with the German swastika decal for on the front and back deck of the ship that the Bismark had it is part of history, you can order it on EBay. Japan did just as much atrocities in China and all over the Pacific but they have the red meat ball on the Deck of the carriers 🤷 It’s history that should never be forgotten for it will never happen again!!!

Perfect fit as usual, highly detailed, up detailed parts available.

This ship model requires an investment in time to complete numerous subsections. You will also want to paint most of the components before assembly. Recommend drilling any required holes (for example rudder holes) before any other steps. I use Google a lot to find details on things like the rescue boats and ship flags. I made the swastikas using DYI decal kits and Google. I think I spent a few hours a day over a month’s time so parts, paints and glue could dry. Ship models are always a good challenge which experienced modelers will appreciate.

Excellent model overall. Includes booklet that has not only instructions but also a detailed history of Bismarck written in very good English. I have bought several Tamiya models in the past and they always have excellent attention to detail and easy to assemble kits. I haven't tried assembling other companies Bismarck models, but i don't know how they could surpass the Tamiya as far as detail, ease of assembly, and overall aesthetics after the model is completed. The price, now that the Yen is much cheaper than the US dollar, is also a significant factor now, as these models are now 15-20% cheaper than even a year ago.

This was my first serious model as an (older) adult, so I don't have much to compare it with, and I still have a lot to learn. That said, everything seemed to fit pretty well. There are nuggets of information spread throughout the directions, so you have to read them carefully. But the real reason I'm writing this is to express my appreciation for Tamiya America. During construction, I managed to misplace (drop, lose, whatever) one of the tiny, T-shaped antennas. I contacted Tamiya to see how much the whole section would cost (a parts number list is at the end of the instructions). Although the whole part was no longer available, they asked me what I was after. I gave them the number for the individual part, and a few days later it arrived in my mailbox at no charge. That's great customer support.

Very detailed