The joy of moving…oh the memories. 
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There’s an old saying among American soldiers: “3 Army moves = 1 house fire”.
Congratulations, Jan, and best wishes on your new assignment and new home in Berlin!
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Dear all,
thank you for your ongoing patience, that I will need a little longer.
Well, Navy moves if on shore duty are the same as Arms moves, and over the last years collectively, I certainly had one of those ‘house fires’…
But even if Gneisenau is still idle, she successfully transferred from my place in Frisia to Berlin, along with the first equipment of the shipyard. As I’m just grabbing stuff as I can get it safely into my car and to Berlin, this is no strategic move as to build up an IOC…and my workbench is still sharing shipyard equipment with other stuff. But I have set up two solid tables of 120 x 80 cm each in an L shape, storage elements of all kinds will be fittet along the wall subsequently, giving me a much larger and more comfortable workplace than the one I had at home - and Gneisenau rests in plain view, wherever I am in my room…
Cheers
Jan
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Looking good Jan! Nothing like a bit of IKEA tech to add that “homely” touch 
Definitely got quite a few of their items around our house too!
Maybe not progress yet, but you’re all set to go now mate
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Hi Jan,
I like your arrangement. Visible all the time, Gneisenau will be calling out to you every day (build me, Jan, build me… I’m soooo lonely… don’t you love me any more? Look how sexy my superstructure already looks… I know you want to…)
We’ll see some progress soon, I don’t doubt!
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How lewd! This is family website…
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Dear all,
moving and all is takin longer than expected, shipyard is building up but not ready yet. I’m really keen on getting back, and I’m pretty positive in January I’ll have to show some progress. But for 2021 I’ll have to quit…
Thank you all for your patience and I’m looking forward to a (hopefully) productive 2022!
Cheers
Jan
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Totally understand Jan!
2021 is nearly over, and what little that’s left of the year is racing by us!
All good things take time, mate, so it will be better to return to Gneisenau when life permits and you’re in the right frame of mind: This is much more preferable than rushing to get bench time, not being happy with the work done, and then not enjoying the experience!
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Congratulations on a successful command tour bringing a new ship to commission! I served in a pre-commission tour as the Medical Department Representative on two US submarines and retires as HMCS(SS). I served six submarines in total. Naval service is special to me. Again, well done, Sir!
William H. Morrison
HMCS(SS) USN (Retired)
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Hey Seniorchief,
very kind of you, thank you very much! Well yes, I’d say there is nothing comparable to a command at sea tour in the Navy, pre-commission or any other…still missing it.
With some shock I see that my last entry is almost two moths old…well, in a way I got bogged down…while I was making good progress on setting up my new workbench in Berlin in my new commuter home, after Christmas leave situation changed, due to the exploding CoViD numbers here we were more or less forced to work from home. So it doesn’t really make much sense for me to drive 500 km one way every week only to sit in my commuter flat, 4 km away from my office, working on a mobile computer, while I can do the very same work on the same mobile computer at home, 500 km away from the office and not driving at all… Only that my shipyard and all my tools etc already are in Berlin. Oh well…
So my good Gneisenau has to wait a little longer.
Cheers
Jan
Captain,
I tried to maintain and operate my own “shipyard” for 24 years. I was successful at times, but nearly ruined my Heller Le Soleil Royal emphasized text when transferring from La Maddalena, Sardinia, Italy in 1980. The good news is that I did salvage her (as well as the Heller kits of the KM Bismarck and Gneisenau. Ships are indeed in my blood!
It’s good to meet sailors, whether officer or enlisted, from around the world. I salute you, sir!
Bill Morrison
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Bill,
good old Heller - in the 70ies/80ies they were about the best you could get. I built nearly their whole fleet DKM an RN and the Richelieu in 1/400 some 30 years ago, and some again when I re-discovered my old hobby about 15 years ago. But meanwhile the quality of the 1/350 kits is way better throughout.
The last model I finished was a resin 1/700 of ‘my’ ship, the F225 Rheinland-Pfalz. I wanted to post a link, but I finished that one in the old MSW site. I am not sure if this link to my build still works.
It’s really about time that I post an update on Gneisenau here…but that has to wait, more work at home while we don’t really know how things are developing here with CoViD…
Cheers
Jan
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The link works and the end result looks amazing.
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Jan,
The link does work. Well done! Yes, the quality of the 1/350 kit is usually better, but it is not a given. For example, Trumpeter’s USS Hornet’s hull is badly mishappen. The bow below the waterline is dreadful. The Merit USS Yorktown class has overscale hull plating that requires a great deal of sanding. The original kit of the Italian cruiser Pola is very toylike. I could go on. At least the Heller kits are shaped well. It is relatively easy to detail them. It’s harder to correct a defective hull.
Bill
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Dear all!
Wow, that was quite some time…so many things happened in between, moving, getting the shipyard set up in an new place, CoViD mobile office (so far, I personally am still spared from CoVid, at least as far as I know, possibly I had an infection without any symptoms some time, I don’t know), Ukraine, and eventually some busy times with my job…
Meanwhile the shipyard is completed
and today I found time and motivation to restart work on my Gneisenau. Over the last few weeks, I could have squeezed in some bench time, but with Ukraine and all, I simply could not get into the right mood for modeling. The situation hasn’t gotten any better, but life goes on, and normally my bench allowed me some distraction from ‘real life’, but a restart after such a long time requites a degree of focus that I simply didn’t have until today.
So first of all, once again Steve from Model Monkey, thank you once again for your great and generous help!! All those scuttles on the main deck, that really stand out when comparing Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, Steve designed and sent them to me (actually several months ago), absolutely great stuff!
Three different versions as required, and beautifully detailed! Here a test fit, a week ago. And here my shipyard picking up operations again today…
First, trying to wake up my compressor and airbrush, and getting some of the light grey paint on the scuttles. This even enhances the details.
Measuring and marking the positions.
And first scuttles in place. The base of the 28 cm turret ist reference for the scuttles and to get an impression of their height (Steve, once again - fine job!!).
And a little scratch build for the different shaped parts here, not yet finished…
Progress at last! Not much, but I’m back into my build! I can’t really promise much, due to real life and job issues, but I do hope to be back with more regular updates from now on.
And I have to catch up on all your gentlemen fine builds, and start commenting again. Sorry for my long absence and silence, and thank you so much for your patience and bearing with me!
Cheers
Jan
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Hi Jan,
Good to some progress, however small, looking forward to some more.
Cheers
Si
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Hi Jan, its excellent to see progress on DKM Gneisenau! The ship is looking great.
Agreed, the Russian invasion has made it harder to focus on hobbies.
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Hey Jan! Great to see the yard back in action 
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Si, Wade and Russ,
thank you for your kind comments - glad to still have you along!
After getting things going again yesterday, I found some time today to continue work on the scuttles. Those parts Steve did are fantastic, and they add so much “Gneisenau”-look!
But first this part of structure on the foc’sle that is significantly different from Scharnhorst. As mentioned earlier, I’m not going to change every bit and piece, I simply couldn’t do that and documentary is insufficient, too. But all those pieces that really stand out I hope to build into Gneisenau.
One of the views that distinguishes Gneisenau from Scharnhorst, the typical scuttles on the foredeck (and much more all over the place, as I find out bit by bit…)
And around the aft superstructure. 15 cm turret just placed to get a feeling for the dimensions, as all superstructure nothing is installed yet.
Continuing work on the forward superstructure, two doors have to be filled.
So just a little here and there, but it feels good! Regardless, there’s a break until after easter, I will spend easter at home (where my shipyard is not…) and I don’t see much chance to work during the week, workdays are pretty full and long…
So that’s it for now, thank you all for looking in, for your patience and for still following.
Cheers
Jan
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Those Model Monkey scuttles look really good. Really add some nice detail to the model.
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