Dr. Ullrich Böhme
Hamburger Modellbaubogen Verlag
Cap Arcona
Translation: Ralf Schnurbusch
In the summer I have started with the Cap Arcona. The hull especially. the bulkheads have to built half Polish and half Wilhelmshaven. This means that at the bow and stern area we have longitudinal bulkheads with bulkheads across. In the middle ship section we have box construction with with little side bulkheads, as it is the case with polnish models. The underwater hull is constructed traditionally.
The bulleyes I have stenciled with nail, from with I eliminate the sharp tip, in the same diameter and have glued blue foil behind it. The foil originated from the packaging of paper tissues. Stripes were added to the hull under and above the water line to imitiated the different layer structure. Although here we have to work with the principle of trial and error as it is not clearly indicated where everything belongs. Only based on the form of the stripes their excact position can be determined.
After the bulkhead structure has been finalized the deck and superstructure is placed on the stern. Unfortunately here the position of deck was not marked on the deck below. After this the deck on the bow has to be added. As I have not come back to build in this area, yet no deficiencies have been detected until now. The main deck the original deck on which the whole dining area for the first class is located. Even the carpets are represented. If it would be researched in great detail even the pictures, which are hanging in this rooms as well as the fire place in the smoking saloon could be depicted. This was actually the case in the interior design of the Bremen. The documents and color photos are available.
The deck was slightly overlapping the hull. Unfortunately the main deck is placed on the bulkheads without any tabs on the middle bulkhead. As this middle lead was missing I have constructed one myself to give the relatively long deck a center point.
If you want to built the ship with interior you want to make the inside parts to be visible. As with the Bremen Mr. Brandt - to say it positive- has given the builder a lot of opportunity to use his constructive imagination. For example there are no indications how to built the model so that you can see the inside rooms. If you have built 840 chairs beside the library and bar, then you want to show it. At this stage the designer makes it a little too easy for himself. I have built all chairs and I am now working on the tables. In the literature you can find pictures showing on which place comes which chair. There are rectangular, square, round with large and small diameter tables. In the diagram you can not see where to put the rectangular and square tables. There is no information about these tables and the location of the chairs. Although the computer illustrations of the seating groups, which show for round tables multicolored chairs. But I can not imagine that you sit in the first class on armchairs at the dining table. This would be very uncomfortable, probably you would have to sit on chairs. But again there are two different kinds.
Anyway this is the first part of my report. This report will be continued
and I will include photos from the larger construction segment. Next part will
be about the larger construction segments and I also will include some material
about the detailing of models.
