1:1250 "Harbor Admiral Graf Spee/ Orion"

I once bought two ready-made ship models in 1:1250 scale from D'Agostini. Despite their tiny size, they were surprisingly detailed. At first, I wasn't quite sure what to do with them, but eventually I decided to display both ships together in a small diorama measuring just 16 x 14 cm. I then added some extra details to the models. I applied weathering effects, added waterline markings and small flags to bring the scene a little more to life.

The two ships are German warships from World War II: the Admiral Graf Spee and the auxiliary cruiser Orion.

The Graf Spee was a so-called pocket battleship, a type of heavily armed German warship. She became famous for the Battle of the River Plate on December 13, 1939, when she engaged three British cruisers. After sustaining damage during the battle, she sought refuge in the port of Montevideo, Uruguay. When she was no longer allowed to remain there, her commander, Captain Hans Langsdorff, decided to scuttle the ship just outside the harbour on December 17, 1939.

The Orion had a very different history. Originally a cargo ship, she was converted by the German Kriegsmarine into an auxiliary cruiser. She was used as a commerce raider, operating across vast areas of the world's oceans and attacking Allied merchant shipping. In 1944, she was renamed Hektor, but in 1945 she once again became Orion. During the final months of the war, she was used to transport refugees across the Baltic Sea. On May 4, 1945, she was hit by bombs near Swinemünde and sank. Thousands of refugees were on board, and approximately 150 people lost their lives.

Of course, these two ships never actually encountered each other. The Graf Spee met her end in December 1939, whereas the Orion was lost in May 1945, towards the very end of the war.

If you look closely, you can also spot a few incredibly tiny figures on the diorama. Well, at least they are supposed to represent figures! In reality, they are nothing more than tiny pieces of plastic, measuring approximately 1.2 mm, which I painstakingly painted by hand.It certainly involved a lot of fiddly work, but these are exactly the kinds of little details that make building miniature dioramas so enjoyable for me.

1:1200 "USS IOWA"

This was a fun project. I used the 1:1200 Revell kit of the USS Iowa and build it out of the box. It is an ancient kit and I think the mold is around 50 years old.   

1:1200 "USS HORNET"

I always wanted to make this ancient kit of the USS Hornet but is was not a fun project. The parts were not well molded, there was a lot of flash but I finished it!. I used the 1:1200 Revell kit.   

1:700 USS Texas

Such a small model only 25 centimeters but with a lot of (tiny) parts (400). Ingredients for a super detailled ship! 

This is a Trumpeter kit.