info@mpmhobbies.com
Call: 1-(904) 885-0559
9297 Ford Rd.
Bryceville, Fl 32009
Build precision WWI German warships with 1/700 scale Snowman Models ship kits featuring innovative engineering and exceptional detail. This specialized collection showcases the legendary SMS Derfflinger battlecruiser in multiple configurations including SMS Derfflinger 1917 (full hull) w/Metal Barrels, SMS Derfflinger 1917 (waterline) w/3D Printed FF-33E, and SMS Derfflinger 1917 (waterline) w/3D Printed FF-33E Plastic Model Kit. Manufactured by Snowman Models, these premium kits deliver turned metal gun barrels, 3D printed aircraft, and photo-etched details for serious naval modelers.
Snowman Models has established itself as a specialist manufacturer of WWI-era German warship kits, offering modelers access to subjects that are rarely kitted by mainstream manufacturers with exceptional detail and innovative engineering solutions. This focused collection represents Snowman's commitment to preserving naval history through scale models, featuring the SMS Derfflinger, one of Germany's most successful battlecruisers that fought at Jutland and survived to be scuttled at Scapa Flow. Each Snowman kit combines traditional injection-molded plastic with modern enhancements including turned metal gun barrels for authentic appearance and precise dimensions, 3D printed aircraft providing detail impossible with traditional molding, comprehensive photo-etched parts for railings, ladders, and fine details, and multiple display options with full hull or waterline configurations.
SMS Derfflinger represented the pinnacle of German battlecruiser design, combining heavy armament, substantial armor protection, and high speed in a balanced design that proved superior to British contemporaries. Commissioned in 1914, Derfflinger fought in all major North Sea engagements including the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915 where she demonstrated remarkable survivability, and the Battle of Jutland in May-June 1916 where she absorbed tremendous punishment including 21 heavy shell hits while remaining operational and contributing to the sinking of HMS Queen Mary and damaging other British capital ships. The ship's career demonstrated the effectiveness of German naval architecture and damage control, surviving battles that would have destroyed lesser vessels. After the war, Derfflinger was interned at Scapa Flow with the rest of the High Seas Fleet and scuttled on June 21, 1919, in a final act of defiance that prevented the victorious Allies from dividing Germany's modern warships among themselves.
The SMS Derfflinger 1917 (full hull) w/Metal Barrels provides the complete ship from keel to masthead, enabling display in dry dock settings, museum-style presentations showing the entire hull form, or dramatic in-flight dioramas suggesting the ship under way. The full hull configuration reveals the complete underwater form including the distinctive German battlecruiser hull shape with pronounced tumblehome, anti-torpedo bulges added during wartime modifications, propeller shafts, rudders, and underwater fittings, and authentic hull plating and rivet detail. The included turned metal gun barrels provide the main battery of eight 30.5cm (12-inch) guns in four twin turrets, secondary battery of twelve 15cm (5.9-inch) guns in casemates, and anti-aircraft armament added during the war. Metal barrels offer superior detail compared to plastic with hollow muzzles showing bore depth, precise dimensions matching actual gun specifications, and authentic metallic appearance that paint cannot fully replicate.
The SMS Derfflinger 1917 (waterline) w/3D Printed FF-33E and SMS Derfflinger 1917 (waterline) w/3D Printed FF-33E Plastic Model Kit represent the ship as it would appear afloat, the most common display format for warship models that emphasizes the operational appearance and allows realistic diorama settings with ocean effects. The waterline versions include 3D printed Friedrichshafen FF.33E seaplanes, representing the reconnaissance aircraft carried aboard German capital ships during WWI for spotting enemy forces, directing gunfire, and conducting reconnaissance missions. The 3D printed aircraft feature detail levels impossible with traditional injection molding including delicate struts and rigging, authentic fabric surface texture, detailed cockpits and engines, and proper scale dimensions. These aircraft can be displayed on the ship's catapult, in the water alongside the ship, or in flight on clear stands suggesting operational deployment.
All Snowman Derfflinger kits represent the ship's 1917 configuration, showing modifications and additions made based on combat experience at Jutland including enhanced anti-aircraft armament responding to the emerging threat of aerial attack, modified fire control equipment incorporating lessons from battle damage, additional armor protection in vulnerable areas identified during combat, and updated camouflage schemes reflecting wartime operational requirements. This specific time period captures Derfflinger at the height of her combat effectiveness, incorporating all wartime improvements while retaining the ship's original powerful armament and impressive speed.
Snowman kits demonstrate sophisticated engineering that maximizes detail while maintaining buildability. The injection-molded plastic components feature crisp panel lines representing hull plating and deck planking, detailed superstructure with separate bridge levels and fire control positions, individual gun turrets with optional elevation angles, and comprehensive deck fittings including boats, cranes, ventilators, and equipment. The multi-media approach combines plastic, metal, photo-etch, and 3D printed components, each material chosen for its specific advantages in representing different aspects of the ship. Photo-etched brass parts provide railings with proper scale thickness, ladder rungs and platforms, searchlight platforms and supports, and antenna rigging and detail parts. The turned metal gun barrels are precisely machined to correct dimensions, feature hollow muzzles and rifling detail, and include mounting pins for secure installation.
Constructing Snowman kits requires standard ship modeling techniques with attention to the multi-media components. The plastic parts assemble using standard plastic cement with careful test-fitting before final assembly, sub-assemblies built separately before integration into the main hull, and painting completed before final assembly of delicate parts. Metal gun barrels install after painting, typically requiring drilling out plastic barrel stubs and inserting metal replacements secured with cyanoacrylate adhesive. Photo-etched parts benefit from specialized bending tools for clean folds, cyanoacrylate adhesive for secure attachment, and careful handling to avoid damage to delicate parts. The 3D printed aircraft may require minimal cleanup of support marks and accept standard modeling paints after priming.
Authentic finishing of WWI German warships requires research into period camouflage schemes and weathering patterns. Derfflinger wore various schemes during her career including overall dark gray (the standard German warship color), experimental camouflage patterns tested during the war, and weathering reflecting North Sea operations with salt spray, rust streaks, and paint wear. Deck colors included wooden planking in natural teak or painted gray, steel decks in dark gray or red-brown primer, and canvas covers in tan or gray. Weathering should be subtle compared to WWII ships, as WWI vessels operated for shorter periods between refits and maintained higher standards of peacetime appearance even during wartime.
Snowman's Derfflinger kits enable various display presentations including museum-style displays on pedestals showing the ship's lines and details, waterline dioramas with ocean effects suggesting operational deployment, dry dock scenes showing the ship under construction or repair, and historical vignettes depicting specific moments like the scuttling at Scapa Flow. The 3D printed aircraft add operational interest, suggesting the ship's reconnaissance capabilities and the integration of air power into naval operations even during WWI.
SMS Derfflinger represents an important subject for naval historians and modelers, embodying the peak of WWI battlecruiser design, demonstrating the effectiveness of German naval architecture and damage control, participating in the largest naval battle in history at Jutland, and ending her career in the dramatic mass scuttling at Scapa Flow. Snowman's kits preserve this history in scale model form, enabling modelers to study and appreciate the ship's design while creating impressive display pieces that honor this significant warship.
Complement your Snowman Models collection by exploring our comprehensive 1/700 scale ship offerings from other manufacturers. Discover additional warships from our 1/700 Tamiya Model Ships, 1/700 Trumpeter Model Ships, 1/700 Fujimi Model Ships, 1/700 Zvezda Model Ships, 1/700 Veryfire Model Ships, 1/700 Takom Model Ships, 1/700 Riich Model Ships, 1/700 Kajika Model Ships, and 1/700 Pontos Model Ships collections for complete naval modeling across all eras and nations.
Snowman Models specializes in WWI-era German warship kits, filling important gaps in the modeling market by producing subjects that mainstream manufacturers overlook. The company's focus on Imperial German Navy vessels enables deep research into ship configurations, camouflage schemes, and operational details that broader manufacturers cannot match. Snowman's innovative use of multi-media components including turned metal barrels and 3D printed aircraft demonstrates their commitment to providing maximum detail and authenticity. This specialization has made Snowman the go-to source for modelers seeking WWI German naval subjects with detail and accuracy that honors these historic warships.
