ICM 1/350 German WWI Battleship Markgraf Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

The battleship Markgraf was the third of a class four new generation of battleships. The König class was the first of the German battleship designs to mount her main guns along the centerline and she was able to bring all ten of her guns to bear in a broadside engagement.

The Markgraf and her three sister ships all participated in the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval battle of World War One and the largest battleship clash in history. The Markgraf was damaged in that battle being hit by five rounds, killing 11 of her crew. Markgraf was repaired and took part in the naval battle in the Baltic, helping to sink the Russian battleship Slava.

Markgraf survived the war only to be scuttled by her crew during its internment in the Scapa Flow in 1919. Markgraf still sits on the bottom of the Scapa Flow.

ICM has re-released their 1/350 König class battleships and while I missed them the first time around, I am impressed with the kit. Molded in white styrene, the kit includes a one-piece hull, main and focsl decks, and nine parts trees.

Assembly begins with the main gun turrets. Each of the 12 inch guns can be moved in elevation independently (if you choose) and each of the five turrets can be built to rotate.

Next, the three propellers and two rudders are installed and the main hull is mounted to the display base. The main and focsl decks are installed onto the hull along with the five main and 14 secondary 5.9" inch gun turrets.

The superstructure, main stacks, masts, launches, life boats, and other deck gear are installed in logical increments to make painting and assembly easier.

The instruction sheet is very nicely laid out clearly showing placement of all of those parts. The centerfold of the instruction booklet has a nice painting diagram using Humbrol paint numbers for color reference.

Markings are provided for the generic König class as evidently the Markgraf did not have any distinctive markings save some combat aerial recognition markings.

Straight out of the box, this kit will build up into a beautiful model of this tough warship. If you're experienced with photo-etched parts, this could easily be a contest winner with the addition of a photo-etch detail set from any one of several naval aftermarket companies.

If you're a ship modeler looking for a unique subject to add to you're 1/350 collection, one of these König class battleships is just what you're looking for. If you have other modeling interests and you want something different to try your hand on, this is also an interesting segway into naval modeling.

My sincere thanks to Testors for this review sample!