Graf Spee Model: a proud warrior falls on its sword

This is what Wiki has to say about the Admiral Graf Spee: it was one of the most famous German naval warships of World War II, along with the Bismarck. Her size was limited to that of a cruiser by the Treaty of Versailles, but she was much more heavily armed than a cruiser due to innovative weight-saving techniques employed in her construction.

She was sent to the Atlantic Ocean as a commerce raider in 1939, where she sank nine Allied merchant ships. Numerous British hunting groups were assigned to find her, with three British ships finally tracking her down in December 1939. The Battle of the River Plate ensued, during which the Graf Spee was damaged. She docked for repairs in the neutral port of Montevideo, but was forced by international law to leave within 72 hours. Faced with what he believed to be overwhelming odds, the captain scuttled his ship rather than risk the lives of his crew.

The model is nothing, if not an innovative idea. I'd love to see a Hornet or Enterprise carrier like this with R/C Corsairs and Hellcats coming and going. Maybe B-25's coming off the Hornet.

Launching this must draw a crowd

He must have built a special cradle for the trailer.

I don't think I've seen anything docked any neater than this

There's space for another passenger further back.

With nothing to give it scale, it looks like the real thing.

Put a PA system in it and cruise around shouting, "Achtung! Heave-to and prepared to be boarded." Nah, that sounds like a German pirate.

Look closely at the onboard launches.

Tons of detail

Even the helmets show the mods for gunner helmets.

I wonder if those are live .50 cal. rounds? Now THAT would be trick. Live .50 guns!

So well done, it makes your teeth hurt.