Nope!
I thought it was just overly engineered / too many parts, I suspect due to the amount of issues they wanted to publish but also the size limitation of what you can stick to the front of a magazine and it arrive in one piece!
I just got frustrated with the weeks and weeks of planking.....
https://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,4024.msg39250.html#msg39250
I've seen a couple of these finished and they can look very good. My dad's model is coming along in fits and starts as he moves between projects. His R2D2 is coming along well too.
For what it is worth, the etched brass is superb and well designed. Planking the hull wasn't so much fun, but you can't stick a full hull on the front of a magazine. We've had it on the water though and it sailed well.
Nowadays, the Trumpeter kit looks good, although I prefer metal to plastic for fine work, and anyway, it wasn't available when this came out.
I know that a lot of modellers like to treat anyone who dabbles in a partwork with utter contempt, but there is a market for them. If there wasn't, they wouldn't keep appearing. Each to his own.
I do want know how heavy the diecast Bismark will be though...