Scharnhorst offered a better model than prestige copying

Should Germany have developed later warships from the Scharnhorst design instead of moving toward Bismarck?

Continuing the Scharnhorst line was plausible, but German politicians often copied foreign prestige types instead of building consistently around Germany's own needs.

The comment asks whether Germany should have used Scharnhorst as the basis for later cruisers and battleships instead of moving to Bismarck. Continuing the Scharnhorst line would have been sensible. German political involvement encouraged copying whatever other powers possessed, while Japanese designers more often sought ships suited to Japan's own naval problem. The comparison turns a family resemblance between ships into a lesson about whether procurement follows national strategy or international prestige.