Thanks to Master-Model for the barrels and IPMSUSA staff for handling the request and publishing this review.
Master-Model supplies the ultimate barrels for 4.7in/45 (120mm) main guns for most WW2 British destroyer classes.
Revell has re-released their vintage WWII Gato Class Submarine in enormous 1/72 scale – topping off at just over 52 inches in length! Surface detail of the deck and fittings is excellent, as well as their renderings of the 20mm, 40mm, and 4inch deck armament. Also included are three sets of pre-bent, steel wire steps as well as a variety of pre-drilled stanchions for stringing safety cabling.
Overshadowing everything, however, is simply the sheer size of the hull – an ambitious project for any modeler.
For ship modelers looking to improve the look of their ship masts, or specifically their yardarms, Master Model has come to the rescue. Their Yardarm Set Number 1 contains a dozen replacement yardarms in lengths of 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, and 17.5 mm (two of each size is included). The already small brass items are finely tapered out to the ends, just like the real thing. If replacing plastic yardarms on a kit, the comparison photograph shows what a difference these can make.
My hits are that once again, the folks at Master Model have released some very finely detailed replacement parts, in this case for the 1/700 scale ship modeler. The fine taper are clearly visible, and will make a nice upgrade for a reasonable price.
I have no valid miss for this release itself. The directions only show the items that are present, and mention set number 2 in this scale as well as the two sets available in 1/350 scale.
For ship modelers looking to improve the look of their ship masts, or specifically their yardarms, Master Model has come to the rescue. Their Yardarm Set Number 2 contains half a dozen replacement yardarms in lengths of 20, 22.5, 25, 27.5, 30, and 32.5 mm (one of each size is included). The already small brass items are finely tapered out to the ends, just like the real thing. If replacing plastic yardarms on a kit, the comparison photograph shows what a difference these can make, although it is comparing the 5mm yardarms available in set one.
My hits are that once again, the folks at Master Model have released some very finely detailed replacement parts, in this case for the 1/700 scale ship modeler. The fine taper are clearly visible, and will make a nice upgrade for a reasonable price.
Model Art Issue 920 is typical of other Model Art magazines in that it is written entirely in Japanese, with occasional English words, usually in article titles or in captions. The Vessel Model Special is a quarterly issue that focuses on naval subjects. Advertising comprises the inside covers (and back cover) along with another 4 pages showing what is available and new, always useful for building up that wish list. I counted 410 photos (mostly in color) along with 21 side view or top view drawings. Additionally there are a lot of scrap drawings highlighting details.
The Feature article is on two builds of a 1/350 IJN Shimakaze that goes for twenty-one pages. After a 1 page build of a 1/20 anime figure, you’ll find eighteen pages of three different build-ups in 1/700 scale. Next up is a six page build of a modern day JMSDF Missile Destroyer, DDG-172 Shimakaze. The Shimakaze section finishes with six pages of period photos, profiles and scrap drawings.
Contents:
This is the story of Germany's commerce raiders of World War I which were the surface ships that were supposed to starve the British Isles of the vast cargoes of vital resources being shipped from the furthest reaches of the Empire. To that end pre-war German naval strategists allocated a number of cruisers and armed, fast ocean liners, as well as a complex and globe-spanning supply network to support them This was known as the Etappe network. This book, drawing on technical illustrations and the author's exhaustive research, explains the often overlooked role that the commerce raiders played in World War I. Whilst exploring the design and development of the ships, it also describes their operational history, how they tied up a disproportionate amount of the British fleet on lengthy pursuits, and how certain raiders such as the SMS Emden were able to wreak havoc across the oceans.
Academy, the prolific Korean kit maker, continues to appeal to a broad spectrum of model makers. Kits that are easy to assemble have always been an entry point for modeling. Academy continues this trend with this very easy to assemble kit of the Titanic. There’s no need to retell that story here. The Titanic has been the subject of many kits, so here’s another one to add to your Titanic collection.
The seven sprues have specific ‘Titanic’ colors, so they don’t require paint. The pieces are well molded, with a just a small amount of flash, something that a new modeler would more than likely not be too concerned about. The hull pieces are packaged separately with seven additional sprues of parts, including a small sprue of gold plated parts (the anchors and three props). Rather than water slide decals, the kit includes a small sheet of stickers.
Sir Harry Morgan was a British privateer, buccaneer, and admiral of the Royal Navy. He made himself famous during activities in the Caribbean, primarily raiding Spanish settlements, and was considered a pirate only to the Spanish, whom he was lawfully attacking. He earned a reputation as one of the most notorious and successful privateers in history, and one of the most ruthless among those active along the Spanish Main.
Thanks ahead of time to Tamiya USA for providing IPMS USA this review kit, and thanks also to the reviewer corps leadership for sending it to me to build and review!
This kit was originally released by Tamiya back in 2006 as the “Yukikaze”, which was the only survivor of the Japanese Kagero-class “A” of Destroyers in World war II. This new release of the kit is the lead ship Kagero itself. Kagero definied in English translates to “Mirage” or “Heat haze”. The net has a lot on it; I just found it interesting to read the history.
Tamiya has, to my mind, an excellent sales process. The kit box captures your attention; a professionally-painted rendering of the actual ship in action, side-view diagrams of the craft, pictures of the assembled model with or without full hull, photographs of the metal parts, and a feeling that “you really want to buy this model” ensues. It works…
Tsesarevich (Russian: Цесаревич) was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy, built in France at the end of the 19th century. The ship's design formed the basis of the Russian-built Borodino-class battleships. After repairs were made following the Russian-Japanese war, most of the small-caliber guns (47mm and 37mm) were removed. Tsesarevich was not very active during the early part of World War I and her sailors joined the general mutiny of the Baltic Fleet in early 1917.
This Master Model set provides you with 20 barrels: Four machined aluminum 305mm/40 (12”) barrels; twelve machined brass 152mm/45 (6”) barrels; two 47mm (1.85”) Hotchkiss Gun barrels; and two 37mm (1.5”) Hotchkiss gun barrels and a single page instruction sheet. As you can see in the comparison photo below, the improvements are most noticeable in the muzzle ring of the twelve 152mm barrels due to the limitations of injection plastic molding.
