Introduction

A quick search of the internet finds the Baku was a Kiev-class aircraft carrier of the Russian Navy. Her keel was laid down in 1978 in Ukraine, she was launched in 1982, and commissioned in December 1987. The ship was actually renamed Admiral Gorshkov after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the paint scheme and markings for this kit are more in line with those of the Adm. Gorshkov era. Plagued by difficulties since a boiler room explosion in 1994, she was offered for sale and 1996 and eventually sold to the Indian Navy in 2004. The Baku is an assault carrier, somewhat comparable to the newer USS Wasp class amphibious assault carriers of the U.S. Navy.

The Ship

The USS Olympia was a protected cruiser launched in 1892 with a long and distinguished career that included being Commodore George Dewey's flagship at the misnamed Battle of Manila Bay. Misnamed because it wasn't really a battle. The Spanish squadron never left anchor and the Americans just cruised back and forth shooting them up, even taking time for a lunch break in the middle of the action. She was a flagship in WWI, escorted transports across the North Atlantic and participated in the allied intervention in the Russian Civil War at Murmansk. She brought the remains of the Unknown Soldier from WWI back to the United States and served for a while as a training ship, but was finally decommissioned in 1922. She has the honor of being one of the only ships from this period still afloat along with the Mikasa in Japan and the Aurora in Russia.

Many, many thanks to Mr. Richard Harden of Tom’s Modelworks for providing this beautiful ship model enhancement set for review. I am also deeply appreciative of the IPMS Reviewer staff who tirelessly support a very large group of reviewers. I am delighted to report on my experience with this neat product.

Beautifully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, this book offers a creditable account detailing the key rival battles between the Battlecruisers of the Royal Navy and the Kaiserliche Marine at the height of World War I. This book covers these opposing Battlecruisers and where they first met in January 1915 at Dogger Bank in the North Sea. The author explains why the battle was a tactical victory for British although neither side lost any of its Battlecruisers. He details the main differences in the designs in the British and German ships and how these two sides responded quite differently to this first engagement. In the book you’ll find out how these differences came into play during the battle of Jutland in May 1916, where of the nine of the British Battlecruisers committed, three were destroyed, all by their German counterparts. Five German Battlecruisers were present and only one of these was sunk.

Osprey hits another home run with this 2nd volume on Japanese destroyers. Picking up where the 1st volume left off, this book covers several classes, principally the Asashio, Kagero, and Yugumo. It also details the history, weapons, and tactics of the Japanese destroyers. The author further weighs in on the design and construction, armament, service modifications, and wartime service of each class. The book also covers an interesting experimental destroyer, the Shimakaze, with a top speed of almost 40 knots and 15 torpedo tubes. I found the book’s contents to be well thought out, with a very coherent outline. And it’s written with easy to understand explanations. It has beautiful color paintings and artwork including cutaway illustrations. It offers a wide range of vintage b&w photographs that are pretty decent and would be helpful to the ship modeler. The book has a softcover with a corded gum binding and it’s printed very well.