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North Star Models
1/350 USN Floater Net Baskets
Reviewed July 2016
by Martin J Quinn
During World War II, US Navy ships were adorned with baskets placed around their ships in various places.  Inside these baskets were floater nets.   In the event the ship sunk, the theory was the nets would float away from the wreck, allowing survivors to climb in and remain afloat until rescued. 

These baskets have been a fixture in photo-etch sets for some time, and now North Star Models joins the fray with set 350018, US Navy Floater Net Baskets.   The instructions say they are for "USN battleships and cruisers of the WWII: "Iowa", "Missouri", "South Dakota", "North Carolina", "Maryland", "West Virginia" and other. 

Click to enlarge images
The set features:
  • Two types of baskets.
  • End caps for each style of basket.
  • Three types of brackets.
All the parts are finely etched.  The baskets and end caps have relief etching.   The inclusion of the brackets is a nice touch - while I'm not familiar with every set on the market, this is the first time I've seen these.  It will add an extra dimension of realism. 
Close ups of some of the fret details.

The instructions are two sides of one small piece of paper, about the size of a post card, and pretty basic.  It shows you how to assemble each style of basket, and that is it.  It would be nice to have some plan and elevation views showing parts locations on different types of ships.   Consult your photographic references when placing on your model. 
 

Conclusions:
This is set #350018 priced at only $8.00. This a nicely done set, the finished parts should look really nice on your US Navy World War II battleships.  Recommended.

Thanks to North star Models for the review sample.


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