TOM'S MODELWORKS
ASSORTED 1/700 RAILING SETS
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Reviewed by Martin
J Quinn
October 2025
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Tom’s Modelworks has released some
new 1/700 photo-etch railing sets, which they've sent along for us to check
out. Among the sets are:
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7120: IJN Battleship, Carrier and Cruiser Railings
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7121: USN Rails and Awning Supports
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7122: USN CVE Railings
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7123: German Battleship and Cruiser Railings
All four sets come in the usual Tom's Modelworks packaging. |
| TOM'S MODEL WORK
SET 7120 |
| There is one small fret included.
As per Tom's website:
1/700 scale rails specifically designed for Imperial
Japanese Navy battleships, carriers and cruisers. These rails are shorter
than typical Western navy rails and the main deck stanchions are spaced
differently. There are 7 styles of railing included in the set to fit virtually
any large warship in the IJN in World War 2. The wire rails are relief-etched
on one side with the stanchions thicker than the wire. Not for use on destroyers
or Yamato and Musashi. Also includes special rail sections for the main
deck entryways and the bow. Footrails are included as well as vertical
ladders. |
| INSTRUCTIONS |
| Instructions are one page, showing
the different styles of rails. It includes a pre-WW2 photo of the
heavy cruiser Ashigara for reference. |
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|
| TOM'S MODEL WORK
SET 7121 |
| There is one small fret included.
As per Tom's website:
1/700 scale three-wire railing with extended
stanchions for awning support as used by the USN on cruisers and battleships
in the interwar period. All the battleships at Pearl Harbor would have
used railing like this fore and aft of the main battery turrets. The same
was true of cruisers assigned to the Pacific Fleet. This set also includes
the tripod centerline supports often used to support large awnings. |
| INSTRUCTIONS |
| Instructions are one page, showing
the rails and how to bend the centerline tripod supports. Also included
is a pre-WW2 photos the the battleship Pennsylvania for reference. |
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|
| TOM'S MODEL WORK
SET 7122 |
| There is one small fret included.
As per Tom's website:
Various railings specifically for use on US-built
escort carriers of World War 2 including two types of safety rails around
the elevators, flight deck end safety rails and standard two and three
wire rails, both canvas covered and open. |
| INSTRUCTIONS |
| Instructions are
two pages, showing the different styles of rails. It also includes
three photos of various US CVEs, to help demonstrate where the various
railings go on the ships. |
 |
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|
| TOM'S MODEL WORK
SET 7123 |
| There is one small fret included.
As per Tom's website:
Relief-etched, three-wire rails for German WW1
and WW2 battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers. Suitable for all WW2
German battleships and cruisers except Graf Spee, Scheer and Lutzow. Also
suitable for some German WW1 battleships and battlecruisers but not all.
Some had two-wire rails. |
| INSTRUCTIONS |
| Instructions are one page, showing
the different styles of rails. It also includes a close up photo
of the light cruiser Emden, demonstrating the different styles of railings. |
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|
| CONCLUSIONS |
| These new 1/700 photo-etch railings
are high quality. I really like the relief etching, the canvas dodgers,
and the attention to detail that is shown in the different types of rails
provided. I also like how it's called out in the instructions what ships
these rails aren't applicable to. Based on the size of the
frets, it appears that one fret will let you trick out one model. I think
most 700th scale modelers will find these railings extremely useful. Highly
recommended!
These sets retail for $8.00 or $9.00 USD, which
is a great price.
These sets are available directly from Tom's Modelworks,
whom I'd like to thank for this review sample. |
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