Iron Shipwrights 1/350 USS Detroit

Omaha Class Light Cruiser
Reviewed by Timothy Dike
The USS Detroit was a member of the Omaha Class. Originally designed to be light (scout) cruisers. they were of a WW1 design. Completed too late to participate in that war, they did see considerable action in WW2. The Detroit earned six battle stars for her efforts during the war.
The hull is cast one piece and looks pretty accurate for a 1945 fit of the USS Detroit. The surface detail is pretty good other than a missing splinter shield is in pretty good shape. There is a long runner on the bottom that aids in the pouring process that will need to be removed. I was surprised by the amount of air holes on the bottom of the hull. The good news is that they are easy to fill and that having them down there pretty much eliminates them from the top of the hull where they would be much harder to repair.
Click the images
to enlarge
The superstructure parts are pretty well cast using the sprue method, which eliminates the over pour on traditional casting processes. There were a few voids in the parts presumably from air bubbles trapped in the casting process, but most should be easy to repair. 
The main guns are well cast and this kit had a couple extra's in it just in case.
The small parts are a big disappointment and most will require a considerable amount of work to clean up all the flash. A lot of parts were not formed completely and many have holes through the part. These parts would be better off as cast metal items in my opinion. Iron Shipwrights has a famous no hassle return policy so if these parts are too much for you contact them for replacements.
The photo etch is nice and include the radar's, catapults, ladders and railings. The inclined ladders have steps that are to be bent horizontal giving them a more realistic appearance. There are also several lengths of brass rod to fabricate the mast and other miscellaneous parts.
The instructions are pretty good and include enough views to build the kit without investing in too many reference books. I have listed some below that will prove helpful to do an accurate Detroit.
Overall this is a good starting point for an Omaha class cruiser. The small parts are it's biggest weakness, unfortunately they are necessary to complete the kit unless you have a well stocked spare parts stash.

References:


© ModelWarships.com