Reviewed by Timothy Dike |
| The Somers Class were follow ups to the Porter Class. They
were large destroyer leaders allowed under the Washington Treaty. They
were intended to be large heavily armed Flotilla leaders as was used by
the Germans and British in World War One.
The Somers Class was an improved Porter Class. They were built with
an improved high-pressure boiler system that allowed the use a single stack.
The three quadruple torpedo mounts took up this extra room. The Somers
was heavily armed with eight single purpose 5 inch/38 in four enclosed
twin mounts. These single purpose mounts had a limited angle of elevation
and were of limited use against aircraft. For anti aircraft protection
the Somers mounted quad 1.1 mounts fore and aft. This along with four 50
cal. Machine-guns proved to be inadequate and may have been the reason
these ships were kept primarily in the Atlantic.
The Somers were initially assigned to Neutrality Patrol and proved her
worth by intercepting several German blockade-runners all over the Atlantic.
She later operated in support of the D-Day operations. Later she moved
on to the Mediterranean and supported landings in that area. The was credited
with sinking the German corvette Comascio the corvette Escabort.
The Somers earned two battle stars for her service during World War
II. |
| This new release from Yankee Modelworks continues the trend
begun by Blue Water Navy of producing fine quality 1/350 resin ship kits.
For those of you that don't know the latter company ceased operations early
in 2004. John Sheridan stepped in and has taken over this now defunct line.
Not only are the old kits still being made available, but new kits such
as this one are being produced. John has even taken steps to ensure that
any unsatisfied former Blue Water Navy customers are being taken care of.
Bravo Zulo Yankee Modelworks. |
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| This kit contains resin, white metal, and photo etch parts. The hull
is well cast as a waterline style with separate lower hull. Although there
is quite a bit of overpour to remove, it is cast so that there is none
along the outside of the hull sides and you won't have to guess as to how
much to take away. I like this approach for split hull kits. |
Click images
to enlarge
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| This kit will build an early or pre war Somers class destroyer
with the original armament. Late war refits added greater anti aircraft
protection. A separate kit, the USS
Sampson, will build a late war version.
Deck detail and items such as port holes and hatches are well defined and
stand out. Some of the aft superstructure is cast in place.
I could not find any bubbles or defects on the hull casting. |
| The major superstructure parts are cast in resin. All are cast in the
open face method with a slight over pour that will have to be sanded away
on the bottom. The details are nice and I especially like they way the
bridge face is designed. A photo etch piece is used here so that you can
easily show the inner details of your bridge. |
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|
The funnel is nicely shaped and fits onto white metal trunking. It is cast
partially hollowed out with bracing and piping cast on. |
| The main gun turrets are well cast and appear to match
the shape of these single purpose gun mounts. White metal gun barrels are
used.
Torpedo tubes are pretty well cast with nice plumbing details on
top and just a light touch of flash. |
|
White metal castings are very well done for the most part. The quality
ranges from average to exceptional on the many parts included. Some parts
have a bit of flash but nothing objectionable. The life rafts are cast
open, and use a photo etch mesh to represent the webbing. There are even
scale Pelorus mounts and some really nice directors.
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| The photo etch included with this kit is very extensive.
Everything you need to finish this kit is included. Railing are custom
made to fit the kit and have nice relief etched netting included. Yardarms,
Radar's and other items are all there. The parts are not made generically,
they are tailored to the kit.
One thing I really like about this fret are the often overlooked items
that some of us end up scatchbuilding. Items such as the lookout platforms
and the funnel cable braces just to name a few. |
| A decal sheet is provided with prewar and early war numbers. The numbers
381 and 356 are included as well as generic numbers 0-9 in case you want
to do some other ship. Ships names and flags are also include. The decals
themselves are very sharply registered and typical of the quality you would
expect from someone who works with Micro-Scale. |
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| Instructions are eight pages with History and several plan
and elevation renderings showing parts placement. They are very well done
and most modelers wont have any problems with them, but I would like to
see a few 3D views to help clearly show parts placement.
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Conclusions:
This is a nice kit of one of a unique subject. Everything you need is
included in this kit except paint and rigging. I would not recommend it
for a beginner, but anyone who has build plastic ships with photo etch
should be able to build this one. This is Stock Number: YKM-35110 with
a retail price of $129.95, a good price for such a complete kit. Thanks
to Yankee Modelworks
for providing the review sample. |
