Reviewed by Timothy Dike
| Most ship modelers are familiar with
the famous HMS Hood that dueled with the Bismarck. But did you know that
ship was named after another battleship built during the early steel hulled
warship days. The Hood was the second of eight Royal Sovereign class battleships.
Built in the 1890's they served during the peak of British Naval power
and were at the time the largest warships built. Hood mounted four 13.5"
guns in two twin turrets, and ten 6" guns, ten 6 pounders and twelve 3
pounders. The Hood turned out to be unsuitable for Atlantic operations
due to her low freeboard and spent her operatational life in the calmer
waters of the Mediteranean.
Combrig has produced this model of her in her 1893 fit.
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| HULL | |||||||||||||||||
| The hull on this ship is very well cast with sharp well defined details. The deck has wood planking and there are mounting holes for most of the fittings. Portholes are recessed deeply into the surface and doors and hatches stand out from the surfaces. Bits and chocks are exceptionally well cast on my sample. |
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE AND DETAILS | |||||||||||||||||
| Only the upper levels are cast separate. They include the bridge with it's square windows. The bridge wings include simulated canvas covered railings. Some modelers may wish to cut these off and add photo etched railings instead. These parts are cast wafer style and have some light overpour on the bottom that needs to be flat-sanded to finish up. Funnels are cast with hollowed out ends and fit neatly into their bases. |  |
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| WEAPONS | |||||||||||||||||
| Main gun turrets are well cast and snap into the mounting rings on the hull without any cleanup needed. The gun barrels are cast separate and are OK for resin. Medium guns are cast with gun base and shield as one part and the barrel as another. If your going to replace the barrels with brass, this is perfect. Light guns are cast as one piece with shields attached, not quite as nice as the other parts. |  |
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| SHIPS BOATS AND SMALL FITTINGS | |||||||||||||||||
| There are a number of vents and other small parts to finish
up the kit. All nicely cast and very fine for 1/700 scale. Some of the
mast parts are cast in resin too, but if you are adding rigging, you may
want to replace these with brass or plastic rod.
Ships boats are some of the best in this scale. Very detailed and nicely cast. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS | |||||||||||||||||
The instructions consist of two pages with plan and elevation
and an exploded view showing where the parts go. A little basic, but adequate
to build this kit.
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| CONCLUSIONS | |||||||||||||||||
Yet another obscure subject produced by one of the best resin ship makers in the business. This kit has been around for a while, but the casting is still first rate and the parts are highly detailed. If you like turn-of-the-century ships, this is right up your alley. It can be a nice replica right out of the box or a stunning build with some aftermarket details. I got mine from Pacific Front Hobbies. It is currently priced at around $41.95 US as of March 2012. |
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