1/700 Imperial Hobby Productions Resin Kit
Reviewed by Timothy Dike
| The HMS Wild Goose AKA Mad Duck was one
of the most active of the Black Swan class sloops. She was credited for
sinking 10 U-boats, quite an accomplishment for such a small ship. The
Black Swan class was an improved Egret Class Sloop with increased size
and speed. They had an impressive armament packed on their 1300 ton displacement,
and were well suited for the convoy escort role.
t's nice to see someone bring some of the lesser known ships to market. We all have our share of Battleships and Destroyers but how many of you have built a steel hulled sloop? |
|||
| This is a small resin and metal kit measuring only about 5" long but it has plenty of detail. The hull is well cast and has many cast on details. There was no flash or defects on my sample. I would prefer the paravanes and stern depth charges to be separate items but they look good so I will probably not remove them. | click images
to enlarge |
||
 |
|||
| The superstructure parts are cast on a tree much like plastic
kits. This allows for top and bottom of the parts to be molded and only
a small casting gate to be removed. The underside of the of the aft gun
platform has some nice bracing and the forward superstructure is partially
hollowed out underneath. Hint: this makes opening doors possible on
the kit. The other parts are well cast with just barely a trace of
flash.
Note: I have scanned the top and bottom of the superstructure parts tree on the right to show all the details. There is only one included in the kit. |
 |
||
 |
|||
| The armament and other fitting are cast in soft metal. Some have some flash the will have to be sanded away but for the most part are well done. The main guns are cast with separate gun shields a real plus (I wish all companies would do this). Two lengths of brass rod are included to fabricate the masts (another plus). A small decal sheet has markings for the Wild Goose. |  |
||
 |
|||
Instructions consist of the front and back of an A-size
sheet. The front includes a bit of history and notes on resin kit building
as well as a parts inventory. The second side has a couple exploded views
showing where everything goes.
|
|||
| Conclusions:
This is a rather small kit, but it has plenty of potential and the details to back it up. With a Manufactures Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $59.95 it is more than your typical plastic destroyer. But you will probably never see any of the plastic kit manufactures risk offering such a rare and unusual subject as this. This kit would make a nice addition to your Allied fleet. Thanks to Imperial Hobby Productions for the review sample check their website for a complete list of Ship kits in metal and resin. |
|||
