Reviewed by Timothy Dike
| The Sauro Class Destroyers were typical
of Italian Destroyer designs of the late 20's. They were armed with what
would become the standard Italian DD armament of twin 120 mm guns fore
and aft. These 1500 ton Destroyers served on the front lines at the start
of world war 2. All four of the Sauro class, the Nazario Sauro,
Francesco Nullo, Daniele Manin, and Cesare Battisti were lost early in the war. This new kit from Regia Marina can be used to build any of them in their war time configuration. |
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| SPECIFICATIONS: | ||||||
| HULL | ||||||
| The hull on this kit is very well cast with exceptional detailing. There is a small resin runner on the bottom but this can be removed easily with minimal work. The almost translucent color of the resin seems to hide the details in the images below. I was tempted to give the hull a coat of flat paint to help show off the details. |
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE AND DETAILS | ||||||
| Most of the superstructure is cast onto the hull. Only the bridge and a few platforms are cast separately. Splinter shields are thin and well cast and the other parts are also nicely cast with just a thin film of resin flash to deal with and then only on a few parts. |  |
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| The twin 120 mm gun turrets are well done and include machined aluminum gun barrels for a perfect scale appearance. |  |
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| PHOTO ETCH | ||||||
| The kit includes two photo etch frets with all the parts you need to finish it. Fret one includes some really nice anti aircraft weapons. Funnel grills, mine rails, and platforms are all nicely etched. A second fret included a variety of two bar and single bar railings. Vertical ladders and inclined rails will allow you to finish this ship and still have rails left over to use on other projects. |  |
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| INSTRUCTIONS | ||||||
The instructions are pretty basic with a plan and elevation
on page one and exploded views on page two. They are adequate to build
the ship but I would like to see more details.
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| CONCLUSIONS | ||||||
 Conclusions:
While not a kit for the beginner, this is an impressive kit of a unique subject that you will not find anywhere else. This kit sells for $40.00 US making it a bargain when you consider that it includes a photo etch fret and machined gun barrels. Regia Marina kits are available at Pacific Front Hobbies in the US. |
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