Reviewed by Sean Hert
November, 2013
| The FREMM
multipurpose frigates are a
joint effort of both the French and Italian navies to replace aging
elements of their respective fleets. These frigates have two
variants; an anti-submarine variant (ASW) and a
general-purpose variant (GP). The Carlo Bergamini was Italy's
first FREMM frigate and is a GP variant. She was commissioned
in May of 2013. The Bergamini is armed with a variety of weapons and defense systesms, and includes an OTO Melara 127/64, a 5" gun firing OTO Melara's Vulcano long-range guided ammunition. |
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| HULL | |||||||||||||||||||
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This kit is cast as a single piece, waterline hull. The hull has some fantastic detail molded right in, including the SYLVER vertical launching system for the Aster air defense missiles, air vents and life raft cannisters. The hull does have some manufacturing artifacts, showing t's prototyped legacy. While most should be easy to clean up with a few swipes of sandpaper, there are a few spots which will require either some careful sanding, a forgiving eye, and a good coat of primer. |
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| RESIN PARTS | |||||||||||||||||||
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There is a single sprue of remaining parts, which include the large sensor mast and mainmast, the OTO Melara guns (3" and 5"), some SCALP cruise missile cannisters and a NH90 helocopter. |
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| PHOTO ETCH | |||||||||||||||||||
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This fret of photoetch is mainly railings, but also includes the doors for the RHIB launch and storage areas, and rotors for the NH90. |
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| DECALS | |||||||||||||||||||
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Hull numbers and helo deck markings are provided in decal form. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS | ||
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The Carlo Bergamini is pretty simple to assemble, with seven simple steps, and one complex one (photoetch). There are no painting or decal instructions. |
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| CONCLUSIONS | ||
While the cleanup of this kit may prove a little challenging for entry-level modelers, this would still be a great learning kit- and the detail should appeal to the experienced modeler as well! Thanks to Gwylan Models for this review sample. GM700-02 1/700 Carlo Bergamini is available direct from Gwylan. Prices vary depending on currency rates, but are approximately $80.00US. |
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