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May 2025 |
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| HISTORY | ||||||||||||||||
| The YF/YFN is a non-self-propelled
covered lighter that is ubiquitous in shipyards and harbors. They are designed
to carry cargo needing protection from the elements within a warehouse
style deckhouse They typically measure 110 feet long and 32 feet wide and
can carry a distributed load of 550 long tons inside the deckhouse.
The deckhouse typically measures 92 ft long by 27 ft wide and it can be removed. There are several different styles of deckhouses that can be mounted on the barge hull. Some have two or four cargo hatch ways in the roof while another has none. |
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| Black Cat Models YF/YFN Covered Lighter | ||||||||||||||||
| Black Cat Models, as part of their expanding line
of diorama accessories, has recently released a series of three YF/YFN
covered lighters. This specific one is listed as Product Number DD350002c
and is the version without the roof cargo hatches. The parts are fully
3D printed and come in a zip lock bag. You get a barge, the warehouse style
deck house and a small raft with bitts, cleats and chocks.
The barge is common to all three versions of the YF/YFN covered lighter that Black Cat Models offers. The barge is nicely done with side strakes, flat bottom and shallow outlined location markers for the various parts that are to be fitted. In 1:350 scale, the barge should measure 3.77 inches and it is spot on. The scale width should be 1.10 inches but the model barge is a wee bit more at about 1.18 inches, but I’m splitting hairs here. The deck housing is also well done, with corrugated metal walls and roof, sliding doors in an open position and windows with open panes. The open doors and window panes will allow you to place enough cargo inside to make a diorama more interesting. The window panes can be ultimately glazed with Krystal Klear or a similar product. The scale dimensions of the deck housing is pretty much accurate length wise but again a tad larger in width. The small raft of 3D printed parts includes mooring bitts, cleats and chocks and are well done and have tiny attachment points for easy removal. Closeup in the photos you can see some print lines, but in actual size and painted, they will not be visible. One extra of each part is provided in case of loss or damage. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS | ||||||||||||||||
| A single sheet of instructions is available for download from a link on the product page. The instructions are actually for the version with the four roof cargo hatches, but what you will need to focus on is the top left part raft image and the first assembly illustration showing the locations of the various deck fittings. The location of the deck housing is rather obvious. | ||||||||||||||||
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| CONCLUSIONS | ||||||||||||||||
| The Black Cat Models YF/YFN covered lighter, regardless of which version, is a welcome accessory to help populate a busy shipyard or harbor vignette. The quality of the parts is up to par with what we have come to expect from Black Cat Models. This accessory is highly recommended. My thanks to Black Cat Models for the review sample. |
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