U.S. Navy MUSV Ranger
Doggy Industries No.
MDW079, 1/700th Scale Resin
Reviewed by Devin Poore, April 2025
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| Envisioned as a force-multiplier, and automated resupply
vessels for a widely-spread force, MUSVs (Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicles)
are a new take on an existing civilian design. Oil platforms and other
such structures already utilize unmanned ships for supplies, crew transfer,
and other functions. In addition to providing unmanned (or limited-manned,
as of now the ships transit with a minimal crew of only a few sailors,
mostly for refueling purposes) resupply, Ranger has also been utilized
in testing as an arsenal ship, meaning that she carries missiles, which
can be fired and controlled by other warships in the area.
USV Ranger and her counterpart, USV Mariner, are part
of the U.S. Navy's "Ghost Fleet Overlord" program, which entails testing
and modifying the ships to find the best combination of load outs and tasks
for such vessels in the future. |
Ranger underway in the Pacific
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| HULL |
| The kit comes in a small, flip-top box... with very little
inside it. The majority of the box contents is the packing material. The
hull comes individually wrapped in foam, well protected. Detail is extremely
sharp in all regards, such as the cargo bay flooring and walls, the bridge
windows, hull portholes, etc. Everything is so sharp that I initially thought
it to be 3D printed, but closer examination makes me think that it's a
resin cast of a 3D print. There's a small pour stub on the lower part of
the hull at the bow, and, under magnification, very faint layer lines are
visible here and there throughout the hull. There is a bit of warping,
or hogging, to the hull, but the resin is still flexible enough that it
should be easy to straighten.
Several online sources I found list the full-sized Ranger as 193'. Overall
length of the model's hull comes in at 3.3", which is spot-on for 1/700th
scale. |
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| SHIP PARTS |
| Five separate resin casting sprues contain the bulk of
the components. Radar domes, cranes, boats, liferaft canisters, etc. Despite
everything being packed in a single plastic bag, there's no parts breakage
in my sample. Everything is cleanly-cast, with no overpour, bubbles, or
other defects in the resin.
The only thing I can pick on is the sprue with the longer cargo container
seems to have a bit of a warp to it. As this piece sits in the well deck,
though, I doubt it'll be visible on the completed model. |
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| PHOTO ETCHED BRASS AND DECALS |
| The photoetched brass sheet is a small affair, just under
2" x 4", but contains a lot of items. Along with the typical railings,
ladders, and other items, items such as the mast assembly, a portable missile
launch box, and what appears to be an electronics "trailer" are included,
to be bent to shape. Overall, a very nice addition to the kit which should
really up the detail on the finished model .
The decal sheet is TINY. It includes a very small and not very detailed
U.S. flag, and multiple versions of the name RANGER, that are only readable
under magnification. There are also some other geometrical shapes included,
but I can't find them anywhere on photos of the actual ship. The ship names
are fine, but there are far better and clearer 1/700 scale flag decals
available from other sources. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
| Instructions are one 8.5" x 11"
sheet, printed in color on both sides. They consist of color photos of
an actual kit assembled but not painted. Close-up photos show individual
sections of the ship with the brass parts called out by their corresponding
brass fret number. The only place I see possible issues is with the mast
assembly. There are over a dozen components required to build it, and while
the photos do clearly show the completed assembly, there's no descriptions
on how to bend pieces, assembly order, etc. It'll take come careful study
and steady hands to build. |
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| CONCLUSIONS |
| This is a nice little kit of a cool new ship. Parts breakdown
is logical, the casting is of the highest quality, and the instructions
more than cover what needs to be done. As this is a cast kit and not printed,
removal of the small parts from the casting sprues will require a little
more care, but otherwise it should be a painless build. Other than what
I anticipate to be a challenging mast assembly, this kit is simple and
inexpensive enough to be a contender for someone's first resin kit in 1/700
scale.
The kit is currently listed on Doggy Industries' eBay page for $48,
with other vendors on eBay also listing it.
Highly recommended. Thank you to Doggy Industries for the review sample. |
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