M o d e l W a r s h i p s . c o m Zucas Studios Q Scale Perry/Cheng Kung Class Frigate

by David Waples

Company Background

Zucas Studios is a small company started by a gentleman by the name of Chien Yu.Wei or Zucas, who is retired from the Republic of China Navy. He served aboard Knox Class Frigates during his service which is the motivation behind these kits. He wasn’t happy with the kits he could find at the time of this subject and started developing his own kits. That led to creating highly detailed kits in a scale still searching for a name. They are often called egg ships, Q Scale, Cute Scale, Distorted Scale, etc. Whatever you want to call them, they are fun to build. Many in this style are created for kids, this is not one of them. This is a highly detailed multi media kit of very high quality that rivals the best on the market.

I discovered Zucas’ kits while looking at one of the Facebook pages devoted to this genre. Yes, there are at least four of them now covering a variety of subjects. Currently Zucas Studios has available for sale a Knox/Chi Yang Class Frigate, and a Oliver Hazard Perry/Cheng Kung Class Frigate. There is a Burke Class Destroyer currently in production which promises to be amazing.

The kit I'm reviewing today is one that I purchased for myself. Let’s get started.

Subject

This particular kit is of a Perry/Cheng Kung Class Frigate. The actual ships were produced in the United States, Republic of China, Spain, and Australia. The ships built in Taiwan are called the Cheng Kung Class. If you remember the Ruben James in the movie “The Hunt For Red October”, this is that ship. This class is currently retired from the US Navy, but are still in service with the Republic of China Navy, and many others.

The Kit

Zucas Studios markets the kit as Republic of China Navy (ROC) and United States Navy. I can’t tell that there is any difference between the ROC and USN kits. Mine was a USN kit and came with both ROC and USN decal markings, and if there is any difference between the two I would recommend contacting Zucas for clarification.

Packaging

The kit was shipped in a solid and well protected box. At the time of shipping Zucas sent me an email containing a photo of the shipping box that included my address for confirmation and verification. It was sent through the postal system via registered airmail. The kit arrived within two weeks which is pretty good in these COVID-19 days. A friend ordered another kit and it took about 3-4 weeks to receive. The kit packaging is made from high quality cardboard with a photo label on the side with kit information. When it’s sitting on your shelf you’ll know exactly what it is. Inside the contents were very well protected with a combination of foam and small bubble wrap sheets. There was no damage to any of the parts.

The Hull

The hull is split between upper and lower sections at the waterline so you can build as either waterline or full hull. In the first three photos you can see there is incredible crisp detail built into this mold. This is what you would expect from a modern CAD designed kit of the highest quality in 1/350 scale or better. However many of the parts such as antennas, cranes, etc. are built right into the main casting with remarkable detail. They look like misc. parts that have been glued in for you, but they are actually part of the casting. There is some very thin resin support in place to support some parts which you’ll need to clean up. The stern view of the ship shows the remarkable casting of the hangar bays which are also built into this main casting. (Spoiler alert, there are SH-60 distorted helicopters in production for this kit) I’ve never seen bays this deep in a resin casting before. The final hull picture is the bottom. There is a little discoloration on the bow but it’s not an issue. Another great feature of the hull is that there are no pour blocks. The parts that mate together are very flat. Not perfect, but they can be cleaned up with a sanding block or filled with whatever filler you like to use on resin. As you can see in the final photo the upper hull and lower hull come together perfectly. There are no steps that need to be reshaped. There are no pins for alignment so care should be taken when assembling to two sections.

Miscellaneous Parts

Most of the detail is molded into the hull. However there are a few parts including the mast, Missile launcher, Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RIB), and antennas, that need to be added. Zucas has taken the time to put each fret into a separate resealable bag to protect them from the other parts. That’s excellent attention to detail. The photo etch fret is extremely well done and includes a lot of detail as well. The only down side to the brass is that it has texture which you may need to sand out. The decals are also of excellent quality. They are thin and in register. The numbers share the same carrier film so you’ll have to trim them closely for a good finish. Finally Zucas includes a very nice resin stand to display your model on.

Instructions

The first sheet is a photo quality page which shows all of the parts included with the kit. The second sheet is a document with multiple views of the completed model which should address any questions you might have during the build. The third and fourth sheet are the assembly and photo etch placement instructions.

They are very easy to follow and similar to modern instruction sheets with CAD rendering. The fourth fifth sheet shows a very clear diagram of the photo etch fret and a listing of what each item is. It also includes information on the decals that are specific to ROC ships by hull number.

Purchasing

These kits are only available for purchase directly from Zucas Studios via their web site. From the Product Information Tab you can find a purchase link for the four available options of the two Knox/Chi Yang Class kits and the two Perry/Cheng Kung Class kits. You can only purchase using PayPal. If you have any questions before ordering contact Zucas by email and ask to make sure you get what you want. I found him very responsive and I expect you will too.

Conclusions

If you enjoy egg, Q, Distorted, or whatever you want to call them, and you like detail, you’ll find this a very enjoyable kit. Hull fit is superb and no pour blocks to wrestle with! There are relatively few parts so the possibility of breaking or losing them is low. Although care should be taken with the molded in parts as there is a potential to break them off. There is nothing bad to say about the casting. It’s incredibly well designed, crisply molded, and the engineering is second to none. The presentation of the kit is also excellent and enjoyable, and the nice display stand is a bonus. Zucas has put a lot of thought into his packaging to make sure your kit arrives in good order. These are also the only kits I’ve seen of modern vessels in this genre so you’ll have something very unique when completed.