ON THE SHELF
MARITIME KITS86 View more reviews online: http://www.airfi xmodelworld.com http://www.airfi xmodelworld.com 87PT-109
By: Revell
Item no: 05447 Price: £22.99
Web: http://www.revell.de/en
Modellers were excited by Revell’s
announcement of a newly tooled
PT-109 at Nuremburg earlier
this year, and this kit is sure to
please many, given its historical
importance as a vessel commanded
by future US President John F
Kennedy. It comprises 14 styrene
runners (including three small
clear frames) and separate hull
halves and deck, and there’s a
detailed interior and wheelhouse,
the latter benefiting from decals
for the instrument panels. External
features are reproduced faithfully,
notably the torpedo tubes and
depth charges, while the 20mm
Oerlikon and twin .50 cal mounts
are excellent. There’s even an M3
37mm anti-tank gun, as fitted to the
vessel in place of a life raft, the day
before its fateful mission on August
1, 1943...but modellers will need
to supply their own thread to lash
the gun in position. Revell offers
two schemes, covering the periods
before (August 1942 to February
1943) and during (April – August
1943) Kennedy’s command.CRAFT FIT FOR A PRESIDENT
JESSEL’S L-CLASS VESSEL
BLIGHTY'S SILENT HUNTER
GORGEOUS RIVER GUNBOAT
Gilyak
By: Combrig
Item no: 3591
Price: US $82.10
Web: http://www.combrig-models.comNineteenth-century Imperial
Russian ships aren’t represented
too well in kit form, especially
those designed for river patrol
and border enforcement, making
Combrig’s resin and photo-
etched brass Gilyak doubly
welcome...especially as it offers
a choice of waterline or full-
hull format. Unsurprisingly, the
single-piece upper hull is the
highlight, with its integrally
cast decking, watertight doors,
bollards, bitts and open chocks,but Combrig has also sanded/
polished the casting surfaces
for the upper and lower hull,
enabling an instant near-perfect
seam when mated. There are
more than 110 equally fine
resin components, with PE
railings, ladders, ship’s wheels,
lifeboat inners, and even filigree
ornamental ironwork for the
bows, which will demand careful
brush work. No colour scheme
information is provided, but all
peacetime Imperial Russian
Navy vessels had a white upper
hull and superstructure, with
varnished wooden decks, tan
funnels (with black tops) and
either green or red lower hulls...
references will be vital.HMS Astute
By: Trumpeter
Item no: 05909
Price: £49.99
Web: http://www.pocketbond.co.ukSubmarine kits aren’t overly
complex, and despite its impressive
size, Trumpeter’s HMS Astute
comprises just two styrene runners
(including one for the stand),
separate upper/lower hulls and a
small photo-etched brass fret. It’s
a mixed bag in terms of accuracy,
as while the general shape appears
faithful (although the propulsor
is hidden on the real thing), it
lacks finer nuances. The hullconfiguration is for a submerged
vessel, yet fittings near the bow
seem to be for a surfaced version
(but there are no jacks for the
ensigns); furthermore, no option
is supplied for an open conning
tower station...disappointing given
its full-hull nature. Modellers will
need to scratch-build plating
around the bow planes, correct
the sonar housing, and add relief
on the conning tower, before
addressing the latter’s misshapen
‘collar’. While the decals for the
single scheme are comprehensive,
they appear over-bright, but the
waterline marking for the vertical
fin leading edge is omitted.HMS Legion 1941
By: Flyhawk Model
Item no: FH 1103S Price: £36
Web: http://www.flyhawkmodel.comFlyhawk surprised many with
this release, the first styrene
kit of an L-class destroyer, and
its deluxe edition marries the
already impressive styrene
components with two extra
photo-etched brass frets, turned
brass gun barrels and lengths of
brass rod for new tripod masts.
There are ‘merely’ ten runners,
plus separate upper/lower
hulls, deck halves and forward/
aft superstructure sections,all oozing with detail and
refinement...all this for is model
that’s approximately 6in (15cm)
long! Features such as the main
armament turrets (with open rear
sections), and the multiple depth-
charge throwers are captured
faithfully; the former would put
larger-scale offerings to shame.
The single scheme depicts HMS
Legion (which served for just
two years under Captain Richard
Jessel) in 1941, wearing standard
early war Dark Grey 507A/Light
Grey 507C colours. Flyhawk
kits are available in the UK from
Starling Models (www.starling-
models.co.uk)