Reviewed February 2017
by Dan. Kaplan
| Background | |
| “Yardarm” is a bit of a misnomer here. These are really
spars, which originated as the horizontal supports for sails aboard sailing
ships, attached to a vertical mast. Technically, “yardarms” are the outermost
portions of the spar. However, these days, the term yardarm and spar
are used interchangeably.
As the Age of Sail turned to the Age of Steam and the modern era, spars and masts were retained in a more limited fashion, if only to provide a raised support platform for lookouts, signals, and later, wireless/radio aerials. Throughout the 20th Century, and on to the present day, most warships and commercial ships of all sorts typically sported some sort of mast and spar arrangement. |
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| Accessory Set | |
| Each set comes with finely machined and tapered spars of
several lengths, all made of brass. Generally speaking, the tapered ends
are approximately half the diameter of the center of the spar. The instruction
sheet lists the individual measurements for each spar.
Set 1 – consists of six sets of spars, with two spars in each set. Lengths of 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, and 17.5mm are included. |
Click images
to enlarge |
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| Set 2 – consists of six spars, single only. Lengths of
20, 22.5, 25, 27.5, 30, and 32.5mm are included.
It goes without saying that these pieces can easily be bent, as clearly illustrated by the photo of set 2. Attachment to a brass mast can be secured by using solder or CA glue. There are also two corresponding sets in 1/350 scale. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS | |
| It consists of a simple sheet with specifications for each included spar. |  |
| CONCLUSIONS | |
 These
tapered yardarms certainly add a touch more realism to a model ship than
does a length of plain brass rod. The various lengths should enable a wide
variety of application.
These are set #s1 (SM-700-045) & #2 (SM-700-046), which typically retails for well under $8.00 US. Check the list of stores that sell the line on the Master Model website. |
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