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| OVERVIEW |
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| This new set from Lion Roar of China is specifically designed for the
new Hasegawa
Mikasa kit. It includes just about every aftermarket item you would
want to add. It comes packaged in as an attractive boxed set with 9 different
photo etch frets, machined brass and aluminum gun barrels, and even scale anchor chain. All the parts are securely wrapped and protected. |
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| PHOTO ETCH FRETS |
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| The first fret etched in brass includes the railings. There are two
and three bar styles. Some with a drooped chain effect. These are already
cut to length and are numbered to correspond with the instructions. |
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| This fret includes all kinds of inclined ladders. They include bendable
steps and are sized to the kit. Pulley details and cable reels are among
the other details included. |
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| This fret consists mostly of the bridge deck and supports. The decks
are relief etched to simulate wood planking. The admirals platform includes
some finely etched fencing. The supports are designed to fold back over
so that they have a thicker appearance and both sides are etched. Propeller
and rudder details are also a fold over design for more detail. |
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| This fret includes the bridge walls and roof details. The walls feature
relief etched trim to outline the doorways and windows. The doors
for the secondary armament are relief etched with thick borders. It appears
only the fold down doors are included. I would have liked to see the smaller
doors that swing up against the sides as the molded on plastic ones are
a little thick may look a little out of place next to these thinner ones. |
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| This fret is relief etched out of stainless steel. It includes the
funnel bands and yardarms. There are block and tackle details and other
rigging parts. |
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| The boat cradles come in all different sizes and shapes. They too are
relief etches with a thicker appearance along the edge. These are also
designed to fold over so you will see detail on both sides. |
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| The platforms that line the hull are custom shaped to fit the model. |
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| The boarding ladders and platforms are relief etched, also with stairs
that can be bent out for a more realistic appearance. Boat oars and rudder
details will enhance the appearance of your ships boats. |
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| The funnel cap grills are fairly complicated. They consist of several
rings and spokes that when assembled will give a distinct mushroom appearance
of the real ship. |
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| METAL PARTS |
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| The metal parts in this set are what really makes it stand out. Replacement
main and secondary gun barrels, and anchor chain are details that will
really enhance your ship. |
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| Main Gun Barrels |
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| The four main gun barrels are machined from brass with
realistic tapers and hollowed out ends with realistic thin walls. The barrels
have a locating pin on the end to help with placement.
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| Secondary Gun Barrels |
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| The smaller caliber guns that protrude from the hull sides are equally
detailed. They also have that nice hollowed out effect but with a nice
flair on the ends. |
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| Anchor Chain |
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| Modelers have been adding real chain to their ships for
years, and now you can too. There is enough anchor chain to really make
your ship stand out. As you can see by the photo on the right, the anchors
are very exposed in the way they are stowed and the chain really adds a
most realistic effect. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| Instructions are five pages with several subassembly view
and one page dedicated to identifying the parts. These are well written
but I wish that the subassemblies had been given more attention.
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| BUILDUP PHOTOS |
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| These photo's of the Hasegawa
kit built up with the photo etch components are provided by the manufacturer.
The unpainted photo etch really stands out on this model and helps to illustrate
how the parts dress up an otherwise plain kit. I wish that all the parts
in this set had been used, such as the hull platforms that are an improvement
over the molded plastic ones.
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| CONCLUSIONS |
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 This
set includes a very nice photo etch set with most of the parts that a modeler
would want to use. The etching is not as fine as I have seen on other sets,
but the folding assemblies should make it easier for the average modeler
to assemble. The addition of the machined gun barrels makes it a must have
for the superdetailer. Check out this and other Lion Roar sets at your
favorite retailer. You can find out more at the Lion
Roar website. This is set #350002 IJN Mikasa Update Conversions Series.
Pricing for this set should be in the $55.00-60.00 range. |
