| The USS Salem, was a Des Moines class
heavy cruiser commissioned in May 1949 the last of the all gun cruisers
built by the US. She represented the ultimate in wartime cruiser design.
Although she was completed too late to serve in WW2, she made the rounds
showing the flag around the Atlantic and Mediterranean the 50's. Salem
became the flagship of the Sixth Fleet.
The Salem was spared the scrappers torch following years of mothball
duty. She was restored and remains a museum
ship in Quincy, Massachusetts.
You can read more of her history in the DANFS
page here.
This new kit from Combrig represents the ship in 1949 and is correct
for her 50's service.
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| HULL |
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| The hull is well cast in waterline style. Much of the lower superstructure
is cast in place. |
click images
to enlarge
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE AND FUNNELS |
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| The superstructure parts are cast onto a thin resin wafer. The detailing
is very nice, but you will have to spend a little time flat sanding to
remove the wafer. Funnels are nicely done and are engineered to plug into
the mounting holes on the hull. This allows for a precise fit without worrying
about over sanding. |
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| MAIN GUNS |
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| The three main guns are cast in one piece with separate gun barrels.
The turrets fits snugly into the mounting holes in the hull. The blast
bags are cast onto the turret. Resin barrels are provided but these will
be nice is you use aftermarket brass barrels. |
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| SECONDARY GUNS |
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| The 5" twin gun turrets are well cast and include cast in holes for
the included resin gun barrels. Again, if your using brass aftermarket
ones, these will work really nicely. |
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| LIGHT WEAPONS AND FITTINGS |
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| 3" 50 cal guns mounts are cast as two piece assemblies. These are very
fine in detail, perhaps too fine as there were broken gun barrels on some
as well as a broken yoke or two. The directors are nicely cast and detailed. |
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| SHIPS BOATS, HELO, AND RAFTS |
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| There is a nice assortment of ships boats and rafts, nicely shaped
and well cast. Two helicopters are provided, one Sikorsky R-5, and one
Piasecki HUP Retriever / H-25. |
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| PHOTO ETCH |
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| A photo etch fret is included with everything from helo rotors, to
radar assemblies. Bridge windows are a nice touch. The old stern crane
is also a photo etch assembly. The only thing lacking is the railings. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| The Instructions are six pages with a plan and elevation
on the front, graphic bill of materials, and four pages of exploded views.
These seem to be well drawn and show the basic assembly.
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| CONCLUSIONS |
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 If
your looking to expand your Cold War fleet, you need this old gun cruiser
in your fleet. This one is accurate and very nicely detailed and just the
ticket for the Salem in her early years. It is the best one I have seen.
This kit is available for $86.95
at Freetime Hobbies. Check the Combrig
site for details on where to get yours and for other new Combrig kits. |
