Reviewed by Timothy Dike
| USS Vesuvius, a 930-ton "dynamite gun
cruiser" was built during the transition from the ironclad style of ship
and the more conventional gunned ships. Her armament was of a unique design,
three 15" pneumatic guns mounted on the bow. These guns fired special high
explosive projectiles.
She served along the U.S. east coast during her early years. In the Spanish-American War, Vesuvius was employed off Cuba, using her heavy guns to bombard Santiago. In 1904, she was converted to a torpedo test ship and spent the remainder of her career at Newport, Rhode Island. Vesuvius was decommissioned in October 1921 and sold for scrap in April 1922. |
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| HULL | |||||||||
| The Hull on this kit is very well cast, typical of the quality that Combrig has become known for. The surface detail is extremely well done, especially for such a small ship. |
to enlarge  |
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE, SMALL PARTS, AND WEAPONS | |||||||||
| The superstructure parts are pretty simple with just the upper deck and bridge. These are well cast with deck planking detail. The canvas covered railings are a bit thick, and I suspect most advanced modelers will simply remove them and relace them with pe railings. |  |
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The guns funnel and other parts are very well done. Boat
davits are thin and finely cast. There are also various parts for the masts,
these should be replaced with something more substantial such as brass
rod. I am glad they are included as they provide a reference for making
the brass ones.
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| PHOTOETCH | |||||||||
| A brass photo etch fret is included with more of the finer detail items such as anchors, and the doors, and hatches. The machine gun base and frame are pretty cool. |  |
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| INSTRUCTIONS | |||||||||
The Instructions are two pages with bill of materials and
pictures of the kit parts. Exploded views show where the parts go.
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| CONCLUSIONS | |||||||||
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Yet another high quality Combrig kit of a unique subject that most manufactures wouldn't bother to market. This will make a great addition to your early American Navy. This kit is listed on the Pacific Front Hobbies website for $20.00 (US), a fantastic price for a ship of this size and detail. |
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