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| INTRODUCTION |
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Blue Ridge Models is FreeTimeHobbies’ relatively new modeling company
that, until recently, has barely dabbled in the realm of new kits. With
the USS Wolverine, this is set to change. This new and entirely original
kit depicts a rarely discussed topic: one of Lake Michigan’s paddle wheel
and coal-fired carriers.
Wolverine began life as the SS Seeandbee, a paddlewheel ferry. The ship
was taken over by the US Navy in March of ’42 and was quickly cut down,
rebuilt, and fitted with a flight deck. Note that the carrier did not have
a hanger. USS Wolverine and her near-cousin USS Sable would later help
train the bulk of the aviators that served in World War II.
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| HULL |
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| This kit captures the unique riverboat hull that the Wolverine
is built on. The casting is incredibly sharp and wrought with details.
Small indentations exist where additional resin and PE parts will later
be attached. The kit captures neat details like the bollards and hatches,
though the boat cradles are a bit thick. These are easily replaced with
generic PE, if the builder wishes. |
click images
to enlarge |
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| DECK |
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| The underside of the flight deck is cleverly slotted to allow the builder
to place extensive photo etch bracing. Molding here is also good, though
I do suggest using a very small resin saw to even out and deepen the marks,
having built the kits. Nonetheless, the feature is extremely welcome. Flight
deck detail is nice, with horizontal planking, accurate for the vessel. |
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| SUPERSTUCTURE |
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| The island/funnel uptakes/vents are molded nicely on three separate
wafers. The bridge appears accurate with plenty of details. Hatches are
outlined in recess and would be easily covered by PE detail if the modeler
desired. The funnel uptakes and vents look great, cast with fine detail.
Removing the island from the wafer proved easy. The funnel uptakes will
be place between the hull and flight deck, directly under the four funnels
in the island. All parts easily slid into place when building this kit. |
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| FITTINGS AND FIXTURES |
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| All these small parts are fitted on easily removed wafers and feature
good detail. The paddle guards, in particular, are pretty cool and easily
fit into small holes alongside the ship’s unique paddles. The center bits
of the paddles are also cast in resin and easily fit into the provided
slots on the hull. |
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| PHOTOETCH |
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| Truth be told, this is the biggest accomplishment of this
kit. Supper gussets are molded in a thicker brass, making placement a LOT
easier with less breakage. Parts are aligned, on the sheet, for placement
which makes installation a lot easier. Finer details like railing, cables,
and catwalks are present on the other, thinner PE sheet. All are well labeled
and easily referenced in the instruction manual. |
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| PAINT MASK |
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| As an added feature, Blue Ridge saw to include a paint mask for the
flight deck markings. This accessory will save the builder quite a bit
of tape related frustration. |
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| AIRCRAFT |
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| TDN Drone |
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BRM also saw to include a few aircraft that saw service on the Wolverine.
As a side note, neither the TDN Drone or SNJ Texan are available in any
other medium for this scale. As a warning, these aircraft are extremely
fragile and the modeler should take care in construction.
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| SNJ Texan |
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| The aircraft are also my only real complaint about this kit. No instructions
are provided. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| Aside from the note above, Wolverine’s instructions should be taken
as a new industry benchmark. Color coded, clear, and extensive pictures
make construction of the semi-complicated model a hell of a lot easier
than many other resin companies (and some stryrene) have so far been able
to provide. Blue Ridge also provides a painting and rigging guide, which
will greatly help in final finishing of the kit. |
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| CONCLUSIONS |
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| Being a fascinating subject, I’d have wanted one of these
kits even with subpar quality, admittedly. The effort that Blue Ridge put
into this excellent kit only makes my new model that much more wonderful.
Not only is the design well thought out, but little aftermarket (if any)
is needed to build a conversation starting model.
Bravo to Blue Ridge on this build. I eagerly look forward to future
releases I know are coming down the pipeline. You will NOT be disappointed!
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These are kits are available at Freetime
Hobbies as kit #BRM70053 1/700 USS Wolverine IX-64 Limited Edition
kit for $129.95 MSRP |
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