Reviewed August 2015
by Timothy Dike |
| HISTORY |
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| The German M class cruisers was intended to be a long range
commerce raider. The ships were supposed to be an improvement over previous
designs. However they had problems attaining the goals set before
them. Main armament was to be 8 x 15 cm (5.9 in) guns in four twin
turrets. The contract for cruiser M was awarded and construction
was started but only the keel was laid. Construction was eventually
halted and the hole was broken up. Had the ship actually been built
the designation cruiser M would've been changed to the appropriate ship
name. |
| HP Models has recreated this shipped in 1/700 scale based on the intended
configuration of the ship. |
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| HULL |
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| The hull is cast water line style with nice deck planking
and other detaiilng. The locations for the torpedo launchers is cast
open. The only flash, on the casting is along the water line. |
click images
to enlarge
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE PARTS |
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| These parts are cast on thin resin wafers and are pretty well cast.
Detail looks pretty good, and the structures are cast with well defined
shapes. The funnels look nice, but are not hollowed out. |
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| WEAPONS, FITTINGS, AND SMALL PARTS |
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| Weapons and fittings vary in quality. Some are somewhat generic in
shape but otherwise well cast. The Ardo 196 float plane is cast on a thin
resin wafer. Some trimming in cleanup will be needed here. |
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| CNC BARRELS |
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| The 5.9 inch main gun barrels are CNC turned out of Brass. They
have mounting pins but are not center drilled on the ends. |
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| DECALS |
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| German flags are printed on paper and are historically accurate instead
of politically correct. Previous versions did not include the Swastika
and you have to draw your own if you wanted it. These are much better. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| The instructions are front and back of a two sheets with
plan and elevation, and an exploded view of the assembly. Lengths for most
parts are shown so you can fabricate them correctly. You will have to supply
your own as most of these parts are not included in the kit.
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| CONCLUSIONS |
|
 If
you're a fan of German navy ships this cruiser M designing will make a
nice comparison with other ships are actually built.
My kit came from Pacific Front Hobbies/FreeTime Hobbies they carry the
HP Models line. Be sure to check online
store for this and the complete line of HP Models. |
