History: Again I refer you to the excellent
website: Warships of the World (see reference section below for url):
Deutschland Class Panzerschiffes
Name- Deutschland
renamed Lützow Feb./1940
The ship sported 6 - 11 inch main guns. The thought was that these ships would be able to handle convoy escorts or armed merchantmen with ease and be able to outrun any enemy capital ships they encountered. The Deutschland/ /Lutzow was the luckiest of the pocket battleships Germany constructed. |
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The Kit:
This is an excellent little kit, exceeding I believe Tamiya's early waterline efforts. Detail is very crisp, even the deck planking is scribed realistically. Armament is also well done and looks accurate. Following standard procedure, the hull and main deck are molded in one piece with small inserts for the bow and stern deck pieces. The waterline is attached to the hull and simulates the boot topping. Instructions are clear enough but as with most of these 1/700 waterline ships, painting instructions are vague. One would need to check references for accurate camo schemes worn throughout the ship's career. The parts are molded in a light grey plastic. I believe this kit is no longer in production but I found this one in a New York hobby shop not too long ago and it was at a reduced price. |
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Conclusion:
This is an excellent representation of the infamous German raiders that
were dubbed "pocket battleships." Italeri/ Testor's also offered
a 1/700 Graf Spee that is eerily similar to this kit however the Fujimi
offering is molded much more crisply. A great kit if you can find
it.
References: Warships1.com |
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Editors note: Len writes the Naval Corner column over on Modeling Madness, a great general modeling site that is definitely worth a look. |