| The Joffre was the lead ship of a new
class of French carriers planned to counter the German Graf Zeppelin. There
were two of these carriers planned the Joffre laid down in Nov. 1938,
and the Painleve which was never started. The Joffre started construction,
but had to be abandoned in June of 1940 due to the German invasion,
and was eventually scrapped. This photo
from the IHP website show how far construction progressed. Had she
been built this carrier would have displaced about 20,000 tons, and measured
774 feet long by 80-1/2 feet wide. The superstructure was large for a carrier
and the flight deck was offset to port to compensate for the extra weight.
These handsome carriers were similar to the British style carriers with
a 2 story flight deck, but would have carried only 40 aircraft. Most likely
the Joffre would have been assigned to the Atlantic hunting down German
surface raiders.
Imperial Hobby Productions continues their line of "never builts" with
this French carrier. This is a ship that could have been built had the
war not started so soon. This would have been an interesting ship had it
made operational status. The carrier was supposed to enbark an aircraft
designated D750, but most likely it would have used American carrier aircraft
if she had been completed before France fell. It is interesting to speculate
what she would have looked like after an overhaul and refit in American
navy yards like some french ships that escaped the attacking German forces. |
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| HULL |
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| The hull is cleanly cast and nicely detailed. The only flash I could
find was at the waterline, although there was a couple of air bubbles that
will require some touch up. The deck has some nice plating detail, and
the hanger deck is ringed with conduit detail. The hull port holes are
sharp and deep enough that you wont need to drill them out. |
Click images
to enlarge
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| FLIGHT DECK |
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| The flight deck is surpassingly flat and well cast with
only some small casting gates at the bow. This will save you a bunch of
sanding and preserves the detailing. The deck is steel so there is no wood
planking. The arrester wires are a bit overdone for my tastes and I would
replace these with photo etch. I like the splinter shields with their exterior
bracing. The flight deck also has some nice under deck detailing that you
will appreciate. |
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE AND SMALL PARTS |
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| The superstructure parts are cast on resin runners in a two part mold.
That means both the top and bottom are cast with details. The detail on
these parts is pretty good with well defined bridge windows, but I was
not impressed with the doors on the bridge levels. These I would probably
replace with photo etch. |
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| The other small parts such as the ships boats and armament are pretty
good, but with a bit of flash. Don't worry about the flash, it is really
easy to remove, most of it falling away as I handled the parts. Some of
the gun barrels will need to be replaced as several were broken. |
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I'm not familiar enough with French weapons to comment on the
accuracy of these gun mounts.
Also included are plastic and brass rod for the mast and flight deck
supports. Metal anchor chain is also included. I appreciate it when a manufacturer
included these extra details. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| The instructions are a single page front and back. The
first page includes a plan and elevation as well as some history and specs.
The second page includes several subassembly views that show the ship in
various stages of construction.
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| Here a few flight deck and hull views to give you an idea
of how this unique carrier would have appeared.
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| CONCLUSIONS |
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Yet another kit that few manufacturers wouldn't dare to produce. This
is a special interest kit and it is unlikely to be produced again when
this run is sold out. So whether your a die hard never built fan, or just
someone who would like to have a model of a French carrier that was almost
built, you will appreciate this one of a kind kit. This kit retails for
$120.00 us, a fair price for a resin carrier. Thanks to Imperial
Hobby Productions for the review sample. Don't forget to check
their website for a complete list of Ship kits in metal and resin. Mike
Bartel has many more planned so stay tuned. |
