1/350 Mirage HMS Spiraea

Reviewed September 2014
by Timothy Dike
Mirage continues with their 1/350 line of ships with the HMS Spiraea Flower class corvette. This one is based on the later style long forecaste with the squared off stern. I am not an expert on Flower Class Corvettes, but the size and shape looks pretty good to me. For more info consult the Flower Class "Calling All Ship Fans" section on the forum.
SPRUE A
The first sprue is the hull and decks. At first glance these reminded me of early 1/400 kits offerings. However these are nicely molded, the hull with nice plating detail and the decks with nice surface detail. Rafts and boats are somewhat plain looking, but boat davits, anchors, bits and chocks are nicely done. I like having these items as separate as it opens up the possibilities of adding extra detail. 
SPRUE B
Funnels, depth charge racks, deck houses and more weapons are on this sprue. I don't care much for the funnel top, but if your adding PE, you wont be using it as-is anyway. Overall detail is pretty good here. 
SPRUE E
The bridge and aft superstructure are featured on this sprue. I found the splinter shields to be a little thick, but not bad. Other details like the 20 mm guns are well done and thin. There is even separate funnel piping
PHOTOETCH
Relief etched railings and ladders are included for a nice touch. I wish a few more items such as depth charge racks and funnel grills would have been included, but there are other aftermarket sets available for that. 
DECALS
A simple decal sheet is included with hull numbers K08 for Spiraea and a Royal Navy flag. 
INSTRUCTIONS
The instructions are eight pages with history, color profiles and a lot of exploded views showing the assembly process very well. 
Conclusions:
It's nice to have a good Flower class kit in plastic. From what I have heard, this is a fun build. It should provide a good out-of-the-box build or the basis for a nice replica of the HMS Spiraea or one of her sisters. This is kit #MRG-350803  1/350 HMS Spiraea Flower Class Corvette K08 WWII Escort Warship with a list price of $27.95 US. 

Thanks to Stevens International for the review sample. They import Mirage plastic kits in the US. If your hobby shop does not carry Mirage kits have them contact Stevens International.