| HISTORY |
| S S Drumgeith typifies a type of ship common around
the dawn of the 20th Century, the Tramp Steamer. Built by J Priestman of
Sunderland UK for RA and JH Mudie of Dundee. She was to change owners
a number of times; becoming the “SS Matra” in 1915, “Newton Hall” in 1919.
Thereafter she became the “Maid of Lemnos” before moving East to become
the “Therese Moeller” in 1931. Now based in Shanghai in Chinese ownership
she was first to sail as the “Chi Hing” in 1946 before ending her
prodigious career as the “Tien Ping”. She was finally broken up in 1954.
From Jim Baumann's
buildup
This new kit from Battlefleet represents yet another unique merchant
ship finely cast in 700 scale resin. |
|
|
| HULL |
|
| The hull is cast waterline style with fine wood decking
on the surface and nicely detailed cargo hatch covers. The hull is nicely
shaped and features sharp port hole details cast in. The casting is clean
and sharp and there will be almost no cleanup needed to start building.
There are even cast in holes to locate the mast, a nice touch that will
save the modeler time. |
Click images
to enlarge |
 |
|
|
| SUPERSTRUCTURE PARTS |
|
| Superstructure and decks are cleanly cast with more sharp detailing.
Flash is minimal and detail is sharp and clear as evidenced by the deck
planking. A tall funnel is provided with a hollowed out end, and funnel
bands and some external piping. |
 |
|
|
| MISCELLANEOUS PARTS |
|
| A nice assortment of well cast deck winches are included to add to
the deck. These are very detailed and sharp considering their tiny size.
Vents and bits are included as separate parts to add. There are plenty
of extras in case you mess up a few. Canvas covered boats are included
as well. |
 |
|
|
| BRASS MAST PARTS |
|
| The kit includes two tapered brass masts and some .020
and .030 brass rod to fabricate the booms The tapered masts are provided
by BMK
and are a big plus in this kit. Please note that only two mast are included
in the kit, my photos show four. |
 |
 |
|
|
| BFM-713A DELUXE VERSION EXTRA PHOTOETCH
AND DECALS |
|
| There are four photo etch frets and a new decal set in the Deluxe version
of this kit. These are not the typical photo etch extras you find in some
resin kits. These are name brand sets like Atlantic Models Ratlines, White
Ensign Models Ships Wheels, and railings, and Lion Roar Deck Canopy Brackets.
These extra parts will detail a whole fleet of ships so you are getting
a whole lot of extra goodies with this version. |
 |
|
|
| New decals produced by Cartograph in Italy. They include sharply registered
flags and jacks for the US, UK, Japan, and Germany. You obviously wont
need all of these so you will have several extras for other projects. |
 |
|
|
| INSTRUCTIONS |
|
| The instructions are five pages with notes and drawings.
There is a nice elevation view showing the ship with her sails. A plan
view gives the locations. These are adequate for a kit as simple as this,
but a nice 3D style view would make the assembly so much easier.
For the ultimate in instructions check out Jim Baumann's build of this
ship located here.
|
| Conclusions: |
|
 Conclusions:
Another really nice kit from Harry @ Battlefleet. Nice casting, nice detailing,
and simple assembly make this kit a nice little addition to your fleet.
Add sails and you have a unique ship to transition from the Steam
to Sail era.
These are kits #BFM-713 British Tramp Steamer Drumgeith for $70.00 and
BFM-713A SS Drumgeith Deluxe Kit for $90.00. This special edition
kits are only available direct from Battlefleet
Models. |
