Reviewed by Timothy Dike
| HISTORY | |||||||||||||
| The SS Pearl was a small coastal type cargo ship built
in 1896 for William Robertson of Glasgow, UK. At only 185 feet she was
intended for the shorter cargo hauls around the British Isles. She was
typical of coastal freighters of the era being fitted both with an early
steam power plant and sails just in case. She served faithfully for 55
years under the Robertson flag.
This new kit from Battlefleet represents yet another unique merchant ship finely cast in 700 scale resin. It obviously has the potential to be built into a fine little ship as you can see from Peter Fulgoney's build. |
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| HULL | |||||||||||||
| The hull is cast waterline style with nice detailing. The casting is flawless and structures and shapes are well defined. Nice cargo hold covers feature nice scribing and deck winches have very fine detailing. There will be little to no cleanup needed on this part. | Click images
to enlarge |
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE AND MISCELLANEOUS PARTS | |||||||||||||
| Superstructure parts include a funnel with hollowed out end, pilot house, bridge deck, and wheel station deck all nicely cast. A couple of winches are provided along with vents, anchors and lifeboats. |  |
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| PHOTOETCH | |||||||||||||
| A couple of lengths of brass railings and 6" of .020 brass rod for the mast are provided. |  |
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| INSTRUCTIONS | |||||||||||||
The instructions are four pages with notes, a parts list
and some basic drawings. A little too basic for my tastes, but adequate
for such a simple ship.
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| Conclusions: | |||||||||||||
 Conclusions:
This would be a great first time resin kit for a beginner, or anyone who
wants to build a unique merchant ship to add to their fleet. It would look
equally at home among warships of either world wars or in a harbor diorama.
This is kit # BFM-728 British Short Sea Trader SS Pearl for $25.00 US. A nice price for a nice kit. Available direct from Battlefleet Models or wherever fine resin ships are sold. |
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