| The HMS Queen Mary was a Lion class battlecruiser
laid down 6 March 1911 and commissioned September 1913. Armed with eight
13.5" main guns in four twin turrets and capable of 28 knots, the Queen
Mary could out run most any opponent she couldn't out fight. The Queen
Mary was part of 1st Battlecruiser Squadron and was active in engagements
with the German High Seas fleet early in the war. On 28 August 1914, she
took part in the 1st Battle of Heligoland Bight but missed out on the Battle
of Dogger Bank due to a refit. Queen Mary was one of the key players at
the Battle of Jutland in May 1916. She dualed with the SMS Seydlitz and
pumped out 150 shells scoring 4 hits on her counterpart. She was hit above
the "Q" turret putting it out of action. The Queen continued to fight back
with the her other guns until both "A" and "B" turrets were put out of
action. Soon after the forward magazine exploded sending the ship into
a dramatic list to port, exploding again as she sank. 1,255 of her 1,266
crew were lost that day helping to maintain British control of the seas. |
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| HULL |
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| This hull is sharply cast with loads of details. I know this is starting
to sound like a broken record with Combrig reviews, but their quality is
top notch and this kit is no exception. The anchorways are clean and capstans
and many deck fittings are cast as separate parts allowing for some really
awesome superdetailiing possibilities. Deck planking is very fine as are
the numerous hatches cast on the deck. |
click images
to enlarge
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE |
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| Superstructure parts are equally well cast with some highly detailed
walls and decks. Some parts are cast on thin wafers in the open face style
mold, while others are cast in closed molds. I obviously prefer the latter,
but the wafer cast part are well done, and are rich with detail. |
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| MAIN WEAPONS |
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| The main guns are cast complete except for the barrels. The parts in
my sample fit perfectly into their mounting locations without any sanding.
Gun barrels are resin and not as nice as turned brass, but workable for
those who can't afford to pay for CNC machined ones. |
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| SMALL DETAIL ITEMS |
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| The small parts are very fine and it never ceases to amaze me how these
tiny parts can be cast so well. These parts include the many separate deck
fittings and parts such as the capstans. Note how realistic the cable reels
appear! |
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| SHIPS BOATS |
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| Ships boats are extremely well detailed, with separate stacks where
needed. These parts are like little kits in themselves and are simply amazing
to see. |
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| PHOTO ETCH |
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| Two photo etch frets are included with some detail parts
that are not suited for resin. Funnel grills, platform braces, and anchor
chain are among the parts included on these two frets. You will still need
some generic rails to finish the kit, but having these parts is a real
bonus. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| The Instructions are four pages done in the typical Combrig
style. A plan and elevation with specifications and Historical info is
on page one. A bill of materials and pictures of the kit parts is on page
two. Page three and four are exploded assembly views showing parts placement.
These are adequate to build the ship and an improvement over early kit
instructions.
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| CONCLUSIONS |
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:
Yet another high quality Combrig
kit. I wouldn't recommend this kit for a beginner, but any one who has
tacked a resin kit and worked with photo etch will really enjoy this one.
The superdetailiing possibilities are what makes this such a great kit.
From the looks of it, you wont have to spend all your time correcting the
kit, and can just relax and enjoy the build. This kit is listed on the
Pacific
Front Hobbies website for $$65.00 (US), a great price for a ship of
this size and detail. It will make yet another fine addition to your Grandest
Fleet. |
