PitRoad's Skywave series 1/700
USS Bootes AK-99

Reviewed by Timothy Dike
The USS Bootes was a C2 Type cargo ship, specifically a Maritime Commission type, EC2-S-C1. They were called Liberty ships because they were mass produced to help support the war effort, transporting the needed supplies to support the troops on the front lines. There were quite a few variations of this hull design including several cargo variants, and even amphibious types (AKA).
Specifications:
Displacement 4,023 tons, 11,565 tons full load.
Length 441' 6".
Beam 56' 11".
Draft 28' 4".
Speed 12 knots.
Complement 198.
Armament one 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount, one 3"/50 dual purpose gun mount, two 40 mm guns, six 20 mm guns.
Propulsion, reciprocating steam engine, single shaft, 1,950 shp.
The molding on this kit is very well done. Details are nice and crisp and the parts all fit together nicely. The kit shape is pretty accurate with one exception. The sheer is represented by a sharp angle rather than a sweeping curve. See the illustration at the right for details. While it is possible to fix the sheer, it is probably not worth the effort, as the average modeler will not even notice it.  Click images
to enlarge
The superstructure parts and fittings are well molded as well. There are a variety of weapons included on the sprue of the typical Skywave quality. 
Instructions are pretty good showing an exploded view of the ship with detail views to help illustrate the subassemblies. The text is mainly in a Japanese but the pictures should  be sufficient to build this ship. If you are planning on building one of the other ships in this class you might want to consult photos or plans as these ships had slight variations in armament and fittings.
The back of the box is a plan and profile showing the Bootes in what looks like MS 14. 
This kit sells for about $24.00. If the sheer doesn't bother you this will make a fine addition to your supply lines. With the exception of a few resin kit manufactures the US Navy auxiliary ships have been overlooked, so I'm glad to see companies like PitRoad offering this one.


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