Reviewed by Timothy Dike
| HISTORY AND BACKGROUND | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US Navy soon
found that there was a shortage of dedicated salvage ships and set out
to correct it. The Diver class Rescue and Salvage ship was one of those
solutions. The Diver was Launched on December 19, 1942 and commissioned
on October 23, 1943. The Diver was one of fourteen ships. The other ships
in the class were:
The Diver was sent to England in preparation for the D-Day landings
and operated off the French coast for much of the war. Diver received one
battle star for her service in WW2. The Diver was decommissioned and sold
shortly after the war. But many of her sisters served on through the Korea
and Viet Nam conflicts. Some were transferred to the Coast Guard for service
there.
This new kit from David Angelo of Loose Cannon East represents the Diver
class in 1944. Parts are also provided for the USS Preserver, but it should
be possible to build any version of this class with some minor changes.
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| HULL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The hull is nicely cast in the waterline fashion with nice detailing overall. There is plenty of deck detail with nicely rendered winches and other gear. The sides of the superstructure have vent, and conduit detail cast on. The only cleanup looks like it will be at the waterline the stern deck area. | click images
to enlarge |
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE AND FITTINGS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The bridge is cast in two styles, one with an extended platform on the front. Casting here is also pretty good with nice thin splinter shields. There will be some minor cleanup along the inner edges of those shields, but some light scraping with a hobby knife will take care of that. One feature that I really like is the brass rods that are cast into the masts. This is an outstanding feature as they give the part strength and still retain the detail. The ships boats and other fittings look nice too. |  |
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| PHOTOETCH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A brass photo etch fret is included with the 3 R's; railings, radar's, and rigging details. These are not as fine as some of the aftermarket producers make, but a welcome addition to this kit. |  |
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| INSTRUCTIONS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The instructions eight pages of diagrams and subassembly
views. Very well drawn and with enough information that you should have
no difficulty in building this ship.
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| CONCLUSIONS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This kit is yet another unique addition to the Loose Cannon line. The diorama possibilities are endless and the kit has lot of potential. It looks like it will build up into a nice kit right out of the box. This kit is has a retail price of $25 US, a pretty good value. They are available where ever Loose Cannon products are sold. Check the Loose Cannon page for details on these and other kits. |
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