Reviewed by Timothy Dike
December 2013
| CSS Jackson AKA CSS Muskogee was last
of the Confederate Ironclads, perhaps the ultimate incarnation of the CSS
Virginia. At 223 feet she was among the largest of her time. Armament was
four 7-inch Brooke Rifles, two 6.4-inch Brooke Rifles, and two 12
pounder boat howitzers. Constructed near Columbus, Georgia the ship was
never fully completed before being scuttled to prevent her from falling
into the hands of the Union forces then attacking Columbus. The ship was
burned to the waterline and sunk. Almost a hundred years later the wreck
was discovered and raised to become an exhibit at the National Civil War
Naval Museum at Port Columbus, Georgia.
Flagship has also resurrected this Ironclad Ram only in 1/192
resin.
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| HULL | |||||||||||||||||
| The hull is cast as a waterline version with a separate lower hull. Casting is pretty good with some excess resin to remove along the waterline. If your building a full hull version, then you will have some work to do to join the upper and lower hull. However a test fit seems to show that most of the sanding will be along the edges. The hull features nice planking and armor plate detailing. The superstructure is cast onto the upper hull with |
to enlarge  |
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| RESIN DETAILS | |||||||||||||||||
| The modeler is given the option of having closed or open gun ports. If closed you won't need all the gun barrels with hollowed out ends. The funnel is cast with a hollowed out end and metal band and rivet details. Other details included are the anchors, boat davits, and the chocks and bitts. The ships boats will look even better when you add the photo etch deck inserts along with the oars and rigging. |  |
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| PHOTO ETCH | |||||||||||||||||
| A brass photo etch fret includes rigging, stantions, and life boat decks. The vent grills look nice with their relief etching giving the mesh a finer appearance. Also included are brass and plastic rod, and a length of anchor chain. |  |
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| DECALS | |||||||||||||||||
| A decal sheet includes the flags and pennants for both Union and Confederate sides. Note; these are printed on white decal paper and should be trimmed to size. |  |
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| INSTRUCTIONS | |||||||||||||||||
The Instructions very well drawn and clearly show placement
and labeling of the parts. There are even paint call outs. Not shown is
a separate typed sheet with resin working tips.
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| CONCLUSIONS | |||||||||||||||||
This new kit will make a great addition to your Confederate Navy. It ranks among the largest Ironclads and will make a good comparison to show how the design evolved from the original CSS Virginia. This is kit #FM19206 CSS Jackson (13.5" long) listed for $105.00, available direct from Flagship Models via it's online ordering system. With such a simple shape the painting and weathering be what makes this kit standout. Not to worry, as Flagship has a line of How to CD's that will help you out in many topics from Building Resin Ships and Working with Photo Etch Parts to Making Realistic Water. |
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