Reviewed by Timothy Dike
Often overshadowed by the capital ships are the small combatants that serve in battle. They often fought on the front lines and protected coastal waters. They came in all shapes and sizes from the Higgins PT Boat and the Sub Chasers to the Patrol Gunboats. 

Loose Cannon West has a new Small Combatants set that includes one PT Boat, one SC, and one PGM. 
 
The set includes 3 sets of resin cast ships and their weapons and fittings cast on thin wafers and sprue blocks. A single photo etch fret is included for the 20 mm guns. Click images
to enlarge
173' PGM Motor Gunboat
The larger PGM is cast complete with everything except the weapons and rafts that are provided on a separate sprue block. The casting is pretty good with nice think splinter shields and walls and locating holes cast in for the weapons. One splinter shield wall was a little on the thin side and will need to be cut out and replaced by thin styrene strip. Or you can cut a small section of the resin wafer into a new panel and glue it in place.
The barrels on the twin 40 mm were bent on my sample and the 3"50 cal barrel was broken, but I would most likely replace these with small wire. 
78' PT BOAT
The Higgins PT boat is the 78' type with four torpedoes with one 40 mm main gun on the stern and two 20 mm guns on the bridge. These boats came in a variety of weapons configurations and you can easily modify this one. The boat is completely cast with only the weapons and radome as separate items. Four torpedoes and guns from 50 cal to 40 mm single are all provided.
110' SC 
The Subchaser is also cast complete except for the weapons and fittings. I compared this kit to photos and plans in US 110' Subchaser In Action and the shape and size appears correct. This is the roughest of the kits but judging from the title image showing an SC built by Rob Weilacher, they can be made into a respectable ship. The ship is also completely cast except for weapons and mast. 
PHOTO ETCH
A simple fret with 20 mm guns is provided in case you don't wish to use the larger resin versions. These will look more to scale in my opinion and are a welcome addition to the kit.
INSTRUCTIONS
The instructions are four pages and could use some improvement. Fortunately these are simple kits and these should be enough to get the ships built.
Conclusions:
If you already have your fill of large warships, you will appreciate this set of small combatants. Any one of them could be a nice one evening project and will look great by themselves or in a diorama. 

This is kit #75 listed for $25.00 US, a great price for a detailed kit like this. Pacific Front Hobbies & Free Time hobbies have this kit in stock, or it can be purchased direct from LCP West. Check the Loose Cannon page for details on this and other kits.


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