Maritime reviews
STUNNING SWEEPER
HMS Rhyl (J36) is the first of at least two Bangor-class vessels from Starling Models – the other being HMCS Kelowna as it appeared during 1944 (STK18).
SOVIET SHIP-HUNTING PIKE
Soviet World War Two-era submarines don’t seem to have the same level of attraction among manufacturers as German or even American subjects, so Zvezda’s newly tooled 1/144 Shchuka-class vessel will be popular with maritime modellers.
COLOSSAL CLASH
Released to commemorate 80 years since the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941, Revell’s limited-edition two-kit package is a slightly strange proposition due to the use of two different scales to depict HMS Hood and Bismarck.
GADFLIES AND GRIZZLIES
Modern naval weapons systems are small compared to the parent ship, making them tiny on common modelling scales, so Takom’s 1/35 weapons range is a clever idea.
A NEW CLASS OF SHIP
Zvezda’s excellent HMS Dreadnought returns in Revell packaging and is unchanged from the initial release, with six styrene runners and a two-piece ‘seabed-type’ stand.
VOLUNTEER LIFE-SAVERS
Despite only being released in 2007, Airfix’s RNLI Severn-class lifeboat seems to have been around for much longer, and always proves popular with modellers.
RIVER PLATE PANZERSCHIFF
Airfix’s 1/600 Graf Spee might be an older offering (first released in 1971) but it is regarded as one of the better kits in this scale.
BLOOMING AFLOAT
Black Cat’s first foray into Royal Navy subjects features HMS Begonia, one of the earlier shortfoc’sle Flower-class corvettes that had the mast directly located directly in front of the bridge.
TRAWLING THE SEAS
Who says model subjects must be mighty leviathans? SSN Modellbau thinks otherwise, as evidenced by this delightful 1/350 Kriegsfischkutter (war trawler) auxiliary warship.
GLOBAL CARRIER
After an absence of more than a decade, Airfix’s 1/600 HMS Victorious is back in Vintage Classics packaging.