ponders nirvana.
This model is from the Age of Ironclads range from Merrimack/Old Glory Shipyards, and is in 1/600 scale.
USS Amphitrite was an iron-hulled monitor laid down in 1874, launched in 1883, and finally commissioned in 1895. She partook in the bombardment of San Juan during the Spanish-American War, but was sent home to Florida before the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. She was a powerful ship for her size, but hampered by being a poor sea boat and had very short legs (short range).
I have built about 50 resin ships, as well as mastered my share in the past 10 years - ranging from simple prime-and-paints to high-dollar 1/700 scale kits. This kit was a delight to work with.
Comparison
Amphitrite was 262' long and 55' wide. The model scales to within 1mm of those dimensions in 1/600, which to me is about as good as it gets, as molds can shrink by more than that over their life.
Materials used in construction:
- Hobby knife
- Wal-Mart superglue
- Wal-Mart grey primer
- Reaper, Vallejo and Ceramcoat paints
- Emory boards (sanding sticks)
Step 1: Clean-Up & Assembly:
The kit(s) as delivered. Also included in my package was a model of the Russian circular battleship Novgorod... a ship so weird I chose to built it later!
The pieces fresh out of the bag.
- 1 resin hull
- 2 main turrets
- 1 funnel
- 1 ventilation cowl
- 1 military mast
- 3 ship's boats
- 1 bridge
- 2 crossdeck boatbooms
- 1 searchlight platform
The hull as supplied. There were a few air-bubble holes, but nothing I have not seen before, and nothing that could not be filled with putty. The hull is crisp and devoid of flash, and needed no sanding or bending (resin often warps) - which is good, because I really hate resin dust. Overall, a good clean casting.
The metal parts needed a little touch-up, as there were typical mold-lines and vent threads, but otherwise little attention was needed. After test fitting, most of the plugs (the things you insert into pre-drilled holes) on the metal parts needed trimming, but this is a good thing... I'd rather have plugs that were too long rather than too short. The ventilation-cowl plug needed a little thinning, but otherwise test-fitting was a breeze. The holes themselves were accurately placed and nicely drilled out... no attention needed.
Once trimmed and lightly sanded, everything went into the "soup" (which is what I call my soap bath).
After cleaning and drying, the ship was built to this point. Normally, I build as little as possible prior to painting, but in this case there are no tricky nooks and crannies, so I built almost the whole vessel. (The boats and bridge will be primed and painted separately, and assembled later.)
A view from the stern. Normally, I would add some of my own detail at this point, but I am opting to build right out of the bag.
A view from the side... the work surface is uneven. The ship itself sits nice and level. The turrets are still loose, and will probably stay that way - I like to play with them when the ship is on the table (or floor, as the case may be).
A view from the top. I have to say that at this point I am very pleased with this kit. At $10 USD, it prices out very nicely, in my opinion.