 warshipguy wrote: |
| I received this kit as a gift yesterday. I have heard vaguely that there are many problems with the kit but I have not heard just what these problems are. So, I thought that I would appeal to the expertise to be found on this site for specific recommendations to improve this kit the same way that many of us have done for Le Soleil Royal. Thanks! Bill Morrison |
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Sand all the molded walkways from the deck. They should be like sandpaper/rubber antislip pads, not like raised concrete sidewalks. Fill all the mounting holes while you're at it
Replace all the 20mm guns. The kit ones are made to fit the 10 foot tall US sailors from WWII. No wonder we beat them little foreigners. If you want to do the 1945 appearance the single-barrel option is incorrect.
Replace all the 40mm guns. The kit ones are little more than sticks on boxes. No muzzle flair, no recoil springs.
Throw away the quintuple torpedo tubes. Too skinny and spaced too far apart.
The bulkhead details are inconsistent. Some hatches are well done, others are too large or too faint.
Do something about the grilles on the stacks. They are grossly oversized.
The MK51 directors are ... well just wrong.
The hull shape isn't too bad, and once you sand the decks and bulkheads and add detail back -- you will be in a good place to start reworking the armament.
The best on-stop-shop for replacement stuff is the L'Arsenal set. Single & double 20s. Better and more detailed 40s -- for both twin & quad mounts. Great MK51. There is a problem with the torpedo tubes. Both banks have the protective can. Get a set from Yankee Modelworks. The Tamiya stacks are better. The best are in one of the Yankee Modelworks resin Fletcher kits. The L'Arsenal also includes a great pe fret, the equal to or better than Gold Medal