Looking for info on a couple of ships (Gordi-class destroyer + Zhong Shan gunboat)
I have a couple of Trumpeter large-scale (1/200 and 1/150) ship models,
which I'm intending to build in the fairly near future. Whilst they're
reasonable kits "out of the box", I'd like to add extra detail to the
fittings, guns, and other small parts - however, in order to do this
I'll need reference material. Searching with Google has not been very
productive unfortunately. I've found a few photos of a built-up model,
and a few small black + white photos of both ships, but nothing else.
One is a Soviet Gordi-class destroyer, a late WW2 type apparently based on Italian designs. The kit is boxed as a
Chinese ship (the USSR sold a few of these to China after the war) but
the kit actually represents a Soviet vessel. The kit is 1/200 scale.
The other is the Chinese pre-WW2 gunboat "Zhong Shan", which was
involved in both the Chinese civil war and the war with Japan (it was
sunk by Japanese aircraft in 1938). This one is 1/150 scale. It's
definitely the one most in need of detailing, both due to its large
scale and the fact that the parts for the fittings and armament are
rather crude. As an example, there are what appear to be Maxim-style
water-cooled machineguns, that are close to 1/48 scale in size - around
3 times too big.
Could anyone point me towards any websites or reference/history books
with information on these ships? I have accumulated quite a few books
on warships but none of them have any info other than a brief paragraph
and small line drawing of a Gordi-class in one book.
Even photos of built models (if they've been detailed/improved) would be useful.