THE KIT

As many of you are aware, Matchbox kits were designed to be bought by kids with pocket money so were made of different colors of plastic so that painting was not needed. They were also supposed to be easy to build so that play time could start in short order. Thankfully, they are also pretty nice models in their own right so that those of us a bit older would have a decent kit. Frankly, with all the small bits this one has, it would be a bit frustrating for the really young modeler.

Parts are molded in dark grey and light grey. No flash or pesky ejector pin marks, but typical of Matchbox kits, there are sink areas in areas of thick plastic (like the boats) or opposite alignment pins. All detail is of the raised variety. A bit of work with a pin vise to open up the hull portholes will improve things. The hull is two sides with a single deck. Thanks to the closed bottom on each hull half, warping won't be a problem as it is on some of the larger Matchbox kits. Care will be needed when removing the very small parts as there is little room between them and the sprue attachment points.

Instructions are typical Matchbox providing pictorial construction steps. There is no detail color information with the ship apparently being overall light grey with back funnel tops. Humbrol and generic names are given for the paints. Only a German Naval Ensign is provided for decals.

CONCLUSIONS

The kit looks as if it will build into a nice model with a bit of extra care in constructions. Not for the newbies as the small parts will give them fits.