Review by: Paul Kirsopp (February 2012)
History
In service almost from day one, the MTB’s of the Royal Navy were in the front line to the end of the war.
The 72’6” boat was one of the earlier boats. She was armed with two 21” torpedo’s and a twin .5” machine gun mount, .303 guns could be mounted on the torpedo tubes and she could carry depth charges as well. Later boats had four tubes and carried a variety of guns from .303 up to 6 pdr’s.
Always lighter and less well armed than the German E boats, the MTB’s acquitted themselves well. Powered by a variety of engines, they’re best known for being equipped with the Packard built 4M-2500 engine, 3 of them supplying 4,200 HP; enough to give a top speed of almost 40 knots.
The boats are best known for their North Sea and Channel operations, but they were also busy in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean and the Pacific. The crew was made-up of 10/13 officers, who were all men.
One of the subjects of the kit, the MTB 77, was sunk during the war.
The Kit
As you can see, it’s a big box. It measure at 72cm x 33cm x 5cm.
So what’s in it?
Well, it’s may be an illusion but, at first glance, not a lot. Or so it seems. The first thing I found after I pried the lid off (and I do mean pried), was that it was very tight. The first (and only) thing you initially see is the instructions, decals and the photographic reference manual (PRM).
These are lying on an inner lid, which opens to the left and right to reveal the upturned hull and deck. Lift that out and remove the ‘lid’ it’s on and you finally reach the rest of the kit. 10 out of 10 for packaging; something would need to be pretty drastic to damage the kit in transit.
Aside from the hull and deck there’s four sprues and a little bit holding the rest of the kit. I make it to be:
- A & B, the hull and deck, 2 parts
- C The wheel house, 31 parts.
- D X 2, torpedo’s, deck fittings and stand, 2 X 84, 168 parts.
- E Torpedo tubes, deck fittings & stand, 44 parts.
- F Transom and deck, 3 parts.
- Photo etch, 85 parts
- Clear, 29 parts
- 7 Screws and 2 bits of ‘rope’
My maths makes that 371 parts, so this isn’t for the novice builder. Although, looking at the instructions, there’s nothing that should cause any real trouble in assembly, the photo etch and die-cut clear parts being the only reason I say that.
The Hull and Deck
Both of these are well moulded with, as you would expect, no flash. There’s plenty of detail moulded on the deck including some fine planking. The deck is a very good fit loose, so after the seven screws are fixed it should be near perfect.
The hull has three faint marks where parts fit, one starboard, two port.
Looking at the first page in the PRM there’s a clear picture of an MTB and jets of water can be seen pouring from these, so I assume they’re the cooling water outlets. There’s no obvious exhausts, so I’m guessing that the exhaust is somehow mixed with the cooling water and dumped out the side. Internet here I come!
The first five stages deal with the assembly of the hull, screws, rudders, deck and stand. The instructions have you fitting all the portholes in stage three and painting at stage 32, but I think we’d all paint the hull before fixing the portholes.
Stages six to eight deal with deck fittings.
A word concerning the ventilators. They’re moulded in left and right halves that leaves a lovely seam right where you can’t get to it without a fight and there’s ten of the damn things: GRRRR!
Oh well, it’s all part of the game.
Next comes the well detailed wheel house…
Nine through to twelve, then it’s more deck fittings, guns, torpedo’s, torpedo tubes, mast etc to stage twenty eight.
After that it’s rigging, decals and it’s done. Easy, wasn’t it! Well it looks like it shouldn’t be much harder than that. Let’s hope the fit is as good as the hull/deck is.
Conclusion
If you’re spending the sort of money this kit costs I’m assuming it’s not your first model, so you don’t need me to tell you the best way of tackling it. We all have our own ways.
All the parts look well moulded and without flash, the portholes and some of the etched brass looks a bit fiddly, but as I’ve said I can’t foresee any problems. Mind you, I thought that of Italeri‘s new Hurricane and I was wrong there.
The list price is £100 or there abouts, which is a lot for a model but I’m sure there’ll be deals and you do get a large detailed model.
Paul K.