1/400 Regia Nave Fiume (Tauro Model)
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by Ralf Roggeveen |
1/400 Regia Nave Fiume (Tauro Model)
Italian engineering whether it be aircraft, cars, coffee percolators
or ships, is always the most beautiful looking. The Zara Class heavy cruisers
of the 1930s were no exception, and all four - Zara, Fiume, Pola and Gorizia
- can be built in 1/400th scale from Tauro kits. There were minor variations
between the four sisters; this is Fiume assembled more or less ‘out of
the box’ with the addition of White Ensign railings and ladders plus HP
Models’ flags. Many plastic rods were also replaced with metal, notably
the columns supporting the complicated citadel. That was by far the most
difficult part of the model, taking as long to construct as the whole of
the rest of it. Decals were trouble free. It all fitted together reasonably
well, though I took artistic license with arranging the ship's boats and
discarded the crude gangways and davits provided (parts 62 and 59) to preserve
her sleek lines. Nor did they include any life rafts which in my case had
to filched from an old Airfix Ark Royal, though you may be lucky enough
have something similar in your spares box. This model was fun to make but
required some patience and a lot of very careful layout testing before
actual gluing. A pity it’s not in 1/350th to go with the Trumpeter Roma,
but great that an Italian kit manufacturer has come out with these elegant
cruisers in reasonably priced plastic.
