by Patrizio Carlucci
1/700 Italian Heavy Cruiser Gorizia (Delphis)
Patriotism called for a "Regia Marina" (not the company) subject and troubles came with it. Italian warships of the WWII are beautiful but tough subjects under every aspect. At the end, even if not 100% complete, I felt like patience was running over. It has been my first resin kit and the fascination that this media had on me is such that I have an hard time to look at a plastic kit again.
Assembly:
Instructions are vague on some steps, parts descriptions slightly cryptic
leaving a lot to the imagination (or documentation as in my case).
Mast and support rods for the decks on the two castles are not provided.
The supposed-to-be openings on the decks were these support
rods pass through were barely open and miss-aligned. Drilling them,
...a thrilling experience. Many details have been scratch-built using the
resin's flush film. The flying bridge structure and some weapons were damaged
during transport. Guns' barrels are cast with the turret, slightly bent
and needed a
lot of sanding to achieve an acceptable shape and I didn't have the
will to replace. PE is a mix of Regia Marina, GMM (figures and 1/700 Naval
ships) and Flagship. The supports with the inverted "V" shapes along the
main railings have been made with thin copper wire. In photos I have seen,
this posts served as supports for biminis during particular situations
and are present on almost any RM unit of the time.
Paint and diorama:
The camouflage has been air-brushed while the foc'sle hand painted,
all using Model master enamels. Weathering made with Citadel colors' inks
(chestnut, brown and black) and oil colors for the wood deck. Airplane
insignias and ships flag are hand painted. The dock is entirely scratch-built
using scribed Evergreen's styrene sheets and beams. The two buildings and
the crane are from Skywave. Water is a glass pane backed with a creased
aluminum foil, oil painted and coated with acrylic gloss varnish.
Two Japanese books published by Kaijinsha, whose covers are attached,
have been my main source inspiration. This website for more historical
info on the Regia Marina: http://www.regiamarina.net
