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Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Titanic (MOE-001) Meng via Creative Models Ltd There can’t be many people on this blue marble of ours that haven’t heard of the tragedy that befell the RMS Titanic on its maiden voyage where a combination of bad luck, bad design and poor decisions led to the ship sinking and the loss of over 1,500 lives, mostly from the lower class cabins, due to the well-documented failure to fully utilise even the inadequate lifeboats the ship was carrying. Over a hundred years later it is still oft discussed, and there have been many films on the subject, most notably James Cameron’s eponymous Titanic, the research and his obsession partly responsible for finding the location of the wreck deep in the ocean over 12,000ft down at a pressure of 450bar, which are some astonishing numbers in themselves. The Kit In this super-sensitive era this kit could seem a little incautious, but taken alone and as part of their cartoon range, it has an appeal, and as someone that would like a full-sized Titanic model but doesn’t have the time or room for one, this might be an acceptably simple solution. It’s a new tool from Meng, and fits into their cartoon line, with their new MOE branding in the corner, which led me to wonder why? Apparently, Moe in Japanese means cute in popular culture, and the Chinese version of this is Meng. Coincidence? I don’t know. Kawaii desu ne? The kit is a snap-together model, and has pre-coloured parts with much of the external detail of the real Titanic, while having the (don’t say egg, don’t say egg…) shape of a cartoon, which we understand to have been designed in collaboration with Mr. Liu Naizhong. The kit arrives in a chubby top-opening box, and inside are six sprues and three separate parts in anti-foul red, black, off-white and yellow, as is appropriate for the parts and their location. There is also a tiny sticker sheet and a suitably minuscule instruction booklet in full colour with 3D isometric drawings for each step. Construction begins with adding a pair of inserts for the port and starboard propshafts, then the screws, including the central one behind the single rudder that gave insufficient steering authority to properly avoid the iceberg. Then the hull is pressed together from four layers, red, black and white, with the deck pressing inside the top part. A pair of anchors are hung on the bow (I almost said “front”), and the superstructure is pressed together with three layers, then decked out with four runs of three lifeboats and two extras at the front of the superstructure, before having the bridge pressed into the front so that the completed assembly can be joined to the hull. The four funnels are moulded in yellow with nicely detailed black inserts in the top, and these are pushed into holes in the top deck four inline. The front and rear masts are in the same colour, and there is a little white crane on the bow, with a spoiler (I’m kidding) at the stern. Markings If you aren’t painting the model, you might still consider adding a red stripe to represent the boot-topping, which could be made from red decal strip for ease. The sticker sheet has two white Titanic name plates for each side of the bow, plus a larger golden one for the stern that is positioned centrally. They have a thin clear backing, so there won’t be any annoying edges to cover. Conclusion I quite like it, but you decide for yourself. It’s nicely detailed, simple to make and I wish it came with a stand. A fun project to share with a child, with an opportunity to also share the history of the ship with them, and tell them how hard-won the lessons it taught maritime designers really were. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of