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KFK Kriegsfischkutter (S.018) 1:350 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd During WWII the German Kriegsmarine realised the potential of a low-technology small patrol boat to aid in their operations, and made an order for just over 1,000 examples, fitted out with equipment and armament to suit the task to which they were suited. The hull was of wooden construction that was cheap to make using existing facilities that used up little in the way of strategic materials other than for the frames, with propulsion provided by a diesel engine. It was intended that after the war, they could be converted back to civilian use as a trawler, but the majority used after the war were from post-war production and had never seen action. Production began in 1942, and was undertaken within Germany, but also at other occupied locations, including the Ukraine, for operation on the Black Sea. Many of the type were used as small guard boats or for security patrols, fitted with two circular gun platforms, one on the fore deck, the other set high behind the wheelhouse, offering a better view of larger vessels for the gunner. The war ended before the full contract was completed, with over 600 built in total, some as patrol boats, training vessels, mine sweeping, and for basic anti-submarine warfare. Measuring only 24m long with a displacement of 110 tonnes, the 220hp diesel motor could only propel it to around 9 knots, so it was hardly a fast patrol boat, barely able to keep up with a standard trawler, but it still saw service in every sea where the Nazis fought during WWII. The Kit This is a brand-new tool from ICM, and it’s plain to see where the motivation for it came from, as some vessels were built in ICM’s home country of Ukraine. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box with captive top flap on the lower tray, and inside is a single sprue of grey styrene and the instruction booklet in colour, with painting profiles on the rear pages. Detail is good for the diminutive size of the model in this scale, and as well as having the option of full-hull or waterline models, you also get a simple stand to pose your completed model on if you opt for full-hull. Construction is straight forward and begins with creating the keel up to water level from two halves, then the rest of the hull is made from two more halves plus a deck panel that has planking and some of the deck furniture moulded into the top. Gluing the keel to the upper hull is optional, and a flat blanking plate is also supplied for the waterline modeller to give it some structural rigidity. The wheel house has the stepped rear made up from three parts, plus the vertical front, which also includes the railings for the small (barely) flying bridges to the sides of the enclosed bridge. The two deck gun emplacement bases are situated on the fore deck and behind the wheel house, adding the screw in front of the moulded-in rudder if you have glued the lower hull to your model, and a life ring that straps to the railings on the bridge. The wheel house has a heavy weather-resistant roof added, and a life raft is attached to the front on two pegs, while the single mast is made up out of three parts and inserted into its socket at the rear of the aft gun emplacement. The emplacements each have two-part circular railings that extend to most of the perimeter, which are butt-joints, so make sure you give them adequate time for the glue to cure before carefully putting them into position. The guns are moulded into their conical bases in the idle position, pointing at the sky, and they fit into the centre recess on each emplacement, with the model finished off by adding the anchor in the bow, and another life ring to the other flying bridge. If you wanted to go the extra mile and some more detail to your model, there are vertical posts moulded into the hull sides for the handrails, and you could easily (easy for me to say!) add the horizontals to give it some more realism. The display base is a single part with the shape of the keel moulded into its top, and a concave conical profile that would only take a gloss coat of brass to do a creditable impression of a more expensive metallic base. Markings There are no decals in the box as they aren’t required, but there are two suggested schemes in the back of the instruction booklet, as follows: Multi-purpose boat KFK Kriegsfischkutter, 1944 Multi-purpose boat KFK Kriegsfischkutter with camouflage paint applied, 1944 Paint colours are called out with letters in red boxes that correspond to a table on the front of the booklet that gives you Ukrainian and English names, plus ICM, Revell and Tamiya paint codes that should permit most modellers to choose colours from their preferred range. Conclusion It’s a tiny little model measuring barely 7cm or 3” from stem to stern, but there’s quite a bit of detail included, and it’s another unusual subject that some folks (self-included) might not have heard of. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

KFK Kriegsfischkutter (S.102) 1:144 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd During WWII the German Kriegsmarine realised the potential of a low-technology small patrol boat to aid in their operations, and made an order for just over 1,000 examples, fitted out with equipment and armament to match the task to which they were suited. The hull was of wooden construction that was inexpensive to manufacture using existing facilities that consumed little in the way of strategic materials other than for the structural frames, with propulsion provided by an easily maintained diesel engine. It was intended that after the war, they could be converted back to civilian use as trawlers, but the majority used after the war were from post-war production and had not taken part in the war. Production commenced in 1942, and was undertaken within Germany, but also at other occupied locations, including the Ukraine, for operation on the Black Sea. Many of the type were used as small guard boats or for security patrols, fitted with two circular gun platforms, one on the fore deck, the other set high behind the wheelhouse, offering a better view of larger vessels for the gunner. The war ended before the full contract was completed, with over 600 built in total, some as patrol boats, training vessels, mine sweepers, and for basic coastal anti-submarine warfare. Measuring only 24m long with a displacement of 110 tonnes, the 220hp diesel motor could only propel it to around 9 knots, so it was hardly a fast patrol boat, barely able to keep up with a standard trawler, but it still saw service in every sea where the Nazis fought during WWII. The Kit This is another new tool of the KFK from ICM, no doubt based on the same research undertaken for the smaller 1:350 kit that we reviewed recently, but taking advantage of the larger scale to squeeze in more detail as well as increasing the part count. It arrives in a larger top-opening box with captive flap on the lower tray, and inside are four sprues in grey styrene, a small clear sprue, no decals, and the glossy A4 instruction booklet printed in full colour, with profiles to the rear. Detail is excellent, and the improvement with the jump in scale really shows. Construction begins at the deep-end, fitting the two halves and the deck together to complete the hull, taking care to leave all the vertical railings intact, especially if you’re a clumsy modeller like me. Three pairs of cruciform double bollards are dropped into depressions in the deck around the sides, with a pair of small cowl vents in the bow, then a pair of angled hatches are made up and installed in their locations amidships and near the bow along with more cowl vents either side of the wheelhouse location, which is next to be made. This edition has clear glazing in the wheelhouse windows that are inserted before the main faces of the structure are glued together, although if you think anything will be seen through them, you’ll have to make up the interior details as you go along. A pair of cramped flying bridges are added to the sides, plus steps and ladders for access, adding a life raft to the open area of the front wall, and fitting a raised perimeter to the top of the roof, dotting winches, life rings and other accessories around the superstructure, plus at the stern and bow. The rear gun platform is fitted over the back of the wheelhouse with two sturdy stanchions supporting it aft, then another is made up on a five-legged stand, with an access ladder and solid surround at the front. The stern is studded with six depth charges on cradles, adding a pair of davits over the rear, and a pair of bandstand railings around the two gun emplacements, which have single-barrelled deck guns with twin shoulder-mounts and adjustment wheels added before they are inserted into the centre sockets. The model is finished off by adding the screw and rudder, a trio of paravane buoys for mine sweeping, the short mast, four roller-guides over the stern, anchor, single davit and mooring bollards at the bow, and yet more narrow deck vents. The modeller must provide the thread or wire to create the safety railing between the posts, and that’s the vessel done. It comes with a styrene stand that has two supports with a groove across the top to receive the keel, and two rectangular recesses in the sloped sides to accept the relief-moulded name plates that are also included in the kit. Markings There are two schemes shown in the instructions neither of which have any markings or stencils. From the box you can build it with or without camouflage overpainting, as follows: Conclusion In 1:144 it’s still not a large ship, at a shade over 16cm or 6 ¼ inches in old money from stem to stern, but there’s a good amount of detail included, a decent stand that will look good under paint, and it’s an interesting subject. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Pictures of my recently completed model of HMAS Launceston, a Royal Australian Navy Armidale Class Patrol Boat. The model is 1:700 scale a straight out of the box build of the Dodo Models kit with minor enhancements for rigging and antennae. A detailed build log can be found here: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234999281-dodo-models-1700-royal-australian-navy-armidale-class-patrol-boat/ and pictures: I hope you enjoy.