Viking Forge

1/2400 WWII Ships

by Jerry Lane

Viking Forge has released several new ships. Received for review were a German H class battleship, USS Wasp CV-7, and the Soviet ships Oktober Revolution and Kirov.

The H class battleship was part of the Kriegsmarines Z plan to produce a large surface navy by 1941. These ships were never built since the war started earlier than the Navy wanted. These powerful ships would make for a very interesting what if scenario. The model is nicely detailed and fairly clean, the only clean up needed was a small seam line. The only assembly required is to install the turrets. USS Wasp was the last of the prewar aircraft carriers, she was torpedoed and sunk in September 42 .

Wasp was smaller than the Yorktown class carriers, required to stay within the tonnage limits of the Washington Naval Treaty, but had roughly the same number of planes. The model has a small amount of flash and comes in three pieces; hull, flight deck, and island. Viking Forge has also started to cover the war in the Baltic.

The Oktober Revolution was a World War I era battleship that had been modernised by the Soviets. Kirov was a heavy cruiser that had been finished just before the start of the war. The Soviet Baltic Fleet did not fight any major fleet actions but they could have. They were involved in air attacks and bombardments. The fleet was initially based in the recently conquered Baltic states and then retreated to Leningrad.

The Baltic is an area that has been little used by wargamers and offers an interesting new sub-section of WW2 naval gaming. Oktober Revolution has some flash and a noticeable seam. The only assembly required is gluing on the turrets. Kirov is well detailed and very cleanly cast. The bridge and turrets are cast separately. Prices are very reasonable ranging from $4 for Kirov to $8 for the H class battleship. Viking Forge has a wonderful range of ships, with many that no one else does. Any WWII naval gamer should take a look at these ships. You can get a current price list from The Viking Forge, 1727 Theresa Lane, Powhatan Virginia 23139. Signifer 15mm and 25mm Flags Dick Bryant Signifer has expanded his 15mm and 25mm Flag offerings (see Advt. elsewhere in this issue). The new 15mm SYW flags are beautifully detailed. HE produces Franco-Prussian War, Napoleonic, ACW, and Napoleonic Flags in both scales. Coming next are Medieval Banners and more Napoleonics.

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