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Samek 1/700 Resin German Light Cruiser Nurnberg

By Bob Pearson

Introduction

When one thinks of the German navy in WW2, the thought is usually of large battleships like Bismarck and Tirpitz or of the U-Boat arm, however the first large ship built for the post-WW1 Kreigsmarine was the light cruiser Emden. This was followed by the three 'Ks – Koln, Karslruhe and Konigsberg. The final light cruisers built were the Liepzig and Nurnberg, although of basically similar design, these last two were not a homogenous class, but rather two separate designs which used the same machinery. In common with the Ks these two featured nine 5.9" guns in triple turrets arranged one forward and two aft; eight x 88mm; eight x 37mm; eight x 20mm and twelve torpedo tubes. Nurnberg also carried two floatplanes.

Nurnberg was commissioned on 2 November 1935 and had a relatively inactive war. She was used for minelaying in the North Sea, and was torpedoed with minor damage to her bows on 13 December 1939 in the same engagement in which Liepzig was also hit by HMS Salmon. After repairs she was used as a cadet training ship, followed by a transfer to Norway as part of the fleet in being. This was then followed by another period as a cadet ship in the Baltic until the end of the war. After the war she was turned over to the Soviet Union and was renamed Admiral Makarov, in which guise she was last observed in 1953, probably being broken up shortly after.

The Kit

Samek continues to produce reasonably priced resin kits of uncommon ships. As with the others from this company I have reviewed, the detail is basic, but the possibilites are wide open. The kit contains 82 resin parts as well as a sheet of photoetch.

The hull is totally warp free ... I placed it on a glass pane and no rocking at all took place. .. most impressive. The detail on the hull sides is nicely done and has consistant porthole depth and location. Deck detail is minimal. The remainder of the resin parts provide turrets, superstructure, ships boats, directors, platforms as well as gun barrels. These last I am unsure if they belong to the main or secondary armament . . hopefully the main.

The fret of photoetch provides: anchor chain, davits, 20mm and 37mm guns, basic radar antennae. No rails are included. The additon of the GMM German fret is recommended.

The instructions consist of four 8x11 pages which show an exploded view of all the parts, details on making the main and secondary armament from stretched sprue (hence my wondering which the barrels are for), a 1/700 plan of the side and top view of the ship, another showing the camouflage pattern carried. There is also a brief history of the ship.

Conclusion

A nicely done, reasonably priced kit that with the addition of the GMM detail set and some PE rails looks like it will go together with little hassle.

My sample was acquired from Lubos Vinar of VAMP Mail Order. Although Samek are not part of his online catalog, he can special order them.