Tom's
1/350 Titanic Benches
Reviewed
by Mike Hanson
Photoetch can
really add to the detail and the look of a model, and the
Minicraft 1/350 Titanic is no exception. Tom's Modelworks
makes a number of photoetch (PE) sets for this kit, one of
which is a nice set of benches for the deck of the Titanic.
The injection-molded benches that come with the kit are simply
not comparable.
As is typical
with Tom's PE sets, the Titanic bench set is made of very
fine brass. There are 48 benches on the fret, and the instructions
are very straight-forward. The gluing is kept to a minimum,
as the main bench is a single piece that through four folds
becomes a bench (three folds if you leave off bending the
last bench slat downward). The only gluing is to attach the
middle leg, a separate part that is fitted to the middle of
each bench. The middle leg is very, very tiny and very fine,
and could potentially be left off. Unless you have very good
eyesight, the use of a magnifier of some sort is highly recommended.
These parts are very small and very light-weight.
Once completed,
it makes a very convincing Titanic bench. The PE process was
able to capture the ironwork on the arms very nicely, and
after painting they look like a perfect little replica. Painting
guides for the benches can be found on this site. I experimented
with colored markers and the result wasn't too bad. A picture
of a finished bench is attached (note that some of the color
was scratched off during the bending process, and I haven't
yet touched it up). A shorter bench could be created by carefully
cutting and shortening one half of the bench, leaving only
enough on one side to allow you to glue it back together.
I would highly
recommend the PE benches even if you're not going for a super-detailed
build. They add so much to the look, and are so much better
than the kit parts, they are a bargain no matter how you slice
it. Well worth the approximate $8 retail cost.
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