¹⁄700

Building the French Pre-Dreadnought Battleship Massena

Building the Model, in 1/700

With the recent ability to download historical plans direct from the French naval archives free-of-charge there has been an upsurge in both interest and availability of kits of these wonderful looking ships from a period of design uncertainty.

Massena was released as a short run kit from Festival Dreamworks of Japan. I purchased my kit from Pacific Front Hobbies. Massena is a unique and interesting vessel to model so I was delighted to find a kit of such an exotic subject; alas the kit fell a little short of my high hopes and expectations - surprising considering the availability of indisputable primary source plans. Nevertheless I was not to be discouraged!






Upon checking the basic dimensions, the length overall was spot on, but the beam was to narrow, superimposing the hull casting onto plans showed the outline of the ship to be parallel when it should have been a gentle curve as well as a stern whose gentle curve was pointed.






These flaws were rectified by adding styrene strips to the midships areas and fairing in carefully.






The stern and the shape of the stern superstructure was added to with styrene strip, re-profiled, and the deck/hull curve reshaped and sanded along the entire length of the hull.






The foredeck was bit too long so the fwd bulkhead was extended and faired.






The intersection of the flat ship sides and the curved bow section was incorrectly shaped and was filled, re-cut and sanded. The snout-bow also had its top ridge sharpened, extended slightly and re-profiled...