This review will take a detailed look at the 1/700 scale Austro-Hungarian Torpedo boat “Planet”, by JBmodel Europe.

The Kit

As a 1/700 devotee, I thought I had seen small kits....1/700 destroyers and destroyer escorts get pretty small....They are positively huge next to this little gem! The Planet comes in at a mere four inches in total length. This is the kit for the 1/700 modeler looking for a challenge.

Although exceedingly small, the Planet does not skimp on any details. The hull is well formed including deck planking and formed superstructure parts.

The hull is mounted on a resin rail running the length of the ship. While it appears at first to be very useful to handle the tiny hull while painting or adding the parts, frankly, the rail is so heavily welded to the hull that the builder will undoubtedly have to remove that part before any of the delicate parts can be added. Other than the heavy molding on the beam of the hull, it is very well formed and lacks no detail which one would expect on a ship of this type.

The individual other parts are equally well formed and there is virtually no over pour, flashing or wafering usually seen on other resin kits. The funnel is actually open on top and the davit boats are perhaps the best I have ever seen in resin considering their size. The kit comes complete with full PE including the railings, davit boat rigs and internal braces, stays, and rudders, secondary armament, and even includes actual brass barrels for the main armament.

The Instructions:

The instructions are actually very well laid out and in full color. JBModel uses this color to full advantage. Since the parts don’t come on a large sprue like other kits, but rather just loose in a bag, the color coded part references in the instruction tells the builder whether the part is resin or PE.

The color instructions also allows for multiple detailed painting options as well. They allow you to finish the “ship” as she was when she was operated by England or by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Decals

Decals are included for flags and pennants; however, they appear to be massively over-scale given the miniscule size of the ship. I don’t think you could actually manipulate the decals necessary to remain in scale on this ship.

Conclusion

The kit is as detailed and as well done as any “regular sized” 1/700 vessel. However, the sheer size (or lack thereof) will challenge even the most seasoned veteran and will certainly mandate high power opti-viewer glasses and very small forceps to complete this kit.

The only thing missing on this kit of the obscure little “Planet” is a bottle to display her in and a high powered digital camera with digital zoom to photograph her when finished.