This is my first experience with a Combrig kit and I found it be an overall good one.  The subject certainly attracted me as I have an interest in the Cerberus and monitors of this era.  Out of the box it is a good kit with well cast resin parts.  However, there were a couple of minuses – the first being the lack of basic photo-etch.  To address this I used some from several sources:   Photo-etch railings, ladders, boat oars and ship wheels left over from various Iron Shipwrights kits of ships from this era. Perforated beams from the L’Arsenal Structural Set #1 were added to the bottom of the upper deck. Boat rudders and funnel cap grille came from leftovers from sundry photo-etch sets. Lifeboat pulleys from the Gold Medal Models Merchant Ship set. The other minus is the resin boat davits which are so thin and warped that I found them unusable.  I substituted brass rod for these.  Here is where photo-etched versions would have been most welcome. I added L’Arsenal resin crew figures to the decks.  I downloaded an image of the period correct flag from the HMVS Cerberus website and printed it on thin velum paper.  I added additional details where needed.  Rigging was done with .005 inch steel wire dipped in Blacken It. Click here to read Steve Backer’s in-box review of this kit for more information. (http://www.steelnavy.com/CombrigCerberus350.htm)

Felix Bustelo

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