Quality Casting
JAG once again raises the bar for resin ship kits with a truly flawless piece of molding for the main hull and superstructure. My commercial product came out of the tube dead flat, with no pour stub, no bubbles and no defects-I gave it a quick wash in dish detergent to remove mold release agents and was ready to start construction. JAG also supplies most of the deck fittings as cast metal, which is very easy to clean up with a sharp hobby knife. The few resin parts were relatively flash free and needed only a little work. Unlike the products of some other makers, this kit comes out of its shipping container largely ready to assemble. I have a family and a real job, and very much appreciate the finished nature of a JAG kit.

Challenging Construction
Construction was challenging in a good way, but this sets the model aside as not one for a beginner. The missiles, for example, have resin bodies, photo-etched fins, four per missile, and need to be delicately attached to a cast metal launcher arm. This requires some handy work with delicate tweezers and successful gluing of resin, photo-etched and cast parts. The same care is needed for the Bainbridge's elaborate masts and radars. There are 30 parts for the foremast right out of the box, and many of us will add photo-etch railings, rigging and other bits, all mixed media and very small and fragile. The pieces all fit well and the photo-etch folds are straightforward right angles, but require a steady hand. JAG recommends on the instructions that you build the masts as separate, mini kits, and only attach them once completed. I followed this advice, temporarily gluing the masts to a small scrap of cardboard for ease of handling and painting, and only gluing them to the superstructure at the very end of construction.

Use the Overhead Plans
Make good use of the 1:700 scale overhead plan and starboard side profile views JAG provides to accurately place fittings on the ship, such as the radars, Harpoons and the chaff dispensers. Keeping with the higher skill level expected for this kit, no etched markings or indents are provided to place these parts. The upside is there are no etched markings or indents to file down or fill in.

Detail
Bulkhead detail on this ship is among the finest that I have seen cast. Although I added a few hatches here and there, I felt no need to replace the molded on ladders, hoses and other details JAG provided. The crispness of the casting will really reward a modeler skillful with his/her washes and highlighting.

Conclusion
With the Bainbridge, JAG has filled another Cold War niche in 1:700 scale, and has done it with a fine kit worthy of more experienced ship modelers. Well done and recommended!

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