In January 2005 the first issue of a new model magazine was published. The magazine is named Modelarstwo Okretowe and as you can probably tell from the title, it is published in Poland. With so many model magazines published throughout the world, is there anything that makes Modelarstwo Okretowe stand out? In my opinion, yes. First, it is devoted only to ship models. The coverage includes commercially available models, as well as scratch-built models by featured modelers. Other features included are historical pieces, extensive CAD diagrams of ordnance, modeling tip articles and of course ship model reviews. Each issue includes a bonus insert. Usually this is a set of plans but at least one special issue came with a bonus card model of a destroyer. That leads to another significant feature of this magazine. There is an approximate even division between reviews of card models and reviews of resin and plastic models. This article takes a look at the first issue of the magazine. 

Issue Number 1 of Modelarstwo Okretowe is dated 1/2005 and the issue focuses on the Imperial Japanese Destroyer Yukikaze. The color photograph on the cover is matched with eight more color photographs on the inside cover of a 1:200 scale card model of the Yukikaze built by Marcina Grygiela, which is truly spectacular. This serves to whet your appetite for the subsequent features on Yukikaze found in this issue. 

Yukikaze 1:200 Scale Card Model

Ten pages are devoted to reviews of different models. Two pages are thumb nail reviews of a single paragraph each. Products reviewed included plastic kits by Dragon, Hasegawa, Pit Road, Tamiya, and Trumpeter. Resin kits produced by Combrig and Niko are reviewed. This followed by longer two paragraph reviews of four card models; ORP Orkan Polish destroyer by Answer; 1:200 scale USS Oakland CLAA by Modelik; a 1:400 scale Shinano by JSC and a 1:400 scale containership Mary Arctica by JSC. Four books are reviewed, the Anatomy of the Ship Bismarck, and three Profile Morskie releases. Those are the quick reviews. After those are found in depth reviews on some selected models. Two card models and one plastic model received this detailed treatment. For the card models, a two page review covered the 1:200 scale model of the Japanese light cruiser Isuzu by Answer and a 1:200 scale model of USS Missouri by GPM. Think of the size of a Mighty Mo in 1:200 scale! This review is three pages in length and has a couple of color photographs of the finished model. The plastic Trumpeter 1:350 scale Lexington also merited a three page review. 

Model Reviews

The next article is another three page article but a card subject, the Polish training frigate Dar Mlodziezy, which is another product of GPM but in 1:100 scale. There are a few short articles, which cover radio controlled models. One was on the  tug Christiaan Brunings. A four page article covered a RC contest. 

Card & RC Models

The meat of this issue is the Yukikaze. A three page historical article by Grzegorz Nowak was on the destroyer. Coupled with this was an article on the Japanese twin Type 89 twin 127mm/40 DP guns. Although the Yukikaze did carry 5-inch (127mm) guns, they were of a different type. In addition to photographs of the ordnance, including a photo of a rusting specimen from present day, there is a five drawing set of plans on the ordnance in 1:50 scale by Grzegorz Nowak . This is followed by five pages of beautiful CAD three-dimensional drawings of the ordnance rendered by Waldemar Goralski. Twenty-six different CAD drawings show the gun mount in almost every conceivable angle.  

Yukikaze Article

In addition to writing the historical article on Yukikaze, Grzegorz Nowak is the author of a 1:200 scale set of plans of the Yukikaze in her 1945 fit. The separate included sheet is back-printed and is a little bit over 30-inches by 22-inches. Included drawings on the front that are in 1:200 scale are profile, plan, sheer line plan, sheer line profile and 26 hull sections. The section lines also appear in 1:100 scale. On the back side of the sheet are detail modules. In 1:200 scale is a deck detail plan, mainmast drawings, 01 level superstructure details, bridge details, stack details and foremast details. In 1:100 scale are ship's boats, triple 25mm gun mount, single 25mm gun mount, twin 127mm Type 13 gun turret, quadruple 610mm torpedo mount, Type 94 fire director and Type 13 "GO" radar array. This sheet is very professionally done and alone is probably worth the cost of the magazine. 

Yukikaze 1:200 Scale Plans

Granted, an inability to read Polish will greatly restrict the information that you can acquire from the magazine Modelarstwo Okretowe . However, the issue comes with some excellent graphic features that can be appreciated without regard to language. The drawings, the extensive and beautifully rendered CAD three-dimensional images and above all the 1:200 scale plans are all of significant value to a modeler who doesn't know one word of the Polish language. In a way, you may consider that you are buying plans with a bonus magazine attached. Only you can determine if Modelarstwo Okretowe is worth your hobby dollar or drachma. More information about Modelarstwo Okretowe can be found at www.modelarstwookretowe.pl. 

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