JSC

1/400 Basto III Double-ended Ferry

Kit Number: 81

Reviewed by  Greg Perry, IPMS# 45865

MSRP: $5.00 Website: store.jsc.pl/ This kit represents the largest ferry used in Norway to cross the many fjords along that country's shoreline. It has a crew of 15 and can carry 212 cars on its two cargo decks and a total of 550 passengers. The model comes in A4 book size and is computer-rendered. There are 4 pages of 135 parts. Instructions are provided in Polish and in English. Five vehicles and a loading dock are included as extras. The loading dock doubles as a fixture when building the ship to keep the internal walls properly spaced. The kit fits together extremely well. No major build issues were evident. The only trimming necessary for fit was to the bottom of both funnels. The five vehicles provided could be a challenge to a novice, but still build up rather nicely. Build time was about a three days for this project, which is rather quick for a commercial paper model. There are optional ramps provided for the lower deck access needed during loading and unloading. I installed one of the ramps to represent the ship during unloading. The builder also has the choice to build the boat with the fore, aft or both gates opened or closed. The English instructions provided are very well written and provided a very good outline of how to build this model in conjunction with the provided photographs. Because of the low number of parts and lack of build problems, this is an ideal paper model for a first project. There are some detail antenna parts to be made from wire or styrene stock.

In 1:400 scale, the model measures out to just under 12 inches, not including the loading dock. I really enjoyed this build and would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to try their hand at a paper model. I would like to thank IPMS with the opportunity to provide this review and also thank JSC for publishing another unique and well designed model. Happy cutting.