1:350 Italian Heavy Cruiser Pola (1941)

The heavy cruiser Pola in 1:350 scale from Hobby Boss

An injection-molded plastic kit of the Italian heavy cruiser Pola in 1:350 scale. The year 1941 in the name refers to the state of the ship in that year, that is, to her appearance in the last period of her service, not to the year she was launched: Pola went into the water as early as the beginning of the 1930s. The manufacturer is Hobby Boss.

The real subject

Pola belonged to the Zara class, the Italian heavy cruisers that were unusually heavily armored for treaty ships of their category. The main armament was eight 203 mm guns in four twin turrets. Pola differed conspicuously from her sisters in the layout of the forward part of the superstructure: her bridge was merged into a single block with the forward funnel, which is the easiest recognition feature in the whole class. The ship served with the Regia Marina in the Mediterranean and was lost in the night phase of the Battle of Cape Matapan at the end of March 1941, when she and her sister cruisers were caught by a British force.

Building and painting tips

Finish the hull and the decks first and only then build the superstructure, otherwise the joints are hard to reach. The wooden deck areas come to life with thin layers of different brown shades, letting the base show through between them. In the war years Italian ships wore conspicuous recognition markings on the bow, which is a rewarding feature on a model. Shade the gray of the hull and leave the lower part of the sides darker.

Who the model is for

• For collectors of ships of the Italian Navy
• For those interested in the Mediterranean campaign of the Second World War
• For modelers who want a ship model of a manageable size
• For builders with basic experience of ship models

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.