1:144 Imperial Chinese Navy Peiyang Squadron 'Ping Yuen'

The Chinese ironclad Ping Yuen in 1:144 scale (Bronco)

An unassembled kit of the warship Ping Yuen, which served in the northern Chinese squadron, given in European sources as Peiyang. The 1:144 scale is unusual for warships and allows even small details of the deck and the superstructures to be captured. Bronco has issued a whole series of vessels of the same squadron in this scale, so the model can be added to a complete collection.

The real subject

The Ping Yuen belonged among the armored vessels of coastal defense, that is ships built for fighting near their own coast rather than for the open sea. She was smaller and slower than the large ironclads of the day, but carried heavy armor and a large-caliber main gun forward. She was built in a Chinese shipyard and is remembered as one of the first larger warships built by domestic industry. She saw action in the war between China and Japan in the mid-1890s.

Building and painting tips

With a ship model, first decide whether you will build it with a full hull or only to the waterline; the preparation of the base follows from that. Paint the deck and the superstructures separately from the hull and join the assembly only once everything is dry. Small railings and ladders tend to be the most fragile part of ship models; work with tweezers and glue them on last. An airbrush and a smooth base suit the hull, because glossier dark shades show every unevenness mercilessly. Keep the weathering restrained: fine streaks below the anchor openings and a light cast of rust by the anchor chains.

Who the model is for

• Collectors of nineteenth-century warships
• Modelers who want a less usual subject beyond the European and American fleets
• Builders of small scales interested in fine detail
• Those building a collection of the vessels of one squadron

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