1:350 French Navy Pre-Dreadnought Battleship Danton

The French battleship Danton in 1:350 scale

An injection-molded plastic kit of the French battleship Danton in 1:350 scale from Hobby Boss. The Danton is the lead unit of the class of the same name, which closed the development line of French battleships with a mixed main and secondary caliber.

The real subject

The Danton was launched at the end of the first decade of the twentieth century and entered service at the beginning of the following one. Her class is interesting for its transitional position: the main armament was complemented by a strong secondary battery of heavy guns, so the ships are usually counted among the semi-dreadnoughts, even though the label pre-dreadnought has also stuck to them. They were at the same time the first French battleships with steam turbines, which showed in the high number of funnels and in the characteristic, very complex silhouette. The Danton operated in the Mediterranean and was sunk by a German submarine in the spring of 1917 while sailing toward Sardinia. Her wreck was found and identified many decades later.

Building and painting tips

Ships of this period have many fine features – boats, booms and rangefinder towers – so sort the parts into groups and build in subassemblies. A dark uniform hull finish is easy to overdo, so paint in thin coats and lighten the shade where the light falls on the ship. The rounded shape of the hull comes out well with a light lightening of the sides toward the deck. Liven the wooden decks up with several brown shades applied dry.

Who the model is for

• For collectors of French Navy vessels
• For those interested in the First World War at sea
• For modelers drawn to an unusual and complex silhouette
• For builders with experience of the small parts of superstructures

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