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I have nearly completed my build of the 1/350 Combrig Nisshin, and can contribute my own observations on this kit. First off, I would agree with much of what Martin Quinn has stated about this kit, but there are some significant limitations that may not be evident until you actually start its assembly. The upper and lower hull sections fit well but, at least with my kit, I needed to glue wooden blocks at two places in the lower hull to slightly widen it so that it could fit snugly against the outer margins of the upper hull. The usual problem with Combrig kits (at least most older ones, such as this one seems to be) is the vagaries and ambiguities of the assembly instructions. There aren't that many parts to glue (aside from each individual railing stanchion), but the assembly of the boat supports is quite uncertain, and there is no means of attaching the boats to the structures that are supposed to support them, particularly if, as the instructions and line diagrams of the ship show, you try to place two boats side-by-side. The boats themselves, as Quinn has reported, are beautifully cast, but there are no boat cradles and the modeler will either have to use spares (I happened to have some, in photoetch) or devise his own; I have not found an aftermarket seller of just boat cradles. Also, although the main mast structure is included (and this ship has only a single, central mast), you will need to supply your own topmasts, spars, booms and boat cranes, as well as flagstaffs and crane hooks and other hardware. You will also need brass or plastic rods for the propeller shafts. The kit does have four flimsy resin rods that might be spars or mast extensions, but they were all too warped to be useful and were otherwise unidentified in the instructions. No dimensions are provided in the instructions for building your own; you will need to rely on photos to judge their lengths. Some of the superstructure parts do not fit well or are too snug and will require sanding; the 8-in. gun barrels are decent but I would recommend using brass ones for the 6-in. and 3-in. barrels in casemates. The line drawings in the instructions also show what appear to be about 9 large, thick hatch covers on the forecastle and quarterdecks, but the kit provides only two (and the instructions do not show where they should go) -- otherwise, these are represented just by flat, slightly raised squares or rectangles on the decks. No flags or decals are included, and though photos of this ship clearly show small Imperial Japanese chrysanthemum crests on either side of the bow, the kit has none. As Mr. Quinn mentioned in his review, the photoetch frets are quite plain, and some of the ladders that are provided are often too short to fit where the instructions state they should go (and their precise placement is often uncertain, as well). One advantage my kit did have over Mr. Quinn's, though - it arrived by mail with no broken or missing parts.
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