Jadar Ships 1/700 Pelayo Spanish Battleship |  | Overview The Pelayo was built at the shipyards in La Seyne, France, in the mid-1880s. Launched in February of 1887, the Pelayo was ready for duty a year later. The ship first saw action in the Spanish-American War in 1898 where she took part in Admiral Camara’s failed attempt at a Philippines relief expedition. The Pelayo soldiered on for many years after that, becoming a training ship in the early 1920s. In 1925 her usefulness was over, though, and the Pelayo was scrapped. The Kit  This is the first ship kit for Jadar Models, and they have done an excellent job. The kit is mainly resin, with a fret of photoetch to provide the smaller details. The only thing left for the modeler to supply is the tops of the masts, some rigging, and plenty of time. The instructions provide a small two-view drawing, a short history, and an exploded diagram showing parts placement. Color references are provided in the text.
 Moving on to the kit, the resin parts consist of the one-piece hull, the turrets, all the lifeboats, and other tidbits such as the gun barrels, vents and stacks. All of the parts are well cast, and after some minor cleanup should present no problems in assembly. The kit is a waterline kit, with the pour gate coming off of the stern underside. That is about the only large gate you will have to deal with in this kit, as the rest are much more manageable.
 The photoetch fills in all the fine details that you would expect to see, including a full set of railings. Also included are the anchors, the tops to the lifeboats, and stairs. Also included are the lifeboat davits, all of which are petite and will go a long way to providing a realistic appearance on this small model.
Conclusion This is a great start to what is hopefully a long line of resin ship kits from Jadar. The interesting subject matter coupled with the crisp moldings makes this a good starter kit for those who want to give a go at a 1/700 resin ship. | 
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