Tamiya
1/700 German Z Class Z37-39
Kit Number: 31908
First Look by  Luke R. Bucci, PhD, IPMS# 33549
[Fig.01]
MSRP: $11.30

See the full build article in the on the IPMS Review website

Thanks to Larry Chen at Tamiya America for supplying the review kit.

Bottom Line: Tamiya re-issued their re-issue of Skywave's German Z class destroyer kit with a few improvements, and added an extra sprue with additional AA guns and platforms to accurately portray the late-war "Barbara" refit for first-line German destroyers.

Deutsch Kriegsmarine (DKM) Z Class Z37-39 Destroyers The German Navy in World War 2 was caught off guard by Hitler - they had barely embarked on an ambitious building program to have a sizeable surface fleet ready for war in 1944. In the case of destroyers, the German Navy realized they could never come near France and Great Britain's overwhelming numerical superiority in destroyers (over 10:1), and so set about trying to make each destroyer individually superior to British counterparts. The result was a large and not entirely successful design that with minor modifications culminated in the Type 1936A (Mob) Z31-34, Z37-39. The Kriegsmarine numbered destroyers, starting with Z1 (Z stood for Zerstorer, the German name for Destroyer). Earlier units had names in addition to Z numbers, but by the time war-built destroyers appeared, they were known only by their Z numbers, a practice carried over from World War One.

To achieve individual ship superiority (on paper at least), war production German destroyers mounted 5.9 inch main guns for their main battery instead of the usual 4, 4.7 or 5 inch guns used in other navies. The forward main guns were supposed to be in a twin turret, but some units completed with only a single mounting since the development of twin turrets was delayed. The large twin 6 inch turret forward hampered sea-keeping ability, and combined with unreliable power plants and a relatively short range; German destroyers underperformed and frequently missed important battles after being sent back to port. Early in the war (April 1940), Germany lost half of its destroyers in the Norwegian campaign, with only ten operational (compared to over a hundred British destroyers). When the non-decision to invade England was being made, a huge factor was the lack of escorts for any seaborne transit of the English Channel. After 1940, German destroyers were used defensively and never reached numbers considered adequate for screening or aggressive actions.

Like other navies during WW2, German destroyers were fitted with ever increasing numbers and calibers of AA guns. The Barbara project was the final rendition of AA augmentation. New 37mm twins with increased rate of fire were added (4 mounts), replacing one 5.9 inch gun. Additional 20mm quad mounts (named Vierling or Whirlwind) and additional twin 20mm mounts were added to supplement the usual two twin 37mm, two 20mm singles and 1-2 quad 20mm mounts typically carried. Final AA armament for Barbara Z class destroyers was supposed to be 6 37mm twins, two quad 20mm mounts, two twin 20mm and two single 20mm mounts. (Figures 2,3) However, variations of AA gun fits were the norm. The Barbara refit put shields on AA guns for the first time (well after other navies had done so), and no torpedo tubes were removed, unlike most American, British, French and Italian destroyers. Compare the Z class Barbara AA outfit of 12 37mm and 14 20mm barrels to a typical late-war Fletcher class AA fit of 10 40mm and 7 20mm barrels. However, the main armament of US destroyers was an excellent AA weapon, whereas the 6 inch main armament of German destroyers was low angle only. Typical British destroyers had 4 40mm (2 pdr), and 4-8 20mm barrels, plus some had an extra 3 or 4 inch AA gun replacing a set of torpedo tubes, and zero or limited ability of main battery AA fire. Late-war Japanese destroyer AA fits had 20-28 25mm barrels along with main armament capable of AA fire. Thus, the Barbara AA refit gave German destroyers a large but uncontrolled light AA armament with more barrels per ship than other navies.

For the ships listed as subjects in the Tamiya kit, Z37 did not receive the full Barbara refit since she was stranded in France after D-Day, and in August 1944, was scuttled in Bordeaux while undergoing repairs after a collision with Z32 in January 1944. Z38 had a very active career that ended up in the Baltic and received the Barbara refit. She survived the war and became HMS Nonsuch. Z39 stayed in the Baltic and was given the Barbara refit in 1944. She survived the war and was taken over by the Americans, who gave her to France to use for spares for France's Z class destroyer prizes in service after the war.

First-Look Box Review:

Tamiya took over Skywave's previous molds of later Z class destroyers and continued with two ships per box. The box art shows Z37 in a Norwegian splinter camouflage scheme in June 1943 without the Barbara AA refit, same as their previous Z37-39 kit (31905). The Tamiya kit is virtually identical to the Skywave molds (Figures 5-11), but has two improvements: 1) the AA platform around the aft funnel is accurate; and 2) part A44, the platform for the forward Vierling (Figure 7) mount is added. Both Skywave and Tamiya kits are far superior to the earlier Matchbox "Narvik" class of German destroyers in 1/700 scale. The Tamiya (and Skywave) kits scale out to 415.7 feet, very close to the actual 416 feet in length, and the beam is accurate at 39 feet. This particular kit is an update of Tamiya's earlier 31905 kit of Z37-39. The new feature of this kit (31908) is two new sprues with additional AA guns and platforms in order to convert the ships into the "Barbara" late-war, enhanced AA fit. (Figure 6)

Kit Characteristics:
  • Injected plastic (polystyrene) waterline kits (two complete ships per box). No lower hulls.
  • Option to build as-commissioned fit (1943) or Barbara refit (1945) for one or both ships.
  • One-piece hull with some superstructure molded on (convenient and prevents ugly seams).
  • Plenty of molded detail on deck and superstructure pieces.
  • Accurate dimensions for hull and platforms.
  • Instructions are the exploded view type, but clear and east to follow (Figure 4).
  • AA guns are rather chunky and the Barbara add-ons do not have shields (Figures 6, 8, 9).
  • Decal sheet has only two German flags, and the swastika has been removed. The older Skywave kits have flags with swastikas and accurate DKM flags are available from aftermarket suppliers Figure 12).
  • Painting Guide illustrates the Barbara refit (Figures 2, 3). In 1945, Baltic German destroyers were painted light grey for all vertical surfaces, and a dark grey for decks. The camouflage scheme shown on the box art was an Arctic scheme, and is illustrated in Tamiya kit No. 31905.
  • Instructions show how to assemble the Barbara refit, but also show how to assemble part A44, the forward quad 20mm Vierling mount, which is not used for the Barbara refit, but this is not explained.
This kit looks to be a relatively easy build with no major glaring seams to fill, although the stern transom has some dimples to fill and sand flat. Although some of the smaller pieces are slightly chunky, this is common in 1/700 scale, and this kit should look fine out-of-the-box. Aftermarket photo-etch sets can replace the AA guns and finer parts if desired. However, this kit is an excellent rendition of a late-war German destroyer that needs little or no improvements to produce a worthy finished model.

Summary:
Tamiya has reissued their (and Skywave's) Z class kit with upgrades for the late-war AA refit. The model is accurate in dimensions, well detailed, easy to build and inexpensive. Although the flag decals are not accurate, they will not detract from the appearance. The painting guide recommends Tamiya paints (naturally), but there are Kriegsmarine-specific paints available from White Ensign Models and ModelMasters. Thus, a modeler has the means to make accurate models of late-war German destroyers. Highly recommended.

References:
  • Beaver P. German Destroyers and Escorts. Aztex Corporation, Tucson, AZ, 1981. ISBN 0-89404-060-X
  • Jones DH. Kriegsmarine destroyers. Pt. 1. Plastic Ship Modeler 1994; 1(1):9-11.
  • Jones DH. Kriegsmarine destroyers Part II. Plastic Ship Modeler 1994; 1(2):18-19.
  • Jones DH. Kriegsmarine destroyers Part III. Plastic Ship Modeler 1994; 1(3):22-23.
  • Jones DH. Kriegsmarine destroyers Part 4 Z 31 onwards. Plastic Ship Modeler 1994; 1(4):12-13.
  • Jones DH. Kriegsmarine camouflage 1939-1945 Part I. Plastic Ship Modeler 1995; 2(2):27-29.
  • Jones DH. Kriegsmarine camouflage 1939-1945 Part II. Plastic Ship Modeler 1995; 2(3):26-28.
  • Jones DH. Kriegsmarine camouflage 1939-1945 Part III. Plastic Ship Modeler 1995; 2(4):26-29.
  • Kemp P. The Russian Convoys 1941-1945. Warships Illustrated No 9. Arms and Armor Press, Poole, UK, 1987. ISBN 0-85368-733-0
  • Lenton HT. German Surface Vessels 1. Doubleday & Co., Garden City, NY, 1966.
  • Lenton HT. German Warships of the Second World War. Arco Publishing Company, New York, NY, 1976. ISBN 0-668-04037-8
  • Preston A. The Narvik Flotilla. German Destroyer Design 1936-45. Part 1: Z23-30. Warship, Vol. 1, No. 1, Preston A, Ed., Conway Maritime Press, London, UK, 1977, 24-33. ISBN 0-87021-975-8
  • Preston A. The Narvik Flotilla. Part 2: Z31 onwards. Warship, Vol. 1, No. 2, Preston A, Ed., Conway Maritime Press, London, UK, 1977, 45-53. ISBN 0-87021-975-8
  • Preston A. The Narvik Flotilla. Conclusion. Warship, Vol. 1, No. 4, Preston A, Ed., Conway Maritime Press, London, UK, 1977, 26-30. ISBN 0-87021-975-8
  • Whitley MJ. Destroyer! German Destroyers in World War II. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 1983. ISBN 0-87021-143-9
  • Whitley MJ. Destroyers of World War Two. An International Encyclopedia. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 1988. ISBN 0-87021-326-1
  • Whitley MJ. German Destroyers of World War Two. 2nd ed., Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, 1991. ISBN 1-55750-302-8
  • Williamson G, Palmer I. German Destroyers 1939-1945. Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2003. ISBN 1-84176-504-X
Websites:
Online references for German destroyers are harder to find than for US Navy warships, but my favorites are:
Illustrations:
  • Fig.1: Box Art for Tamiya 31908 Z Class Z37-39 Barbara Project German WW2 Destroyers depicting Z37 in June 1943 as commissioned without the Barbara refit.[box art at page top]

[Fig.2] [Fig.3] [Fig.4]
  • Fig.2: Underside Box Art for Tamiya 31908 Z Class Z37-39 Barbara Project German WW2 Destroyers showing the paint schemes for an as-commissioned ship (Z37) and after the Barbara refit (Z39).
  • Fig.3: Painting Guide from instruction sheet showing an overhead view of Barbara project modifications to Z39.
  • Fig.4: Instruction sheet.

[Fig.5] [Fig.6] [Fig.7]
  • Fig.5: Main sprue.
  • Fig.6: Additional AA guns and platforms sprue.
  • Fig.7: Additional part in Tamiya kits not found in Skywave kits (A44) - the platform for the forward quad 20mm mount.

[Fig.8] [Fig.9] [Fig.10]
  • Fig.8: Close-up of guns on sprue.
  • Fig.9: Close-up of platforms on sprue.
  • Fig.10: Close-up of bridge and funnels on sprue.

[Fig.11] [Fig.12] [Fig.13]
  • Fig.11: Close-up of crude, "Aztec steps" for ladders leading to bridge (a prime candidate for replacement by photo-etch ladders).
  • Fig.12: Flag decals from Tamiya and Skywave kit showing the missing swastikas on the Tamiya kit decals.
  • Fig.13: Side-by-side comparison of Tamiya and Skywave sprues with a partly assembled hull from the 1/600 Airfix kit of a Narvik class German destroyer. The Tamiya and Skywave sprues are identical with the exception of the AA platform around the aft funnel, and the addition of part A44 by Tamiya.
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