I don't do a lot of kit reviews - at least, not before I start actually bashing on them, anyway - but this one so blew me away, right from opening the box, that I have to show you:


This is the Hobby Boss 350-scale Chinese Type 033 diesel attack sub - in real life, a copy/refinement of the Soviet Romeo, from the Cold War.

And (with apologies to Willie Shakespeare) this is one Romeo you just have to love - starting with both the watercolor(ish) box art (top) and even better painting guide (bottom) - the latter of a quality to rival any color-guide from the best decal- and/or aircraft kits.

Speaking of which, a true pearl included - in the tradition first established by Pitt Road and Dragon/DML - is an accessory patrol aircraft:


Click on Image to EnlargeMolded in all-clear-styrene (top) is a 1:350 Shuishang Hongzha ("ShuiHong") SH-5 flying boat - a confection of Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corp. (HAMC) which clearly borrowed design elements from both the Soviet Beriev Be-12 (probably under explicit license) and the Japanese Shin Meiwa PS/US-1 (undoubtedly not). The historical significance of the SH-5 does not appear particularly great - as Harbin only produced 6 of them, total - but in modelling this little gem there is certainly real potential - simply if for no other reason than its sheer beauty - even, perhaps, built up all-clear. It would appear Hobby Boss may have agreed, as all its (numerous) parts are molded in the same, flawless clear plastic, and come foam-wrapped, on two sprues (bottom).

Also packed under foam were pieces comprising the Type 033 sail - just two from the absolutely top-notch sprues for the sub, itself:


Click on Image to EnlargeAt left, already clipped from their sprues, and protective wrappings removed, the sail and mast-shears exhibit their elegance - hollow moldings (into which you could even cut open doors/hatches!) to rival the delicacy of anything(s) cast in resin. (From which the scribed-in plating lines only detract, IMHO.) The same crispness and fineness also attends the other parts (right), including the textures on hull- and deck parts (top), as well as (in particular) the propeller shrouds and - for example - a beautiful little torpedo, on the smaller-parts sprue (bottom-left).

Together, the above is already (well) more than good enough, but Hobby Boss continues, truly Over the Top, with a nice little PE fret - mostly containing (redundant, yet still-finer) details for the SH-5, but also a couple tasty tidbits for the 033, including snorkel-fairwater cap-plate and custom-railing for the sail and (again, redundant but finer) propellers. Whichever detail option(s) you choose - the plastic or the PE parts - you're going to end up with top-notch leftovers, for your parts box.

With no prior hint of any of the above, I discovered this kit at my LHS for under $17 - and immediately grabbed it off the shelf, as an affodable Hobby Boss sub to chop-up, for one of my various "scratch-bashes". But now - No Way: this just has to be built OOB, to see just how good it can look. And (especially at this price) what I'll do is simply get another one - perhaps even mold some of its more awesome parts, for resin-casting - and use in multiple, future builds…

To understand how such quality could end up in such a kit, at such a price, one and Only One explanation comes to mind: that a(n ex-) Chinese sub commander had the job - or, at the very least, had the ear of - final quality-control decision-making at Hobby Boss, for this kit. Perhaps even in an official government capacity - as the subject matter (including the Harbin flying boat) is no doubt emblematic of the Rise of the Modern Chinese military. In any case, this kit - from its artwork to its packaging to its moldings to its PE - is clearly a personal expression (even if by a whole team) of pride in workmanship - which absolutely shows, in the final rake-off.

I hope you enjoyed this look at it.

And if anybody can make a liar out of me, above - and show us any other kit(s) this good, at this price, from Hobby Boss (or anybody else, for that matter), do pipe up and let us know!

Cheers,

- Matty