„Le Redoutable“ – the French ironclad

The battleship "Le Redoutable" is the first steel warship in the world. In terms of seaworthiness, speed, armor area and artillery power, it was the best battleship in the world at the end of the 19th century. According to the project, the ship's armament corresponded to the strategic theories of the time. The battleship had a casemate battery of four 270 mm guns, located in the four corners of the citadel. Two more guns of the same caliber were placed in barbetted half-turrets above the deck. Heavy artillery was supplemented by 6 140 mm cannons, firing transversely through ports, made on the bulwark. "Le Redoutable" was the first French warship, to be fitted with two 356 mm torpedo tubes, capable of firing at an angle of 45 degrees forward of the direction of travel. The bow of the ship had a massive plow-shaped ram, which was a characteristic feature of French shipbuilding in the 19th century. During modernization's, the quantity and caliber of artillery changed, only the main artillery remained the same throughout the service. The beginning of the battleship's service in 1878-1880 was a period of continuous testing. Later, he participated in numerous trainings and maneuvers. In 1882 unrest in Egypt threatened, shipping through the Suez Canal. "Le Redoutable", along with 5 other battleships and other ships, joined the Evolution Escadre and sailed for Tunisia on July 3. There, under the guise of summer cruise training, they approached the zone of expected hostilities. But France decided not to intervene. Maneuvers were replaced by repairs and modernization's. 1 July 1889 The Evolution Escadre is renamed the Western Mediterranean and Levant Escadre. On August 1, 1900, Vice-Admiral Potier hoisted his flag on the battleship and the next day the ship, accompanied by one cruiser, sailed for the Far East, where "Le Redoutable" remained until her decommissioning in 1910. The hull of the world's first steel battleship was sold for 100,000 francs on August 17, 1911, in 1912 the ship's cutting work began

A complex, medium-sized, well-detailed and well-designed model for intermediate to advanced modelers. Like all "Frenchmen" of that time, the ship is characterized by unconventional architecture and technical solutions, which attracts modelers to them the most. Excellent graphic instructions, double-sided printing used, where necessary, sails are double-sided printed on thin paper, some details are printed with "metallic" bronze paint.