Coastal Forces in Paper (CFP)

[OldSalt]

1:250 British coastal defense naval craft from World War II. These are being offered by Horst Murell at cfp.muerell.de

The current catalog includes:
British 105ft Motor Minesweeper (1942)
Harbour Defence Motor Launch ML1031 (1940)
Harbour Defence Motor Launch ML1285 (1942)
Fairmile A Motor Launch ML100 (1940)
Fairmile A Minelayer ML103 (1941)

The kits are available in German or English editions and are presented in an A4 spiral-bound booklet. Each of mine were received in a zip-lock bag. There are clear plastic protectors for the front and back covers (save for canopy-making on your aircraft projects). The front cover has photos of the completed model and various kit information. Using the 105ft minesweeper as an example, there are three pages of part-by-part instructions with excellent photos to assist in assembly. Next was a heavy cardstock page with hull frames, decks and miscellaneous other parts. A second page of lighter cardstock had the remainder of the parts. The cardstock used is grey which eliminates the need for coloring cut edges. Some of the other kits had two different shades of grey. Parts count runs from 150 for the smallest vessel to 300 for the 105ft minesweeper and the lengths from 9 to 12 cm.

For those familiar with David Hathaway's "Paper Shipwright" models the quality and construction techniques of the CFP kits are very similar. All of the models are of the waterline type and all have many TINY parts. Having said that, the accuracy of the parts is dead on and if a gorilla-fist like me can manage them, any experienced modeler should be OK. The prices range from 9.00E to 12.00E and may be off-putting for some. I purchased all five and even with the Euro/Dollar exchange rate I am pleased with the value and quality of these models.

I encourage those who enjoy a "small" (couldn't resist that) challenge to give these models a try.