Battleship Vittorio Veneto Book Review

By David L. Veres

Review

Tackling Trumpeter's 1:700 Vittorio Veneto? Anticipating its 1:350 version? Get this book.

Named for a WWI Italian victory over Austria-Hungary and unit of Fascist Italy's Littorio battleship class, the Vittorio Veneto honorably acquitted itself in engagements with Allied naval forces during WWII.

Now it's the subject of a cool, colorful entry in Kagero's "Super Drawings in 3D" series – available in North America from Casemate.

Author Carlo Cestra kick-starts coverage with notes on Vittorio Veneto's historical background, design and construction. Text next turns to a technical summary and operational history. And the overview ends with a "conclusion" and one-source "bibliography".

Contents thereafter turn meaty for modelers. At least 72 pages of clear, highly informative 3-D drawings detail Vittorio Veneto, stem to stern, follow. And a separate sheet of 1:350 plans – with larger scale detail insets – complete contents.

Nitpicks?

A shot of Vittorio Veneto in Erminio Bagnasco and Augusto De Toro's definitive monograph, The Litttorio Class, shows fewer red & white recognition stripes on the warship's bow deck. Enthusiasts might prefer the term "rangefinder" to "telemetric turrets". And I thought Ro.43 seaplanes wore overall Grigio Azzurro Scuro 3 (FS36118) camouflage – not Verde Oliva Scuro 2 (FS34052).

Concerns aside, I enjoyed this "Super Drawings in 3D" installment. Make it your Vittorio Veneto handbook!

My sincere thanks to Casemate for this review sample!