Bronco KB14001 1/144 Imperial Chinese Navy Protected Cruiser "Chih Yuen"

This is a plastic model kit, which comes unassembled and unpainted. So glue, model paints and other basic modelling tools are additionally required.

The Chih Yuan was a protected cruiser designed and built by Armstrong Whitworth and Company of Elswick on the River Tyne in Northern England. It was one of a series of "Elswick Export Cruisers" built for the navies of China, Chile and Japan. The Cheh Yuan, and sister ship Ching Yuan, were built for the Chinese Beiyang Fleet in 1887. These ships had a displacement of 2,355 tons and had a speed of 18 knots. They were armed with 3 x 210mm, 2 x 150mm and 8 x 57mm guns and 4 x 457mm torpedo tubes. Though fast and well armed the Royal Navy though the class too lightly protected. Commanded by Captain Deng Shichang, the Chih Yuen took part in the battle of the Yalu River on 17th September, 1894 against the Imperial Japanese Navy. The ship fought well, and badly damaged she tried to ram the IJN Yoshino (also an Elswick Cruiser built for Japan). However she sank under heavy fire before she could ram the enimy ship.