Thanks for the lead-in Landlubber
....
I am under impressed. I do not like the trend of "iconic national architecture" becomes "naval architecture". The Ottomans are just the latest but perhaps the most egregious example. Basically, the design paradigm is: The Hagia Sophia goes to sea.
Multiple minarets on major warships.. ? ..uhhh, no. 
I have not wanted to post this on their forum because they tend to ban negativity if or when they decide it gets out of hand. While I am on the topic of "iconic national architecture becomes naval architecture" I must say something about the Italians: the smoke stacks are forward of the bridge on every ship class 
except the MTBs 
That is a monumental design blunder that I find stunning; result: some very silly models.
Definitely hear you on that one, Pendrake! I didn't have quite this strong of a reaction to these new models, but then I suppose that I have come to terms with the inherently silly nature of DW models. As a professional naval officer, just about everything in the DW range borders on the ludicrous! Plus, the models tend to lack the basic appliances that any sea-going vessel would require for basic operation. As one small example, apparently no one needs anchors or other ground tackle in the DW universe! So, to me, a minaret-encrusted battleship is quite silly, but I think it fits right in with a zeppelin aircraft carrier that looks like it could flip upside down at any moment, or a White House on treads with massive guns (that's amphibious to boot!).
I think the basic problem that Spartan is grappling with is that they are trying to portray a setting not all that different in many respects from WWI and WW II (here I'm referring to the technology-driven, industrial nature of those wars, more than any of the political dimensions). In real life, warship designs of this period trended towards a certain sameness, to the point that your average gamer probably wouldn't be able to distinguish between a British, American, or German DD if shown a picture of one. It is clear that instead of following the historical model, Spartan wants to give each faction its own distinctive appearance, which I assess is an effort to increase the visual appeal of the game and hence its mass-market appeal. Unfortunately, since most gamers aren't naval experts, the easiest way to allow gamers to determine the nationality of a faction at a glance is to use that nation's monumental architecture as a sort of short-hand identifier. I think that is the source of the kinds of silliness we are discussing here, where the White House, the Hagia Sophia, the Eifel Tower, and St. Basil's all find their way on to the Dystopian battlefield.
Does anyone think that the minarets are resin? Metal add on pieces seem far more likely to me. If that were the case and somebody sent me the Ottomans as a present I would be almost certain to leave them off. Aside from everything else the temptation to use them to model shore installations would be overwhelming.
I like where you are going with that idea!
