| The USS Helena was the second of the two St. Louis Class Light Cruisers. She was well known for her role in the South Pacific slugging it out with the Japanese Navy and surviving some brutal battles until her luck ran out in mid 1943 at Kula Gulf. She was, in my opinion the most elegant of the St. Louis Class Cruisers, an improved version of the Brooklyn class. With five triple 6" gun turrets and four twin 5" guns these light cruisers packed a tremendous punch and were well known for their phenomenal rate of fire. The Helena was torpedoed at Pearl Harbor and spend the first months at Mare Island where she lost her large overhanging bridge wings and emerged with upgraded anti aircraft fit and modern SG radar. She fought valiantly all over the Solomon's but her rapid rate of fire combined with the lack of flashless powder made her a bright target in the midst of the darkness. The Helena was hit by hit by three deadly long lance torpedoes and went down with guns blazing off Kula Gulf in 1943. The USS Helena was the first ship to receive the Navy Unit Commendation. Her actions in the Battles of Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal, and Kula Gulf were named in the citation. She also earned the Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign medal with seven Stars. She was the Fightin'est Ship. | ||||
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| This ship comes completely assembled and painted the level of detail
is amazing for a ship this size. She is in her 1942-43 fit and closely
matched the plans I have of her with one exception. The foremast is incorrect
as she never had that large SK radar dish. I plan to replace mine with
the SC radar from the 1/1250
photo etch radar set from Navilis. The main gun turrets can be rotated
and the ship closely matches the plans I have of her.
The miniature is hand painted and while it is not in the correct MS-21 paint scheme, it does include some really delicate paint work. Even the little red and green position lights were painted on my sample. This ship has more detail than many larger 1/700 plastic kits. |
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Conclusions:
A nice ship with a surprising amount of detail of detail for 1/1250 scale. This is kit #1342A Helena Light Cruiser USA 1942 for 39.50. Special thanks to Morning Sunshine Models for the review sample. They have an ever growing line of 1250 metal miniatures having recently formed a partnership with Pacific Front Hobbies to take over that retailers stock of 1/1250 ships. Links: |
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