Reviewed by Timothy Dike
| The USS Ward was a member of the Wickes Class. These flush deck destroyers were an improved Caldwell class with more speed and better stability. Easily distinguished by their four funnels and long flush deck these ships were state of the art at the end of WW1 when they were first built, but rather dated by the second world war. Never the less they continued to see service as destroyers were in short supply. The USS Ward was stationed at Pearl Harbor when war broke out and is known for firing the opening shots of the war. The Ward was operating off the mouth of the harbor when it spotted a Japanese Midget sub trying to enter the harbor. The Ward took it under fire and after charging past the number three mount scored a direct hit right through the conning tower. The sub was then depth charged and sunk. | |||||||||
| HULL AND SUPERSTRUCTURE | |||||||||
| This hull and superstructure on this kit are all cast as one peice. Casting is good overall with a bit of flash at the waterline. The funnels will need some repair due to some casting voids, but nothing major. |
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| WEAPONS AND DETAILS | |||||||||
| The superstructure is cast onto the hull, so there are very few
additional parts. These are mainly white metal boats, davits, and of course
the main guns. Casting on these items is pretty good with just a little
flash to clean up.
A simple Japanese Midget sub is included with the kit to display alongside your ship. |
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| PHOTO ETCH | |||||||||
| An extensive photo etch set is included with all the railings and fittings needed to finish this kit. The railings are custom fitted to the kit. Crew member are included as are such items as anchor chain and the search light platform. This set is not as nice as some of the aftermarket sets now produced, but is nice enough that I wouldn't consider replacing it. | |||||||||
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| DECALS | |||||||||
| A nice decal sheet is included with flags and large and small hull numbers. |  |
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| INSTRUCTIONS | |||||||||
The instructions are two pages with plan and elevation
on one side and an exploded view on the other. These are barely adequet
even for this small ship.The plan and elevation are scaled down versions
of plans available from The
Floating Drydock.
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| CONCLUSIONS | |||||||||
  Nicely
cast and well detailed for such a small ship. This kit is available exclusively
from Pacific Front
Hobbies for only $25.00 a great value for a destroyer with photo etch. |
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