Clemson Class DD
Reviewed by Timothy Dike
| The Borie was a Clemson class "flush deck" destroyer commissioned in 1920. She was best known for ramming the U-405 in the North Atlantic November 2 1943 while operating with the Hunter Killer group centered around the Escort carrier USS Card CVE-11. It was this act that led to her sinking as she was too badly damaged to be towed to port. The Borie (DD-215) received three battle stars for her World War II service as well as the Presidential Unit Citation for her operations against the U-boat. | |
| There are few US Destroyers on the market so I couldn't pass up a chance to pick this one up. The casting is quite nice with a detailed hull and plenty of deck detail. Splinter shields are pretty nice and my only complaint is the molded on depth charges on the stern. They seem out of place on a nice casting like this but should be easy to sand off or cover with photo etch. |
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| The superstructure parts cast on a thin resin wafer and all the parts are fully formed. There are a number of parts that will be somewhat difficult to separate; the propeller guards and frame work for the stern structures. You can remove these by taping a piece of sanding paper to a flat surface and gently sanding in a circular motion with your finger on the part (refer to instructions) until part is separated. The mast had a little flash on it but this is easily trimmed away. The weapons are mediocre with the 20 mm being Skywave copies and the main guns lacking a little surface detail. |  |
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| The instructions are very basic consisting of one page with plan and
elevation views. 3-D views of the superstructure assembly would have been
nice, especially of the aft deck houses. If you buy
this kit I recommend you also purchase the new Flush
Deck Destroyers of WW2 book additional reference.
There is no photo etch provided in the kit. |
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| Conclusions:
I purchased my kit lists for $25.00 US. A fair price for the typical resin destroyer. |
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