Reviewed by Timothy Dike |
| The USS Hughes was the second of the
Sims class destroyers. She was commissioned at Boston Navy Yard in September
1939. She joined the Atlantic fleet after shakedown and operated in the
Mediterranean to counter Vichy French Naval forces. Later in 1940 she operated
in the North Atlantic as part of the Neutrality patrol escorting convoys
to England.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, warships were urgently needed
in the Pacific and Hughes sailed from Norfolk December 18, 1941, arriving
at San Diego in company with the USS Yorktown December, 30th.
See her full DANFS
entry here.
Niko Model has been producing some pretty amazing ships. Their latest
is the Sims class Destroyer USS Hughes. It is based on the July 1942 early
war appearance with four 5 inch turrets, one with a canvas top to save
weight. This fit is typical of most ships Sims class for 1942, so this
kit could be used for other members of this class with only minor changes.
For an as-built version of the Sims class see the review on the USS
Sims here. |
| HULL |
|
| The hull is cast with much of the forward and mid superstructure
in place. The rounded front on the deck house under where the bridge mounts
is cast on. So when you add the bridge, you will not have to deal with
hiding an ugly seam. Surface details include the braces around the gun
bases, hatches and a nice capstan. |
click images
to enlarge
|
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| I don't really care for the cast on depth charges, but
when wrapped in photo etch (included) frames they should look pretty good.
The dimensions appear to be very close although the rounded edges should
gradually taper toward the bow.
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE, WEAPONS, FITTINGS,
AND SMALL PARTS |
|
| The bridge is cast wings and all. Not bad, but the wings have
no flair at the top. That is a minor thing in this small scale. The rear
splinter shield on the bridge should be removed and replaced with a section
of railing. The Flag bags attach to the railings as in this
photo of the USS Hughes. |
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| The funnel is nicely shaped and well cast. The 5" gun turrets include
separate gun barrels and plenty of surface detail. Notice that one is an
open top mount. The gun assembly is also well detailed. |
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| Small parts are very fine and delicate, so be careful when handling
them. Notice the accurate looking 5" practice loading machines. The ships
boats feature lots of detail, but I would consider replacing the rudder
with PE. At first glance the torpedo tubes appear rather plain, that
is until you see the photo etch below that gives them fantastic detailing. |
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| PHOTO ETCH |
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| A relief etch brass photo etch fret is included to add the fine details.
Detailed yardarms, boat davits, 20 mm guns with bases, and depth charge
racks are just some of the nice items included. As mentioned above there
are detail parts for the torpedo tubes that include the doors, and plumbing
and bracing parts. |
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| While these parts are not as fine as some of the other
aftermarket manufactures, the approach to the detailing is very innovative.
You will have to supply your own outer railings, but most of us have plenty
of those anyway. Separate brass rod is included to fabricate the mast.
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| BUILDUP PHOTOS |
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| Here are some photo's of the built up kit supplied by Niko
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| DECALS |
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| Two decal sheets are supplied, one for hull numbers and one for flags.
These ships typically had no other markings, so this is fine. The markings
are clear and well registered. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| The instructions are three pages. A bill of materials on
one side and and exploded view on the other two. The illustrations are
good, but a good plan and elevation of the finished ship would have been
nice.
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| CONCLUSIONS |
|
A highly detailed and accurate kit of the Sims class. Almost everything
you needed is included. This kit was listed on
Pacific
Front Hobbies online site for $40.00 a nice price for a detailed kit
like this with photoetch. Bill Gruner carries the entire Niko line of ships
and many more hard to find, high quality kits. |
