The HMS Fearless was the first Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ship, built
for the Royal Navy. She is perhaps best known for her role in the Falklands
War in 1982 where she helped support the Marines on shore. She earned honors
for helping to rescue crew members from the HMS Antelope after the latter
was hit by Argentine aircraft. The HMS Fearless also had a cameo
role in the 1977 "Spy Who Loved Me" James Bond movie.
She was designed to support a Royal Marines amphibious assault force
and help the protect British interests around the world. Commissioned in
1965 the Fearless was a very capable ship. She usually carried four LCU's
in the well deck and four LCVP's on davits along the side. The LCU's could
deliver one main battle tank, four smaller vehicles, or 120 troops. The
flight deck could accommodate up to five Sea King helicopters. In addition
to delivering a large force ashore, the Fearless could server as a central
command and control headquarters to coordinate the landings.
In 1985 Fearless was refitted and received new 20 mm BMARC and Phalanx
CIWS guns in response to the new threat posed by anti ship missiles. She
took on a training role in the 90's until finally being decommissioned
in 2002. A few years later Fearless was towed away and scrapped. Much of
the ship was
recycled.
This new kit from L'Arsenal was designed using 3D CAD to produce the
master. It shows in the details.
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| HULL |
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| The hull is cast waterline style with some really sharp detailing.
Casting is very good and my sample is mostly flash free with no defects
to fix. The deck features nicely cast bits and chock and nice anchor handling
gear. There is also some nice surface detailing on the horizontal surfaces
with portholes and doors cast on. The well deck is open and is designed
to use a seperate help deck. |
click images
to enlarge
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| Interior detailing is pretty sparce, but there is plenty
of room to add it if you desire.
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| SUPERSTRUCTURE AND DETAILS |
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| The superstructure are well cast. Whereever possible the resin sprue
is placed in locations where they will result in the least damage when
removed. Some parts are cast on runners and overall the detail is very
good. Doors and hatches are cast on, and funnels have a nice hollowed out
appearance with plenty of detail. |
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| Most parts have mounting lugs that corespond with the sockets
on the hull casting which will make the building process so much easier.
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| DETAILS |
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| Sat domes, crane base and a platform make up these parts These have
a light film of flash on them, but nothing that is hard to remove. |
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| SEACATS AND MISC. |
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| Sea Cat launchers and chaff dispensers are represented here. A little
light cleanup will be needed to finish these parts. |
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| LIFE RAFT CANNISTERS |
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| A whole bunch of life raft canisters are provided to mount around the
ship. These might be a little tedious to cleanup and add, but this is an
often overlooked and essential detail to add to your ship. |
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| LCU & LCVP |
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| Four LCU's are provided to move the heavy equipment to shore. Four
LCVP's for the troops are provided. Casting is nice and photo etch ramps
are provided. I did have one broken LCU, but it is a clean break and easy
to fix. The PE also includes railings, and mast details. |
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| WESTLAND SEAKING |
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| Four Sea King Helicopters are included well cast with photo etched
details. Rotors, landing gear and other fine details give these some real
potential. |
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| WESTLAND WESSEX |
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| Four of these Wessex helos are provided also with fine castin and nice
photo etched details. |
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| PHOTO ETCH |
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| Railings, davits, crane details, and platforms are among the parts
relief etched in stainless steel. There are even a couple of ship crests
for the Fearless and Intrepid. |
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| DECALS |
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| A decal sheet is provided with hull numbers, helo deck markings, warning
circles and all kinds of helo markings. A nice touch are the window markings
for the helos. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| The instructions are ten pages with 3D illustrations to
show where the parts go. The are very thorough and easy to follow. My one
complaint is the Bill of Materials shows the parts removed from the sprue.
It would be nice if they were identified on the sprues.
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| CONCLUSIONS |
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This is the perfect kit to represent the ship as she was during Operation
Corporate in 1982. You can also do her sister ship the Interpid. Well detailed,
and expertly cast, it should be a fun build. |
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They are available direct from
L'Arsenal
or
L'Arsenal USA
or wherever fine ship accessories are sold. |
