Reviewed by Timothy Dike
| HMS Liverpool is a Type 42 batch 2 Destroyer
one of ten ships in the class. She was launched on 25 September 1980 and
after 20 years is still the Royal Navy's main air defense. Armed with the
Sea Dart missile system she was designed for fleet air defense. She could
also perform in the ASW role with her homing torpedo equipped Lynx helicopter.
The Liverpool is still on duty as of 2008.
Dragon has upgraded yet another of the old Skywave kits. This Premium Edition kit adds photo etch and new decals to a nicely molded plastic kit. |
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| SPRUE A | |||||||||
| The hull is the major part on this sprue and it features nice crisp molding. It is molded in waterline style with a complete lower hull option. The superstructure walls have plenty of surface detailing that will stand out nicely with a light wash applied after painting. |  |
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| SPRUE B | |||||||||
| A weapons sprue is included with many of the parts you will need for this kit. There are a whole bunch of spares, so tuck them away for other projects. If you are building your ship as the Manchester, or Gloucester or an early version of the York or Edinburgh you will need the main guns off of this sprue. |  |
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| SPRUE C | |||||||||
| This sprue contains the base and some of the new parts including the new 4.5" Vickers Mk 8 gun. The lower hull on this sprue is from the Sheffield with a shorter hull length and is not needed for this kit. A base and nameplate is included for full hull display, but the name is for the York. |  |
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| PHOTOETCH FRET | |||||||||
| A photo etch fret is included with railings and radar's. In addition new mast parts are included to replace the thicker molded ones included in the kit. The modeler is given a choice of plastic or photo etch. Rotors for the hello is also included as well as safety nets for the landing pad. |  |
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| DECALS | |||||||||
| The decals are from Cartograf and are very sharply registered. Markings included for the Exeter (D89), Southampton (D90), Nottingham (D91), and Liverpool (D92). Helo deck markings warning circles, and ships badges, are included as well as flags. |  |
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| INSTRUCTIONS | |||||||||
A 8 page instruction booklet is included to guide you through
a step by step assembly process.
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| CONCLUSIONS | |||||||||
 Another
welcome addition to the 1/700 ship world. This Type 42 batch 2 will go
great with your batch 3.
The premium edition offers the options that modelers are asking for. I'm
glad to see that Dragon continues to listen to what ship modelers are asking
for and continues to deliver. Whether you want to build a full hull or
waterline, this kit is a valuable addition to your British fleet or to
accompany your NATO forces. It retails for about $24.50 US a great price
for a kit with these options. |
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