Reviewed by Timothy Dike
| Twenty five years ago the HMS Sheffield
was attacked by a couple of Argentine Super Étendards armed
with a deadly Exocet missile. The aircraft were never sighted and the first
indication that they were under attack was the sighting of the smoke trail
from the sea skimming missile. The first missile was a direct hit, tearing
a huge gash in the side of Sheffield. The other missile splashed harmlessly
into the sea. A fire resulted from the damage and power to the ship was
lost. Attempts were made to save the ship but she sank a few days later
after being taken in tow for salvage.
Dragon has released this Premium Edition kit to commemorate the 25th
anniversery of the Falklands War. The kit represents the ship at the time
of her loss. It can also be used to build other early Type 42 Destroyers
of that era.
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| SPRUE A | |||||||||
| The hull is the major part on this sprue and it features nice sharp 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. |  |
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| PHOTOETCH FRET | |||||||||
| A photo etch fret is included with railings and radar's. Rotors for the hello are 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 HMS Sheffield (D80), and HMS Coventry (D118). 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 1 will go
great with your batch
2 and batch 3 or as
an escort for your HMS
Invincible. This kit will make a valuable addition to your British
Falklands fleet and a fitting tribute to the men who fought and died for
their country. It retails for about $24.50 US a great price for a kit with
these options. |
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