When the Navy announced the requirements for a new smaller warship
designed to operate in coastal waters against surface and subsurface threats,
two distinctly different proposals emerged. The first was Lockheed Martin's
version of what would be called a Littoral Combat Ship the USS Freedom
LCS-1. The competing concept was the USS Independence LCS-2 built on a
catamaran style hull. The Lockheed Martin with the assistance of
Marinette Marine and Gibbs and Cox took a more conventional approach, at
least on the surface. This new ship features a new stealthier appearance
and the propellers are gone in favor of pumpjets. A flight deck on the
stern with loading doors on the stern. The ship can operate two MH-60 Seahawks
and a MQ-8 Fire Scout drone. The jury is still out on which version will
be selected and the ship continues to evolve as testing reveals things
that need to be changed. One change on this ship is the two tanks mounted
on the stern. These are not present on the ship as commissioned.
Cyber-Hobby has already produced the General Dynamics version of the
Littoral Combat Ship USS
Independence in their Smart Kit line. So it only seemed natural for
them to do the Lockheed Martin USS Freedom too. This kit was designed to
allow you to build an as-commisioned version or a later one with the external
tanks mounted on the stern. The design and molding are typical of the new
kits produced by Dragon and Cyber-Hobby in partnership with Bronco.
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| SPRUE A |
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| The first sprue contains the forward, and aft flight
decks. The hanger bay deck insert and the doors and hatches are also included. |
Click images
to enlarge |
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| SPRUE B |
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| This sprue features the upper superstructure that encases the exhaust
and the mast parts. The latter are nicely done for plastic and feature
plenty of detail. Some modelers will probably replace some of the antenna
details with PE, but the average ones will appreciate having it molded
on. The superstructure parts are slide molded so there are fewer seams
to fill and more detail on the surface. |
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| SPRUE C x2 |
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| Two sprues with the small detail parts are featured here. Pumpjets,
RHIB's, machine guns, and chocks are among the details all finely molded. |
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| SPRUE D x3 |
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| The kit comes with three sprues of the MQ-8b UAV Helo with the major
parts molded in plastic. Rotors, and skids are supplied on the photo etch
fret shown below. |
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| SPRUE E |
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| This clear sprue includes the clear window inserts that fit nicely
into the back side of the superstructure. This is a nice touch for the
ship. |
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| SPRUE F & G x2 |
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| An SH-60s is also provided in gray and clear plastic. This has got
to be one of the best in this scale. It comes with an open interior and
a clear front part that will allow you to simulate a clear windscreen.
There is even a separate torpedo |
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| SPRUE H |
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| The lower hull is a single part with nice molding. The shape features
the same triangle shape found on the real ship. |
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| SPRUE M |
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| The main superstructure that includes the bridge is a single part thanks
to slide molding. The windows are molded open and there is abundant surface
detailing present. No difficult seams to fill here! The hanger bay is molded
open so you can show the doors open or closed. The helo control center
windows are also molded open another bonus! |
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| SPRUE N |
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| The upper hull also features the correct lines found on the prototype.
Notice how the stern is wider and narrows towards the bow in a triangle
like shape. The side access door is molded open with a separate insert
and door parts on the A sprue. |
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| SPRUE Q DISPLAY BASE |
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| A simple base is provided for full hull display molded in black. |
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| FRET MA |
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| A nice relief etch brass photo etch fret is included with railings,
safety netting, helo propeller blades and hubs and many other details.
The railings are cut to length but don't have the gutter rail along the
bottom. An etched nameplate is a nice addition. |
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| DECALS |
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| A nice decal sheet is included with deck markings, flags, hull numbers
and aircraft markings. They are sharply registered. The numbers don't show
up too well in the image as the decal sheet is white. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| The instructions are six pages featuring a bill of materials,
subassembly and marking drawings. These are a little less cluttered and
easier to follow. |
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| CONCLUSIONS |
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This kit is another example of the productive partnership between Cyber-Hobby
and Bronco. The result is a large scale detailed LCS-1 being brought to
modelers. US retail is going to be around $49.95, a great price for a nicely
detailed model of this new state of the art ship in a scale that will allow
you to have maximum detail. |
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These new kits are now shipping to stores. You should be able to get
one soon. Look for them on the shelves of your favorite hobby shop or get
it direct from Dragon
USA or CyberHobby. |
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