Reviewed by Timothy Dike
|
The USS Independence is one of the prototypes built by General Dynamics to be the future US Navy small assault transport. It differs radically from the first ship USS Freedom LCS-1 built by Lockheed Martin. Stealthy and very radical the ship could be the next standard in modern naval combat. Like the prototype, this new kit from Cyber-Hobby, is sure to cause
a few modelers to do a double take.
|
|||||||||||
| SPRUE A | |||||||||||
| The upper hull is almost completely molded with very few seams. It is molded so that the hanger deck and aft deck can be molded open. The hull opening in the stern have inserts that fit from the inside to help keep the exterior free of radar reflecting seams! | Click
images
to enlarge |
||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| SPRUE B | |||||||||||
| The kit comes with two lower hulls. One for full hull display and the other flattened at the waterline. Molding is sharp and the fit with the upper hull part looks very nice. |  |
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| SPRUE C | |||||||||||
| This sprue has the weapons fitting, radar and the rest of the superstructure parts. The top level is slide molded so that there are a minimum of seams to fill. Small fittings are nicely molded and very fine in detail especially for 1/700 scale. One thing to make note of if you are building a waterline version; make sure you snip the stern tips off flush with the waterline. The hanger doors can be molded open or closed. |  |
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| SPRUE D | |||||||||||
| This is the standard US Navy weapons sprue with parts found on typical warships. It has a variety of weapons, fittings, and even the SH-60 helo. Most of these parts are not needed, but are great to save for other projects. |  |
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| SPRUE Z | |||||||||||
| The base for this kit has been designed based on how most modelers like to display their ships in full hull mode. The stands which resemble lamp finales are even slide molded so they have no seams to fill and sand. Hole locations are provided so all you have to do is open them up with a knife or drill. |  |
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| PHOTOETCH | |||||||||||
| A simple photo etch fret is included with safety netting for around the flight deck. |  |
||||||||||
| DECALS | |||||||||||
| The decals are sharply registered and include marking for the flight deck, a warning circle for the gun, and hull numbers. All kinds of other markings are included on this sheet. |  |
||||||||||
| INSTRUCTIONS | |||||||||||
| The instructions are six pages with lots of sub-assmbly views that are easy to follow. The last page features a painting guide showing decal placement. | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| CONCLUSIONS | |||||||||||
Cyber-Hobby has scored again with this futuristic ship. This smart kit is almost as radical as the real one. This was supposed to be a simple inexpensive kit for modelers. While it will be affordable, it will still be packed with plenty of smart features for the modeler. 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. |
|||||||||||
|
Powered by  |
|||||||||||
