Hot on the heels of the launching of the USS Independence, her sistership
the USS Coronado is nearing completion. This second ship is also built
by General Dynamics and should have identical capabilities as the USS Independence.
Instead of just reboxing the Cyber-Hobby
USS Independence, this new kit will include a newly tooled MH-53E Sea
Dragon, and a MK-105 mine sled. A MQ-8 Fire Scout Rotary UAV give this
ship a unique load out.
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| SPRUE A |
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| 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 |
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| SPRUE B |
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| 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. Also included but very easy to over look
is a small square deck plate featuring the VLS hatches. This is designed
to fit on the bow. |
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| SPRUE C |
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| 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. |
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| SPRUE F |
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| Two MQ-8 Fire Scout rotary-winged unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) are
included on this sprue. This is a scaled down version of the one
found on the larger 350
Cyber-Hobby kit. Detailing is nice and the finer parts like the rotor
and landing skids are provided on the photo etch fret below. |
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| SPRUE G |
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| This is the newly tooled MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter featuring some
really nice detailing. The fuselage has recessed panel lines and is smartly
molded to maximize the detail. Nice plastic rotor blades are included,
but you also have the choice of using photo etch blades for an even finer
look. |
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| SPRUE H |
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| This sprue is contains the plastic parts of the MK-105 Mod 4 Magnetic
Minesweeping System, AKA the “sled”. The sled is completed with the photo
etch parts shown further below. Detailing is very fine for this small scale
also a scaled down version of the 350
Cyber-Hobby kit. |
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| SPRUE Z |
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| 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. |
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| PHOTOETCH |
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| A simple photo etch fret is included with safety netting for around
the flight deck. |
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| A second photo etch fret is included with relief etched helo blades
and the details for the mine sled. |
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| DECALS |
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| 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. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| 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. |
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| CONCLUSIONS |
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Cyber-Hobby has given modelers another exciting release. Not just a
reboxed Independence, this one has some newly tooled accessories. Many
modeler will want the Coronado just for the MH-53, Sled, and UAV. This
one hits the stores even before the real one enters service. You can get
yours now. Look for them on the shelves of your favorite hobby shop or
get it direct from Dragon
USA or CyberHobby. |
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