HMS Sheffield Type 42 Destroyer Batch 1

[Paul A H]

HMS Sheffield Type 42 Destroyer Batch 1

1:700 Dragon

Intended to provide fleet air defence for the Royal Navy, sixteen Type 42 guided missile destroyers were completed between 1975 and 1985. Fourteen ships were destined for the Royal Navy and two were sold to the Argentine Navy. The design called for the systems of the much larger Type 82 Destroyer (only one of which, HMS Bristol, was ever completed) to be fitted into a much smaller hull. Unsurprisingly, the initial result was a compromise. This meant that several changes had to be made to the design over the course of the production run.

In comparison with the Batch 1 (comprised of Sheffield, Birmingham, Newcastle, Coventry, Glasgow and Cardiff) and Batch 2 (Exeter, Southampton, Liverpool and Nottingham) ships, those of Batch 3 (Manchester, York, Gloucester and Edinburgh) had an addition 51ft section inserted in the forward hull in order to improve sea keeping, something with had earned the earlier ships a bad reputation.

Seven of the class saw action during the Falklands Conflict - five with the Royal Navy and two with the Argentine Navy. Two of the class were sunk as a result of enemy action. HMS Sheffield was hit by an Exocet Anti-Ship missile launched from an Argentine Super Etendard, and HMS Coventry was hit by bombs dropped from and Argentine A-4 Skyhawk. Of the surviving ships, just two remain in service with the Royal Navy, the rest having been decommissioned and replaced by the larger, but less numerous, Type 45 Class.

Dragon’s 1:700 scale Type 42 Class destroyer has been around in various guises for a few years now, and it’s hardly surprising that it has resurfaced again in 2012, the year of the 30th anniversary of the Falklands conflict. As this is a ‘Premium Edition’ kit, a nice fret of photo etch parts is included as well as the 130+ regular plastic parts that make up the kit. The quality of the plastic parts is pretty good. There doesn’t appear to be any flash or other flaws and there is plenty of fine detail moulded onto the parts that make up the superstructure. Small details such as the Lynx helicopter are particularly impressive.

The kit can be built in full hull or waterline configurations, although the instructions don’t mention the waterline option (and in fact the waterline hull plate is shown as not used). You will need to pay close attention to the instructions as there are a lot of additional parts on the sprue that aren’t used for HMS Sheffield, and many photo etch parts that are designed to replace, rather than augment, their plastic counterparts. The photo etch goodies include new rotor blades for the Lynx, parts to detail the mast, a new radar scanner and the obligatory railings. Photo etch railings aren’t the easiest parts to work with as they are quite delicate, particularly in this scale, but they do make a massive difference to a model warship.

Markings are included for HMS Sheffield (of course) and ARA Hercules of the Armarda Republica Argentina. Pennant numbers for HMS Coventry are also included on the sheet. The decal sheet is printed by Cartograf and looks excellent.

Conclusion

This is the only Type 42 Destroyer available in 1:700 scale, so it’s just as well that it’s a pretty nice kit. The overall level of detail is very good, but the addition of photo etch parts raises things to the next level and also increases the value for money factor. Recommended.

Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for