HMS Invincible Light Aircraft Carrier, 1:700 Cyber Hobby Premium Edition

[Paul A H]

HMS Invincible Light Aircraft Carrier

1:700 Cyber Hobby Premium Edition

HMS Invincible was the first of three light aircraft carriers ordered by the British Government in the 1970s following the cancellation of the CVA-01 fleet carriers. The three ships of the Invincible class – HMS Invincible, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal – each displaced 22,000 tonnes. In normal conditions each could carry up to twelve Sea Harrier FRS1/FA2 or Harrier GR.7/9 aircraft and 10 Sea King helicopters, although the number of each type could be increased or decreased depending on mission requirements. The ships were powered by four Rolls Royce Olympus gas turbine engines, which together could develop up to 97,000shp and could propel the ships at speeds of up to 28 knots.

All three ships have seen active service, and Illustrious is probably best remembered for her role alongside HMS Hermes as one of the two carriers of the British Task Force during the Falklands War. Her role during this conflict also put an end to plans to sell her to the Royal Australian Navy as a replacement for HMAS Melbourne. HMS Invincible also took place in operations over Yugoslavia and Iraq during the 1990s. HMS Invincible was decommissioned in 2005 and finally struck off the reserve list in 2010. She was sold to a Turkish ship recycling firm and scrapped in 2011.

This edition of Dragon’s HMS Invincible class light aircraft carrier follows hot on the heels of their re-release of HMS Sheffield and forms part of their Falklands War 30^th anniversary line up. As with the Sheffield, this is a ‘Premium Collection’ kit, which means that the 150+ grey plastic parts are accompanied by a fret of photo etched brass parts. Also packed into the top opening box is a small decal sheet, monotone instructions and a plastic display stand.

The first thing you will notice about this kit is that it is a ‘full hull’ model. Because of the way the hull is engineered (in two vertically split halves), it won’t be possible to build it in waterline configuration without fairly drastic surgery. It’s not impossible, particularly as there is a faint line on the outside of the hull that could serve as a guideline for cutting, but it’s clear that, unlike the Sheffield, the kit hasn’t been designed from the outset to be finished in that way.

The upper deck is made up of two parts – the flight deck itself and the characteristic ‘ski jump’ ramp. The main deck features quite heavy raised detail. It looks too prominent for 1:700 scale, so you may want to sand it down. Most of the remaining steps in the instructions deal with the assembly of the island. The basic structure of the island is comprised of five parts representing the sides and top, on to which is added the bridge structure, funnels, mast and radar sets. The fret of photo etched brass parts includes additional details for the mast and radar, although you have the option of using the original plastic parts should you wish. The photo etched parts are extremely fine and will look excellent once finished, and are certainly a worthy addition to the basic kit.

Additional details include the close-in weapons systems and anti-aircraft systems, including the Sea Dart launchers that were situated on the starboard side of the ramp prior to being removed later in Invincible’s service life. Lifeboats and launches are also included, which helps to bring the upper decks to life. Cyber Hobby have only provided six aircraft, which is a little parsimonious, although I suppose you can always pretend that the rest have flown away! Four Sea Harrier FRS1s are included, which are basic but fairly reasonable in terms of overall shape. A couple of Sea Kings complete the air wing, although if you want to finish Invincible as she was during the Falklands War, you will want to ignore the instructions and leave the swivelling Searchwater radars on the sprue, as the HAS2(AEW) prototypes were not deployed until after the cessation of hostilities.

A couple of lengths of photo etched railings complete the details on the upper hull, and very nice they look too. The inclusion of the all the photo etched parts is most welcome, and they will really help to elevate the finished model to the next level. A nice stand it also included, which will be handy if you decide not to cut the hull in half and finished the kit in ‘full hull’ configuration. As you might have guessed, just one decal option is included which allows you to finish the model as HMS Invincible as she appeared during the Falklands War. The decal sheet is small, but looks ok. Tiny roundels are included for the Harriers as well, which is a nice touch.

Conclusion

Dragon’s HMS Invincible has been around for a few years, and this version is essentially the same ‘Premium Edition’ kit that was realised for the 25^th anniversary of the Falklands War five years ago. Nevertheless, it’s still a fairly decent kit, and the addition of the photo etched parts is very welcome. If you’ve got the urge to have a go at building one of the ships that took part in the events of 1982, then you could do worse than start here. Recommended.

Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

[Antoine]

Thanks Paul,

Got to get this one.