Orangehobby USS Robert E Peary. 1:350

[Shar2]

USS Robert E Peary

OrangeHobby 1:350

History
The 46 ships of the Knox class were the largest, last and most numerous of the US Navy’s second-generation ASW escorts. The lead ship of the class was the USS Knox (FF-1052), laid down October 5, 1965 and commissioned April 12, 1969, at Todd Shipyards in Seattle. Planned as the follow-on to the twin 5-inch gun armed Garcia class frigates and the Tartar missile-equipped Brooke class frigates, their initial design incorporated the prior classes’ pressure-fired boilers (the design later was changed to conventional 1200 psi boilers) in a similar-sized hull designed around the massive bow-mounted AN/SQS-26 sonar. Ten ships were authorized in FY 1964, sixteen in 1965 and ten each for FYs 1966, ’67 and ’68; six were canceled in 1968 and four more in 1969. They were built in four different shipyards and were originally commissioned as destroyer escorts (DEs) 1052–97 in 1969–74, they were redesignated as frigates (FF) on 30 June 1975. The Knox class was the Navy’s last destroyer-type design with a steam powerplant. Due to their unequal comparison to destroyers then in service (large size with low speed and a single screw and 5 inch gun), they became known to a generation of destroyermen as “McNamara’s Folly.”
These ships were retired from the US Navy at the end of the Cold War due to a declining need for an advanced ASW capability. By 1994 all ships of this class had been retired from the US Navy, although some remain in service with foreign nations such as Egypt, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Mexico.

At 4,200 metric tons (4,130 tons), with a length of 438 feet (133.5 metres) and a beam of 47 feet (14.3 m), they are driven by a single screw geared turbine developing 35,000 shaft horsepower (26 MW), giving them a speed of 27 knots (50 km/h). The steam plant for these ships consists of two Combustion Engineering or Babcock & Wilcox "D" type boilers, each equipped with a high-pressure (supercharger) forced draught air supply system, allowing a plant working pressure of 1,200 PSI and 1000 °F superheat. This design allows fast acceleration, crucial while prosecuting a submarine attack. They are equipped with one 5 in (127 mm) 54 caliber Mark 42 gun forward, an ASROC abaft the gun and forward of the bridge. Since they are single purpose platforms their surface defense capability is nominal; however they do mount Harpoon missiles and Mk-46 torpedoes. The aft weapons point was originally outfitted with Mk 25 basic point defense missile systems (BPDMS) for launching Sea Sparrow missiles. These were eventually refitted with a 20mm Phalanx CIWS. They are equipped with a helicopter hangar aft.

USS Robert E. Peary (FF-1073) was the third US Navy warship ship so named and was laid down 20 December 1970 by the Lockheed Ship Building and Drydock Company at Seattle, Washington; launched 26 June 1971; sponsored by Miss Josephine Peary; and commissioned 23 September 1972, Comdr. Charles Beasley, USN, in command. After twenty years of service, and the end of the Cold War she was decommissioned on 7 August 1992, struck from the navy list on 11 November 1995 and transferred to the Republic of China. As of 2005, the destroyer escort serves in the Taiwanese navy as Chi Yang.

The Model
The kit is contained in a very sturdy cardboard box with a sleeve showing the kits name and other details. With the sleeve removed you are able to open the front opening box which contains ten sprues of bluey grey resin, separate upper and lower hull sections, eight other resin parts, four turned brass parts for the gun barrel and mast tops, plus fourteen tiny, and I mean tiny, turned bitts. The kit also includes eight sheets of relief etched brass and comprehensive decal sheet.

As we have come to expect with OrangeHobby the detail on the mouldings is excellent, unfortunately due to the tight packing of the parts a couple of the cleats and the very tip of the bow on the upper hull have broken off. The other item that needs addressing before construction can begin is the large moulding tabs that are attached to the upper and lower hulls on the join line. Not so much of a problem if the kit is built as a waterline model, but if built as a full hull getting a good join will take quite a bit of fettling and filling.

Once the parts have been cleaned in warm soapy water, the moulding blocks removed and the parts cleaned up construction can begin. If you’re going to build it full hull then once the upper and lower hull sections have been joined and cleaned up the bulbous bow can be attached, along with the two stabiliser fins, rudder, propshaft, propshaft support bracket and rudder. The etched anchor chain, complete with stoppers is fitted to the fore deck with the rear ends to the two chain pipe openings and the front to the anchor, which needs to be carefully folded to shape. The resin capstan and brass bitts are then fitted into their respective positions, on the fo’c’sle, whilst on the quarterdeck the resin cleats and more brass bitts are attached. These parts could be left off till later as they will make handling the model a little more awkward and be prone to being knocked off. The instructions then call for the modeller to attach the railings between the bridge superstructure and the fo’c’sle side plates and on 01 and 02 decks, this is a bit early to be fitting them in my view and should be left off till near the end of the build. The resin intakes and Super RBOC launchers are fitted to the roof of the superstructure whilst the PE liferaft racks complete with resin liferaft canisters are fitted to each side of the superstructure. The inclined ladders are then folded to shape and attached to their respective positions. The signal flag locker sub assemblies with two styles of inclined ladder and signalmans deck plate.

The rear superstructure, which includes the hanger bay is now fitted out with watertight doors, a raised PE platform and supports, rear aerial mast and two whip aerial towers plus a number of vertical ladders, along with resin ventilators. The completed assembly is then fitted to the main deck. Moving forward there is a small foremast fitted just above the bridge consisting of PE supports and light platforms, turned brass mast and PE vertical ladder. Just forward of the bridge on a dedicated PE platform the resin navigation radar antenna is fitted. Just aft of the bridge the Mk67 gun firing control system director complete with AN/SPG-53 fire control radar array is sited, made up from the resin mounting, resin radar dish, and PE dish supports. Amidships there are two PE ECM towers, topped off with two platform sections and the resin AN/SLQ-32 arrays. To the rear of the main superstructure two whip aerial platforms, made up of PE platform, railings and two liferaft cradles then finished off with a PE aerial. The kit comes with a choice of hanger sections, either retracted or extended and these are fitted into the hanger bay of the rear superstructure. Once again the instruction call for the railings and also the flightdeck netting to be fitted, but can be left off till the major parts of the build are completed.

The next page of the instructions contains probably the most complicated sub assembly of the whole build. Working around the resin MACK the majority of the parts are PE and include the main mast, X platform, platform supports, walkways, wind baffles, the impressive, but complex AN/SPS-40 Air Search Radar array and the smaller AN/SPS-67 Surface Search array. The two radar arrays are fitted on top of resin towers and the whole assembly is finished with a resin yardarm with PE halyard arm and the resin top mast with PE vertical ladder. The two davits for the ships boats are then assembled; these have to be the most accurate davits I have seen in a 1:350 kit. They come complete with all lowering/raising motors, access platforms and a lovely rendition of the rope ways and blocks. Once complete the boats can be attached and the assemblies glued into position. With the hull complete it’s only a matter of assembling the ships armament which consists of the 5” gun with separate metal barrel, the Mk-16 8 cell missile launcher for ASROC and Harpoon missiles with separate mounting allowing the modeller to pose it in any position they want, and the 20mm Phalanx, which is made up of five resin parts and again can be posed as required. Lastly the single SH-2 Seasprite (LAMPS I) helicopter is assembled from seventeen parts, either resin or PE, these included the fuselage, cockpit and cabin doors, undercarriage, windscreen wipers, tail rotor, rear stabilisers, either extended or folded main rotor blades, main rotor head, MAD bird and it’s support cradle. You then have the choice of mounting the Mk44 torpedo which is itself made up from seven separate parts.

Decals
The smallish, but comprehensive decal sheet provides all the markings required for such a ship. These include the large flightdeck markings which will need to be placed on a nice gloss base to prevent silvering, ships numbers in two styles for bow and stern, warning circles for the ships weaponry and aerials, RAS station marks, the ships crests, and two sizes of national flag. The decals are well printed and are all in good register, nicely opaque and with a nice thin carrier film.

Conclusion
This is certainly one very nice kit, loaded with detail and some beautiful moulding. Yes, it won’t be the easiest kit to build, even when compared with some other resin releases, but it will be so worth the effort. This is definitely not one for the beginner or even an intermediate modeller with limited resin experience, without a large dose of patience, care and a very steady hand. But I can quite happily recommend this kit very highly if you have those qualities.

Review sample courtesy of Orange Hobby.com

[bootneck]

A Knox Class in 1:350 scale; at last!

Nice review Dave!

Mike

[Alan P]

That looks fantastic! Where can you get these? Is there a UK supplier?

[Shar2]

British Forces Models used to stock them, but John has gone a bit quiet lately.

I'll ask my OrangeHobby contact if they have a distributor in the pipeline.

[bootneck]

For anyone who may be interested, some Knox class frigates are still operational. I photographed these last week at Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Mike

[Shar2]

Interesting selection of missiles amidships and on the hanger roof.