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Type 45 Destroyer (A12203) 1:350 Airfix The Daring Class Destroyers have been around now for over a decade, and yet whenever I see one, its angular shapes and thick, top-heavy superstructure still jars my eyes. The six vessels of the class were created to replace the aging Type 42 Sheffield class, and were built by two sub-divisions of BAe Systems in prefabricated sections that were put together in the docks and literally welded together. Gone are the days of thick armour belts around the hull, as modern weapons can take out an armoured ship just as well as one of a more “civilian” style of construction. Their type is intended to provide air-cover to the British and Allied fleets, with advanced radars guiding modern anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, although the original requirement was eventually halved due to budget cuts, and upsetting many who felt that was too few to effectively defend Allied assets. The eponymous HMS Daring slid down the slipway in 2006 to be outfitted with gas turbine engines and all the other systems needed to make her into a battle-capable weapon of war. She was commissioned three years later, and has been joined by the other five over the next few years. In a horrible PR disaster for the type and the defence procurement in general, in 2016 it was found that the engines could not cope with the weather conditions in the Gulf, and there were further problems in the other electronic systems, demanding refits with additional diesel power generation options, and fixing those pesky engines. This did not play well for the Royal Navy, or BAe Systems with enough embarrassment to go around. Slowly the ships came back into service, with the exception of Dauntless, which was been given the role of on-shore training in nearby (to me) Birkenhead, with a proposed return to service in the next year or so. The Kit This is a re-release of Airfix’s 2012 new tooling, and I’m personally amazed that it has been that long since release. Where does the time go? The kit arrives in a fairly moderate-sized top-opening box for the size of the ship, and has the same painting on the lid as before, with various profiles on the sides. Inside are five sprues in light grey styrene, a decal sheet and the instruction booklet with colour cover and painting guide inside the rear page. The detail is good, and typical of Airfix of the period. They have improved since then, but with a ship at 1:350 scale it’s hardly an issue. The first thing you notice is a massive (and I mean deep) sink-mark on one of the superstructure elements, but don’t panic, those get a new outer skin before you slap paint on it, so ignore them. The hull is full-length with a separate keel part so that you can model the kit waterline or on the stand that’s also provided along with a name-plate decal that’s a bit 80s, with a red stripe above and blue below the text. Construction begins with the top deck, having a number of holes drilled out for the various weapons that may be installed later, with 'helpful' question marks next to each one. The majority of the parts and indeed the work is carried out on the deck section, which has the basic shape of much of the superstructure moulded-in, to be covered by detailed panels added over the top of give the sides watertight doors, ladders etc. This process begins at the hangar, with a decal added to the floor before you install the walls, then the ribs with their cranes folded away on each outer side of the hangar. The hangar is covered over, and the aft panel has a door fitted in open or closed positions before it is glued into the deck to complete that section. More panels are added forward, making up the higher areas of the superstructure fore and aft, culminating with the huge upstand with the golf-ball on the top, which stands above the rest of the ship, giving that odd look I’m still not used to. The bridge has a basic representation of the interior, including seats and consoles that will be dimly visible through the windows when it is closed up. Due to the faceted nature of the bridge front, there are five sections that fit into slots in the floor, with two side panels added before fitting it in front of the “mast” and popping the lid on top to close it in. Just in front of the bridge is the weapons pack where the missiles are kept in an upright position, ready for launch. The 48-cell A50 Sylver Vertical Launching System hatches are fitted first in two rows, then are boxed in by front, rear and two side panels that have access and maintenance doors moulded-in. Further forward is the lazy V-shaped bulwark, completing the main structure of the topside, in readiness for the detail parts later. The deck is flipped over and has four bulkheads glued underneath that act as formers for the hull structure, which is prepared for installation next. Each side runs the full length of the ship, and has optional louvered doors over the compartments where the ribs are stored, so choose now as they have to be fitted before the hull is complete. Each side of the hull is brought together with the deck assembly, then you make the choice to install the lower hull and build up the three-part stand, or leave the keel off and go waterline. For the waterline option there is a different stern panel with a flat bottom, while the full-hull stern has a rounded lower edge that marries up with the keel panel. The bow bulb is a separate part from the keel and will need a little filler to completely hide the seam. Strakes and finlets are slotted into the underside, with two rudders and supports for the long prop-shafts that slide through the large supports further aft, and are tipped with a pair of screws and end-caps. If you’re careful with the glue, you can leave the screws mobile. The rest of the build consists of sensor, radars, emergency equipment and weapons installation, including the two four-packs of Harpoon anti-ship missiles between the bridge and the Aster vertical missile storage packs. 30mm cannons, Phalanx close-in weapon system (CIWS) gatling guns for missile and aircraft take-down, and the 4.5-inch Mark 8 Mod 1 naval gun, which is about the only thing a WWII matelot would instantly recognise other than the hull. There are gangways on each side of the hull, and when not in use they are stored away behind flush-mount doors in a shaped bay for reduced radar returns, so you need to decide what to do there too. The aft of the ship has a large helipad for the use of the ship’s complement of helicopters, which can be either two Lynxes or one Merlin in the hangar, but it is also capable of landing a Chinook on the deck, but it won’t fit in the hangar unless you have a massive hammer. You get one of each of the Merlin and Lynx, with two halves for their fuselages, separate tail rotors and a choice of folded or deployed blades, and in the case of the Merlin, a folded tail because it’s a big helo. They’re moulded in grey styrene, so the glazing will have to be painted a suitable colour to appear glass-like. Markings You can make any of the six of the type with the decal sheet, with options for various decals given in text to the sides, which includes their D coding, and HMS Dragon has its fancy Welsh Dragon decal for the bow, which is very fetching. Even the rear deck has a code at the stern to ensure the incoming pilots know where they’re landing. From the box you can build any one of the following: D32 HMS Daring D33 HMS Dauntless D34 HMS Diamond D35 HMS Dragon D36 HMS Defender D37 HMS Duncan Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It was good when it was first released, and it’s about the same now. I had one but gave it away, and always regretted it a little bit. Looking at it afresh I’m very pleased to see it again, and will probably keep this one, even though I’m not a big maritime modeller. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi, Another recently arrived model to my workbench: HMS Daring Type 45 Destroyer from Cyber-hobby (1/700 scale) I already started to paint some parts of this model and I'm using the following WEM Colourcoats references: WEMCC M16 - Modern Royal Navy Deck Grey, Light WEMCC M01 - Modern Royal Navy Light Weatherwork Grey It's the same WEM references I used on my Type 23 Duke Frigate resin model I bought to WEM a few years ago. This time by the photos I've seen it seems the deck grey of the Type 45 Daring destroyers is a little bit darker than the deck grey of the Type 23 Duke Frigates. Am I using the correct WEM colour reference to paint to decks of my Type 45 Daring Destroyer? Thanks. Regards, Ayala Botto Facebook: "Ayala Botto Model Trains" http://www.facebook....100140160133220

Hi everyone, Please see my finished HMS Daring (D32) Airfix Type 45 destroyer. Now to get my Sea King HAR.5 finished.