HMS Warspite Limited Edition. Academy 1:350

[Shar2]

HMS Warspite Limited Edition

Academy 1/350

History

HMS Warspite was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the Royal Navy. During World War II Warspite gained the nickname "The Grand Old Lady" after a comment made by Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham in 1943. Warspite and the other vessels in her class were advocated by Admiral Sir John 'Jackie' Fisher, and Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty. She served in both World War I and World War II, earning the most battle honours ever awarded to an individual ship in the Royal Navy, including the most awarded for actions in the Second World War. Upon her completion, Warspite displaced 33,410 tons. She was 639 ft 5 in (194.89 m), had a beam of 90 ft 6 in (27.58 m) and a draught of 30 ft 6 in (9.30 m). Her initial armament was 8 Mk I 15-inch/42 guns placed in four twin turrets, 14 single Mk XII 6-inch guns, two single 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and four single 3-pdr (47 mm) saluting guns. Along with that, she had 4 21-inch (530 mm) submerged torpedo tubes. The battleship was refitted at Portsmouth between 1934 and 1937 at an estimated cost of more than £2 million (equivalent to £641 million in 2008, using a share of GDP with her internal components being extensively modernised. The project replaced her propulsion machinery and installed six individual boiler rooms, with Admiralty three-drum boilers, in place of 24 Yarrow boilers; geared Parsons turbines were fitted in four new engine rooms and gearing rooms. This increased fuel efficiency, reducing fuel consumption from 41 tons per hour to 27 at almost 24 knots, and gave the warship 80,000 shp. The weight saving on the lighter machinery was used in increasing protection and armament changes. Deck armour improvements were similar to those in Malaya except the 1,100 tons of armour added covered the boiler rooms as well. The 6 inch guns had their protection reduced - four guns were removed as well in widening the forecastle - and the conning tower (200 tons weight) was removed. Four twin 4 inch guns and four octuple 2 pdr pom-poms were added for her A/A defences. The turrets were removed and altered to increase elevation of the guns. This gave them a further 6,000 yards of range - a maximum of 32,000 yd (29 km) with a 6crh shell. Deck armour was increased to 5 inches over the magazines and 3.5 inches over the machinery. Her superstructure was radically altered, allowing an aircraft hangar to be fitted. The fire control was also modernized to include the HACS MkIII AA fire control system and the Admiralty Fire Control Table Mk VII for surface fire control of the main armament. Throughout WWII Warspite served in most theatres of war, from Norway, to the Mediterranean, and in the Far East. She gained more battle honours of any ship in the Royal Navy and became a household name as "The Grand Old Lady". Although there were proposals to retain her as a museum ship, the Admiralty approved Warspite's scrapping in July 1946. On 19 April 1947, Warspite departed Portsmouth for scrapping at Faslane, on the River Clyde. On the way, she encountered a severe storm and the hawser of the tug Bustler parted, whilst the other tug Melinda III slipped her tow. In storm force conditions Warspite dropped one of her huge anchors in Mount's Bay, which did not hold, and the storm drove her onto Mount Mopus Ledge near Cudden Point. Later refloating herself she went hard aground a few yards away in Prussia Cove. Her skeleton crew of seven was saved by the Penlee Lifeboat W. & S. There were several attempts to refloat her but the hull was badly damaged and Warspite was partially scrapped where she lay.

The Model

This Limited Edition of 2500 comes in a very special box. The external sleeve is printed up as a White Ensign with the Warspite to the right at sea with turrets trained. The actual box lid is in full colour with the same picture as the outer sleeve, but this time the Warspite is in action with the guns are firing. On removing the box lid there is an inner lining with a picture of the completed model. The model depicts Warspite in her third iteration after the 1934 – 1937 modernisations with revised funnel and AA weaponry, plus a new hanger for Swordfish/Sea Fox floatplanes and later, Walrus amphibians. On finally getting into the box and viewing the contents, as with the standard edition released last year you are confronted with 8 sprues of greeny/bluey grey styrene, (unlike any colour I have come across in a model ship), plus a large display stand. Unlike the standard edition there is a large poly bag with all the goodies that make this kit very special. The new parts are a new wooden deck, two etch sheets, in addition to the etch cranes that are in both editions. The 15", 6" and 4" gun barrels are provided in turned brass, as are the big surprise, which is a full set of masts, yards and booms. The instructions come in the form of an A4 booklet which opens out to four pages wide. The instructions are very clear and concise with good parts placements. There is a separate parts guide page with the painting guide on the reverse. Unfortunately the painting guide is in black and white, whereas it would have been preferred to have a full colour guide as seen in other manufacturers' kits. There are two new instruction sheets of almost A3 size giving for the assemblies of all the etched and turned brass parts and there positioning on the model. They are full colour and are surprisingly clear and easy to read, with the exception of the of the foremast assembly. Due to the colours used and the small size the parts and their numbers are really difficult to read so it may be an idea to enlarge the instructions on a photocopier.

The descriptions of the plastic parts are modified from my review of the basic kit which I reviewed from my own collection and are as follows:-

Sprue A

The hull comes in two parts, giving a full hull model. For those who like waterline models there is a moulded guide on the interior of the hull halves for you to cut along. In doing so you'll be amazed at how much of the ship was underwater. For both types of build four internal bulkheads are provided to keep the keep the hull rigid. The external detail is nicely moulded but for the detail mad modeller there is plenty of scope for adding extra.

Sprue B

The main deck comes in three parts, foredeck, centre section and quarterdeck, making the joins disappear will be quite a difficult job if it wasn't for the addition of the wooden decks in this edition. The mouldings themselves are very clean and free of flash with no moulding pips which can mar smaller parts. Also on the deck sprue the modeller is provided a ships nameplate, the hull internal bulkheads, four propeller shafts, the aft captains' walkway, (which is a little heavy in plastic and would be nice to replace it with etched brass). The last items are the forward breakwater and a number of 20mm AA guns tubs.

Sprue C

This sprue contains the boat/pom pom deck and hanger superstructures, aft superstructure plus the funnel with separate cap. Also included are three moulded anchor chains. Now while these look quite nice I would still probably replace them with metal ones.

Sprue D

This sprue contains the parts that make up the Queen Annes mansions, otherwise known as the bridge structure. Again all parts are cleanly moulded and look like they will make up a nice representation of this part of the ship.

Sprue E x 2

These contain all the parts for the main armament, including turrets, barrels, with separate blast bags, , (giving the option of two positions of the barrels), rangefinders and AA gun tubs. The ships stand supports are also included, along with numerous smaller parts, such as more 20mm AA gun tubs, secondary armament gun shields, ships anchors, propellers, and finally the aircraft/boat handling cranes, the booms of which can be replaced with etched parts provided.

Sprue F x 2

These contain the majority of miscellaneous parts such as the light AA weapons, including the prominent 4 x 8 barrelled pompoms and 20mm Oerlikons, with separate shields, 4.5 inch barrels for the secondary armament, liferafts, ships boats and finally the Walrus aircraft. Unfortunately the aircraft don't have the option of folded wings, therefore, unless modified; only one can be used. They are quite nice, but could do with some etched struts as the kit only gives the modeller a slab of plastic for between the wings. The ships boats are a little simplified, and again could do with some extra detail, but for most modellers they will suffice. Because of the duplication of the sprues there are a number of parts not used.

Etch

Sheet A contains all the ships railings, deck hatches, complete replacement catapult, ramps, (the kits parts will need to be removed first), and aircraft launch cradle. The Captains aft walkway is also replaced with etched parts from this sheet with the exception of the roof. The walkway itself is beautifully perforated and the guard rail really finely done with the distinctive diamond pattern very well represented, armoured doors replace the rather clunky kit parts. The Type 282 and 285 aerials, plus the RDF aerials look really well done. In addition to lots of smaller parts, such as vertical ladders, searchlight fronts, turret fittings, numerous mast fittings, armoured doors there are also replacement chain ways and hawse pipe plates, for which the kits moulded parts need to be removed before fitting. The Warspites name is provided in individual letters for positioning on the aft superstructure.

Sheet B contains replacement parts for the ships boats, and whilst the Admirals barge and 45ft motor boats would have benefitted from have wooden decks instead of the etched decks provided. That said the decks are very nicely reproduced with fine planking. Some surgery is required to the boats superstructures as not all the plastic is replaced with brass, this shouldn't cause too much of a problem for even an intermediate modeller. Cabin tops, steering positions, hand rails, props and rudders are all provided as are the replacement boats cradles. The Walrus aircraft have new struts for the wings and engine, propeller, and if not on a launch trolley there is a manoeuvring trolley that can be used. There is still no option for folding the wings, but this shouldn't be too much of a problem to alter. The distinctive starfish platform on the foremast is made up of the main starfish shape and eight supports. On top of the starfish the radar lantern needs to be removed from the plastic part and fitted with the lantern top from this sheet. Whilst the main crane jibs are the same etched nickel as the basic kit, the rest of the plastic parts are replaced with brass which included the crane housing, interior, brass turned axis, turntable, hooks and cables. The funnel receives a new top, made up of individual parts giving a very nice 3D effect. The rest of the parts make up the inclined ladders, derrick supports, new radio compartment and its respective supports, the foredeck breakwater and casement deck breakwaters with their separate supports once again replace the kits parts.

Turned brass parts

As mentioned above, there are many turned brass parts in the special edition. The 15" gun barrels, 6" barrels and 4" barrels all replace the plastic kit parts. There are beautifully turned and make for a much more realistic look. The Pom Pom barrels are not included, but these can be bought from other manufacturers if the modeller wants to take the extra effort.

The biggest surprise with this kit is the inclusion of turned parts for masts, booms, and derricks. Used with the etched parts these make up into models in their own right, and are extremely well detailed to the point they look like they could actually be used. Apart from the radar lantern, no kit parts are used in the mast builds and as such it would be recommended that soldering or epoxy resin be used for improved strength rather than CA glue which isn't very strong in shear. The only thing missing is some Jacobs ladders for the 30ft swinging boat booms, but that's a very minor and perhaps picky complaint when compared with what is provided.

Decals

There is a small decal sheet with several styles of White Ensign and Union flag, along with roundels and fin flashes for only one Walrus. The decals are well printed and in good register, whilst nicely opaque. There is also a small sheet of dry decals for the depth markings.

Conclusion

Academy should be commended for releasing this special edition of HMS Warspite. Whilst the basic model is very nice in its own right, but with the additions of the wooden deck, etch and turned brass it is lifted to another level of model and modelling. There is nothing that needs to be added from aftermarket companies other than some crew to man ship. When compared to the cost of the basic kit, plus all the aftermarket that are required for a museum quality model this edition is excellent value for money. I can't recommend this model highly enough, although I would add that it certainly isn't for a beginner and may prove difficult for even an intermediate modeller. But with patience and good technique this will build into a superb, prize winning model.

Review sample courtesy of

[AAbshier]

Looks like i could buy the kit and have my modeling needs met for the year. Stash? What stash? ;-)

Andy

[Mike]

That's an impressive box list... building it soon?

[Shar2]

That's an impressive box list... building it soon?

It's not due on the bench for a while. I've too much to build already.

[prowler0000]

Nice review, Dave!

REALLY wanna get one of these now.... (thanks fer THAT!!)

[Mike McCabe]

Looks like a great package and pleased to see none of those stupid wooden decks in sight. Any idea of the price tag?

Mike

[MASH4077]

Ref. Stupid wooden decks:

Sprue B

The main deck comes in three parts, foredeck, centre section and quarterdeck, making the joins disappear will be quite a difficult job if it wasn’t for the addition of the wooden decks in this edition. The mouldings themselves are very clean and free of flash with no moulding pips which can mar smaller parts. Also on the deck sprue the modeller is provided a ships nameplate, the hull internal bulkheads, four propeller shafts, the aft captains’ walkway, (which is a little heavy in plastic and would be nice to replace it with etched brass). The last items are the forward breakwater and a number of 20mm AA guns tubs.

[Shar2]

Thanks for that Mike, realised I'd missed out the wooden deck pics. I'm not sure what your problem with wooden decks is, as I think they're a brilliant addition to a model.

[Mike McCabe]

Wooden decks - 1:1 grain on a 1:700 or 1:350 scale ship, sorry but it doesnt work for me. In my mind you can't beat a well painted deck. As for hiding the joins, well that is just a basic part of modelling isn't it?

A matter of opinion of course, but I'm not a fan.

Mike

Edited October 24, 2012 by Mike McCabe

[Albeback52]

Looks like a great package and pleased to see none of those stupid wooden decks in sight. Any idea of the price tag?

Mike

£79.99 at Hannants

[Antoine]

Many thanks for this review.

[Mike McCabe]

£79.99 at Hannants

Maybe I'll buy one and sell the decks then!

Mike