I’m looking at moving forward in time by a couple of centuries and building models of my wife’s uncle’s boats… HMS Wren, Maori, Onslow and Laforey in 1/700.
Wren was an old modified V/W destroyer from WWI, sunk in 1940. I haven’t been able to find it in 1/700. Any ideas?
Maori is available in resin by Samek (HMS Zulu), has anyone built this model? Any ideas or opinions? Any other options?
Onslow is available from both Tamiya and PitRoad. Any opinions on which is better? Any other options?
Laforey is available from HP models in resin. Again looking for opinions or tips.
Photo etch availability for each?
This will be an adventure at this scale with my fading eyesight… my last small warship was the Iron Duke, nearly 25 years ago, back in the dark ages before photo-etch or resin.
Mate
HMS ZULU is a Tribal-class destroyer.That actual ship is provided for in the 1/700 Revell HMS ARK ROYAL kit. The tending destroyer was (an is in the kit) ZULU.The decal sheet reflects.With the available etched brass (WEM) she comes out as a nice kit.I am also using the WEM 4.7 in guns and shileds just for an extra touch!
The Tamiya Onslow is a reboxing of the Skywave/Pit Road kit. Tamiya sometimes modifies such reissues slightly. (The Tamiya version of the American escort carrier kit, for instance, has better weapons and different aircraft than the original Skywave version.) Whether Tamiya made any such changes to that destroyer I don’t know; I haven’t seen one in the Tamiya box.
If you’re interested in 1/700 British warship models you owe yourself a visit to the website of White Ensign Models ( www.whiteensignmodels.com ). That firm produces a huge range of British-oriented photo-etch parts, as well as quite a few resin destroyers and other escort types.