Hi All,
I just got the Revell email newsletter today and it highlights the Revell Classics Line of re-issue kits. I was intrigued by the HMS Cambeltown and USS Hope in particular. Both of these are box scale models (purported to be 1:240 and unspecified, respectively), but I have no idea when they were originally issued or the relative quality.
Are either of these (or the Polaris Submarine) reasonably good kits or accurate?
Thanks in advance!
Cheers, Rick
The Campbeltown kit does not represent the ship during St Nazaire. For that the ship was modified to more closely resemble a German torpedo boat. Grossly, the changes included cutting down the funnels. Royal Navy model guns were also fitted.
The Revell Campbeltown kit is of a non-modified 4-pipe destroyer. Had Revell chosen to release it under one of its other previous guises, that of the USS Ward - it would have been closer to the truth as to what is in the box
The Revell Campbeltown is pure 1960s state of the art. The decks are wooden planked. To accurately represent the steel decks of the prototype the deck fittings should be removed and the deck scribing filled and sanded. While you’re at it, add some additional center-line height so that you can create some deck camber. Then replace the removed fittings.
The guns are clunky and need to have scratchbuilt replacements
Gold Medal Models makes a nice PE set which will go miles toward updating the kit
James Corley’s build of the kit using GMM PE is on SteelNavy at http://www.steelnavy.com/ward.htm
I calculate the Hope (Haven) to be 1/484 scale. It is a full hull model, molded on railings, but with modern technology it could be a decent model.
I picked one up on eBay a couple of months ago, thankfully for not too much $. These ships were based on the C-4 hull, so could be kitbashed into a lot of interesting things like freighters and troop ships.
If they are reissuing things, I wish for a Brasil/Argentina.