HMAS Adelaide (OH Perry) class frigate
C.C.LEE -1/300

By Giusto Gallas

The box is quite big, more than necessary, with poor box art.

Inside, the one-piece full hull and the one-piece main deck are the biggest components, alongwith some single-packed sprues for all the smaller pieces. The kit comes in a very light, azure-grey plastic, with no flash at all. Mouldings are not up to Tamiya quality standards, but acceptable - for example, the masts, which are a very important component of the Perry's, are good enough for being used without problems.

General fit of the pieces is quite good, some attention is required in building the main superstructure, whose long lateral parts don't fit perfectly to the upper and lower deck (at least, some little file work will be needed).

For such a big scale, the details moulded on pieces could be more and better nevertheless, masts, bridge, funnel and the 76mm OTO gun (subdivided in some parts) are nicely done, as well as the Seahawk helicopter, which is big enough for allowing big superdetailing!

The bigger problems are under the hull, as this kit is motorized - as a consequence, the whole step concerning propeller, shaft, rudder is to be reconsidered, and all the parts should be completely substituted.

Summarizing, this kit is acceptable, straight from the box : with a lot of improvements and superdetailing work, it may come out a very nice model - however, the scale is quite odd, and it should not be too easy to find usable photo-etched details (ex., railings) - I don't think that 1/350 details may be used, the scale difference being definitely too big.