Our headline above echoes one of the alarmist headlines when experts realized recently that China has built a fleet of 83-plus missile-armed 022-class gunboats for coastal duties in roughly the same time that just two US Navy Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) have been completed.
LCS2 USS Independence (above) and a Chinese 022-class boat (below).
In fact, scaremongering aside, the 022 and LCS are very different animals, the bigger (and far more expensive) LCS vessels carry helicopters and larger crews, just for starters. Even so, what has some military analysts worried is the simple fact that numbers can count for a lot - and a pack of 022 boats, each firing eight anti-ship missiles could overwhelm a single, bigger target.
022-class boats practice range firing.
Dragon USS Independence, full-hull build.
There are two kinds of LCS, the LCS1 monohull Freedom class and the LCS2 trimaran Independence class. It’s the futuristic-looking LCS2 USS Independence we’ll look at here, kitted in two scales - take your choice at 1:350 and 1:700 - by Dragon, somewhat ironically, a Chinese company. The LCS2 we show in the pictures is the smaller of the two, but comments are similar for either kit.
Detail parts supplied
The kit captures the angular look of the original very well indeed, and comes with the option of completion as a waterline or full-hull model. Helicopters are the Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk, and Dragon has supplied metal-etch parts for much of the fine detail, especially useful for the mesh surrounding three sides of the rear helipad. The hangar doors can be finished open or shut, so a helo can be stored inside if desired.
The bare, angular stealth design of the Independence means that the usual plethora of tiny details are simply not there to be modelled - nevertheless, by the time you’ve added anchor, sensors, guns and missile launchers, the end result begins to look very pleasing indeed.
More than many ship models, this one rewards a careful application of weathering, which gives something for the eye to grab hold of - put simply, that weathering stops the LCS2 looking a Plain Jane, making it more of a Saucy Sue. Look at the pic of our finished model Photoshopped onto the watery background to see what we mean.
Add more detail
Good as the kit is, there’s plenty you could add - a close look at the Independence at anchor reveals a number of holes and hatches that Dragon have either missed or chosen to leave off. So there’s enough to turn the kit into kit-plus if that’s your thing - it is ours - and SMN’s model will likely get a mid-life overhaul sometime later this year.
Dragon will release a kit of LCS1 USS Freedom (above) shortly, so there will be the chance to have an interesting pair of modern navy vessels. We’d like to see an 022-class boat join them as soon as possible!
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