by Nye Nava
1/700 HTMS Pinklao (Pit-Road)
HTMS Pinklao (pin/klao) was ex-USS Hemminger(DE-746), USN Cannon class destroyer escort. She was commissioned to the Royal Thai Navy on 31.08.1959 She have had a mid life upgrade program in 1965-66 at US naval base in Guam. By that time a hedgehog was removed while two triple Mk32 torpedoes were added and new electronic equipments were installed too. She now serves as a cadet training and gun saluting ship. Only two Cannon class escorts are in service in world navies, another one serve in the Philippines Navy.
I had modified the kit by enlargin the rear of the navigating bridge with plastic sheet and added a window and roof to the flying bridge. For superstructure deck, all 20 mm gun tub were removed and a pair of torpedo platforms were also added. I used GMM’s WW-II USN Destroyer and WEM’s 40 mm twin Bofors mounts PE detail sets. Crew comes from Eduard pre-painted naval figures.
