by Brett Morrow
1/700 HMS Helsingborg, Visby class (L`Arsenal)
The L`Arsenal 1/700 scale kit of the Swedish `Visby` class.
HMS Helsingborg, 2nd of the class, modelled as she appeared during her 2006 Mediterranean visit, but before entering Grand Harbour, Malta.
Hense no Portside fender scuffing.
She carried no markings on the Helo deck at this time.
There are 5 units of the class operating,or under acceptance trials with the Swedish navy, a 6th was cancelled. They are of Carbon fibre/vinyl laminate construction and are the closest to stealth that today`s technology can achieve.
During time of war,the mast can be quickly removed to enhance stealth further.
They possess a very formidable array of electronics and weaponry,which includes the 57mm Mk3 turret with retractable barrel, 8x RBS 15 Mk2 ASM, AS torpedoes and facility for mines and depth charges, there is also a space alotment for SAM defence,a possible contender being the Sth African `Umkhonto` system.
Propulsion is a CODAG system powering 2 Kemewa waterjet propulsors giving a top speed in excess of 35kts.
They all wear an identical 2 tone camo scheme, although HMS Nykoping carries some subtle differences in camouflage on the stern and rear superstructure faces.
These ships have had a number of alterations made to their config during trials, including the addition/removal of life raft canisters, hello deck markings, safety netting, and mast array to point out a few, so you have to do your reference homework, dependant on your subject and year of portrait.
Smooth simplistic lines mask the large amount of work required to produce an accurate/to scale subject, definitely no weekend build.
The base of the hull had a step overpour, running the length of the ship, there was also a 2mm fall away towards the bow, these problems had to be corrected during prep.
A dremel and sanding corrected the overpour, 2 part epoxy had to be moulded to correct the bow discrepancy, I also added a small bow wave deflector, and finished off with 10 thou Greens sheeting to simulate the boot topping.
If your build is of the class after 2005, the gun director opening will have to be filled,as a convex shroud is fitted over this opening to blend in with the rest of the hull.
As the hull lines are all flush, I filled the large side windows and other openings with 2 part epoxy, and produced all the required decals, except for the well printed bridge windows and pennant numbers, on an Alps MD-5000, simplistic lines,but not all, were added to the stealth turret to show it`s arrangement.
A couple of other omissions, a small extra step had to be added to the stern overhang,both sides, as these are not on the moulding, the Towfish/ mine delivery shute had to be cut in under the stern overhang also, a subtle alteration was made to the bridge cone to try and accommodate the angle change at the top where the navigation radar is located.
The ship`s bell is brass rod turned down on a dremel and shaped with `Vallorbe` jewellers needle files. The small raised circle on the helo deck is PE cut from a WEM WW1 cruiser fret.
The waterjet propulsors were somewhat of a challenge to construct, the 2 objects at each corner of the stern have been simplified in construction because of their extremely complex shapes, I don`t know what these are, perhaps to aid dispersal of the infared signature of the exhausts?
All parts are scratchbuilt except for the hull casting and gun turret, PE railing is GMM ultrafine.
Overall length of the model is 103 mm, Main colours,as stated in instructions,are Humbrol 147 and 64, a perfect match for the real thing.
My compliments to Jarques Druel and Falk Pletscher for producing this fine subject, Well done.
Hoping there are more models of these modern esoteric subjects to come, who’s up for a Finnish Hamina class?
To sum up, this interesting kit is a very welcome addition to the inventory of the modern ship builder, I have tried to accurately reproduce the sleek appearance of a true piece of engineering, this is one potent piece of military equipment.
