Dragon

1/350 USS Livermore DD-429 1942 Gleaves Class Destroyer

Kit Number: DRA 1027

Reviewed by  Ken Williams, IPMS# 45861

MSRP: $49.50 Website: www.dragonmodelsusa.com First Impressions I was anxious to start on this new Dragon model. I had built ships from Tamiya, Trumpeter, and Glencoe, but this was my first Dragon. From the start, before even opening the box, I could tell that this was going to be a very detailed kit. The outside of the box gives you a good idea of the super detail that Dragon designer Timothy Dike has built into this kit. The kit includes sixteen styrene sprues and two photo-etched frets. The 430 parts are extremely detailed and well molded with no flash. Dragon provided everything a serious modeler would need. For example, the kit includes many parts not found in other styrene kits: Photo-etched parts. Note: Dragon provides both plastic and PE parts so that the inexperienced modeler does not need to use the PE. A simulated wood base with styrene risers that look like the brass ones. Six very detailed sailors in scale. These are better than any 1:350 figures that I have seen. Clear parts for the spotlights. Detailed decals with flags and deck markings. A two piece hull that can be built as a display model or used in a diorama. Camouflage marking guide. Assembly Some of the styrene parts are extremely small requiring great care in handling or you will experience one of those dreaded "Oh Oh" moments. The "Oh Oh" moment is that miniscule segment of time between the moment you see the part fly off your tweezers and when you faintly hear it land in a place where it can never be found. Take, for instance, twenty-four tiny stands that support what looks like barrels on the deck. The directions are printed on four panels (6.5 x 9.5 inches) front and back in black and shades of blue. While the diagrams are very well drawn, there is no narrative, and I found myself wishing for an occasional picture of a subassembly. The camouflage painting guide is satisfactory, but it is not as well done as the color pages that are provided by some other manufacturers.

History USS Livermore (DD-429), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the first US ship to be named for a Naval Chaplain, Samuel Livermore. Her keel was laid down on March 6, 1939 at the Bath Iron Works, Bath Maine and she was launched August 3, 1940. After commissioning, she served escort duty with the Wasp (CV-7) in the Atlantic and made several transatlantic escort missions before participating in the North Africa invasion. She supported the Allied landing at Anzio and the initial landing in Southern France. She was hit by a shore battery while supporting minesweepers in Cavalaire Bay, but the damage was slight. After a refit in the United States, she departed New York on June 22, 1945 bound for Pearl Harbor and service in the Pacific. Post-war she was designated for use in the Naval Reserve Training Program. While making one of her training cruises, she ran aground off southern Cape Cod on July 30, 1949. Refloated the next day, she proceeded to Boston and was placed out of service May 15, 1950 and then struck from the Naval Vessel Register on July 19, 1956 and sold for scrap. The U.S.S. Livermore received three battle stars for World War II service. Conclusions The Dragon version of the U.S.S. Livermore is an excellent kit for the serious modeler. Because of the many very small parts, I would not recommend it for young children or even the inexperienced modeler. Dragon should be congratulated for his attention to detail and for the quality of the model. My only complaint is that the directions should include more illustrations and there should be a better painting guide. I enthusiastically recommend this model and I appreciate Dragon Models USA for supplying the kit for review.