John's Model Shipyard 1/1200 RN505E O Class Destroyer equipped as a minelayer with mine load (1941-45)
This O-class Destroyer kit is in 3D-printed resin by John's Model Shipyard, RN505E. plastic or metal rod for topmasts, cyano-acrylate glue and paint are required to complete a sharp 1/1200 model of a minelaying version of this WW2 standard Royal Navy Destroyer.
The O/P-class Destroyers were designed to make a general-purpose destroyer for the Royal Navy during the 1939-41 period. One of the design crireria was that they be quickly convertable to be fast minelayers and this kit makes the most common minelayer version. Y-turret was removed to make more working space at the stern and to lighten the ship and mines were loaded around the main deck to by pushed on rails to the stern to be laid. Some ships landed their torpedo tubes and all but A-gun to be able to carry more mines for specific operations and these often undertaken in mixed squadrons of 4" run AA ships and 4.7" gun torpedo armed ships escorting a minelayer in Norwegian, Icelandic and Arctic waters. This particular kit can be used to make HMS Obedient, HMS Opportune or HMS orwell all of which were equipped with 4" guns and two sets of torpedo tubes on at least one minelaying operation. Obedient's X-4" was unshielded to save weight.
The large photograph shows two kits made up and painted as HMS Obedient and HMS Opportune.