USS Independence LCS-2 Part 2 - Final Assembly

Published: October 19, 2010
Company: Cyber-Hobby

Construction started with the stand and a visit from Murphy. Following the kit instructions, I drilled out holes #3 and #6 and cemented in part Z1. The instructions label the base as Z2 but it is marked Z1, not a big deal, it is obvious what’s what. When I tried to set the lower hull on the stand it did not fit. The pedestals should be installed in holes #4 and #5, NOT holes #3 and #6 (so much for starting with something easy).

Construction was straightforward with no real problems. Some areas that could be better are listed here:

• Mast assembly and attachment would be better with alignment pins
• Life raft canisters and brackets were fiddly due to a lack of positive alignment points
• Aft quarter railings just do not fit correctly so I left them… more

USS Independence LCS-2 - First Look

Published: October 13, 2010
Company: Dragon Models

The Ship

The USS Independence (LCS-2) is the second Littoral Combat Ship commissioned by the U. S. Navy, and the leader of the Independence class. She is an aluminum high speed trimaran capable of speeds in excess of 44 knots (50mph), with a range of over 4300 nautical miles at 18 knots. Commissioned on 16 Jan 2010, she has a length of 418 feet and beam of 104 feet, with a large flight deck and mission bay located beneath the flight deck. Capable of handling many types of aircraft, including the CH-53 and the V-22 Osprey, she can be configured to accomplish many different missions through the use of “mission” modules. Very cool ship!

The Kit

The packaging and layout of sprues is typical of Dragon kits. Contents are packaged in clear plastic and did not… more