Revell USS Oliver Hazard Perry Class FFG 1/700 Scale

USS Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7), lead ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Oliver Hazard Perry, American naval hero, who was victorious at the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie. Ordered from Bath Iron Works on 30 October 1973 as part of the FY73 program, Oliver Hazard Perry was laid down on 12 June 1975, launched on 25 September 1976, and commissioned on 17 December 1977. She was ordered as PFG-109 but redesignated FFG-7 in the 1975 fleet designation realignment on June 1, 1975, before she was laid down. Decommissioned on 20 February 1997 and stricken on 3 May 1999, Oliver Hazard Perry was scrapped as of December 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7) was the first ship of that name in the U.S. Navy. For other ships named for Perry see: USS Perry.

Model Review:

This model is a reissue of the Skywave kit with the inclusion of a lower hull so that the full hull version can be made as well. On opening the kit I was damn impressed. This kit is tiny... I never realised how small the Perry FFG's really were ( about 7.5" inches overall). I'd never bought the Skywave kit but judging from the crisp, tiny detail the moulds are still in great shape. The lower hull was very well executed and fit to the upper hull looks very good. It was a struggle to decide to build this waterline because the full hull would look so nice! One major disappointment is the decals. About the only usable thing on them is the ships name and side numerals. The rest of the decal is oversize and not very sharp. Get GMM replacement decals!

One mistake in the instructions would have you build this as a short hull Perry and then put a SH-60 SeaHawk (LAMPS III) on board her. WRONG! If you use the short transom (the part immediately behind the hull moulding (pt 60) then put the Sea King chopper (LAMPS I) on board. If you want the SeaHawk then use the extended transom (pt 53).
The detail parts come from a Skywave detail sprue that's included in the kit. They are the usual good standard. One disappointment on the moulding is the concave areas on the hull that shrunk when the plastic cooled. It left several depressions in the side of the hull. They were easy to fix but you should be aware of them.

I'd recommend this kit highly...with the exception of the decals. I've already ordered GMM detail parts and decals to compensate and detail this beautiful little kit. It's a good value and the superstructure side detail is really gonna be nice with a wash to bring attention to it.