Triumph Model
1/700 Castle Class Corvette
Reviewed August 2025
by Martin J Quinn
HISTORY
The Castle-class corvette was an ocean going convoy escort developed by the United Kingdom during the Second World War. It was the follow-on to the Flower-class corvette, and designed to be built in shipyards that were producing the Flowers. The Castle-class was a general improvement over the smaller Flowers which were designed for coastal rather than open ocean use.

The Castle-class corvettes started appearing in service during late 1943. The Castle resembled later Flowers with an extended forecastle and mast behind the bridge, but was 135 tons heavier and 47 feet longer. The Admiralty Experiment Works at Haslar developed an improved hull form which, in combination with the increased length, made the Castle at least half a knot faster than the Flower despite using the same engine. The Castle also had a single-screw. A lattice mainmast was used instead of the pole version fitted to the Flowers.

Construction used mainly traditional methods with as much welding as possible. Scantling was based on the Flower, but lightened in some areas. The wireless office, the radar office, and the lattice mast were installed as prefabricated units.

The Castle was armed with a Squid anti-submarine mortar, directed by Type 145 and 147B ASDIC. The Flower used the older Hedgehog mortar and could not be fitted with Squid. The first operational Type 147 and Squid were installed aboard HMS Hadleigh Castle in September 1943.

In place of the BL 4-inch Mk IX main gun, the Castles had the new QF 4-inch Mk XIX gun on a High-Angle/Low-Angle mounting which could be used against aircraft as well as surface targets such as submarines. 

For further information, check out the Wikipedia page (where this information came from) for her class here. 

The Triumph Models Castle

Castle is packaged in sturdy, flip-top white cardboard box, with art work of a Castle-class corvette on the box top.  Inside the box are two bags: one with the hull halves & decals, another with the 3D printed parts. Also included is a small photo-etch fret and instructions. 

THE HULL 
The kit provides a separate upper and lower hull.  These are keyed with a hexagon shaped male part on top portion of the lower hull, and a similarly shaped female opening on the bottom of the upper hull.  The mating sections of the hull halves may need some light sanding if you are doing a full hull version.  The hull scales out very close in both length and beam for an Castle. 

Overall, both halves are well cast, though each has a very large casting plug which will need to be (carefully) removed.  Unlike their earlier Flower-class release, there is no hull plating.  Detail is good, with skylights, bitts, planking on the forecastle, anchor handling equipment and more.  However, the deck plating on the fo'c'sle and the tread plating at the stern might be slightly overstated. 

3D PRINTED PARTS
There are 10 3D printed rafts in the kit. The two smallest rafts, with the largest parts, are for the superstructure.  Details are decent, with some wood deck planking on the open bridge deck. 

There are a variety of parts on the other print rafts.  One has the funnel, and gun platforms.  Another has ships boats and rafts.  Yet another (the smallest print raft) has the gun shield for the main gun, along with some 20mm guns.  Other rafts include a squid launcher, searchlights, rocket launchers for the sides of the gun shield, ready use lockers, rudder, prop, and bridge equipment.  Overall, detail is good. 

DECALS
There is one small decal sheet, with two versions of the White Ensign included.  You'll have to source pennant numbers on your own. 

PHOTO-ETCH
There is one photo-etch fret included with the kit.  Included are rails, W/T doors, the lattice mast, boat davits, support braces, yardarms, cable reels, portholes, inclined ladders, vertical ladders and more.

INSTRUCTIONS
The instructions are four pages across two 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of paper, in black and white.  There are no painting instructions or color callouts.  You'll have to do some research to find the ship you want to build. 

CONCLUSIONS  
An internet search reveals the only other 1/700 Castle-class kit available is a long OOP Fine Waterline Models kit, leaving this to be the only game in town at the moment.  I like the mix of a resin hull, 3D printed parts and photo-etch.

Overall, it is a nice kit with good details and almost everything you'll need to build an Castle-class corvette out of the box. You'll just need to decide which ship and which paint scheme, and source yourself some pennant numbers. Recommend, especially for fans of ships that participated in the Battle of the Atlantic. 

This is Triumph Models 1/700 Castle-class, kit number 700006.  The model is currently on eBay for an average of $32.95, before shipping. Thanks to Russ Varga for lending me the model for the review.