HMS Coventry was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the English city of Coventry. She was part of the Ceres group of the C-class of cruisers. The C class was a group of twenty-eight light cruisers of the Royal Navy, and were built in a sequence of seven groups. They were built for the rough conditions of the North Sea, and proved to be rugged and capable vessels, despite their being somewhat small and cramped. The Ceres class were ordered in March and April 1916 and commissioned in 1917 and 1918. These ships were very "wet" forward, which was remedied in the subsequent Carlisle sub-class with the addition of a "trawler bow". Their main armament consisted of five 6-inch (152 mm) guns, while their secondary armament consisted of two 3-inch (76 mm) weapons.

Three ships underwent extensive rebuilds during the 1930s, becoming anti-aircraft (AA) cruisers, resulting in all previous armament being removed. The ships were Coventry, Curacoa and Curlew. The first two ships were converted in 1935. Coventry and Curlew were given ten QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun for their AA role, disposed in single mounts one forward, three on each beam and three aft. Sixteen QF 2-pounder naval gun Mark VIII as two 8-barelled Mark VI mountings ("multiple pom-poms") were fitted aft. Torpedo tubes were removed, and two High-Angle HACS gun directors and a Pom-Pom director added. >Coventry had five single 20mm added in May 1942 as well as landing one of the pom-pom mounts.

Coventry served with the 5th LCS in the Harwich force from completion until 1919, including service in the Baltic and then as flagship of the 1st LCS in the Atlantic Fleet. In 1920/24 she was Commodore (D), then went to the Mediterranean in the same capacity during 1924/28. After the aforementioned refit in 1928/30, the ship continued her Mediterranean service as Flag (D) until reduced to reserve when she returned to Portsmouth for conversion into an AA cruiser. In September 1939 Coventry was in the Mediterranean again, but served in Norway during the campaign there April/May 1940. In August she went to Gibraltar for the formation of Force H before being passed to the eastern Mediterranean. Based at Alexandria, she participated in attacks on Bengahzi and escorted Malta convoys during 1940, but on 13 December 1940 she was torpedoed and damaged by the Italian submarine Neghelli. In 1941 she covered the troop convoys to Greece, and their subsequent evacuation. Much of 1941 was again occupied by the attempts to run convoys to Malta, the evacuation of Crete (she rescued the survivors from Calcutta), and the Syrian Campaign. In 1942 she continued on the Malta convoys, but in September, while covering the disastrous Tobruk raid, she was badly damaged by aircraft and had to be scuttled by Zulu.

Details from Wikipedia and other sources.

This kit is another in the line of esoteric subjects that AJM have issued over the last few years.  The kit arrives in a good solid white box with a picture of the made up kit in a seascape.  On the front of the box we are told that the 3D kit (presumably the masters) is made by Alexey Selezney and the test model is made by Marcin Wawrzynkowski.  Inside we find the hull wrapped in bubble wrap together with two small zip lock bags containing resin parts, two loose resin wafers that are the same, consisting of the deck, and some superstructure pieces. Looking at the instructions it only lists one of these so it may be a mistake.  It will however make it more likely that I can finish making this. Finally there is a larger zip lock bag containing a 190 x 57mm (7 ½” x 2 ¼“) PE sheet, several short lengths of brass wire and a very small decal sheet consisting of two White Ensigns, one Union Flag and load lines in black and white.

This is AJM Models’s 1/700 HMS Coventry, kit number 700-030. The model is available from many of our fine sponsors. This is an in-box review, your mileage may vary once you commence construction Thanks to AJM Models Models for the review sample.