| The HMS Erin was laid down in 1911 destined
for the Turkish Navy. Upon completion and as the Ottoman Empire crew was
arriving to sail her to Turkey, the ship was was seized by the Royal Navy.
She joined the Grand Fleet, became part of the 2nd Battle Squadron and
took part in the Battle of Jutland. The Erin survived the battle with no
damage. Erin fought on throughout the war, only to become a victim of the
Washington Treaty. She was sold for scrapping in 1922.
SPECIFICATION
| Displacement |
|
22,780 tons load 25,250 tons full |
 |
| Length |
|
553 feet waterline 559 feet 9 inches overall |
| Beam |
|
91 feet 7 inches |
| Draft |
|
28 feet 5 inches (load) |
| Propulsion |
|
4 shaft Parsons turbines, 26,500 shp |
| Performance |
|
21 kts. |
| Armament |
|
10 x 13.5 in 45 cal MK VI (5 x 2) |
|
|
16 x 6 in (16 x 1) |
|
|
6 x 6 pounder (6 x 1) |
|
|
2 x 3 in (2 x 1) |
|
|
4 x 21 in TT |
|
|
|
| HULL |
|
| The Hull on this kit is very well done, the casting is very sharp and
well defined. The hull has several open areas cast in to reduce the amount
of resin that needs to be poured. These hole serve as mounting locations
for the main guns and superstructure. Planking is well done on the deck
as is the overall level of detail. |
click images
to enlarge
 |
|
|
| SUPERSTRUCTURE |
|
| Superstructure parts are also nicely cast. Some are molded on a thin
resin wafer and will need a little flat sanding to free them. The parts
are sharp and crisp and as usual, well cast. At first glance you might
think that that is an excessive amount of overpour on the bottom of the
parts. That is until you fit the superstructure parts perfectly into the
locating hole without sanding, a perfect fit. |
 |
|
The funnels are hollowed out a bit for a more realistic appearance. The
tripod legs are cast in resin too, but I would use these for templates
to make brass replacements from. |
| MAIN WEAPONS |
|
| The main guns are nicely shaped and have plenty of detail included.
The casting gate is on the base and doesn't have to be removed due to the
way the turrets fit into the openings. The gun barrels are pretty nice
for resin with a realistic flared end. |
 |
|
|
| SHIPS BOATS |
|
| The ships boats are the best I've seen in this scale. The main launch
has rudder detail cast on. A separate stack is included for the large launch.
The whaleboats feature nice bottom wood planking. The only way to improve
upon these would be to leave the seats out and add them in as a separate
photo etch piece. |
 |
|
|
| SMALL DETAIL ITEMS |
|
| The small parts are stunning and it is amazing that they can be cast
so finely in this scale. The light machine guns are so tiny that they rival
photo etch. The cable reels and search lights are well done too. The anchors
are finely cast as are all the small parts. |
 |
|
|
| PHOTO ETCH |
|
| A relief etched fret is included and details are nicely rendered. Notice
the bracing for installation under the bridge. The fighting top is provided
as an etched part with open windows. Only Erin specific details are
included meaning you will have to supply your own railings. But most of
us already have plenty of extra rails so this is not a problem. |
 |
|
| INSTRUCTIONS |
|
| The Instructions are four pages done in the typical Combrig
style. A plan and elevation with specifications and Historical info is
on page one. A bill of materials and pictures of the kit parts is on page
two. Page three and four are exploded assembly views showing parts placement.
|
| CONCLUSIONS |
|
:
Yet another high quality Combrig kit. This one features state of the
art casting, and relief etch photo etch with improved instructions. I wouldn't
recommend this kit for a beginner, but any one who has tacked a resin kit
and worked with photo etch will really enjoy this one. This kit is listed
on the Pacific Front
Hobbies website for $45.00 (US), a fantastic price for a ship of this
size and detail. It will make a fine addition to your Grand Fleet. |
