The Triang Minic ships that I recently bought via eBay have been delivered ... and I am very pleased with my purchase.
My recently purchased 'squadron' of Triang Minic 1:1200th-scale warships.
The ships are:
- The Albion-class light fleet aircraft carrier HMS Bulwark.
- The Minotaur-class light cruiser HMS Swiftsure.
- Two Daring-class destroyers (HMS Daring and HMS Dainty).
- Two Battle-class destroyers (HMAS Anzac and HMS Alamein).
- Two Whitby-class anti-submarine frigates (HMS Whitby & HMS Torquay).
- Two Type 15 anti-submarine frigates (HMS Vigilant and HMS Virago).
All-in-all, this is a very nice 'squadron' of ships to add to my collection, especially as it includes two three classes (the Battles, the Whitbys, and the Type 15s) that I was never able to buy when I was a child.
The models are quite basic and are by no means collector's models ... but they are made of metal, are robust, and certainly look reasonably convincing enough from a metre away to be useable in a wargame.
Until they arrived, I had no idea that the destroyers and the Whitby-class frigates models all shared the same model turret (the twin mounting UD Mark VI turret with quick-firing 4.5-inch/45 (114mm) Mark V guns). Whilst this is spot-on for the Daring-class destroyers and Whitby-class anti-submarine frigates, this gun turret was only fitted to the Battle-class destroyers built in Australia. So its right for HMAS Anzac ... but not right for HMS Alamein, which was fitted with a twin mounting BD Mk. IV turret with quick-firing 4.5-inch/45 (114mm) Mark III guns.
HMAS Anzac.
HMS Alamein.
The other 'inaccuracy' is the additional UD Mark VI turret fitted towards the stern of the models of the Whitby-class anti-submarine frigates. I assume that it is meant to represent the twin 40mm Bofors gun Mark 2 on STAAG (Stabilised Tachymetric Anti-Aircraft Gun) mounting ... which was later removed when it proved to be overweight, too complex, and a maintenance nightmare.
HMS Tenby, one of the Whitby-class anti-submarine frigates.
Interestingly, the slightly earlier, diesel-powered Type 41 or Leopard-class anti-aircraft frigates were armed with two twin mounting UD Mark VI turrets with quick-firing 4.5-inch/45 (114mm) Mark V guns.
HMS Jaguar, one of the Leopard-class anti-aircraft frigates.
This class was originally to have included far more ships than the seven that were built (four for the Royal Navy and three for the Indian Navy) but six of them were re-ordered as Whitby-class anti-submarine frigates ... and I wonder if this might be the reason why Triang Minic produced their models with two turrets.
Nice models Bob, they look great, not sure I have ever come across them before.
ReplyDeleteDonnie McGibbon,
DeleteI don’t think that Triang kept these models in production for many years. That said, they were well enough known at the time to be copied by Hong Kong-based toy companies in plastic.
All the best,
Bob
Sharp looking model from back in the day. Great to see these again.
ReplyDeleteWEK 3,
DeleteThey were a very useful addition to the model navies of many young naval wargamers back then.
All the best,
Bob
Very nice models Bob. Do you collect them or use them for gaming as well?
ReplyDeleteRoger,
DeleteWhen I was a child, I used the ones I bought then in my wargames. I bought this collection because it contained models that I’d always wanted but never owned … but now that Ihave them, I’m thinking of ways to use them in wargames.
All the best,
Bob
Nice buy Bob. My father served on both Torquay and Tenby.
ReplyDeletePeter Douglas,
DeleteCheers! I think that both those ships were included in Triang’s range of models.
All the best,
Bob
BOB,
ReplyDeleteThe Triang ship models are excellent. Guess now you have a good collection of 1200th ship models- How many Triang models do you have? Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteI have accumulated quite a collection of 1:1200th-scale ships over the years, with the Triang ones I've just acquired probably making them the largest element therein. I certainly have a battleship, five aircraft carriers, three cruisers, seven or eight destroyers, four frigates, and possibly a couple of minesweepers. Not a bad little fleet!
All the best,
Bob
Bob -
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a useful little Task Force you have there! It would make a fine naval element for some kind of combined operation campaign in some archipelago or other...
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteI am thinking of something along the lines of Operation Vijay (the Indian invasion/liberation of Goa) where they used a task force built around the navy’s aircraft carrier to support the land campaign or a South American navy - such as Peru - maintaining control of their coastline and offshore islands from rival nations.
All the best,
Bob