My Review and Build of Gallery's 1/350 scale Kit #64007,
USS New York, LCS-2, Landing Platform Dock

Last updated: Aircraft and completing the model - October 12, 2014

Introduction and What's in the Box - September 30, 2014

About the ship:
This model is a 1/350 scale model depiction of the US Navy's USS New York, LPD-21, San Antonio Class Landing Platform Dock (LPD). She is the fifth San Antonio Class LPD. Launched December, 19 2007 and commissioned November 7, 2009

The San Antonio Class of Landing Platform Dock (LPD) ships is the first amphibious ships designed to accommodate the Marine Corps' "mobility triad" - New Expdeitionary Fighting Vehicles (EFV), Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), and the Marine Corps' new tilt-rotor MV-22 Osprey - for high-speed, long-range tactical-lift operations. This means that for Amphibious Assault, the San Antonio class operations can begin well "over-the-horizon" (OTH), as far as 600 miles from an adversary's coastline, and ensure the ability to "reach out and touch someone" hundreds of miles inland, at rapid speeds.

The San Antonio Class is designed to support embarking, transporting, and landing elements of a Marine landing force in an assault by helicopters, landing craft, amphibious vehicles, and by a combination of the three to conduct primary amphibious warfare missions. As such the class has been designed and built to fight. Its warfighting capabilities include a state-of-the-art command and control suite, substantially increased vehicle lift capacity, a large flight deck, and advanced ship survivability features that enhance its ability to operate in the unforgiving littoral environment. The heart of the ship's defensive capability is a quick reaction Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS) that correlates sensor information, provides threat identification and evaluation, assesses own-ship defense readiness, and recommends optimal tactical defense responses against anti-ship missile and aircraft attacks in a cluttered conflict environment. The LPD-17 class is the first class of U.S. Navy ships to be equipped with a fiber-optic Shipboard Wide Area Network (SWAN). The SWAN connects all ship systems, combat systems, sensors, and command and control nodes with the ship's warfighting consoles to provide the essential real-time decision-making information required for fighting the ship effectively. To date, nine of these vessels have been launched, with the first being the USS San Anotnio, LPD-17, which was commissioned in January 2006, and the ninth, USS Somerset, LPD-25, which completed builder's sea trials in August 2013.

The USS New Ypork was named in 2004 when it was announced that she would be named in memory of the Twin Towers and the attack on New York by ISlamic terrorists that occurred on September 9, 2011 (911). At the same time, it was announced tat two of her sister ships would be named for the attacks as well, the USS Arlington, LPD-24, in memory of the attack on the Pentagon that day, and the USS Sommerset, LPD-25, in memory and honor fo the aircraft that was brough down on Sommerset County, PA, by American citizens who banned together on that aircraft and were taking the aircraft back from the terrorst hi-jacker crew when they crashed it into the ground.

The USS New York had several tons of steel salvaged from the wreck of the World Trade Center used to help build her. She is not only symbolically, but in actuality, representative of, and in memory of the 911 attacks on New York.

Tyhe USS New Ypork serves the US Navy and interests of the United States ably. She was deployed for the fitrst time in Jun 2012 to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf region. U.S. Marines from the 1st Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division deployed with her. She returned in December 2012 along with the USS Iwo Jima and the USS Gunston Hall.

In late 2013, the New York shifted homeport from Norfolk to Naval Station Mayport in Florida, as part of the Wasp Class, USS Iwo Jima, LHD-7, Amphibious Ready Group transfer.

In June 2014, the ship was used as the principle transoprt back to the United States of the terrorist, Ahmed Abu Khattala, who is suspected of the direct involvement and plannoing of the 2012 Benghazi attack on the American diplomatic mission at Benghazi, back to the United States. Khatalla was held in the brig and interrogated during the transit.

Specifications for the USS New York, and all of the san Antonio Class Landing Platform Docks include:

Designation: LPD
Length: 684 ft
Width: 105 ft
Beam: 105 ft
Displacement: 25,000 tons
Propulsion: 4 Colt 2.5 STC diesels, 2 shafts
Speed: 24 knots
Crew (Navy): 395
Troops (Marines): 700
Airwing: 4 rotary, vstol
Armament:
- 2 X 21 RAM missiles
- 2 X 30mm guns
- 4 X .50 cal MG
- 1 X 16 ESS SAM (Allowed for but not fitted)

There will be eleven ships in the class. To date nine have been launched and commissioned into service in the US Navy. The ships include:

LPD-17, USS San Antonio (commissioned)
LPD-18, USS New Orleans (commissioned)
LPD-19, USS Mesa Verde (commissioned)
LPD-20, USS Green Bay (commissioned)
LPD-21, USS New York (commissioned)
LPD-22, USS San Diego (commissioned)
LPD-23, USS Anchorage (commissioned)
LPD-24, USS Arlington (commissioned)
LPD-25, USS Somerset (commissioned)
LPD-26, USS John Murtha (launching in Nov 2014)
LPD-27, USS Portland (Building)

The Kit:
GA;;ery models has emerged as a very significant model mkaer, partcularly in the 1/350 scale. While they do not build as many models as a Trumpeter per sey, the models they do make are very highly detailed, include significant amounts of photo etch metal parts, significant options, and are regarded as some of the best models available.

Some of the kits that have produced for their 1/350 scale line-up include:

USS Wasp, LHD-1, Over 1,000 parts
USS Iwo Jima, LHD-7, Over 1,400 parts
USS New York, LPD-21, Over 700 parts
USS Intrepid, CV-11, (Angled Deck)Over 1,000 parts
US Navy Aricraft Carrier Deck Equipment
US Navy LCAC Hovercraft
US Marine Aircraft
US Marine Armord vehicles

This model of the USS NEw York lives up to the reputation Gallery has established for itself.

it comes with a two piece hull for the majority of the hull. it is not a waterline split however and if you want to build a waterline model you will have to cut the lower hull.

The lower hull has a forward sonar and aft well-deck enclusure, to add. The lower hull includes the hull up to just above the height of the well deckk and fairs very well, almost seamlessly into the upper hul, which included the flight deck and full forward, including all of the major deck house structures which are molded into the upper hull and which rise vertically from the lower hull withou interveneing weather decks. This is of course good for reducing the radar image of the ship.

All told, there are 712 parts on 28 sprues that are split up as follows:

- 406 ship partts modled in grey plastic on nine sprues.
- 108 Aircraft parts molded in clear plastic on eight sprues.
- 79 landing craft and vehicle partts modled in grey plastic on eight sprues.
- 119 photo etched parts in metal, on three metal sprues.

There is even a length of real chain included in the kits.

This model will build into an excellent, full feature model with no additional after market parts necessary, though I will exchange some armor and landing craft parts with the Bronco Model USS San Antonio Class LPD I have also purchased and intend to comare the builds when I complete that model later. I intend to build that model as the USS Sommerset, LPD-25.

The model includes two large sheets of water-slide decals, one for the ship itself, and the other for the aircraft and landing craft. Altogether there are 248 decals included.

The vessel can be built with the hanger doors and vehicle access doors to the flight deck opened or closed. The well deck can be shown either opened or closed. I intend to build both opened because there is a lot of detail included in these areas. note: The PE railing does not include the railing nexcessary for the hanger or the well deck. I will add some 3 and 4 rail railing form other kits.

The kit comes with a number of small kits for the aircraft, landing craft, and armor. The kit has all of the following:

2 x LCAC hovercraft.
2 x USMC AAV-7 Amphibious Assault Vehicles.
1 x LCU landing craft.
2 x Two AH-1W Cobra gunships.
2 x Two MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotors (with extra parts for folded-blade display).
2 x Two CH-46E Sea Knight helicopters (with extra parts for folded-blade display).
2 x Two CH-53E Helicopters (with extra parts for folded-blade display).
2 x Two UH-1N Huey helicopters

I intend to show the vessel with on LCU holding a HMVV and a AAV-7 (I will get the HMVV from the Bronco Model), an LCAC carrying one Abrams M-1 tank (which I will also get from the Bronco Model), and additional AAV-7 on the ramp into the well deck, two MV-22 Oprey aircraft on the flight deck and one CH-53E and one UH-1N helicopters with folded wings in the hanger.

The instruction booklet is very well done, and covers the entire gambit of options and building. it is over 24 pages long. The full color paint scheme is very well done. The ship is shown on one side, and the landing craft, armor, and aircraft on the other.

Here's how it all looked out of the box:

This looks to be an excellent build. I am looking forward to it and am sure it will take several weeks to complete. After I am done, I will move right onto Trumpeter's Chinese Type 071 LPD which is very similar to the US Model and compare those two builds. I will then do the bronco San Antonio Class which I will build as the USS Sommerset, LOD-25 and compare that one to the GAllery San Antonio and the Trumpeter Type 071. All three of them look very good.

I dry fitted the two major hull sections together and they fit very well. I then added the forward extension to the lower hull, amd then masked off the lower hull and painted it in Model Master Nuetral gray. I intend to pain all vertical surfaces in Model Master Nuetral Gray. I then painted the upper hull weather decks in Model Master Navy Grey, and the Flight deck in Model Master Flight deck grey. I then painted the upper hull vertical surfaces in neutral grey.

with this done I was ready to tackly the hanger bay and the well-deck. I then added some railing in the hanger bay.

Once this was done it was ontothe well deck. Here I added the various parts that came with the kit, and painted the entire well deck in the same Model MAster RN Nmedium grey used above. I then added railing all along the observation decks on either side of the well deck, and on the platform forward, at the level of the vehicle deck. I then added the aft bulkhead where the well deck door will be located.

This is looking good. But I ran out of time. In the next session I will build the LCU (Lanbding craft) the LCAC (air cushion) and the armor I intend to use for the vessel and add their decals and the decals to the well deck.

I intend to have one Landing Craft Utility (LCU) with a HMVV and a AAV-7 on it, as well as a LAnding Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) with an M-1 Abrams tank in it. Each of these is a minature 1/350 scale model itself. The LCU and LCAC both have about 28 pieces each. I am using the same paint scheme for the weather decks and vertical surfaces on them as the ship itself. The air cushion itslef is painted black. Each of the armor vehicles is made up of between four and five parts. I painted their tires/treads black and their bodies Testor's Flat Tan for a san/desert scheme.

I then added the decals to the LCU and LCAC.

Once this was all completed, I then added the decals to the well deck, including the "21" on the loading ramp (not included with the kit, but I added it from left over numbers). Once that was done I dry foitted the armor into the landing craft and both landing craft into the well deck:

That's looking very nice. I am considering a lighting system for the well deck, but will have to wait and see how it looks hust using a falshlight when the upper and lower hulls are dry fit together with the well deck in there. If it is fairly easy to see all of the detail, I will not add the lighting system

We'll see how that goes in the next session.

Well, now it was time to glue the two halves of the hull (upper and lower) together. I ended up having to do some scratch building in order to get a tight/good fit. I had glued the hanger to the upper half and the well deck to the lower half separately. This made for a very good fit for them together, but they were meant o be glued together (hanger and well deck), and then fitted into the lower half of the hull and have the upper half glued on to it. I ran into some issues with a good fit for the hanger when I dry fitted it, so I glued them separately.

This caused me to have to remove some of the lower wall, hanging down from the hanger deck, and then scratch build them back so they would clear. Just a few milimterers off, and I suppose I could have split the difference in doing it the way the instructions indicated, but this way the fit for those two spaces is very good from an external perspective, and the sratch building ocurred towrds the for portione of the well deck, which will not be visible in any case because the LCS and LCAC, along with the extra AAV-7 I put on the loading dock in the well deck, obstruct that view in any case.

Next, I masked off and painted the hull below the water line. I use a mixture to get the p[roper US Navy color which consists of 3 parts insignia red, 2 parts military brown, and one part Boyd Red...all Model Master. I then placed the shafts and rudders on the vessel.

With the hull halves glued together, the lower hull painted and the shafts and rudders added (I will add the propellers later), it was toime to begin adding details to the vessel.

I started by adding the ship's launch deck which is inset into the port side of the vessel, showing it open, and then building the well deck ramp and opening mechanism. The mechanism consists of an upper and lower portion that open like a clam shell, with hydraulic struts holding them open and closed. I am, of course, showing them in the open position with an LCU in the process of exiting the vessel.

I then procedded to adding all of the major deck houses fore and aft. These will be what the various sensors and radars are added to as well as the weapons systems and other equipment. This also included the integrated masts on the San Antonio Class. Rather than the normal masts, to which sensors and antennae are added, the San Antonio Class has in integrated mast which is designed with stealth features to help lower the radar soignature of the vessel. Many sensors and antennae which would normally be attached to arms on the mast are integrated into the structure.

Time to start adding the many, many details that come with this kit, and which will really make it opo. I started by adding the various radomes around the vessel. There are quite a few, partoicularly forward on the vessel.

Omce these had been added, I proceded to add the structural walls amidships that cordone off the main boat deck, and to build and add the large crane to that deck which lifts those boats out of the ship and places them into the water.

I proceeded from there to add many details, including the main weapons systems (which concist of a Rolling Air Frame (RAM) missile launcher with 21 missiles each, fore and aft, and a 30mm autocannon fore and aft. The RAM is for anti-air defense, and the 30mm cannon is for surface defense, primarily against small boat threats, but they also have an anti-air capability. This also included the ship's chains for the anchor. The model comes with actual small cahin which I painted in gum metal and then laid out on the fore deck as shown.

I also built and added the decoy/chaff launchers, other details (like life buoys and fir hose stations), and then the Life raft stations. The model comes with some very decen Photo Etch details, In addition to railing, vents, sensors, etc., this also included life raft stations into which the life raft are placed. These are delicate parts and are required to be bent to shape. Care must be taken to keep from bending the minute metal too much and breaking off pieces. When done properly and painted, they add a level of detail that cannot be obtained with normal plastic parts. I painted the life raft cannisters white. In normal US Navy use, these are painted a light ghost gray, but the white makes them stand out on the model and I prefer that look.

With that, the vessel is really taking shape. I still have a lot of details to add to the various weather decks, and the entire side decks with their many details along either side of the flight deck to add before the vessel will be completed as far as main structure goes. Then it will be the aircraft and the PE railing before completing the vessel. I hope to add both side decks along the landing deck in the next session. Until then, here's how she is looking at present.

There wewre still a lot of weather deck details to add, including several platforms, both forward for the directors under the bridge wings, and amidships on the boat deck. Lots of equipment, directors, various boxes, and then these platforms. I added the PE railing and ladders/stairs as I added these parts. I also painted and added the props to the vessel.

Then oit was to the aft section of the boat and the small decks along the port and starboard side of the landing deck. This involved several platforms, their ladders or stairs, the decks themselves, and then the quipment along the decks which included various boxes, antennae, and the .50 caliuber machine guns on the aft end of each of these decks. All of this took quite a bit of time and some painstaking bending of the various photo etch railing and stairs as I went along.

At this point I was ready to add the rest of the photo etch metal railing around the vessel. The Gallery kit is very nice in this regard because it has the various railing lengths all nicely created to length, including the ladders and staris. Youi need only paint them, snip them out (and I use a pair of special metal dikes/cutters for this, with a very sharp and ponted end), and then painstakingly bend them to the proper configuration for the particular fit. This must be done carefully and with a minimum of bends because the metal will easily break if bent one too many times!

That last picture show fairly well where I am now with the build of this kit.

In the next session I will complete the photo etch (I still have a few more to do), and add a vew sensors and vents, and then add the decals. The session after that should be the last where I will add the aircraft and, finally, paint the waterline mark on the vessel in flat black.

I started out this session by begginning to add the decals. There are the pennant numbers and some other hull markings...like the name of the ship on the stern. There are also depth markings, but I will wait on those to the very end after I add the waterline mark. Also, there are warning lines around the Mk-46 30mm guns and RAM missile launchers.

But the vast majority of the decals were involved with the detail for the landing deck markings...over 52 decals for the landing deck alone.

Then, it was time to complete some of the left-over details for the various weather decks and things for the windows on the bridge and the landing deck. These involved the window wipers which have been finely provided in the photo etch frets. I have not attempted to add these to some of the other vessels, but decided to go ahead and add them here. They were relatively sturdy (for the size they are...which is very small) and they turned out very nicely.

I really like that. Then there were the other details. Like the hand wheels for the anchor chains...very tiny photo etch parts. The .50 cal machine guns on the bridge wings near the watch staion on either side. The Gallery mdel only provided four .50 cal machine guns...the ships normall go to sea with six. The Gallery model omits the two on the bridge wings...but I like them there and so added them. I will go back and add two others (either from other models, or scratch built) near the bow. Also, the unloading/ditch stations on ether side of the landing deck near the hanger. In addition, the support stanchions under the small decks that are underneath the bridge wings on either side. These decks have tow support struts each and they are not cinluded with the Gallery model, so I scracth built them from other parts in my stach, and added them there. Several other such details were added that simple continue to add to the realism of the vessel:

Finally, some overall shots of the various sections of the ship as she is structurally completed with almost all of her decals. I also added some shots of the well deck showing her detail in there with the LCU, the LCAC, and the railings along either side of the well deck:

This is a very nicely done vessel.

My final session will be building and adding the aircraft. I intend to have two MV-22 Osprey aircraft in the main landing positions, preparing to depart. Two AH-1A Cobra attack helicopters with their rotos folded on the starboard side of the deck near the forwardf end of that deck, and then a CH-53E Super Stallion, with its rotos folded inside the hanger. Once those are built and added, it will be tocuh-up time and then the completed pictures.

This session started with building the aircraft for the USS New York. As stated earlier, I decided to have the following aircraft:

2 x MV-22 Osprey assault trasports
2 x AH-1W Cobra attack helicopters
1 x Ch-53E Super Stallion Helo

Each of these is a small model unto itself consisting of between 9 and 18 parts.

So, I assembled them, painted them (including freehanding the cockpits), added the landing gear, added the rotors and then added the US Marine Corps decals for each one.

Then iot was time to position these aircraft on the vessel, and then glue them there. I put the two Cobras on the starboard side, up near the hanger in deck potion 4. I put the two Osprey on he main landing deck at positins 1 and 2, either waiting to laod tropops and leave, or just returning. I put the Super Stallion in the hanger. Then it was time for the final dull coats and the final photos.

... and her are some close ups of the various details.

That completes the San Antonio Class Landing Platform Dock, USS New York, LPD-21.

1. By Dec 01, 2014, Start the PLAN Amphibious Ready Group centered on the Trumpeter Type 071 LPD-998, with a FFG, and two DDGs.
2. By Mar 15, 2015, Complete the US Navy Amphibious Ready Group centered on the Gallery USS Iwo Jime, LHD-7, a 2nd LPD, a DDG, a SSN, and another LCS.
3. By Mar 16, 2015 Go back and start fleshing out the rest of the DDG and FFG escorts for each CSG and ARG group.

The completion of the PLAN Carrier group was centered on the already completed Trumpeter's 1/350 scale PLA Navy's Aircraft Carrier CV-16, Liaoning, (in addition to the other escorts already completed) included Mini Hobby's's PLAN Guangzhou, DDG-168. I recently pre-ordered a 1/350 scale model of the PLAN Type 071 LPD, Yuzhao Class, announced by Trumpeter and due out in October, 2013. I will end up adding two of those, propbably LPD-998 Yuzhao and LPD-999, Jinggangshan, add the PLAN- DDG-139, Ningbo, and the PLAN DDG-115, Shenyang, along with the PLAN Weifang, FFG-550 and thus build a PLAN ARG.

The completion of the US Carrier Strike group was centered on the completed Tamyia's 1/350 scale USS Enterprise, CVN-65, (in addition ot the other escorts already completed) included Trumpeter's, USS Freedom, LCS-1, Dragon's USS Preble, DDG-88 and Hobby Boss's USS Texas, SSN-775. When a 1/350 scale USS Enterprise, CVN-80 (or any Gerald R. Ford Class) is released from Trumpeter, Tamiya, Dragon, or whomever else, I will add it to this group along with another AEGIS Cruiser. Whichever Ford Class coms out in 1/350 scale, I will build it as the USS Enterprise, CVN-80.

The US ARG will include Tamiya's 1/350 scale, USS Iowa, BB-62 (which I have already completed), Trumpeter's 1/350 scale USS Iwo Jima LHD-7, Gallery's 1/350 scale USS Sommerset, LPD-25, Bronco Models 1/350 Scale USS New York, LPD-21, Cyber Hobby's USS Independence, LCS-2, Acadamy's 1/350 scale USS Rueben James, FFG-57, and another Flight IIA US AEGIS class detroyer based on Trumpeter's 1/350 scale USS Lassen, DDG-82...all of these models which I already own.

The completion of the UK Group featured the Airfix 1/350 scale HMS Illustrious, R06 as its centerp[iece until a 1/350 scale Queen Elizabeth carrier is released. When that happens, I will add that carrier to the group as its centerpiece. The Royal Navy CSG will also include two Airfix 1/350 scale Daring Class DDGs (one of which is already completed), two Trumpeter 1/350 scale Type 23 HMS Duke class Frigates (one of which is already completed), and the Hobby Boss 1/350 scale HMS Astute SSN (which is also already completed) and Airfix 1/350 scale HMS Tragalgar SSN. One day, when a 1/350 scale HMS Ocean LPD come out, I will use tt to start building a Royal Navy ARG.

The French CSG is centered on Heller's 1/400 scale Charles De Gualle, R91. I have purchased the 1/400 scale Heller French De Grasse, D612 DDG, which is an ASW DDG, the French Duquesne, D603 DDG which is an anti-air multi-purpose DDG, and the French Aconit D612 FFG and Gueprattet F714 FFGs, both of which are Lafayette class frigates. These five vessels will round out my French CSG. As soon as a French Robin class nuclear sub, like the French Perale S606 SSN is released in 1/350 or 1/400 scale, I will add that to the group. Also as soon as the Forbin D620, Horizon class anti-air DDG is released in 1/350 or 1/400 scale, I will purchase two of them and replace the De Grrasse and Duquesne with them, and then save those two for when a Mistral Class LPD is released in 1/350 or 1/400 scale so I can create a French ARG with those vessels.

The completion of the Japanese JMSDF group was centered on Fujimi's very finely detailed, 1/350 scale Hyuga, DDH-181. It will be escorted by Trumpeter's 1/350 scale DDG-177, Atago, an AEGIS class DDG and the JMSDF, DDG-174, Kongo class (which I own), Trumpeters's 1/350 scale DDG-114 Susunami and DDG-111 (both of which are Takinami Class DDGs which I own), and by the 1/350 scale SS-503 Hakuryu (which I own), one of Japans new, very modern and capable AIP Diesel Electric submarines. As soon as a DDG-115 Akizuki in 1/350 scale is released, I will add it to this group. Should a 1/350 scale Osumi Class LPD be relased, I will buy two of those vessels and create a JMSDF ARG.

Then, finally it will be a complete Russian CSG (centered on Trumpeter's Kuznetsov which I own) the Russian Kirov Class nuclear battle cruiser (CGN), the Peter the Great, by Trumpeter (which I own), the Russian Slava Class cruiser, Varyag by Trumperter (which I own), two Trumpeter 1/350 scale Udaloy DDGs (which I own), Hobby Boss's Akula II class SSN (which I own), and the new Yasen class Russian SSN (which I own), all in 1/350 scale. Some time in the more distant future when a 1/350 scale Russian version of the French Mistral class comes out (which is building in real life right now), I will add two of those and build a Russian ARG.

Recently I purchased Heller's 1/400 scale Foch, the Clemceau Class carrier that was sold to the Brazilians in 2000 and in 2002 was refitted and became the Brazilian CV, Sao Paulo, using steam catapaults. I will build the model as the Sao Paulo and thus start a Brazilian group, though the Type 22 DDGs and the FFGs the Brazilians use are not available at present. I have however purchased a set of 1/400 scale A-4 Skyhawks and S-3 Trackers to build a suitable airwing for the Sao Paulo.

Then, again, once the models are available, I'd like to build an Italian Carrier Strike Group centered on the Cavour and their Horizon DDGs, a Spanish Carrier Strike Group centered on the Juan Carlos and their F-100 AEGIS FFGs, and ultimatly an Australian Strike Group centered on the new Canberra Class LPD and the Hobart class AEGIS DDGs. If they ever build the models, an Indian Carrier Strike Group centered on either the Vikramaditya or their new ADS Carrier, the Vikrant, and their Kolkata class DDGs and Shivlak class FFGs would also be nice.

Years more worth of work!

You can see all of these actual carriers, read their histories and specifictions at my site:

WORLD-WIDE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

...and most of their surface escorts at:

AEGIS AND AEGIS-LIKE VESSELS OF THE WORLD