Academy's Oliver Hazard Perry to HMAS Sydney (IV)

I'm not aware of any dedicated Oz decals for the 1:350 Perry,  but perhaps you can find items which may work on this Charles Adams sheet from Hawk Graphics decals. 

It should get you the flags and hull numbers.   You'll have to cobble together the name from the available letters.    Use the kit flight deck markings and the missile foul lines from this sheet or from the Iron Shipwright's Perry sheet.

As far as the VLS cells,  if I remember correctly from an article in the US Naval Institute Proceedings, it is a raised deck with square/rectangular hatches.  Make it out of appropriate thick sheets of Evergreen plastic stock

 ----- EDIT

Hah! Google is your friend.  Found a photo of the fore-deck of the Sydney.

The VLS looks to be a box with gussets and some hatches.  Build a box from Evergreen with appropriate deck sheer.   Add in the gussets and hatches.  Looks to be a quite simple build. 

What other changes may differentiate an Oz perry from a US Perry, or from the Spanish or others who have received them?  I see a radar or other electronic device over the bridge windows.

 

Thanks mate, that chart has everything I need, mainly the Aussie flag and the Red Roo.  Also thats a great pick of the VLS cells on the Sydney.  Now that I think of it I had an Australian Warship magazine that had an article that listed and had diagrams of all the upgrades our FFG's had.  Now if only I can find it.

G'day Riggsie,

How's that build coming along?  I've bought the same kit as well as a resin conversion kit off ebay.  I've also ordered the PE and some after-market aerials and barrel for the 76mm.

Decals is the hard bit, though - I was thinking of roos from RAAF decals as another option to the decals.

Being an Adelaidean, I'll be doing Adelaide.

cheers,

bj

Just a thought, they may be a little overscale, but you may wish to put out some feelers for the decals from the 1/300 Modelcraft kit, as it contains decals for Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra and Darwin.

Another possible source for additional/different Perry details:

The newest Squadron flier (Feb, 2010) lists a Republic of China Cheng Kung-class frigate by AFV Club (1:350 scale).  it is described as containing a full hull with separate bilge keels.  S-70 Seahawks (1 with folded and 1 with extended rotors), name plate, display stand,  resin and photo-etched parts.   Decals and painting instructions for all vessels in the class.  ACS735S1 MSRP 94.00 Price 59.99.  

The resin & photoetch make it not the Academy Perry, reboxed.   The MSRP is also twice (+/-) the Academy.  

AFV Club makes some particularly nice 1:350 scale submarines.   I would like to see what they've done with the Perry (Cheng Kung),  but not at that price/not right now.

 

EDIT --

I googled around a bit and found this.    The PE looks to be new lattice-work for some of the masts & platforms,  new radar, new waist decks and railing/helo deck netting.    The resin looks to include a couple of box launchers aft of the bridge and some 40mm guns on the new waist platforms.    You're not going to be able to make an Adelaide out of it any easier than the Academy kit.

On the other side,  comparing what you get with the Academy Perry for its price and add  the price of an aftermarket PE set, such at that by White Ensign, the AFV Club sales price (not MSRP) is probably in the ball park of cost for value. 

If it helps, I just stumbled across another view of Sydney's VLS box.:

Hawk Graphics has just announced a comprehensive set of decals for all operators of Perry class frigates

Includes flags & jacks for Australia,  Spain,  Turkey,  Egypt,  Republic of China,  NATO, Bahrain, as well as specific hull number formats.  

No price yet,   Darren at Hawk needs 20 firm pre-orders to send the art off to the printers.   Contact Darren at  sales "at" resinshipyard "dot" com to express your interest.  

Darren at the Hawk Graphics/Resin Shipyard has gotten a response from his printer for the decal sheet for US and foreign operators of Perry frigates.   The price will be $25 (CDN).  He doubled up on some items to allow for almost two complete models be done from one set. 

This set will get you the names for US long-hull Perrys.  The ISW set will get you all the short-hull names.