Dragon 7147 1/700 Gabrielle Giffords LCS-10 Plastic Model Kit

 

USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) is the fifth Independence-class LCS to be built, and it is homeported at San Diego as part of Littoral Combat Ship Squadron One. The most notable thing about LCS-10 is that it is the first to be equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM), an anti-ship and land attack weapon manufactured by Norwegian firm Kongsberg. It was first seen equipped with these missiles when it deployed to the Western Pacific en route to Singapore in 2019. The NSM gives this particular LCS far greater punch and firepower.

 

The kit is based on a previous release of USS Independence, in which the sharp and angular silhouette of the ship is captured perfectly. Of course, this rendition of LCS-10 has been updated with the requisite new parts to represent the twin bow-mounted quad-pack launchers for the NSM, as well as additional radar and Mk-46 30mm gun system above the bridge superstructure. Slide-mold technology is widely employed, and modelers can elect to produce a waterline or full-hull model. The kit includes an MH-60S helicopter and MQ-8 Fire Scout rotary-winged unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) too. Furthermore, there is a generous selection of photo-etched parts to finish off this fine model of LCS-10 that is now armed to the teeth!