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1/350 HMS JANUS - Royal Navy Destroyer, Sept 1940
WEM K 3556 - 1/350 Multi-media kit from White Ensign Models
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Click on picture above for an enlarged version
Built at Wallsend by Swan Hunter and launched 10 November 1938, Janus commissioned on 5 August 1939. As part of the 7th Flotilla, she worked up in home waters and was based at Plymouth when war broke out, moving shortly thereafter to Scapa Flow for various patrol and escort duties. During the Norwegian campaign, Janus escorted Suffolk on a bombardment mission off Stavanger, and also transported men and supplies for the Army. In May 1940 she transferred to the Mediterranean, where she operated from Alexandria. Assigned to the 14th Flotilla, she escorted convoys to and from Malta, operated in actions against the Italian fleet in the Battle of Punta Stilo (9 July 1940), and bombarded the Italian army. Janus was a participant in the Battle of Cape Matapan (March 1941), then operated as part of a striking force out of Malta to disrupt Italian convoys. On 15 April 1941 she so damaged the Italian destroyer Baleno with gunfire that the enemy ship was beached as a total loss. In the same action she shelled an Italian merchant ship and torpedoed the ammunition carrier Sabaudia, which blew up. Janus dodged a torpedo from the Italian destroyer Lampo, then joined her sisters in shelling Lampo until she too was beached. In the Battle of Crete in May 1941, Janus destroyed ships in an enemy invasion convoy. On 8 June 1941 she came under fire from the French ships Guepard and Valmy, who hit her 5 times, killing all on the bridge except the captain and disabling her boiler room; intervention by Jackal saved her. Janus was out of action until March 1942, and in early 1943 returned to England for a refit that lasted until July. Rejoining the Home Fleet, she operated again from Scapa Flow until returning to the Mediterranean in December 1943. In January 1944 Janus and Jervis carried out a series of bombardments off Italy, sinking schooners and damaging trains. At 5.45pm on 23 January 1944, steaming at just 6 knots, Jervis was attacked by an enemy aircraft that attempted to torpedo her. Jervis managed to avoid the torpedo, but Janus did not. The torpedo hit number 2 magazine, detonating it and blowing her bows off. Janus sank in 8 minutes, leaving only 94 survivors out of a complement of 183.
As well as resin parts, cast by the CMA Moldform, the company we are now adopting as our main British supplier, the kit includes an extensively detailed relief-etched brass detail set. The "J,K,N Class" patterns, which were ingeniously designed and built by WEM's own Peter Hall enable ANY ship of the class we choose to be built from them. This ensures longevity of production. The PE set has also been designed with this option in mind, so be sure Janus was the first of a number of J, K & N class kits, with conversion potential for all the others. The other kits are HMS KELLY 1940 and ORP PIORUN 1944.
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Above: Pattern Parts for ALL the J/K/N Classes
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Above: September 1940 colour scheme provided with the kit
(click on it for an enlarged version)
COLOURCOATS paints will supply the colours
RN 03 AP 507 C (Light Grey vertical surfaces)
RN 02 AP 507 B (Medium Grey vertical surfaces)
RN 01 AP 507 A (Decks)
RN 10 RN White (White vertical surfaces/topmasts)
C 02 Black (Boot topping)
Enamel Paints Supplied at 1.99 Pounds per 14ml tinlet
Recommended reading: "The Kellys", Chris Langtree, Chatham Publishing, hb, 224pp, 100 B+W photos, 20 line drawings by John Lambert, 18 colour ship profiles by John Roberts, THE definitive work on the J, K, and N Classes 28.00 Pounds ($41.00)
This kit is priced as follows:
Export price outside Europe 66.34 Pounds ($98.00)
U.K./E.U. 79.60 Pounds, includes VAT, and POST FREE everywhere.
Telephone: U.K. 0844 415 0914 or Fax: U.K. 0844 415 0916, email us, write, or
CHECK OUT OTHER WEM 1/350 SCALE KITS
Cheers!
Caroline Snyder
