Commissioned in 1916 and serving in the British Royal Navy during WWI, Vampire was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in 1933. As part of Force Z, she was present at the historic Japanese sinking of the Repulse and Prince of Wales on December 10, 1941, and rescued 225 sailors from the Repulse. After performing escort duties in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean, she was finally sunk along with the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes by Japanese aircraft off the coast of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in April 1942.
Tamiya's kit of the Vampire is simple but highly detailed, featuring polycaps to hold the gun turrets and torpedo tubes in place. A waterline model.