Thank you, Lars, I am aware of those issues. All my other Burkes are Dragon, and were obtained before Hobby Boss did the subject. The Mustin kit fits my set better.

Additionally, if you look at the Hobby Boss selections, their "newest" version is the USS Forrest Sherman:

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/hobbyboss-83409-uss-arleigh-burke-ddg-51--147197/timeline

That kit also lacks the rear CIWS, and has the RHIBs stacked vertically. The Mustin kit has the parts available to add the rear CIWS, the RHIBs both on the main deck, the capped funnels, and the mounting for the CIWS forward (though no weapon is mounted there. However, if you look at photos of the ship, the mount is there.) Thus, the Mustin kit will more easily build what I want OOB, without extensive modification, or buying/bashing more than one Hobby Boss kit. Pretty much all I need to do to Mustin is mostly add multiple domes from my EV upgrade set. True, it won't be as accurate as Hobby Boss in the features you cite, but it will be an easier build for me, and fit the rest of my set better.

The way Dragon designed their Burke kits was more "flexible." They went with a "building block" approach. They started with the PitRoad Flight I, then added new features as separate parts...Flight IIA hangar, CIWS mounts, the piece for the mine gear hangar on Pinckney, funnel caps, etc. Makes more options. Hobby Boss put out whole new superstructures for these things, and while the Forrest Sherman has CIWS in its "standard weapons sprue," it has no mounts for them. They made their kit "as commissioned," with no provisions for alternatives. One literally has to buy one of their Flight Is to obtain CIWS mounts and RHIBs which are not stacked:

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10246414

I agree that if one's goal is painstaking accuracy, the Hobby Boss kit provides the better foundation. You then need to spend a small fortune to build anything other than the kit OOB. My collection is not for public consumption, and "cheap OOB" with some extra domes suits me tremendously. And--as innaccurate as they are--my set is Dragon, and has been since before Hobby Boss showed up.

So, I appreciate the recommendation, but decline courteously. Thank you.