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Trumpeter 1/700 scale HMS Hood 1941 flagship

RELATED TOPICS: SHIPS
Kit: No. 5740
Scale: 1/700
Manufacturer: Trumpeter, from Stevens International, 856-435-1555
Price: $34.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 432 parts, decals
Pros: Accurate dimensions and detail; full-hull or waterline options
Cons: Some flash and pin marks; hull gaps; no photoetched-metal parts
Issue Published: April 2008
Commissioned in 1920, HMS Hood served as a flagship cruising throughout the Mediterranean. In the famous May 1941 battle, Hood engaged the German battleship Bismarck and was sunk with the loss of all but three crewmen.

Trumpeter's 1/700 scale Hood shares many of the characteristics of its 1/350 scale counterpart. The parts breakdown is similar, and several assembly sequences are the same. The biggest difference is a slightly lower parts count of 432 - still a lot of parts for a model only 14.5" long.

The gray styrene casting is generally crisp, but there are some flash and pin marks on several smaller parts. Options are few but include a waterline or full-hull choice. Unlike its 1/350 scale sister, no photoetched-metal parts are included - a shortcoming manifest in the over-scale ladderways, for example.

The 12-page, 21-step instructions are clear, with part numbers for locations and inset illustrations for details. A painting and marking diagram, printed in color, lists Gunze Sangyo Mr. Color paints. The decals are thin, in-register, and their color appears accurate; the single sheet contains British ensigns and hull draft numbers.

Construction was straightforward with no complications. Parts fit was mostly excellent, although some smaller parts required flash removal. Bridge parts and lifeboats had ejector-pin marks that required sanding or filling.
I chose the full hull version to take advantage of the unique dry-dock display stand.

Alignment gaps in my sample's upper and lower hull halves were immediately apparent and required extensive filling and sanding along the entire length of the hull.

In Step 3, a gap between bulkhead parts A22 and F2 had to be closed with .010" strip styrene.

I built the kit in subassemblies, leaving off deck structures and equipment until after painting. Ignoring the color suggestions in the instructions, I used the HMS Hood Association's Web site (www.hmshood.com) as my color guide and painted the 1941 scheme using Gunze Sangyo grayish-blue H337 for the upper hull and superstructure, Vallejo dark sea green 868 for the boat deck, and Polly Scale old concrete for the wood decks. The lower hull was painted in Polly Scale's oxide red with scale black for the waterline. The hull draft number decals went down nicely with a little Micro-Sol to finish the build.

I spent 42 hours on my Hood, a bit longer than usual due to all the small parts. It was a fun build, and it is a clean representation of the real ship. The kit scales well to the Hood association's dimensions. While it's very detailed, Trumpeter's engineering makes it easy for a beginner with a few kits under the belt. The minor gaps can be easily overcome by more-experienced modelers.

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