Trumpeter 1/350 scale HMS Hood

Kit: No. 05302
Scale: 1/350
Manufacturer: Trumpeter, from Stevens International, 856-435-1555, www.stevenshobby.com
Price: $149.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 554 parts (8 photoetched), decals
Pros: Long-desired subject, dimensionally accurate, full hull or waterline, small photoetched fret
Cons: Some flash, ejector-pin marks, misfit of lower hull

The United States remembers the Alamo, the Maine, and Pearl Harbor, but for the United Kingdom, the battle cruiser Hood's successful pursuit but disastrous engagement with the German battleship Bismarck became a rallying cry through World War II and beyond.

Commissioned in 1920, HMS Hood served as a flagship cruising the Mediterranean. During the May 1941 Bismarck engagement, Hood likely took a direct hit from Bismarck's main 15" guns, setting off massive explosions in the magazines. Hood sank within minutes, taking all but three of her 1,418 crew members down with her.

A 1/350 scale plastic kit of the Hood has long been at the top of many modelers' wish lists. Expensive resin kits have satisfied some, but this plastic kit should satisfy most ship modelers.

At 30" long, Trumpeter's 1/350 scale Hood is impressive in both size and total parts- 554. Molded in gray styrene, the castings are crisp, though they include some flash and a large number of ejector-pin marks on many of the smaller parts.

Trumpeter provides parts for both waterline and full-hull options. A small set of photoetched parts provides alternates for styrene pieces. Trumpeter offers a separately purchased white-metal and brass detail set that can replace the guns and propellers (screws).

The 20-page, 19-step instructions are clearly illustrated with part numbers for locations and inset illustrations for details. A color painting and marking diagram is included, listing Gunze Sangyo Mr. Color paints. The decal sheet contains British ensigns and hull draft numbers.

Construction was straightforward and without major complications. Parts' fit, for the most part, was excellent. I decided early on to make the full-hull version to take advantage of the dry-dock-style display stand. My sample's lower hull was 3mm shorter than the main hull. This required sanding and shaping a "chunk" of styrene plastic to close the gap at the stern. Additionally, to close misalignment gaps, filling and sanding was needed for the entire length of the hull where the two halves joined.

In step 13, I installed the photoetched screen (PE2, a ranging device?) at the end of the assembly sequence instead of the beginning. This made a more stable assembly platform to better hold the part and avoid damaging it during assembly.

I built the kit in subassemblies, leaving off all the deck structures and equipment until after the painting was completed. Ignoring the color suggestions in the instructions, I used the HMS Hood Association's Web site as my color guide (www.hmshood.com). I 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 wooden decks. The lower hull was painted in Polly Scale's oxide red with scale black used for the boot topping. The hull draft-number decals went down nicely with a little Micro-Sol.

I spent 32 hours building and painting my Hood. Dimensionally, the kit scales well to published dimensions. It was a fun build, and the result is a clean representation of the real ship. Though very detailed, the kit's engineering makes it an easy project for modelers with a little experience. True ship aficionados will rejoice in the arrival of a large-scale plastic Hood.

-Phil Kirchmeier