Trumpeter 1/700 HMS Hood (1931)

HMS Hood (pennant number 51) was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy (RN). Hood was the first of the planned four Admiral-class battlecruisers to be built during the First World War. Already under construction when the Battle of Jutland occurred in mid-1916, that battle revealed serious flaws in her design, and despite drastic revisions she was completed four years later. For this reason, she was the only ship of her class to be completed, as the Admiralty decided it would be better to start with a clean design on succeeding battlecruisers, leading to the never-built G-3 class. Despite the appearance of newer and more modern ships, Hood remained the largest warship in the world for 20 years after her commissioning, and her prestige was reflected in her nickname, "The Mighty Hood".

Hood was involved in many showing-the-flag exercises between her commissioning in 1920 and the outbreak of war in 1939, including training exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and a circumnavigation of the globe with the Special Service Squadron in 1923 and 1924. She was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet following the outbreak of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War in 1935. When the Spanish Civil War broke out the following year, Hood was officially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet until she had to return to Britain in 1939 for an overhaul. By this time, advances in naval gunnery had reduced Hood's usefulness. She was scheduled to undergo a major rebuild in 1941 to correct these issues, but the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 kept the ship in service without the upgrades. I believe most of us know what happened to the Hood, but if you want more info, check out the reference link.

There was a time when Trumpeter was releasing 1/700 ship kits at a rather furious rate. For the most part, these kits were well received as they offered a level of detail not often seen and were in a growing standard scale.

Much of the initial construction consists of attaching bulkheads to the single piece deck. A few other pieces that will be difficult to reach such as casemate guns will be glued on at this time. Construction then continues upward as successive deck level items are attached. Once most of the superstructure is in place, then all the ancillary deck items such as guns, lifeboats, catapult and masts can be attached. One interesting deviation from many 1/700 kits is that the external ladders are all separate items, which does add to the rather large small parts count.

This is not just a waterline kit, though it can be built in this fashion. The kit also includes a full lower hull onto which prop shafts, props and rudders are attached. A base is supplied if you choose the full hull option.

Instructions are well drawn with painting and decal information provided on the side panels of the box. A small decal sheet is included that gives the ship's name and flag along with Plimsoll lines.

As 1/700 ship kits go, this looks like a nice one. It is fairly complex so perhaps not suitable for the beginner, but any experienced modeler should be able to produce a pleasing representation of this famous British warship.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Hood

March 2025

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