Ahoy Shipmates

Here is the latest and greatest details on the new release from Trumpeter.

Check it out!


Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!


Sean

I wish they would quit announcing and strat releasing.

WANTED: My pre-oreder Graf Spee

WANTED: The Prinz Eugen they promised.

I feel your pain as well.

Agreed.
It all seems to have gone awfully quiet on the 1/350 Prinz Eugen front.

A question for any dealers/resellers out there - Have you had any notice of delivery from your respective importers/distributors for the Prinz kit?

Initial rumours suggested Dec 2008, then June 2009, then July/August 2009, then September.

Given that we are now part-way through August I have thought that someone in the business would have had some firm notice of a shipping date..................?

Agreed,

Where is the 1/350 Trumpeter K.M. Prinz Eugen and the funky little S-boat ?

We saw many tasty images late last year....

From the distinct lack of responses to date, I can only conclude that the Prinz Eugen kit is also in doubt. too..........

It's only good if it actually materializes!

There is a site, Cybermodeler , that has a list of kit releases, and expected dates. They list September 2009 for the P.E. They also list September 2009 for an Academy Graf Spee and October 2009 for a Trumpeter G.S.

My original thought when I heard about the Trumpeter P.E. was "1945?" who wants a 1945 version. Everybody is going to want a 1941 version to go along with their Bismarck. Now I think I see the method to Trumpeter's madness. Come out with a 1945 version, people who just can't wait to get ANY 1/350 P.E. will buy it. Then come out with a 1941 version and perhaps the same people will buy it as well. More sales.

PS, it's been so long since I've done this I'm interested to see if I managed to do that URL right.

There were distinct differences between the PE & the Admiral Hipper.

Out of the two, I wonder which will closest match the PE 1941 version?
I suspect that Trumpeter won't go too far down the line of correcting differences such as overall hull length and will use a common set of parts to depict the two ships.

If this is the case, it will most likely be easier to convert Hipper into PE 1941 than to convert PE 1945 into PE 1941.

Any thoughts?

Hey there Rodger Cole good to see you back thanks for the information.

How is your grandson?

Dave my thoughts on these pending releases and what the finished product will look like, when and what can be done with it is a bit like a wait & see scenario.

I believe at this point due to business considerations your suspicions maybe correct but I guess we have to see what comes in the box.

Its frustrating as heck sometimes because as a news writer try as I may its hard to get specific answers.

Cheers


Sean

Having just gotten the PE AND the Classic Warship book on the ADM Hipper class cruisers, just by looking at the outlines and prints of both ships, you can see the differences. The bows are definitely different, with PE having a more pronounced clipper shape. Not to mention, PE is about 15 feet longer than Hipper or Blucher. I'm curious as to how Trumpeter modeled that.

I have both kits (see image in Cruisin' for bruisin, to be posted in a few minutes, with the hulls side by side)...

To answer a few of the issues:

1) It is far easier to backdate the 1945 Prinz Eugen to the 1941 version (from what I have come across, the difference between the 1941 version and the 1945 version was mainly to be found in the A.A. and some other minor details (like searchlights later replaced for A.A.), than to convert a 1941 Hipper into a 1941 Prinz Eugen. I would not be surprised if the WEM set has the radar for both the 1941 and the 1945 fits.

My guess is that at worst you'll have to get some extra search lights and 20mm-Flakvierling from somewhere and fill a few locator holes for unneeded AA.

2) When I build the Prinz Eugen, I will build it in a post-1941 version.

3) Trumpeter DID provide two different hulls for the Hipper and the Prinz Eugen !!!!! See image in Cruisin for bruisin thread. The Prinz Eugen hull is indeed longer and wider than that of the Hipper. This became evident when I was looking at what it would take to build a Blücher (which had a Prinz Eugen shape bow on a Hipper hull). Deck parts are different (both the main deck [i]and[/b] the quarterdeck (?)) as well as the aircraft hangar.
I have not done a 1-on-1 comparison of the respective superstructures, but judging by the construction manuals, they seem to have taken the differences in navigation-bridge, funnel-platform and main mast into account.

Although far from an expert, it seems that they did not take too many shortcuts between the two kits. They seem to have made a conscious effort to provide us with the correct parts! In many ways these are two distinct kits, although of course clever planning of the frets will enable them to swap as many parts as possible (like armamen, some parts of the superstructure and the cranes.

I hope this helps a bit!




Harm