Spotted that Tamiya are issuing their Hood with a E class RN destroyer, the item is some way down the page in this link, with a sprue shot of the E class as a thumbnail.

http://www.tamiya.com/english/shs05/report/news4.htm

Being very unfamiliar with Destroyer classes in general and even less outside of US versions...is the E class the same as a Tribal? Seems I remember years ago that there was a 1/700 kit of one of those out. Just thinking that Tamiya has reboxed more old kits . If not then i'm sure folks will buy the kit just for the DD

No Steve, an E class isn't similar to a Tribal. I'm sure the reason they chose an E class is because HMS Electra was the ship that rescued the three survivors of Hood. She later accompanied the Prince of Wales and Repulse to the Pacific. Isn't that ironic? One book I used to have had a chief on the Electra saying, "HMS Electra with accompany HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser? Haven't we done this before?" Electra was finally sunk in the Battle of the Java Sea.

There used to be a Tribal kit out there, but I can't remember an Electra, or any other E class, made.

You can't really see from these photos I'm posting but the Tribal class was much larger, had twin turrets, but not as many torpedo tubes. The Tribals were built to counter the large Japanese destroyers, while the E class was the typical destroyers between the wars.





I do like the idea of getting this set since I don't have the Tamiya Hood, if it's reasonably priced.

The Tribal is probably the ancient Revell 1/720th one which came with their Ark Royal. Apart from that, the only 1/700th RN destroyers I can think of in plastic are the Matchbox Kelly and the Skywave (now Tamiya) O Class.

I think I saw a set over at White Ensign for a Hood + E-class in the same set. Makes sense, now .

The E class destroyer is a completely new kit which at the moment is only being released with the Hood, but I'm not sure if there is a new tooling of the latter or the same old kit. Given that the Prince of Wales was recently reboxed and released with a couple of aircraft is seems likely it is the old kit, which is still a good one.

In any case, the old Hood retails for (UK pounds) 12.99, the 'new' Hood with E-class destroyer retails for 25.99, so the addition of one destroyer kit means Tamiya now wants more than double the price. No sign of the destroyer being released separately by the way.

Mike

It's a shame that the "only" way to get an Electra would be buying the combo... and it's not that cheap!!!



Maybe Tamiya will come to sense and release a box with two Electras with a fair price??

Wishing....

Skipper

I just checked TamiyaUSA.com and they are showing the combined kit, Battle of the Denmark Strait, for $42.00. The Hood herself is available from Lucky Models, for example, for only $9.09. So over $30 for one small destroyer? I don't think so.

Memo to Mr Tamiya. I will GLADLY pay double the $42.00 asking price for a NEW, ACCURATE, 1/350 scale HMS HOOD. Make her as she really appeared at the Denmark Strait. Heck I might even go to triple that price, $126.00. Please, please, please, stop coming out with a decades old kit, throw in something interesting, but not vital, and think we're going to pay through the nose for it.