I have been very happy with Trumpeter's recent 1/350 kits, their Admiral, Hipper, Prinz Eugen, HMS Hood & Repulse are great kits, with good instructions and some welcome extra PE, including ship's railings, which Dragon's recent Scharnhorst kit doesn't. Having watched several Scharnhorst builds on the web, and the ensuing guessing game with the instructions, I regret that it was Dragon who released the kit, since it is a subject which I would have liked, but I wouldn't be prepared to spend all that money only to be presented with a guessing game as to where many of the small parts should be located. It isn't only Scharnhorst - their Z39 kit is a bit top heavy on instruction errors too, along with their CVL22 and their recent USS Benson -in this last kit, there is even a whole sprue of parts which isn't even mentioned. Whoever writes the instructions should really have their prospective audience in mind when writing them Oh, and putty has even been used on several Dragon Scharnhorst builds too! I am glad that Trumpeter are doing the Roma and the forthcoming QE battleship, not only because of the costs, but also in the safe knowledge that I will actually be able to build the kit using the instructions provided! As for future British Cruiser subjects, I just dread the day that Dragon turn their attentions to a navel subject I would really like. They have done it once with Scharnhorst - I just hope they don't go all RN Cruiser-ish when the US Destroyer variant Gravy Train runs out..

OK....just put my pre-order in at Freetime Hobbies......$99.99 with 8.95 shipping in US.....get 'em now before the oil kicks them through the roof. Dave the extra sprue was because they also did the Gleaves class which was almost identical. Dragon has a tendency to do that . I got a panther kit that had 3 gun tubes in it just becasue it used one part on the sprue. You get lots of parts box stock with their kits. Just to hopefully stop this bashing. Years a go Tamiya started this scale but then did nothing with it after their short list of subjects. Trumpeter stepped in with first the Arizonz then releasing the Hornet, Essex then popping into the US BB's the Hood and on and on. The Japanese seeing this success finally started releasing some stuff first the Nagato then the Kongo and on and on.. THen Dragon finally entered the market. But hey their usual if its WW2 German theme other then some much needed US dd.s Fr all the years there was vrtually nothing for us large scale builders and now there is a wealth. I love it and quite honestly don't care who makes it.. I am a skilled enough modler to overcome bad fit problems (Trumpy's North Carolina) and read through difficult instructions (Dragons Tiger tank 3 in 1's) So honestly I don't care who makes it as long as they make it But back on track here I GOT MINE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You know, Simon, we are living in our hobby what your countrymen faced in full scale a century ago with the dreadnought-building race against Germany! I have a book with a cartoon from the era showing the launch of "HMS The Last Farthing"! --Karl

That's a great price Steve - 108.94 USD = 66.9564 GBP Half the price of Dragon's Scharnhorst kit. If it comes out somewhere similar when Roma goes on sale here in the UK I'll be up for one too. Do you happen to know if there's any PE included with the kit? Let us hope they have done a good job with her.

Dave Based on the photos I've seen online from the Nuremburg Toy show, there is a small PE fret included in the kit which basically has a simplified aircraft launch cradle, and some PE for the funnel tops...The PE looks pretty basic and extremely simplistic... Here's hoping LionRoar or Flyhawk come out with a full upgrade set within a reasonable timeline. Cheers! Flip through a bit and you'll come across the Roma... http://www.modellmarine.de/index.php?option=com_imagebrowser&view=gallery&folder=spielwarenmesse_2011&Itemid=55 Carmen

Carmen, Thank you for the link. Shame they've omitted some railings this time round. They are the one thing which really make the finished item styand out .

You know, Simon, we are living in our hobby what your countrymen faced in full scale a century ago with the dreadnought-building race against Germany! I have a book with a cartoon from the era showing the launch of "HMS The Last Farthing"! --Karl[/quote] Hi Karl, you are right, but at least back then we had a government willing to give the Navy the budget to do the job, my "Goverment" at home would like to impose "defense cuts " especially expendature on larger vessels. Still there always ways and means Si

1/350 ships are just not the same without railings. Ever since the second 1/350 ship I built, the Tamiya Tirpitz, I have used PE railings and my first ship, the Trumpy Liberty Ship, without railings, just doesn't look right..

I am sure someone will release a railing and additional PE. There are generic rail sets out there from Eduard and Lion roar that you can purchase for her. The kit PE set looks to have most of the "other "goodies I use. catapault, crane, stairs, radar