Summary...

The newest edition to the PE sets for the 1/350 HMS Repulse is from Flyhawk out of China. To say this is a typical detail set is a bit of an understatement. It includes seventeen (17), yes seventeen frets of photo etch as well as a box of resin parts and brass gun barrels for the main guns and 20 mm mounts. Not to worry though, each fret is not a large sheet, but a series of smaller sheets focusing on a specific section of the ship. From a personal perspective, I like the idea of working on a specific fret at a specific stage of a build. Flyhawk does a good job of identifying and separating each fret and incorporating the photo etch into the flow of the build, so there should not be much jumping around and page searching. Two sheets of instructions, front and back are included, but extensive research material will be needed to incorporate all the brass parts which are included in the set.


Resin Parts


The resin parts included in the set are used to replace the paravanes (3), binoculars A set and B set (40), large searchlights (4) and small searchlights (20). The parts in this example are well cast and showed no pitting or warping.


Brass Gun Barrels

Includes 6 main guns and 12 20 mm barrels.


Fret A

Contains parts for the navigation bridge, Director control tower, conning tower, chart house and all associated rails. The entire navigation bridge is replaced by brass and all the windows frames are PE as well. Also included are many support braces and yardarms.


Fret B

Consists of 20 mm machine guns and machine gun tubs.


Fret C

Davits, anchors, screws, water tight doors, steps with rails and another yardarm.


Fret D

Funnel screens, breakwater, search light faces, various screens, supports and ladders for funnels.


Fret E

Aircraft cranes. Yep, cranes. Not your typical one piece bend-to-shape cranes. Each one incorporates about 10 pieces.


Fret F

This fret contains parts for the maintop, the maintop mast and yardarms. Also included are parts for the aft shelter deck, rails, supports and floor.


Fret G

Catapult tracks, aircraft dollies, catapult gangways and extensive Walrus details such as canopy frames, wing supports, wing rigging and propellers. A note here about the catapult gangways. These appear more accurate in shape and size according to reference books and not like bulky foot bridges.


Fret H

Gun tubs and mounts for both the quad Vickers and octet pom poms.


Fret I

Water tight doors and hatches.



Fret J

Ship deck railing which incorporates a lower rail to aide in attaching the rail to the deck. Unlike Fujimi which has only individual post as attach points, these rails are easier to manipulate.


Fret K

Triple 20 mm gun mounts and shields. The brass barrels are incorporated here.


Fret L

Various small exterior details and boxes for the bridge deck.


Fret M

Vertical rail supports for the main deck rails.


Fret N

Life raft center supports, various pulleys and platforms.


Fret O

A very small fret contained in the resin box which has turn wheels and various other attachments for the binoculars and search lights.


Fret P

Life boat bottoms (mesh), ladders, davits and life boat supports.


Fret R

Details for the launches and whale boats, including oars, rudders, keel and boat house details.

Conclusion...

This is a massive set for the HMS Repulse. The instructions are easy to follow, but do not cover the assembly and placement of some of the parts like the vertical rail supports and even the deck edge railing. Guess work and plenty of cross checking to ensure correct placement of rails and supports will slow the build. Identifying all the parts by name is troublesome because there are no written directions, only the international symbols seen in most, if not all mass marketed kits. I strongly suggest plenty of research material, a search engine and patience. Also not included are any sort of painting guide, but that issue is not very important. This super detail set has the potential to turn the Trumpeter HMS Repulse into a real show stopper, but I estimate six months minimum to complete the project (your results may vary)! The thickness of the PE is what you’d expect from Hasegawa or Gold Medal Models and is not flimsy and thin like some Fujimi offerings. I cannot compare this set, quantity wise, with GMM or Lion Roar, but I can say this set has just about all the detail one would need except a real wooden deck.