Trumpeter?

GaryG64

GaryG64

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I'm looking to build a USS Texas either a 1/350 or 1/700. The brand I find that is the most affordable is Trumpeter. I know next to nothing about this brand.
Is Trumpeter a decent kit, does it have a lot of flash or pin marks, etc?
 
Trumpeter / Hobby Boss are pretty good overall .
They offer kits of subjects that few , if any , other companies do .

Someone else offers a kit of the Texas ?
 
Th!ts good to know. I'm shopping on ebay and online search, all I see is Trumpeter for the 'ol girl.

I'd like to go see her in dry dock before too long.
 
I am building a few Trumpeter ships now and one Tamiya
Trumpeter 1/700 USS North Carolina, Yorktown, and Nimitz
Tamiya USS Iowa

The Tamiya I think over all has better fit and engineering and very little if any flash or cleanup on parts. They definitely win for fit and ease of assembly

Trumpeter on the other hand seems to actually have more/finer details, but there can be more flash on parts or occasional fit issue with older toolings.

Nothing major though

Also in some cases Trumpeter might have 3 or 4 parts that in a Tamiya kit might be represented by 1 part

I notice a difference in a lot of the AA guns and spotlights on the battleships for example. The Trumpeter ones seem to have more detail

Trumpeter packing is also very nice as they have sturdy boxes with heavy duty carboard

Their newer toolings are especially nice. The 1/700 Nimitz for example has better details and even includes a full interior hangar compared to the 1/350 kit

In terms of aircraft for carriers, I think Trumpeter's planes have a lot better details than Tamiya's. For example in the 1/350 line, they have separate clear canopies while Tamiya has solid molded in ones. For the 1/700 stuff they often mold in clear with the newer toolings

From what I understand Hobby Boss is a child company of Trumpeter and often will rebox Trumpeter toolings?

Either way, Hobby Boss and Trumpeter seem to be interchangeable

I have Hobby Boss 1/700 kits for the USS Wasp and New York and they are very good quality and even include photo-etch for some of the parts

So yes, Trumpeter/Hobby Boss kits are definitely worth it
 
I will add however, that it often depends on when the tooling was made as well as the subject itself

Not all models within any company are created equal.

For example, older toolings by Tamiya or Trumpeter are not going to be as good as a newer ones and accuracy can be variable as well.

It really is best to check some build reviews of each companies kits to find the best at that particular scale/subject rather than at the company level on a whole
 
When it comes to a kit of Battleship Texas you don't have any choice other than Trumpeter .
Unless someone has released a new kit that I haven't heard about .
 
Great information. Thank you.
I've been wanting the Texas for sometime. One the rich history she has and two-living not too far from where she is made it possible to visit the Texas twice. Once she is finished with her repairs I'll visit again.
Although I have yet to go onto the USS Lexington.
 
Trumpeter is generally good, but can vary from one kit to another. You can probably find a ton of reviews of Trumpeter's Texas kits throughout the web, here and elsewhere, and see what others' experience has been. Like Momo says, Trumpeter's kit is really the only game in town.

I've got Trumpeter's Saratoga in 1/700, and it's a nice kit, the details are crisply molded. For that particular kit, Trumpeter included a blue, translucent ocean base in vacuform plastic.

I also like Trumpeter's innovation of molding aircraft for ship models in clear plastic. When I first saw those, my immediate reaction was, "This is so cool! Why did no one do this before?!" No more silver or grey canopies on your Dauntlesses or Avengers. And in 1/350, the clear canopies give a certain depth to the planes, adding to the realism.

I look forward to seeing your build, when you get started!

Best regards,
Brad
 
the Baron said:
Trumpeter is generally good, but can vary from one kit to another. You can probably find a ton of reviews of Trumpeter's Texas kits throughout the web, here and elsewhere, and see what others' experience has been. Like Momo says, Trumpeter's kit is really the only game in town.

I've got Trumpeter's Saratoga in 1/700, and it's a nice kit, the details are crisply molded. For that particular kit, Trumpeter included a blue, translucent ocean base in vacuform plastic.

I also like Trumpeter's innovation of molding aircraft for ship models in clear plastic. When I first saw those, my immediate reaction was, "This is so cool! Why did no one do this before?!" No more silver or grey canopies on your Dauntlesses or Avengers. And in 1/350, the clear canopies give a certain depth to the planes, adding to the realism.

I look forward to seeing your build, when you get started!

Best regards,
Brad
Click to expand...
During the Vietnam conflict my father served on the Sara CV-60. She has since been decommissioned and will not be a floating museum.
I would love to build one up.

So, now I'm up to two future ships to build. Lol :D
 
I've built a number of Trumpeters 1/700 ships and have the Texas in my cue to build. They are superb kits but are not for a novice builder. The engineering of the superstructures tend to have some scale issues between the 1/350 and 1/700 kits and this presents some fit problems. The 1/700 Texas is unique in that it has a two piece hull that is only offered at the waterline. Almost all other Trumpeter kits are one piece upper and lower hulls so you have to option of full hull or water line.
 
scottrc78 said:
I've built a number of Trumpeters 1/700 ships and have the Texas in my cue to build. They are superb kits but are not for a novice builder. The engineering of the superstructures tend to have some scale issues between the 1/350 and 1/700 kits and this presents some fit problems. The 1/700 Texas is unique in that it has a two piece hull that is only offered at the waterline. Almost all other Trumpeter kits are one piece upper and lower hulls so you have to option of full hull or water line.
Click to expand...
Cool. Thanks for that information.
My plan is to get some aftermarket parts like the wooden deck, brass barrels, etc.
I think this will be a really slow and possibly daunting build.
 
GEG64 said:
During the Vietnam conflict my father served on the Sara CV-60. She has since been decommissioned and will not be a floating museum.
I would love to build one up.

So, now I'm up to two future ships to build. Lol :D
Click to expand...
Ah, sorry, mine is the original Sara, CV-3. I don't know if Trumpeter ever kitted her namesake, though other companies have, over the years.
A friend of mine from college became a surgeon, and served aboard her during Desert Storm, her last deployment.
 

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