Gold Medal Models

1/350 Buckley/England DE Detail Set For the Trumpeter USS England Buckley-Class DE

Stock Number: 350-38

Reviewed By  Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

MSRP: $20.00 Available directly from Gold Medal Model or through retail outlets. 1412 Fisherman Bay Road Lopez, WA 98261 www.goldmm.com I would like to thank Loren Perry for this review sample. Trumpeter once again has been blazing a trail in the ship model business. With the release of its Buckley DE, modelers now have a standard-scale injection-molded kit of one of the larger ship classes in WWII. While Trumpeter does provide a PE fret with the kit, it is only for the depth charge racks - you will need a PE set for the rest of the ship. Again, Loren Perry has been busy and this latest offering designed for the Trumpeter kit is 3.5 x 7.5 inches of brass crowded with details. Of course it is all double relief etched, and Loren follows his usual pattern of not just giving you the basic details, but also the finer details to make your model a standout, if you choose to take on the challenge. There are some really nice details in this set like the monkey bags for the whaleboats. These are strung above the boats to hold the manropes, used for personnel support as the boat is being lowered and raised - and trust me they come in handy in real life! He offers replacement etchings for the weather breaks below and aft of the bridge too. I also like the rigging eyebolts and turnbuckles. You should see the electrical box and cable detail for the bridge-wings - an incredible first! But my favorite etchings, the first offered that I am aware of, are the hedgehog launcher projectiles! Having scratchbuilt two launchers in this scale, these are a Godsend! Here is a complete list of the details you will find in this set: - Pre-measured life rails in two styles, with and without very petite snaking (safety netting to prevent sailors from washing overboard) - Inclined and vertical ladders. The inclined ladders come in two styles, with a complete set of each - ones with folding treads (with jig) and ones without. - Watertight doors, both open and closed - Gunsights, shields and hand wheels for the 20mm - 1.1" MG details - 3" gun seats, sights, and gun depression rails - The aforementioned Hedgehog details - Depth charge stern racks - Depth charge storage racks, arbor heads (which mount on the disposable ram assembly), and J-bar davits for the K-guns - Details for the Motor Whaleboats and davits - Life raft bottoms, floater net baskets, paddles and life raft racks - Finely etched SA and SG radar antennas - Communication and direction finding antennas - Yard arm doublers with eyebolts - Masthead lights - Turnbuckles and eyebolts - Weather break bulkheads - Bridge wing details including the windshield frame - Closed chocks to build up those etched into the lifelines - Stokes litters - 20mm gun tub supports - Line reels - Porthole rain deflectors - Anchor chain - Life rings - And LCDR W.B. Pendleton, Commanding Officer of USS England, a ship credited with the sinking of six Japanese submarines on a single voyage in 1944! Like I said, there is a lot of detail in this set. I usually can find a few details that I would like added, but in this case, GMM has the modeler covered. Follow the instructions provided, and Loren steps you through ways to add additional detail like depth charges inside the racks. I would deviate from his instructions and toss the kit hedgehog launcher all together and build a new frame from strip styrene. This latest set from Gold Medal Models is a must if you want to build Trumpeter's Destroyer Escort. These ships were crammed with machinery and weaponry, and the GMM provides you all the detail that you need. Strongly recommended!

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