White Ensign Models

1/350 Buckley Class DE / Captain Class Frigate Photo-Etch Detail Set For the Trumpeter 1/350 USS England DE-635 Kit# 5305

Stock Number: PE3594

Reviewed By  John Ratzenberger, IPMS# 40196

MSRP: 16.98 GBP (approx. $32 USD) Website: www.whiteensignmodels.com. I'd like to thank White Ensign Models and IPMS for the sample and the opportunity to review it. Background Destroyer Escorts should be familiar to anyone with even a passing fancy for the war at sea in WW2. Designed to provide a quick solution to the need for long-range convoy escorts and anti-submarine capability, the DE's were mass-produced by US shipyard with 565 being completed. As more were deployed, they took on other duties such as patrol, picket, support, and found themselves converted to other uses. If there was an equipment shortfall, it had to be the shortage of 5"/38 and 40mm guns which forced the majority of the DE's to carry 3"/50 main guns and the quad 1.1" for AA defense. Of the 6 classes of DE produced, the Buckley class was largest with 152 produced, most all in 1943. The 6 classes were produced to a common design, although the Evarts class had a shorter hull. Other than that, the differences were in basically in power plant and later in the armament. The British received 78 DE's, 32 Evarts and 46 Buckleys, calling them Captain Class Frigates. There were some 90 modifications to a Buckley DE to meet RN standards. The most obvious were the removal of the torpedo tubes and the quad 1.1, the replacement of 4 of the 8 K-guns with larger on-deck storage racks, and of course electronics. They also removed the ice cream maker. Although the RN sailors referred to them as DE's, they could not be officially called that because they had no torpedo tubes. Along with convoy and anti-submarine duty, the DE's were also used in Coastal Forces in the battle against E-Boats in the Channel and the North Sea. By war's end, the Buckley class DE's were the second highest killers of subs in the USN, and the Captain Class frigates lead the Royal Navy. 28 were sunk or deemed total losses. Specific numbers aside, the success of the DE as a class of ships can be shown by the number of destroyers freed up for other duties. The Trumpeter Kit Trumpeter has just released their 1/350 kit of the USS England, DE-635, possibly the most famous Buckley DE of WW2 with 6 Japanese submarines killed in 12 days. A year later England survived a kamikaze hit off Okinawa, but her war was over.

The kit is typical Trumpeter. Packaging is outstanding with all parts bagged and the hull and deck parts in their own compartment with bubblewrap around. The 200-odd parts range from good to so-so. I think the 3"/50, the 1.1 quad, and the torpedo tubes are excellent. The 20mm are OK, but too big. Trumpeter made an effort to give us appropriately thin splinter shields and succeeded about half the time. The "Y" gun position is way too thick and that's before adding another layer of wall/detail to it. There is a small PE sheet that allows you the option to enhance the plastic Hedgehog cover, SA radar, K-gun racks, and depth-charge rails. This is a nice option, but is still a bit too heavy. There is a color diagram and a good instruction booklet. One nice thing is that you get two "C" sprues, which yields a few pieces for the spare parts pile when done. The hull length measures out within 2 feet and it all looks about right. In short the Trumpeter DE appears to be a good kit.

The WEM PE Set Oh, yeah, the subject of the review! Well, WEM must have been looking ahead, because the PE set was out within a month I think, certainly not much longer.

You get a single sheet, cardboard backed, in a large white envelope and the usual WEM high quality instructions which give you names for everything and plenty of information about what you are doing. As is to be expected, the photo-etch sheet is very thin and fine, as is the detail throughout. WEM PE is never a sheet of flat brass cut in shapes -- the relief detail within each part is always great and this is no exception. Related parts are laid out together so you don't have to search all over. As a general note, the PE is so thin and fine that you really need to study the instructions to be sure exactly where to cut/trim the attachment points. There are 2-bar and 3-bar railings, with and without safety net, floater baskets, ladders, doors, hatches, life preservers, cable reels, and the other usual general parts one finds in these sets. Specific to the England are details for the 3"/50, replacements for the 20mm and the quad 1.1, depth charge racks and handling gear, hedgehogs, directors, sky lookouts, the SA Radar, mast details and a replacement yardarm with antennas, miscellaneous railings, gun depression rails and training stops, etc. Of these, the 20mm PE replaces something too big with something too flat, at least in the pedestal -- the gun could be used but the pedestal should be fleshed out -- or just use L'Arsenal. The kit Hedgehogs are just lumps and the WEM replacements give you a better side profile, but are still 2-dimensional. Same with the quad 1.1 - I'd be tempted to merge the kit part and the WEM parts rather than go with just one. Comments aside, the WEM detail set will definitely improve the kit. Remember the two "C"-sprues and the extra parts -- well, WEM gives you the PE for the extra parts! So you get PE for four 3"/50, not just the three used in the model, and for two boats, not just the one carried by DE's. May seem like a little thing, but it is a nice touch. The WEM detail set also allows you to "convert" a Buckley DE to a Royal Navy Captain Class Frigate, which is why you got the short history lesson above. Specific to the 'Captains' are shields (seldom actually fitted) for the 3"/50 guns, flare rocket rails to attach to the 'B' turret shields, depth charge storage racks to replace 2 K-guns on each side, an HF/DF to replace the SA radar, etc. If you want to build a Coastal Forces Control Frigate (CFCF), you get a single 2-pounder pom-pom and shield to put up in the bow. One thing not pointed out in the instructions is that the 20mm should not have an elevating wheel on the pedestal for the Captain Class.

So, what are the negatives - just a couple, for the Captain Class conversion, that I can see. Given the CFCF option, there should also have been a 'Headache' antenna to go along -- but that's easy enough to make from scrap, so it really doesn't matter. The biggest, and a not so pleasant surprise on the last page of the instructions is that the necessary RN style boats, a 27' Whaler and a 25' Fast Motor Boat, and the Carley rafts are available as yet another detail set, their Professional Line #3512. The odd part is that the PE to detail these two boats and to mount the Carley floats is part of the main PE set! I immediately put the boat/float set on order but got a back-order. I suppose I could roll my own from the references I have and the pictures in the WEM instructions, but it's just a bit disappointing. Conclusion I think both the Trumpeter kit and the WEM photo-etch set will make into a great model, be it USN Buckley Class DE or RN Captain Class Frigate. I will be doing mine as a Captain Class, most likely one of the CFCF ships such as Ekins, or maybe Cubitt or Curzon, with some very late war armament changes. I'll probably grind down or replace some of the thicker tubs/shields -- in some ways I wish the WEM set had provided replacements for them. Although that project won't be "on the ways" for a while, I did up a few pieces just to show what you get. This PE is really, really fine and really, really small. I did not test fit any railings, etc, but assume there are no problems from past experience. Examples Here are, from left to right, the kit plastic "rack" for thrower depth charges, the kit PE placed over them to make a better rack, and the WEM thrower racks. For depth charges you'd either cut off the kit ones or use plastic rod. The flat piece lying there is the floor of the rack. Again, left to right, the kit plastic stern racks, the same thing with the kit PE over them, and the WEM version. That the kit PE just drapes over the plastic racks doesn't make the detail any better. Here is the kit 20mm, and my effort at doing the WEM version. Note that I used the kit 20mm pedestal rather than the flat piece WEM provides which can be seen lying next to the gun. Also next to it is the shoulder rest assembly which I broke off... Once you bend the sight and shoulder rests, and considering how tiny the barrel is, mounting the shield becomes a struggle. The kit 3"/50 all dressed up in the WEM platform, seats, and sights. The instructions are not exact on how far up/down the pedestal to locate the platform and seats. Also the kit pedestal is a bit wider than the slot in the PE so I had to trim the pedestal down a bit. Trying to fit the platform and seats is a trial because it is so easy to bend the bits of PE sticking out. Maybe the unused elevating wheels from the 20mm will further dress this up. Again, left to right -- the kit plastic SA radar, the kit PE version, and lastly the exquisite WEM version. The WEM SA assembled quite easily, in comparison to the guns.

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