Photo-Etch for Trumpeter HMS Dreadnought 1/350

One way to save money on upgrades is to use generic sets. Instead of a whole set for a specific ship, there are generic packages of, say, just railings and ladders for US battleships, or common details for Japanese carriers, or whatever.  These are cheaper than the whole set for a specific ship.  But things, especially like railings and ladders, are what catches the attention.  So the medium ground of just buying a set of specific items like that can save you money and still be considerable improvement in what comes with the kit. It may be a bit harder installing, as more cutting and measuring are involved, but that is the price for saving money.

I agree the PE really makes the models stand out.  I am on the final with my Liberty ship and the PE really makes the ship stand out.  

I will post some pictures once I made some progress on the superstructure.  

Marcus,

I know what you mean about the price of the aftermarket details, however, I agree with Don, it really is a bargain when you see the difference it makes in the finished product.  I first used Eduard PE on the Revell 1/72 U-Boat VIIC I built a couple of years ago and I really liked the effect it made.  

The Trumpeter Dreadnought will be my second foray into PE, etc...  I purchased the Eduard Detail and railing packs, the Artwok 1907 deck, Model Master Barrels and North Star 12pdr resin and PE sets.  Yes, all these goodies cost more than the kit but I always tell my wife what I am going to spend and purchase it when we have a bit of mad money.  I would love to use the Pontos sets, but on my budget, Eduard is just fine thank you.

I would love to see some pictures of the build as I will be starting in July and can use any and all help I can get!

Steve

It really hurts the pocket book at some of these prices for the kits.  I purchase a ship from Squadron during their Valentine Day special, the upgrades are going to cost more then three times what I paid for the ship.  If the wife every fines out............

If one is building the Zvezda kit, I would look into the Pontos detailing set.  That set includes a wooden deck, and turned brass barrels.  I only used the barrels for the big guns- the five inchers in the kit were so nice I didn't want to do all the work converting them.  But, the deck was a very close fit and I doubt it would fit on any other kit.  While the kit was a bit pricey, the combination of the PE, wooden deck, resin and brass detailing means it is not that bad a deal.  Only gripe is that the instructions were not the best.  My build with the Pontos set was in FSM a few months back.

I'd be interested to hear how your build progresses. In looking at the book, I see a few things that might be nice to add, like the platforms that come off the superstructure to the tops of the main gun turrets. Other things, like the antenna spreaders, are something that I will just have to forget, as I think that would require making your own PE parts, which I am not ready to try. Best of luck!

I purchase the PE from Eduard, it is not as detail as the White Ensign.  With the PE that came with Trumpeter kit that should be enough.  I also have the wood deck from ArtWox and the book.  I believe the book shows the propeller shafts the color of steel.  I replaced the plastic shafts with bass.  They do look much better and straighter.  Just started assembly of the kit this month.  Between the O'Brien kit and the limited time I have each week it will be sometime before it will be finished.  I am shooting for the fall model show in Austin, TX on Oct 4.

I purchased the White Ensign PE for the Trumpeter 1907 Dreadnought, and my first impression is that the Trumpeter kit must be more detailed than the Zvezda kit. There's a ton of hatches, etc. to doll up the Zvezda model, but the Trumpeter kit has all those details; they are good enough that I don't think I'd gain much by sanding them off and using the PE. I also bought the Kagero 3D book on Dreadnought, which does a great job of clarifying where some of the stairs and ladders go amidships where it is hard to see in the model instructions. I'm still waiting to pick up the Artwox wood deck and then I will get started on it. In the meantime, I was fortunate enough to pick up Admiralty Model Works 1/700 HMS Glorious, one of the best models in that scale I have ever seen, bar none!

Thanks Don for your reply, I have not purchase the PE for the Zvezda. I am interested in it because it seems to offer more opportunities than the Eduard PE.

Undoubtedlly much of the PE will be useful- things like railings and ladders.  However, there is certainly no guarantee that everything will be useful.  There are always some differences and inaccuracies that prevent you from using every part.  In your case, unless you can sell the PE for the Zvezda kit it for what you paid for it, it would be a financial savings to use what you can for the Trumpeter kit.  So it is a bit of a  gamble but many of us have done similar things.