1/200 Hood - Thoughts on best PE set?

Hmmm;

 If you're gonna sink her I would use the cheapest P.E. available  ,namely Tom's Modelworks !Oh , sorry about that , Welcome Aboard ! ! !

I've used Pontos sets several times and agree that they're very complete by including everything imaginable but sorely lacking with instructions. You get nicely printed color illustrations but I've always found they leave out numerous parts. There's also no order in the way they're shown so you have to go thru everything they give you looking to see if you've missed anything. It's tedious and annoying but also very rewarding. I love the simplicity of Eduard's instructions but for large ships they can't compare with the immesnse content from Pontos. You didn't ask but the wood decks from Pontos are also very good. They're easy to use and stay stuck once installed.

Thank you, Steve - good thoughts to keep in mind and I appreciate the input.

I too have had my eye on Hood for a while and now that I have a space to model that’s not our kitchen table I can accommodate her.

The model is HUGE to say the least...so many, many hours of modeling joy to come.

I have gotten the Anatomy of the Ship and Battlecruiser HMS Hood books as reference, and am thoroughly reviewing the HMS Hood Association website.

Will try to do a WIP once I dig in. 

Thank you again.

First off, welcome aboard. 

Regarding your question about PE, I have not built the 1/200 HMS Hood myself although I can admit that I lust in my heart to do so. But I do have experience with various PE manufacturers on different scales.

Personally, I like Eduard’s instructions the best, they’re laid out so that my poor brain can understand them and they usually do a good job in what they put in a package. 

Bulding wise, I love Gold Medal the best. They’re tough enough to withstand my hamfisted attempts at using PE, although I am not thrilled about their instructions, they are a bit vague at first but once you have used them a number of times it gets easier.

Pontos PE are sets I would love to use but they can be a bit pricey. They do go all out in providing a complete package which can include resin replacements and brass gun barrels. Their biggest problem in my opinion is their instructions. Like Flyhawk and Lion’s Roar, they miss in the thoroughness of callying out everything. But, if you love researching the model you’re building, then they really can take your model up a few notches.

Again, these are just my opinions and others may have different experiences with these manufacturers.

However, I know I would love to see a WIP on this if you want to post pictures.

Steve