1:350 German Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen 1945

1:350 German Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen 1945, a Trumpeter kit

Injection-molded plastic kit of the German heavy cruiser in 1:350 scale from Trumpeter. The year 1945 in the name denotes the condition of the ship, that is the form she was in at the end of the Second World War, not the year she was launched. With ship models this is a crucial distinction, because the late condition differs in a number of details from her 1940 or 1941 condition.

The real subject

Prinz Eugen belonged to the Admiral Hipper class of heavy cruisers and entered service in 1940. She is best known for her part in the Atlantic sortie alongside the battleship Bismarck in May 1941 and for the dash through the English Channel in February 1942. She spent the end of the war in the Baltic, where she supported ground units with fire from her main battery. She was one of the few large surface units of the Kriegsmarine to survive the war. In 1946 she served as a target in the American nuclear tests in the Pacific.

Building and painting tips

The late condition of the ship means more complex superstructures and a denser fit of light weapons, so plan the order of the build in advance and leave the small parts until last. Paint the hull and the decks separately. German vessels wore shades of gray that changed over time, and in some periods Prinz Eugen carried striking camouflage patterns; stay with the scheme in the instructions and fix the edges of the masking carefully. A weathered look is created with dark running into the engraved lines and gentle highlighting of the horizontal surfaces.

Who the model is for

• Collectors of Kriegsmarine vessels
• Modelers interested in the war in the Atlantic and the Baltic
• Ship builders working in a single 1:350 scale
• Anyone interested in the late wartime condition with its rich superstructures

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.