Very Fire Model
1/350 HMS Exeter Detail Up Set


 
 

Reviewed May 2021
by Martin J Quinn
HISTORY

HMS Exeter was the second of two York-class heavy cruisers, built to a slight modified design than her earlier sister.   Laid down in August, 1928, she was launched in July 1929 and commissioned in July 1931.    The ship is mostly remembered for her involvement against the German raider Graf Spee in the Battle of the River Plate, in December 1939, where she was heavily damaged.   Repaired and refitted, she was sunk by the Japanese in February 1942, in the Java Sea, during the doomed defense of the Dutch East Indies. 

For more information on Exeter's short, but active, history, check out her Wikipedia page. 



The Very Fire USS Exeter Detail Up Set

The Very Fire 1/350 USS Exeter Detail Up Set comes in a small, but sturdy flip top cardboard box.  On the box top is a photograph of a built (but unpainted) Trumpeter Exeter, finished with this detail up set.  Upon opening the box, you'll find over 70 resin parts, over 50 turned brass parts, 9 photo-etch frets, anchor chain, a wood deck and instructions.   The set is designed to fit the 1/350 Trumpeter Exeter, which depicts the ship in her Battle of the River Plate fit. 

RESIN PARTS


The kit contains over 70 resin parts:  turrets, turret rangefinders, windlass, capstans, searchlights, winches, rafts and more.   Generally, the parts are well cast, especially the smaller parts.   The searchlights and capstans are particularly well done.
The turrets have nice detail cast on them, and look much nicer than the very vanilla kit turrets.  My only ding is the bottom of the turrets will need lots of clean up before painting and mounting them to the ship.  
BRASS PARTS


The brass are are really well executed.  There are gun barrels for the main and secondary armament, masts, yards, parts boat booms, bitts and parts for the pistons inside the catapults.   These latter parts are very well done.  
WOOD DECK PARTS


The upgrade set contains wood deck for the forward and aft main decks as well as the 01 deck around B turret barbette, where Trumpeter omitted planking on the model.  Curiously, there is a small piece of wood deck numbered "3", but it doesn't show up any where on the instructions.  I think it's meant for the top of the forward superstructure, atop the brass deck included in the photo-etch portion of this set. 

ANCHOR CHAIN

The kit comes with anchor chain, already blackened, in a small plastic bag. 

PHOTOETCH


There are 9 photo-etch frets included with this set.   There are parts for the funnels, the ship boats, the masts, cranes, boat davits, inclined ladders, railings and much, much more.   Everything is well done, with some nice relief etching.  Unfortunately, some of my PE frets were bent, apparently due to the way they were packaged  

 


INSTRUCTIONS

The instructions are eight pages on stout, glossy paper.   They seem simple enough to follow, with drawings an pictures to help you out, along with three views of a completed (but unpainted) Exeter on the last page, to help with parts placement. 

CONCLUSIONS
This a a really well done upgrade set, with all the parts you need to trick out your Trumpeter Exeter.    Outside the rough spots on the bottoms of the turrets, all the resin is well done.   The brass parts are very finely turned, especially the pistons for the catapults.  Meanwhile, the wood deck includes a piece for the area around B turrets, which Trumpeter (and apparently some other upgrade sets) missed.  My only disappointment is some of the PE frets were bent.   Otherwise, this set is highly recommended.

This is Very Fire's 1/350 HMS Heavy Cruiser Exeter 1939 Detail Up Set.   It retails for around $240, but can be found from some of our sponsors for less than that.   Thanks to Very Fire for the review sample.  

This is an in-box review only.  Your mileage may vary once you start putting it all on your model.