DKM Prinz Eugen. One of the most famous German ships of World War 2. Present at the Battle of Denmark Straits and The Channel Dash, and one of only 2 German cruisers to survive the war. Eugen was the third ship built of the Admiral Hipper class of heavy cruisers, but was built to slightly larger dimensions than the first two (Admiral Hipper and Blücher). Prinz Eugen foundered while under tow, in late 1946, from damage sustained from the Operation Crossroads atomic tests "Able" and "Baker"

The Hipper class of cruisers was Germany's "Treaty Cruiser", built with 203mm (8") guns. The 203mm SK C/34 battery was placed in four twin turrets, two forward and two aft. The Hippers were also armed with 4 x 3 533mm torpedo tubes (12 total), 12 105mm SK C/33 AA guns, up to 3 aircraft, and a host of medium and light AA weapons, increased through the life of these ships.

LionRoar's update set for Trumpeter's Eugen is comprised of *12* frets of stainless steel photoetch, machined brass barrels for the main battery and the anti-aircraft secondaries, and over 30 resin replacement parts.

The 12 frets of photoetch in this set are all cleanly relief-etched, and packaged with piece of cardstock and placed in a plastic bag. Unlike similar brass sets, these stainless steel frets seem to all be the of the same gauge. Builders who are used to brass etch in this scale would do well to remember that SS is much "springier" than brass, but is also more durable.

Fret A has 4 styles of railings and some generic ladders.

B is upgrades, replacements and accessories for the various AA guns on Eugen. There are new details for the 10.5cm (4.1") SKC/33 AA mounts- requiring the modeler to shave off the overscaled parts, and some lockers to replace amidships. Almost the entire Flak 28 is replaced with photoetch, and there are parts for the Flakvierling 35 here as well.

Most of the Flakvierling 35 is replaced with photoetch, and the preponderance of these replacement parts are on fret C. There are also a variety of parts- this fret is kind of a catch-all; portholes, lockers, parts for the crane, the Arado cradle, other supports and cradles, the FuMB4 "Sumatra" antennas, and some great details for upgrading the paravanes.

This fret has details for the main turrets; replacement shields and details for the optics, and the distinctive octagonal bases for the Flakvierling 35's the go atop "Bruno" and "Caesar". The other sections of the fret replace some of the structures around the funnel; the triple torpedo storage platforms and the catapult. The are also a few cable and hose reels present as well.

This fret has supports and textured decking for various levels platforms around the bridge and funnel. The

F is mostly parts to replace the interior of the aircraft hangar, and the internal baffles for the funnel.

The remaining three FuMo radars are on this fret, with the accommodation ladders and pulleys for the cranes, and replacement details for the boat storage rack.

H is primarily replacement louvered vents, placed around the ship, and shutters for the searchlights.

This fret has parts to detail the ship's boats, the boat cradles, and the replacement track for the 01 level.

Watertight doors, ladders and portholes.

This final fret has a miscellany of parts; details for the 2 Ar-196 floatplanes, including a six-layer photoetched radial engine! It also has more parts for the Flak 28's, and various other lines and fill in parts; the hoists for accommodation ladders, for instance.

This super detail set also includes over 30 resin parts to upgrade your Eugen. Some of these parts are a vast improvement over the kit- the Ar-196 appears much better- while others don't seem to much better than the parts supplied from Trumpeter in the actual kit- the cranes, for instance. There are also resin replacements for the local AA and torpedo directors, and the fuse setting machines for the 10.5cm SKC/33's.

This set includes 20 brass barrels, machined with a taper and drilled out muzzles; 8 203mm for the mains, 12 for the 10.5cm SKC/33's. The 10.5cm barrels are a bit subdued in appearance.

LionRoar has their normal two color, two sheet set of instructions, printed in a small booklet form (scanned in greyscale). This booklet has 30 pages of instructions, but is not laid out in a easy to follow fashion. There are also some errors in labelling; for instance, on page ll part "F39" is called for- this is in fact part "E39".

Overall, these instructions are a disappointment. There does not seem to be a consistent order to them, and the parts placement recommendations are poor to non-existent. While 2 frets of railing are supplied, no recommendations on placement are given.

An extensive upgrade set for the Trumpeter 1/350 Prinz Eugen kit, but one that needs careful consideration to use. The instruction manual will require more study and planning than is usual, and the stainless steel photoetch may initally throw off some builders used to brass in this scale. Still, this is a large set full of upgrades sure to enhance any Eugen.

This is set #RS35005 WWII German Navy Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen (For Trumpeter) with a list price of $120.00. LionRoar products are available from many online and traditional retailers. Modelwarships.com thanks LionRoar for providing this review sample.