Tom's ModelWorks South Daktoa Class Photo-etch Review

Tom's Modelworks
1/700 South Dakota Class Detail Set

Reviewed by Martin J Quinn
April 2026

Tom's Modelworks has sent a recently update photo-set, this one for the US Navy's South Dakota Class Battleships, Set 767A, 1/700 South Dakota Class Detail Set.

According to the TMW website:

This newly-redesigned set has everything you need to upgrade your South Dakota, Massachusetts Alabama or Indiana Radar for all four ships in various fits from commissioning to decommissioning! SC, SK, SK-2, SC-4, SG, SM, SP, Mk3, Mk4, and Mk12 antennas with the various mounting brackets needed as well as other antennas carried by these ships. Railing, ladders, catapults, aircraft cranes and boat cranes, funnel grills are all included. 20mm guns, 40mm quadruple mount shields and rails, boarding ladders, floater net baskets and many other details are in this very comprehensive set.

These parts will let you detail your Hasegawa, Trumpeter, or Vee Hobby kits of this class of rugged US battlewagons.

SOUTH DAKOTA CLASS PHOTO-ETCH

There is one large fret in the package.

Included in the set are:

Various search and fire control radars (SC, SC-2, SK, SK-2, etc)
Various antenna (IFF, RDR, TBS, TDY jammer)
Funnel grills (3 different versions)
20mm guns (stand, shield, weapon)
40mm shields & rails
Catapults
Boat Cranes
Aircraft Handling Crane
Cable/Hose reels
Inclined, vertical and boarding ladders
Anchors
Funnel & mast details
Floater net baskets
OS2U parts (props, struts, etc)

Everything is very finely etched, with nice details. The cranes and the platforms for the mast are especially well done. Go easy on the paint, or you will clog the fine mesh on some of the parts.

My only comment is, that given the proliferation of 3D printed parts, I would have omitted the 20mm guns, but that is a nit-pick.

Close ups of some of the fret details.

INSTRUCTIONS
Instructions are twelve pages long ovre six pages of paper. That's more extensive than some manufacturers give you for a whole kit. There are drawings and photographs throughout, to help you with assembly and placement of the parts. They are well done and easy to follow.

CONCLUSIONS

This is a really well done set of photo-etch, which will help modelers dress up any of the members of the South Dakota-class battleships, from any of the injection molded kits that are available. As mentioned, I particularly like the boat and aircraft handling cranes, as well as the platforms for the masts. I was so impressed with the set that I went out and bought a kit of one of the members of the class, hoping that I'll eventually be able to build that kit with this PE set.

This is Tom's Modelworks Set 767A, 1/700 South Dakota Class Detail Set. The set retails for $26.00 USD, and is available directly from Tom's Modelworks, who'd I'd like to thank for this review sample. Highly recommended!