| The Richelieu class were the largest
battleships ever to be constructed by France. Realizing it would need a
new class of ship to counter the growing Italian battleship threat in the
Mediterranean, France responded with the Richelieu. Richelieu closely followed
the Dunkerque class in design, but with a larger caliber main battery with
greater protection and displacement.
Richelieu was in the final stages of completion when Germany invaded.
As the front drew closer, Richelieu got closer to operational status,
eventually departing France incomplete for Dakar, French West Africa in
June of 1940. She was damaged in action against the Royal Navy in
the Battle of Dakar. Temporarily repaired after joining the Allies in late
1942, she departed for New York in the United States to make permanent
repairs and to be modernized.
This new kit from Trumpeter represents the Richelieu as rebuilt in 1943
complete with an Americanized armament. This kit was released before the
larger 350 version. It
looks very nice overall and doesn't seem to have the problems noted
in the larger kit.
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| HULL PARTS |
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| The hull is molded waterline style with a separate lower
hull or flat waterline plate in red plastic. The fit looks good with the
upper and lower parts. The hull features molded on portholes with rain
gutters and closed chocks along the edges. The latter has recessed openings
that can be drilled out for realism. |
Click images
to enlarge |
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| SPRUE A |
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| This sprue features various decks located on the upper superstructure.
Molding looks good on the range finders. Some of the various walls and
shields have a little too much taper on them. This allows the part to be
ejected from the mold easier, but give a somewhat unrealistic look to the
parts. |
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| SPRUE C |
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| The deck has some nice planking detailing and plenty of deck gear molded
on. There are mounting holes for many of the separate parts. The anchor
detail is molded on unfortunately and simplistic in detail. Most modelers
will probably replace this anyway so it is not really a big deal. |
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| SPRUE D |
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| The uppers decks are molded with an abundance of mounting holes for
the various guns and parts that locate here. Splinter shields here also
have excessive taper. |
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| SPRUE G |
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| The two main guns are included on this sprue. The molding looks good
and slide molding has been used to mold more detail onto the turrets. |
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| SPRUE H |
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| Gun tubs and platforms are featured on this sprue. The splinter shields
are fairly thin and the details are pretty good overall. |
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| SPRUE J |
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| Superstructure parts are included on this sprue. Most of the walls
are molded separately to allow for more detail without using slides in
the mold. Detail is pretty good and the doors are hatches appear consistent |
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| SPRUE M (x 2) |
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| There are two of these sprues with the weapons and other fittings.
The gun base for the main turret is also included. Ships boats are also
included as well as propellers and other fittings. |
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| SPRUE N (x 2) |
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| There are also two of these sprues with the light anti-aircraft guns
included. The 40mm guns are not bad, but the 20mm guns are not very detailed
with the whole gun assembly molded as one part. |
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| DECALS |
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| Two French flags are include in straight and wavy format. |
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| DISPLAY BASE |
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| The standard black plastic ship base is included for full hull display. |
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| INSTRUCTIONS |
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| A nice color profile is included showing the ship camouflage with painting
notes. The instructions are an extensive 8 page booklet with all kinds
of exploded views. They are step by step and cover all the assembly steps. |
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| Conclusions: |
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As I mentioned before, this kit is a better rendering of the Richelieu
than the 350 version. It also has a waterline option so you don't have
to cut the hull down. While I am not an expert on French Navy ship, this
kit looks very good and it should be an enjoyable build right out of the
box. It can also provide a really nice base for superdetailing. This is
kit number #TSM-5750 1/700 French Navy Richelieu Battleship 1943 with a
list price of $34.95. Not a bad price for a ship of this size.
Thanks to Stevens
International for the review sample. They are the exclusive importer
for Trumpeter kits in the US. If your hobby shop does not carry Trumpeter
kits have them contact Stevens
International or try their Hobby Shop Locator to find one. |
