Combrig Models
1/700 HNLMS Tromp



 

Reviewed December 2023
by Martin J Quinn
HISTORY
HNLMS Tromp was the lead ship of the Tromp-class destroyer leaders (really a light cruiser) built for the Royal Netherlands Navy. Built just prior to World War II, the ship served mainly in the Pacific and Indian Oceans against the Japanese, being based out of Sydney, Fremantle and Trincomalee where she served alongside British, Australian and US warships. 

The most interesting period of her service life came in late 1941/early 1942, following the outbreak of fighting against the Japanese in the Pacific, when she was assigned to the Combined Striking Force, ABDA Command, in January 1942 for the defense of the East Indies. Tromp was badly damaged off Bali on 18 February 1942 during the Battle of Badung Strait, when she was hit by eleven 5-inch (127 mm) shells from the Japanese destroyer Asashio. Her return fire hit two Japanese destroyers, killing four men on Asashio and seven on ?shio. The ship was then sent to Australia for repairs in February 1942, sailing firstly to Fremantle and then on to Sydney.

After the war, she returned to the Netherlands; after 1949,Tromp was used as a training and accommodation ship, before being decommissioned in 1955, and scrapped in 1969. 

For further information, check out the Wikipedia page, where this information came from

The Combrig Tromp (Kit 70488)

Tromp is packaged in a thin, white cardboard box, with a photo of the real vessel on the box top. Inside the box is the hull, plus two plastic bag.  The first bag contains ten resin trees, and one resin wafer.  The majority of the resin parts are cast in a cream colored resin - it appears Combrig is using a different resin than found on previous releases. 

The second bag contain the photo-etch set, sandwiched between a sheet a paper (cardboard would have been better).  The resin parts were well packed under a thick layer of cut up foam.  This model a joint effort of Combrig and Pacific Crossroads Models, and appears to represent Tromp at the time of the Battle of Badung Strait,. 

THE HULL 
The hull is waterline.   According to the measurements I found for Tromp, the hull scales slightly longer in length and slightly narrower in beam than the real thing.  The hull  has a very light over-pour on the bottom.  Otherwise, it is very well cast with crisp detail consisting of a breakwater, bollards, planking and strakes on the hull.

SUPERSTRUCTURE AND FUNNEL PARTS
The superstructure parts are on a thin resin wafer.  Some of the things that stood out are the details on the base of the funnel, the splinter shields on the bridge platform, skylights and the slots cast into the deck to fit the PE boat cradles.  The funnel is cast separately.  The inside has a fairly deep opening, which should give the appearance of some depth when painted.  There are also two inserts that are bulwarks for the sides of the hull, where the hull steps down from the fo'c'sle. 

MAIN AND SECONDARY BATTERY
The main and secondary weapons come on one runner.  There are three main battery 5.9in turrets and two bases for the 75mm secondary weapons - the rest of the parts for the secondary guns are a combination of resin parts (found on other runners) and PE.  I find these to be the weakest part of the kit.  The main battery turrets have faint print lines on them and are very vanilla, with no detail.  Hopefully the PE will dress up the secondary guns, because they are quite plain as well. 

SHIPS BOATS AND RAFTS
There are four resin runners containing boats and rafts.  Interestingly, each of boats seems to be cast in a different resin, with the darker resin (which I think is what kits were cast in previously) having better detail.  The rafts have decent detail. 

SMALLER PARTS
The three runners with the balance of the parts contain the main and secondary gun barrels, the AA guns (these are also quite plain), paravanes, torpedo tubes, directors, signal lamps, davits and more.  The davits and directors are the nicest of the bunch. 

PHOTO ETCH PARTS
There is a small, but comprehensive set of photo-etch included.  Along with rails and inclined ladders, there are cable reels, a searchlight platform, supports with lightening holes, anchors, parts for the boat davits and more.  The sheet is very thin and will be easily damaged while handling - use caution!  The design of the railings is interesting.  The rails for the main deck are four parts, which included support posts and rails for the next level. Getting these on will be a challenge.  I'd recommend cutting these into sections before trying to attach to the hull.

INSTRUCTIONS
The instructions are typical of Combrig's more recent releases.  There are four, double-sided pages, with a profile and overhead drawing of the ship, a parts manifest, and exploded diagram drawings showing you where to place the parts and PE.  Combrig does not include masts or yardarms with their kits, but there the various masts/yards are numbered and recommended diameters and lengths are included in the instructions, though, confusingly,  the instructions show the installation of the mast on page 2, but don't give you the measurements until page 3.  There are also no color callouts or drawings showing off Tromps' interesting camouflage from the period. 

CONCLUSIONS  
For students of history, the desperate and tragic defense of the Philippines, Malaya and East Indies in the opening months of the Pacific War has always held a certain fascination.  So many famous Allied ships met their demise at the hands of the marauding Japanese, and many modelers have chosen to model these ships, and add them to their scale model fleet.  HNLMS Tromp was actually fortunate that she was badly damaged off Bali on 18 February 1942, during the Battle of Badung Strait.  Because of this, the ship was then sent to Australia for repairs in February 1942, meaning she was spared the fate of the majority of the doomed ABDA command.  With this release by Combrig, you can now add this Dutch destroyer-leader/light cruiser to your collection. 

It does appear that Combrig has switched the resin they are using, and while detail is good, it's just not quite as crisp as previous releases.  Still, I find Tromp to be an overall solid release, with good details and an extensive photo-etch set, though the main battery parts lack detail. I'd recommended this kit mostly to light cruiser fans, or fans of the East Indies campaign, who want to round out their ABDA fleet.

This is Combrig’s 1/700 USS Tromp, kit number 70488.  The model retails for around $56.99, and is currently available on-line from the Squadron/FreeTime Conglomerate. This is an in-box review.  While the model seems to compare well to photos and drawings online, your mileage may vary once you commence construction.  Many thanks to Combrig Models for the review sample.