HMS Warspite British Battleship

I started the Trumpeter HMS Warspite (1942)(1/350 scale)(Model Number 05235) on 11/25/13 and completed it on 01/10/2014. Overall model was fun and fairly easy to assemble. I have evaluated the model on a scale of 1 -10 with one being the worst and ten being excellent. The model as it was out of the box I would rate as a 6. I have rated the model in three areas; overall detail, clarity of the written instructions (which includes ease of assembly) and the provided painting and marking guide. Detail: There were a number of detail parts that were very good. The metal etched pieces provided added a great deal of realism that I have not seen in many other out of the box models. The stern of the ship was very well done as were the 15 or so machine guns in the kit. There were two areas that were disappointing, the main guns and cranes. With the guns there was an option to either use main guns that could move up and down, as well as to transverse the hull or to use main guns that are static with the appearance of canvas covering the gun up to the turret and did not move up and down. I used the latter and was disappointed at the overall look. No matter how I adjusted the positioning of the guns into the turret they had a ‘V’ shape coming out of the turret. This was true of all four turrets. This looked very odd and unrealistic. The cranes provided with the kit were also disappointing. When assembled they look like a block of plastic with a stick attached. This was very distracting from the model’s appearance. Since the two parts I described above were so noticeable and detracted so much from the models overall appearance, I would rate the detail of the model as a 5 out of 10. Instructions: The instructions were easy to understand and follow. There were a few places where the pieces were not identified, indicated the wrong placement or misidentified parts. Example, on page 15 of the instructions it indicates a part will be found on the ‘K’ tree. However, there is no ‘K’ tree and it should have stated ‘N’ tree. The instructions on page 20 incorrectly show the placement of the rear stabilizer on the biplanes. I would rate the ease of assembly and clarity of the instructions an 8 out of 10. Painting and Marking Guide: The guide was fine and compared well with others I have used. There was a very complete list of colors with five different manufactures listed. I found it easy to follow and my final outcome was acceptable. The only issue I found was how they indicate combining paint to get a particular tint. In one place you were told to combine three different colors but not how much to use of each? I assumed that it was equal parts of each; I don’t believe you should have to assume. I would rate the color guide an 8 out of 10. So in conclusion on my scale I have rated Trumpeter HMS Warspite (1/350 scale) as a 6 out of 10. Bob P