Tamiya 78011 - 1:350 Prince of Wales British Battleship

Plastic model kit of the British battleship HMS Prince of Wales in 1:350 scale

Tamiya 78011 is a self-assembly model of HMS Prince of Wales — sister ship to HMS King George V, whose short but extraordinarily eventful career took in the Battle of the Denmark Strait, the Atlantic Conference with Winston Churchill on board, and a dramatic end off the coast of Malaya. The kit comes from 1986 tooling, created by adding new parts to the King George V mould.

The model is full hull and depicts the ship in her December 1941 configuration, during the Malayan campaign and her service with Force Z. Alongside the battleship parts the box also contains three aircraft: the shipboard Supermarine Walrus floatplane and the Japanese G3M and G4M — the types that sealed the ship's fate. The finished model is displayed on the included stand with a name plate.

What is in the box:

• Plastic sprues with hull, superstructure, gun turrets and deck equipment parts
• Supermarine Walrus shipboard floatplane
• Japanese G3M and G4M aircraft
• Waterslide decal sheet for ship and aircraft markings
• Display stand with name plate
• Illustrated assembly instructions

Model specifications:

• Scale: 1:350
• Catalogue number: 78011
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Assembled length: approx. 649 mm
• Model type: full hull
• Tooling: 1986; depicted configuration: December 1941 (Malayan campaign)
• Skill level: beginner/intermediate (large model, many small armament and fitting parts)

Please note: the kit does not include cement, paints or modelling tools. The model requires assembly.

Assembly:

The build proceeds in the classic order: hull and deck, then superstructure, gun turrets and finally the small fittings. The part fit typical of Tamiya keeps the model accessible to less experienced builders, though the many small gun mounts and deck fittings call for patience and precision tweezers. Painting the deck and hull sides before adding the finest details is worth considering.

In her 1941 configuration the ship is painted in Admiralty greys, with a darker matt deck and a red underwater hull. The included aircraft — the Walrus in British markings and the Japanese G3M and G4M — are best painted separately before installation. A matt varnish as a final coat and a wash to bring out the detail are recommended. Modellers after a higher level of detail may consider photo-etched sets for this model (railings, ladders, antennas), available separately.

Tools you will need:

• Modelling nippers for removing parts from the sprues
• Hobby knife or scalpel
• Files and sandpaper for cleaning up sprue gate marks
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Precision modelling tweezers
• Brushes in several sizes
• Modelling paints (acrylic or enamel)
• Panel wash to bring out the detail
• Decal setting solution

About the ship — HMS Prince of Wales:

HMS Prince of Wales was the second ship of the King George V class, the last British battleship design drawn up within treaty limits. Her main armament consisted of ten 356 mm guns in two quadruple turrets and one twin turret, backed by sixteen 133 mm dual-purpose guns and numerous anti-aircraft mounts. She entered service in such haste that civilian dockyard workers were still aboard during her first battle.

On 24 May 1941 Prince of Wales, together with HMS Hood, engaged the Bismarck and the Prinz Eugen in the Denmark Strait. Hood blew up and sank, but the British battleship — despite serious damage and turret failures — managed to hit the Bismarck; damage to her fuel tanks forced the Germans to break off the sortie and head for port, which ultimately sealed the German ship's fate. In August 1941 Prince of Wales carried Winston Churchill to his meeting with Franklin D. Roosevelt, at which the Atlantic Charter was signed.

In the autumn of 1941 the ship was sent to the Far East as the core of Force Z, intended to deter Japan. On 10 December 1941, two days after the attack on Malaya, Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse were sunk off the Malayan coast by Japanese torpedo and bomber aircraft. It was the first time in history that a battleship and a battlecruiser were sunk at sea by air power alone — an event that closed the era of the big gun's dominance.

Original ship specifications (HMS Prince of Wales):

• Type: King George V class battleship
• Standard displacement: approx. 39,100 tons; full load: approx. 42,200 tons
• Dimensions: 227.1 x 31.4 m
• Main armament: 10 x 356 mm guns (two quadruple turrets and one twin turret)
• Dual-purpose battery: 16 x 133 mm guns
• Anti-aircraft armament: numerous pom-pom mounts, 40 mm Bofors and 20 mm Oerlikon guns
• Propulsion: 8 boilers, Parsons turbines, 4 shafts, approx. 110,000 shp
• Speed: 28 knots
• Crew: approx. 1,500
• Service: Battle of the Denmark Strait (24 May 1941), Atlantic Conference (August 1941), sunk on 10 December 1941 off the coast of Malaya

About the manufacturer — Tamiya:

Tamiya Corporation is a Japanese model company founded in 1946 by Yoshio Tamiya in Shizuoka, a city regarded as the centre of the Japanese model industry. It began in the timber trade, moved on to wooden models in the late 1940s and released its first injection-moulded plastic kit in 1960. The brand is known for precise moulds and excellent part fit, which makes its kits a popular choice for beginners and experienced modellers alike. Tamiya's naval range covers 1:350 and 1:700 scales, from destroyers to battleships and carriers. Its assembly instructions are clear and consistently illustrated, which matters a great deal on warship kits with many small details. The company also produces a full line of modelling supplies: paints, cements, tools and brushes. Today Tamiya is present in dozens of countries and remains one of the most recognisable names in the hobby.