Trumpeter (company)
Encyclopedia
Trumpeter is a Chinese company that manufacturers plastic injection moulding
military model kits. Their product line consists of model ships
, aircraft
, car
s and military ground vehicles
. Trumpeter kits initially had a reputation of being somewhat less detailed than those of competitors such as Dragon
or Tamiya, and accuracy issues have continued in some kits. The company is located in Zhongshan
, China
, just North of Macau
. All of the design and development is done at this site and production facilities on site extend to full mold making engineering using spark erosion techniques.The factory has the facility to take production from design computer right through to packaging with some outsourcing done on things like photo etched parts. Not only are they making models for the Trumpeter label but, under license, also for a number of other brands like Hobby Boss, Mini Hobby and even Fujumi and Pit Road.
Boresight. Their series of T-55
kits were criticized for lack of accuracy and buildability issues. However, in recent years, Trumpeter's armor and artillery kits have been the subject of increasingly favourable comparisons with those of other manufacturers. In particular, their 1/35th scale
kits of the KV tank series, SA-2 Guideline missile, and Karl Morser have been well received. The KV, K-5 Leopold and Karl Morser kits have been reviewed and are considered far better than competing kits of these subjects from Tamiya, Eastern Express, and DML
. Their kits of the Pz.Kpfw. IV
-based Karl Morser ammunition carriers and the German 150 mm SFH 18 have been reviewed less favorably than competing kits from DML
on the Perth Military Modeling web site.
Trumpeter's ship models have included a rising number of parts, but quality is still disputed due to insufficient research and some recent releases have been over-engineered. For example, the 1:350 scale kit of the American aircraft carrier USS Hornet CV-8 (an early release) has been found to compromise in detail ("disappointment"), while the hull form shows major mistakes and the island is also not perfect. Fit, however, is said to be excellent, and surface detail "very credible". Also modern US carriers (for example the 1/700 Nimitz class aircraft carriers) suffer from a wrong hull form. Hull form problems are also found in the Baltimore class cruiser kits. Mistakes in the correct outfit (catapults, armament) have been pointed out regarding the details of some Essex class carrier kits and the Bismarck class battleships (wrong AA fit). Especially regarding the Essex class, the well known modeller Scott van Aken on the Modeling Madness website praises the kits of a competitor as preferable over Trumpeter: "The moldings on the kit (of the competitor) are top rate and without the myriad of ejector pin marks that have plagued Trumpeter ship kits since day one."
On the other hand, Trumpeter kits usually contain a lot of small parts, a feature which many modelers appreciate as impressive, and general comments are often positive in summary, especially for Russian navy ships. Trumpeter also put out scale models of popular items long awaited by enthusiasts that other companies have not included in their range. One kit from Trumpeter that has been very popular is the 1:350 scale kit of HMS Hood
; the 1:700 scale kits of the battlecruiser were rumored to have been developed with input from the HMS Hood Association.
The aircraft kits from Trumpeter are, like the other kits, of a varying quality. While the 1:32 scale Me 262 received very good reviews, the F4F Wildcat
kit in 1:32 scale was initially so poorly received that Steven's International, the distributor for Trumpeter kits in the USA, refused to market the kit until corrections were made to the kit's fuselage. Copies of the initial version of the kit were marketed in Japan and Europe, however. Subsequently, Trumpeter retooled the kit to more accurately reproduce the fuselage shape of the F4F, and the retooled kit received far better reviews. The 1:24 scale Messerschmitt Bf 109 G was ruled as "acceptable" and "quite accurate" with cockpit detail not up to the standard of the much smaller Hasegawa 1/32 kit (Brett Green, Modeling the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F and early G series, Oxford 2007, pp. 20–24) which together reads that it is not of outstanding quality, as one would expect of a similar kit of one of the competing leading Japanese manufacturers.
Injection moulding
Injection molding is a manufacturing process for producing parts from both thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic materials. Material is fed into a heated barrel, mixed, and forced into a mold cavity where it cools and hardens to the configuration of the cavity...
military model kits. Their product line consists of model ships
Ship model
Ship models or model ships are scale representations of ships. They can range in size from 1/6000 scale wargaming miniatures to large vessels capable of holding people....
, aircraft
Model aircraft
Model aircraft are flying or non-flying models of existing or imaginary aircraft using a variety of materials including plastic, diecast metal, polystyrene, balsa wood, foam and fibreglass...
, car
Model car
A model car or toy car is a miniature representation of an automobile. Other miniature motor vehicles, such as trucks, buses, or even ATVs, etc. are often included in the general category of model cars...
s and military ground vehicles
Model military vehicle
-Scales:The term 'scale' refers to the proportion of actual size the replica or model represents. Scale is usually expressed as a ratio or as a fraction . In either case it conveys the notion that the replica or model is accurately scaled in all visible proportions from a full-size prototype object...
. Trumpeter kits initially had a reputation of being somewhat less detailed than those of competitors such as Dragon
Dragon Models Limited
Dragon Models Limited is a Hong Kong based manufacturer of plastic model kits, diecast models and military action figures...
or Tamiya, and accuracy issues have continued in some kits. The company is located in Zhongshan
Zhongshan
Zhongshan , also spelled Chungshan and historically known as Xiangshan or Siangshan, is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province in southern China. Zhongshan, one of the few cities in China with an eponymous name, is named after Dr. Sun Yat-sen who was...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, just North of Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
. All of the design and development is done at this site and production facilities on site extend to full mold making engineering using spark erosion techniques.The factory has the facility to take production from design computer right through to packaging with some outsourcing done on things like photo etched parts. Not only are they making models for the Trumpeter label but, under license, also for a number of other brands like Hobby Boss, Mini Hobby and even Fujumi and Pit Road.
Armor Models
Trumpeter's early armor kits were reviewed negatively in publications such as AMPS'Armor Modeling and Preservation Society
The Armor Modeling and Preservation Society is a social club with the common interest of modeling miniature armored fighting vehicles, military model figures, ordnance, dioramas, and related equipment...
Boresight. Their series of T-55
T-55
The T-54 and T-55 tanks were a series of main battle tanks designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just before the end of the Second World War. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armored units of the Soviet Army, armies of...
kits were criticized for lack of accuracy and buildability issues. However, in recent years, Trumpeter's armor and artillery kits have been the subject of increasingly favourable comparisons with those of other manufacturers. In particular, their 1/35th scale
Scale (ratio)
The scale ratio of some sort of model which represents an original proportionally is the ratio of a linear dimension of the model to the same dimension of the original. Examples include a 3-dimensional scale model of a building or the scale drawings of the elevations or plans of a building. In such...
kits of the KV tank series, SA-2 Guideline missile, and Karl Morser have been well received. The KV, K-5 Leopold and Karl Morser kits have been reviewed and are considered far better than competing kits of these subjects from Tamiya, Eastern Express, and DML
Dragon Models Limited
Dragon Models Limited is a Hong Kong based manufacturer of plastic model kits, diecast models and military action figures...
. Their kits of the Pz.Kpfw. IV
Panzer IV
The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...
-based Karl Morser ammunition carriers and the German 150 mm SFH 18 have been reviewed less favorably than competing kits from DML
Dragon Models Limited
Dragon Models Limited is a Hong Kong based manufacturer of plastic model kits, diecast models and military action figures...
on the Perth Military Modeling web site.
Ship Models
Trumpeter plastic models of ships are produced in 1:200, 1:350, 1:500 and 1:700 scale, although 1:350 and 1:700 are dominating. Trumpeter has a cooperation with Japanese ship model manufacturer Pit-Road for kits in 1:700 scale. These kits are usually available under the Pit-Road label in Japan and under the Trumpeter label in the rest of the world.Trumpeter's ship models have included a rising number of parts, but quality is still disputed due to insufficient research and some recent releases have been over-engineered. For example, the 1:350 scale kit of the American aircraft carrier USS Hornet CV-8 (an early release) has been found to compromise in detail ("disappointment"), while the hull form shows major mistakes and the island is also not perfect. Fit, however, is said to be excellent, and surface detail "very credible". Also modern US carriers (for example the 1/700 Nimitz class aircraft carriers) suffer from a wrong hull form. Hull form problems are also found in the Baltimore class cruiser kits. Mistakes in the correct outfit (catapults, armament) have been pointed out regarding the details of some Essex class carrier kits and the Bismarck class battleships (wrong AA fit). Especially regarding the Essex class, the well known modeller Scott van Aken on the Modeling Madness website praises the kits of a competitor as preferable over Trumpeter: "The moldings on the kit (of the competitor) are top rate and without the myriad of ejector pin marks that have plagued Trumpeter ship kits since day one."
On the other hand, Trumpeter kits usually contain a lot of small parts, a feature which many modelers appreciate as impressive, and general comments are often positive in summary, especially for Russian navy ships. Trumpeter also put out scale models of popular items long awaited by enthusiasts that other companies have not included in their range. One kit from Trumpeter that has been very popular is the 1:350 scale kit of HMS Hood
HMS Hood
Three ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Hood after several members of the Hood family, who were notable Navy officers: was a 91-gun second-rate ship of the line, originally laid down as HMS Edgar, but renamed in 1848 and launched in 1859. She was used for harbour service from 1872 and was...
; the 1:700 scale kits of the battlecruiser were rumored to have been developed with input from the HMS Hood Association.
Aircraft Models
Trumpeter produces kits of airplanes in 1:144, 1:72, 1:48, 1:32 and 1:24 scale. The kits in the larger scales are generally highly detailed and include metal parts, while the smaller scale kits usually are rather simple.The aircraft kits from Trumpeter are, like the other kits, of a varying quality. While the 1:32 scale Me 262 received very good reviews, the F4F Wildcat
F4F Wildcat
The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940...
kit in 1:32 scale was initially so poorly received that Steven's International, the distributor for Trumpeter kits in the USA, refused to market the kit until corrections were made to the kit's fuselage. Copies of the initial version of the kit were marketed in Japan and Europe, however. Subsequently, Trumpeter retooled the kit to more accurately reproduce the fuselage shape of the F4F, and the retooled kit received far better reviews. The 1:24 scale Messerschmitt Bf 109 G was ruled as "acceptable" and "quite accurate" with cockpit detail not up to the standard of the much smaller Hasegawa 1/32 kit (Brett Green, Modeling the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F and early G series, Oxford 2007, pp. 20–24) which together reads that it is not of outstanding quality, as one would expect of a similar kit of one of the competing leading Japanese manufacturers.