British Battlecruisers of the Second World War. ShipCraft 7 Revised New Edition. By Steve Backer. Revised by Les Brown. Seaforth Publishing, Barnsley, 2007 and 2026. ISBN 978-1-0361-5314-4.
Reviewed by David Hobbs
The first edition of this book was written by Steve Backer and published in 2007. It was divided into three sections, the first of which covered the design and wartime careers of the three battlecruisers in question, HM Ships Repulse, Renown and Hood between pages 1 and 16.
The second showed the model products available at the time and provided a colour showcase illustrating completed kits from a range of manufacturers in different scales together with enhancements such as etched-brass parts between pages 16 and 45. The third section included beautifully coloured, three-view drawings of the three ships at various stages of their careers, detailed photographs of their appearance and line drawings between pages 45 and 63. Page 64 has a bibliography plus a list of the plans and websites consulted by Steve Backer.
The revised edition reflects the continuing world-wide interest in these historic warships. Sections one and three are unaltered and contain Steve Backer’s original text and photographs. However, the whole of section two has been revised and replaced by Les Brown and includes the latest kits and enhancements available today. The showcase includes a beautiful array of completed models in scales ranging from 1:1250 to 1:200, in several cases made by firms that did not even exist when the first edition was published. Pride of place in this revised section must go to the 1:200 scale Trumpeter model of HMS Hood which is just over 1.3 metres long when completed.
It features 19 main sprues, seven sheets of photo-etched brass parts, separate mouldings for larger components, metal propeller shafts and anchor chain and the instruction book runs to 48 pages with 78 construction diagrams. Unsurprisingly, Backer describes it as a daunting challenge to even the most determined modelmaker but there is more available for those who seek the highest standards. For instance, the Mk 1 DX accessory pack for the 1:200 scale model contains twenty-one photo-etched brass sheets, wooden decks, 157 turned metal parts, 48 resin parts, 6 white metal parts and 50 cm of more accurately-cast anchor chain. Les Brown includes photographs of this kit complete with enhancements but unpainted to show their accuracy and the extent of what can be achieved, showing the ship as she appeared in May 1941. Members of the HoodAssociation helped the kit manufacturers to achieve the highest standard of accuracy both in terms of detail and colour.
At the more modest end of the modelling spectrum, I made the Tamiya 1;700 scale model of Hood many years ago and I was pleased to see that this kit is still well regarded by Les Brown. Pleasing results can be achieved with a model at this scale and, of course, there is less difficulty in finding somewhere to put the finished result. The ShipCraft series have rightly gained an excellent reputation among the worldwide warship modelling community but its books have another value. The sections on design, career and appearance give a very good idea of the ships’ construction, fitting out and a brief description of their operational careers. They are worth their purchase price for this aspect alone and the photographs of models allow readers to see detailed aspects of the real ships that are not always visible in the black and white photographs of the era. The well-researched drawings are outstanding. For those who, like me, are fascinated by model warships, they are an important addition to the relevant bookshelf.
For those with an interest in the RN battlecruisers of the Second World War who do not already have a copy of the original 2007 edition I have no hesitation in recommending the revised, 2026 edition highly. For those who already have the earlier edition it is more of a personal judgement call whether to invest in the revised edition since sections two and three are unaltered. However, if you are interested in warship modelling and want to see what today’s model kit and enhancement manufacturers can provide you with, then I would advise that the revised edition falls into the ‘must-have’ category.
