July 12, 2026

Preview: Two new kits from Trumpeter in July...

Trumpeter have picked two great subjects for their July releases. We have colours, decals & built-up kits in our preview...


Preview: Two new kits from Trumpeter in July...

German Gneisenau Battleship 
by Trumpeter
Kit No. 05360
1/350th scale
The German battleship Gneisenau was the second capital ship of the Scharnhorst class, launched at Kiel on December 8, 1936, and commissioned on May 21, 1938. Initially designed with the intent to eventually upgrade to twin 380 mm main gun turrets, it was instead completed with nine 280 mm guns. Early sea trials revealed an insufficient bow freeboard, prompting a winter refit in 1938 to install a raised "Atlantic bow" to improve seaworthiness. During World War II, Gneisenau operated closely with her sister ship Scharnhorst in the North Sea. Together, they successfully intercepted and sank the British aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and two escorting destroyers in June 1940. Shortly after, Gneisenau sustained torpedo damage from a British submarine while covering her sister ship. 

The decals in the box
The colour scheme provided in this box...
Following repairs, the duo launched the highly successful Operation Berlin commerce raid in early 1941, destroying 22 Allied merchant ships totalling 115,000 tonnes. The combat career of Gneisenau came to an abrupt end during the night of February 26–27, 1942, while she was docked for maintenance in Kiel. A devastating British Royal Air Force air raid landed a direct bomb hit that pierced the armoured deck, detonating the forward ammunition magazine and destroying the entire bow section. Though initial efforts were made to rebuild the ship and finally install the delayed 380 mm guns, Adolf Hitler ordered all work on the surface fleet to cease in early 1943. Shelved and disarmed for the remainder of the war, the ship was towed to Gotenhafen and officially scuttled as a blockship on March 27, 1945, to obstruct the advancing Soviet Red Army. Post-war Polish salvage operations later raised the massive wreckage between 1947 and 1951 to be broken down into scrap metal.

Kit length: 672.6mm / Beam: 85.7mm  
Total Parts: 900+
Metal Parts: anchor chain, shaft & Photo-etched Parts
A total of 18 sprues, decks and hull.

More Features: 
The kit contains over 900 parts
- The hull made from two-directional slide molds
-  Deck wood pattern finely rendered
-  Contains display stand

The built-up test kit


British MBT Challenger-1 (mk. 3) "Gulf War" 
by Trumpeter
Kit No. 09612
1/35th scale
The Challenger 1 Mk.3 "Gulf War" variant stands as a pinnacle of late-Cold War British armoured engineering, rapidly adapted to meet the brutal demands of desert combat. Facing the threat of Soviet-designed anti-tank missiles and kinetic penetrators in Iraq, the British Army reinforced the tank's baseline Chobham composite armour with heavy Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA) blocks across the lower front hull and added massive applique armour skirts along its flanks. To counter the scorching heat and fine desert sand, engineers fitted the vehicle with high-capacity air filtration systems, external auxiliary fuel drums to extend its operational range, and a custom exhaust smoke generator. These urgent, theatre-specific modifications transformed the tank into an exceptionally durable fortress, ensuring that its four-man crew remained fully protected while operating deep within hostile territory. 

The decals in the box
The colour schemes provided in this box...
During Operation Granby in 1991, the Mk.3 cemented its legacy in military history by delivering a flawless tactical performance that utterly devastated Iraqi armoured divisions. Armed with the powerful 120mm L11A5 rifled main gun, British crews utilised advanced thermal imaging and laser rangefinding to orchestrate devastating nocturnal ambushes and long-range engagements. Over the course of the hundred-hour ground war, the Challenger 1 fleet claimed roughly 300 enemy tank kills without suffering a single loss to hostile fire. This campaign also produced the most famous feat in modern armoured warfare when a crew from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards achieved the longest confirmed tank-to-tank kill in history, piercing an Iraqi vehicle from an astonishing distance of 5.1 kilometres.

Kit length: 335.8mm / Width: 112.8mm   
Metal cable & photo-etched parts included.
A total of 14 sprues, upper hull, lower hull and turret

More Features     
- The kit consists of over 670 parts
- Multi-slide moulded turret, upper hull and lower hull
- Individual tracks links

The built-up test kit

These kits will soon be on sale through Trumpeter's distributors worldwide...