Having just acquired Trumpeter’s 1/350 U.S.S. Texas, I’m considering some aftermarket upgrades and came upon a description of the Pontos set and, as I am not a ship guy, I’m wondering if it’s worth spending nearly 3 times what I paid for the kit for what appears to be an extremely complicated (but extremely detailed) accessory that replaces much of the original plastic.

The ship means a lot to me, and not just because I’m a native Texan or because of her historic significance. I visited the ship twice over 60 years ago when a junior high school student and have long wanted a model. Also, a former college girlfriend was the lead Texas Parks Department historian for a past renovation, so there’s a great deal of sentiment involved in building a model that will do the ship justice.