I know I have written about this in different posts.
This time I am lumping it all together. Why? Well, Surprisingly the paper Models Don't satisfy this desire either. I am not going to pay $ 500.00 at H.L for a pre-Built Riva motorboat either!
The examples have always been hit or miss at best. Some were good. Take Revell's Bass Boats! They were close to the real thing. Now M.P.C/Round 2s Out board Motorboat in 1/18th should surpass this mainly because of scale, Fuggedaboud it !That would be the " Hydro-Vee" kit number 883/12. It's a reworked toy to me!
The latest Lindberg offerings under a new provider are worse than Airfixes multipart hull P.T.Boats. I bet they get a lot of consumer complaints on them or they hit either the Shelf of Doom or the Round file-whichever is closer.
The OLD revell offering shows up every now and then after being badged as a Sport-Fishing boat( Which it is Not , nor could it ever be without a tremendous amount of remodeling and refitting.) It was and still is a Tri Cabin Motorcruiser. That's what Chris-Craft called it! The Molding was heavy handed and as such took a lot of work to look good!
Now in the late seventies early eighties there was a kit put out by Aurora, within a few years of them going down the tubes. Whatta boat! It was a Wheeler Cruiser. A model of a 44' luxury cruiser. That model knocked my socks off. Whatta beauty! Then at that time you could find Lindberg's Chris -Craft Constellation Motor-Yacht and the Sport Fisherman. Both meant to be powered, but handsome Static pieces too!
There was a quirk with the Sport Fisherman that I caught and discussed at length with the then sitting engineers at Lindberg. The hull was a nice molding. But! someone got it backwards.! The hull showed incredible small detail inside. But that particular detail was outside on the real boat. Someone put it on the wrong side of the molds!
That really didn't hurt it much though. You saw it and put it where it belonged with a little scratch building! The Owens and other boat they offered and that still show up with multi piece hulls don't even qualify as models.They are ill fitting poorly engineered pieces of junk. If I was head of Q.C. I would've dumped the whole lot and made the engineers start over
What I don't understand is this. Monogram had the real nice little Outboard hydro racer.( The boat was decent, the figure lacked a lot!) and their " Cigarette Boat"( Miami Vice) tie in was poorly done in a awful scale for that item. Now good old A.M.T did give us one heck of an Unlimited Hydro Kit.( The Miss Budweiser) After all the fuss about Beer and Cigarette ads why not change to (Miss Bardahl) or something like that! It was an okay kit for the time. Lindberg again. They put out for years a very nice one piece hull simple kit.
It was and odd scale( I think 1/32) of a Chris Craft (Picnic Boat) 30' day cruiser. Sure, the actual boat allowed you to sleep over in her, but not really a yacht of the day. A decent little kit, that even for a while had the motor that you had to build and few ever got them to work. Still the proportions were right and she was a good looking little boat.
The modeler of small civilian craft have to go wood or go home. Is that fair? I think not. There many watercraft out there, Ferries, Work boats and Yachts of all types, too numerous to mention that deserve a look. Why does it always have to be warships? Does our hunger for destruction mean that boats built to represent Rescue and Pleasure have to take a back seat to them?
Don't take me wrong , anyone. I am not a peacenik, I have served. But I also think the boats we see and deal with in civilian life need a representation better than they get. Poor sellers ? Sure, when you can't count on Quality, Accuracy or Fidelity in scale you are NOT going to buy them. Revell of Germany puts out a great bunch of German Rescue boats. Great models. The Calypso was outstanding. Heller has the La Suroit( the vessel upon which were the notables who found the " Titanic'"!)There were some Seagoing tugs from Revell of Germany, Great kits that had a few engineering errors, but nothing that couldn't be fixed easily by even a fair to middling modeler!
Maybe I am asking to much, So be it, but I think admirers of civilian pleasure and workboats have been ignored cruely. We to would like to see more boats like the historic " Fireman" that Revell produced. Whatta model and for the Scratch Builder a hull much in desire and in the right scale for many conversions!
Now in closing. I know for the Model companies it's related to the all famous "Bottom Line" Well, why not relax a little a give us a few niche models of civilian craft that are not dedicated to destruction or defense but to peacrful endeavors too? If well done, I am sure there is a segment that would buy them.
P.S.-- I didn't mean to forget it. Revell did have a nice Sea Ray type larger scale Motor-Yacht type out some years back. It left a lot to be desired, but, Could be the nicest base for a really detailed " Pod Type" (My words) Motor Yacht. Sorry, I am a traditionalist. If I take it out more than fifty miles,I better be able to ride out a storm in it too!