The most influential (plastic) ship kits ever produced.

I would have to gree with the Revell Constitution.  It was the first large scale ship that I built, to be followed by the Cuttysark, Kearsage, and Alabama.  I have built about six Constitutions sonce then with the Constitution being the last rigged sailing ship I will ever build.  I just can't handle the tools as well as I used to.

Add to the list the Aurora Viking ship, and the Revell Charles W. Morgan, the last of the sailing whalers which I have visited at Mystic Seaport and to me seem like a fairly good kits and I built three or four of them.

Not to mention Airfix and their series of Famous Sailing vessels in their plasctic bags with the header cards. Ouch that brings back some old memories.

both the revell's & airfix model ships like arizona, missouri & ajax. still have them after 35yrs.

 i remember as an 8yr old in 53' getting the revell missouri ,it was my first model . i sank my teeth into modeling those revell ships the destroyer, pt boat so i think for my time the revell shis played a large part in getting me started in ship modeling . i always looked forward to new releases. my favorite is the 4 stack destroyer

....as the sharks begin to circle......;o)

Thereby leading to the eventual conquest of all points south by the IJN, the invasion of Australia in September 1945 and the eventual fall of India and South Africa to the Empire. It's a good point, Manny, I like it.

warshipguy wrote:

I will admit that I have always like the Zuiho and Shoho class carriers, but I am surprised to see them nominated as being among the most influential plastic ship kits.  I don't doubt your sincerity, but I would appreciate your reasoning very much. Thanks! Bill Morrison

Well...to start with, she helped defeat Halsey's Carrier Group at Leyte Gulf, which allowed the Japanese to drive the Americans off of the beaches...

The cooolest part of those carriers were the side-mounted funnels!Very distinctive!

I will admit that I have always like the Zuiho and Shoho class carriers, but I am surprised to see them nominated as being among the most influential plastic ship kits.  I don't doubt your sincerity, but I would appreciate your reasoning very much.

Thanks!

Bill Morrison

...the camo...

Just curious, but what makes that a reason for Zuiho to be an 'influential model?'

Because the actual "Zuiho" was one of the most significant vessels of the 20th Century.

Why 'Zuiho,' particularly?

The Hasegawa 1/700 scale "Zuiho" was the most influential...

EdGrune,

Amen!

Bill Morrison

I think the most influential ship model ever made may well be the 1:720 scale USS Arizona by Revell.  That kit was so bad that it turned thousands of potential ship modelers away from this genre into other subjects such as aircraft and armor

 For myself, I would list three classic kits as being the most influential in my eyes anyway. No1:- revells 1-96 Cutty Sark. When completed, it's sheer size and attention grabbing has that "WOW" factor. No2:- is Tamiya's 1-350 Bismarck. When it first appeared around 1977, it stood the modelling World on it's head for it's detail and size. and No3:-The introduction of the 1-700 Waterline Series. This series let modellers build up a large display at a relatively low cost whilst not taking up much room. 

i am going to keep this very simple because i know a lot of people will not agree . 1 revell,s large uss constitution #2 the tamiya vosper patrol boat ( the hull was a single molding with two colors )   # 3 would probably trumpeters u.s.s. north carolina , (it,s not exactly perfect )but the museum board thought it good enough to carry it in the gift shop !    tankerbuilder

The one that had the most influence on me was the Revell SS United States! It got me interested in liners, which evolved into interest in merchant ships in general. To this day, I still visit the Big U every time I go to Philadephia, and have numerous models and books on the ship. All because of that one model.

Lee Anne

I cannot speak for "the market", only for myself. The plastic ship kit that had the greatest influence on me, was the Marx "Sea Witch". It was the first "large scale" sailing ship kit I ever built, and, more because of the size of the model, than the quality of the kit, impressed me enough to get me "hooked" on sailing ship models.

From a personal perspective, I remember being in awe of 1/96 the Revell Cutty Sark that one of my father's friends built back in 1962 when I was nine years old.  It certainly inspired me to work on developing my modeling skills.  I also remember seeing the 1/96 Constitution in its huge box at the local hobby shop as the Holy Grail of model ships - one I was never sure I could ever aspire to building.

As far as models I've built, building and rigging the small Revell Constitution (even with the pre-formed ratlines ) not only improved my skills, but gave me confidence in my abilities.  The ultimate reward was that my father decided that it should be displayed on a shelf in our living room, rather than relegated to a spot next to the Monogram planes and AMT cars in my bedroom.

The Revell 1/429 USS Arizona was also memorable for its relatively high parts count and complexity (well, at least to a 12-year-old).    

Mark

Once upon a time, a group of blind men came upon an elephant...   

I've had to think about this one for some time, and i think I have to agree with the 1/700 scale warships as the most influential for several reasons.... First, these were the first kits that made a real effort at proper scaling and accuracy, which lifted the ship-modelling world out of the 'toys, products for kids,' realm, into serious scale modelling.  They were also the first to really make an effort at producing a very wide variety of subjects to a common scale, and were of a size suitable not just for individual display, but the waterline design made them perfect for dioramas, and the relatively small scale meant several ships could be reasonably put in the same diorama.  As a result, a variety of different modelling techniques were brought to focus on a single subject (diorama techniques, water techniques, weathering, etc, etc.) which really ended up removing the whole genre from the 'bathtub toys' of previous ship models.  Yes, Airfix made a stab at it with their 1/600 kits, but they really didn't produce the kind of variety that would really concentrate the 'artistes,' and of course, being full-hull models were not really suitable for diorama work.  Note, I personally PREFER full hull models, but I can certainly recognize and understand the interest in waterline subjects (which is why I am so pleased with the modern production runs of ship models which allow both full-hull AND waterline!).

Greetings:

I agree about the big Constitution. That kit got me involved in building sailing ship models. Well actually my wife did. I just used to build 1/72 Luftwaffe kits, I still have several hundred unbuilt ones of all types (plastic, resin, vac-form). My wife one day said to me why don't you build the Constitution (she's from the Boston area and would tell me about seeing it whenever she went into the city). The only model I knew of it was the 3 foot one so I said all right I'll do it. Well it took me about 9 months and several reference books on rigging to complete it. I sure learned a lot about rigging a square rigged vessel. Also I sure got sick and tired of running all those tiny little lines. Little did I know that this one purchase would lead to me also buying the 1/96 scale Thermopylae, Kearsarge, Alabama, United States and of course the museum grade Cutty Sark. From there I bought the Heller Victory, Soleil Royale, Amerigo Vespuci and the Preussen. So at least for me this kit changed my model building interests for the immediate future. It sure looks nice completely rigged with the full set of the vacuform sails (I know some don't like them but they add a certain something to the model).

 

Sincerely

 

Michael Lacey

 

I have to vote for the 1/96 Revell kits, especially the Constitution. I have been involved in ship modeling groups ranging from the small cast metal kits for the "Ship of the Line" game derivate from the old Avalon Hill "Wooden Ships and Iron Men" Game. 1/1200 WWII Naval miniature wargame models, 1/700th, RC sailing, quarter inch scale wooden ship models and even sailed full scale replica schooners and a brig. But the single, most common overlap amongst all of these groups is the Revell USS Constitution. I know enthusiasts from every one of these genres who have built, started or at east added to their stash, this kit.

I've also been invovled with two maritime museums. The most frequently donated built plastic model for fundraising auction is the big Revell Constitution, (with the 1/350th Bismarck as second place).

The assembled Revell 1/96th kits may also take honors for most frequent hobby shop dust collectors.

I have not seen the same for any other segment of the American ship modeling community.

 

The Hasegawa 1/700th "Zuiho" is my final vote...

I have to agree with John that the 1/700 waterline series has to have been the most influential. I believe the first to hit my area hobby shop (The Squadron Shop on Sligo Ave in Silver Spring, MD) were the Mogami class cruisers followed by the Ise class battleships.  The impact of that series is still being felt in ship modeling today, with 1/700 being the first of the really standardized scales.

True, Airfix had established its 1/600 series in the 1950's and 60's, and Eaglewall/Pyro had its 1/1200 series, but neither scale really caught on in a big way. 1/1200 has its devotees, but there are no serious kits commonly available in hobby shops.  Revell's Picture Fleet series was successful if somewhat toyish, but those kits have not influenced the hobby as did the 1/700 scale kits.

And, John, thanks for mentioning my efforts to encourage the manufacturers to start providing sailing ships again.

Bill Morrison

Looks like this subject has lifted its skirts and run even if I may get no clear results from it!

Whether or not a kit is still in production decades after its first release is probably not a valid criteria - by all accounts some real dogs can claim the same and I'm sure some very significant kits have sunk without trace.  One that should have sunk without trace (no irony intended) is Lindberg's truly appalling HMS Hood "Battleship"!  I bought an old one several years ago on eBay but once I'd inspected the contents couldn't get it back on auction quick enough (at least I made a tidy profit and I can imagine the buyer's chagrin on seeing it re-released at a relatively low price).  I'm sure it rates high on the nostalgia scale though.

I will take 'on board' the comments re Revell's Cutty Sark/Constitution, they seem to fit the bill. 

 Michael

I would have to say that Revell back in the 60's and 70's started the influance in ship bluilding with two kits that helped others to know what to make.One being the enterprize and the other was the Albaney missle criuser.These two kits started kids to bluild ships outside the sail ships of that period.They were cheap and easy to get a hold of for me and my friends.It also helped us to devolep skills in painting and bluiding.Digger