1/700th kit advice/info please.

If you can get them, start off with a destroyer kit. There are plenty of Japanese destroyers available with a smattering of Us and British types. This will get you used to working in this scale. Then you can start working up through the line from cruisers up to capital ships and carriers. Start with a modern destroyer if you want something a little easier to paint as there is not as many deck obstacles to mask compared to a WW2 vintage vessel. Then again, it is up to you which kit you wish to start with. Good luck and have some fun.   

to tsk

             I know this was a fun topic at the time but i am building the heller soleil royal kit and would like to know if anybody has any photo,s of their finished model so i can see the colors on the side of the hull, no criticisms just some pictures please.

Concerning the Soleil Royal, please see the thread titled "Soleil Royal . . . the ultimate building guide."  It identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the kit and, towards the end, summarizes the various "fixes".  It also summarizes three different paint schemes found in the different literature about this ship.

Concerning 1/700 scale ships, beginning with a destroyer kit seems good advice.  You can get really good results while developing the skills to build larger, more complex ships.

Good luck!

Bill Morrison

TSK wrote:

I would like to get into warship kits and did post regards to 1/350th kits and choices.This will really sound stupid but it was not untill i actually looked into a kitbox i realised just how big these kits are. I think 1/700th will be better for size,my work area "kitchen table :)"  main reason and possible display,if good enough. Is the 1/700th scale ok for a newbee or too small?Are they any kits i should get first,good for beginner? I have just seen 2 kits by Dragon, USS Pennsylvania and HMS Shefield but i have no idea if they will suit my skill level straight away.Any recommedations will be great.

I would not recommend the Dragon Pennsylvania as a first kit in 1/700. There are some fit issues with this kit that just might make you crazy enough never to do a 700 kit again! However, the Dragon Sheffield as a starter kit is not a bad choice. Any of the modern warships aren't too bad for a beginner (except for an aircraft carrier which is not a good first kit). The Dragon Charles F. Adams kit is really good as would be the Chandler, Roosevelt, Burke or Radford. WS

I strongly urge you to go with the "Zuiho" Japanese carrier in 700th scale...

I am truly puzzled why you would recommend a kit like Zuiho for a beginning modeler who states in his request that he is looking for ease of assembly and emphasizes his starter skills. If nothing else the camouflage scheme on this ship is challenging for even an experienced 700 scale modeler. While this may be a favorite of yours the esoteric nature of the ship itself would also seem to make this a poor choice for a beginner. I like to see beginning modelers in this scale have success with their initial experiences so that they will progress into kits like Zuiho later. WS

I am working on the Dragon kit of the Charles F. Adams.  It would be an excellent starter kit for a beginner!  It is very well detailed, goes together very easily, and it provides basic photoetch that is relatively easy to work.  The finished ship looks terrific! Much the same can be said of any of the Dragon Premium Edition Destroyer kits.  The kit essentially enables the builder to develop the skills necessary to work with much more complex kits later.

Bill Morrison

I would also agree that a destroyer would be a very good 1/700th start.

The modern destroyers usually make for a simpler build, as another post pointed out.

Don't think "simple" is a bad thing for a ship model. Modelers want other modelers to enjoy the hobby. No 1/700th ship kit comes without challenges, but as a first model and one you want to be a successful project, simple is good. Success leads to fun and that leads to more models.

Give it a shot. Enjoy it.

Mike

Zuiho...!!! Stange Manny. I think I may seen this in another thread. Could it be your favourite vessel of all time?

surfsup wrote:

Zuiho...!!! Stange Manny. I think I may seen this in another thread. Could it be your favourite vessel of all time?

 

I despise the ship...there's a story behind it from WW2...

Would you like to elaborate please? Or if the story is strange or similar, why not start a new thread about her? 

For a starter kit in 1/700, the Dragon Sheffield-class Royal Navy DDGs work well. Easy build, simple colour scheme. historical interest (served on both sides, after all) look good when finished, easy to find, and not too expensive.

Cheers,

Chris.