Help the 1/350 Revell Bismark

Yes and you can get it at a good price vs. the other brands.  It has a few issues like the forecastle decking is incorrect, but that along with a few minor things are still light years ahead of Tamiya old kit.  Eduard has a fine PE set that has the deck details to make it even better.  Or you can get even crazier like me and go for Pontos wood deck and three brands of PE and still be under what you would pay for Fugimi or Hasegawa IJN battleships.

Is it worth buying?   Absolutely!

Is it a good kit for your first ship model?  Absolutely not!

Probably the two best ship model kits to start with would be the Tamiya Fletcher  (DD) or the Trumpeter England (DE).  You will practice all of the techniques you will need on smaller, easier to work with venues that also cost less.

I agree that the RoG 1/350 Bismarck is absolutely worth buying!  BUT, it is not a kit to cut your teeth on; in fact, the Tamiya 1/350 Yamato is a much easier build out of the box.  If you must start with a battleship, perhaps the Banner / Hobby Boss USS Arizona would be a good place to start.  It is reasonably inexpensive, relatively easy, and there is a wooden deck about to be released.  That, and the Eduard photoetch set makes for a nice, easy start.

Bill

Okay thanks for the replies guys,

I would like to point out to the fact that I'm only quite interested in Jap WWII stuff, mostly battleships and Subs
So what would you recommend as a good first Kit?

considering that it has to be Jap WW2 stuff, would like it to be cheaper then the Tamiya Yamato and preferably a BB or Sub?

Regards Ninetalis.

Who's coming out with the wood deck for the Arizona?? I'm in the middle of building the banner kit now and that will sure come in handy than trying to work out those deck seams..

Scott

Scott,

Scaledecks is releasing a wooden deck for the 1/350 Banner USS Arizona "early this year."  Contact johnd@scaledecks.com for availability information.

As for IJN 1/350 subjects, all the BB's, cruisers, and carriers are far more expensive than the original Tamiya Yamatoo and Musashi.  Hasegawa and Tamiya released a 1/350 DD that is equivalent to the Yamato price.

Bill

If you must have a battleship, Academy's 1/350 Graf Spee is also a good beginner 1/350 big ship kit. The basic kit (not the special addition with brass, etc.) can be had for fairly inexpensive, and it is a simple build. I am almost finished with mine. Not 100% spot on accurate, but it looks like the Spee. I picked up mine for about $40.

Unless you are extremely proficient at PE and dealing with lots and lots of small, fiddly parts, I would not start with a BB or similar kit for my first ship.  You could well be setting yourself up for disappointment and a lot of frustration.  I agree with the suggestion above that you start with Tamiya's 1/350 Fletcher.  Great little kit OOB and with some PE is a real show stopper.  A good build to get your feet wet on ships (pun intended) before you tackle a monster.  Trust me, I made the mistake you are thinking about making and learned the hard way.  My second build was one of Dragon's over engineered DDs and it almost caused me to give up on ships.  Fortunately better judgment prevailed and I decided to learn to walk really well before I tried to dance.

Bob

I think one advantage to building the Revell kit is not having to buy PE if you don't want to go that way.  Sure the kit rails are out of scale but if you want a BB without the extra expense you can do that with this kit.  So I am not one to shy away from this one if your a novice and just want try it.  If you want a BB then this would be a good one no matter what level your at.

sumter III

I think one advantage to building the Revell kit is not having to buy PE if you don't want to go that way.  Sure the kit rails are out of scale but if you want a BB without the extra expense you can do that with this kit.  So I am not one to shy away from this one if your a novice and just want try it.  If you want a BB then this would be a good one no matter what level your at. 

Same thing for the Academy Graf. A good kit for the novice 1/350 ship builder like me.

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Again, thanks guys for all the replies!

Stikpusher, I think that Avademy Graf Spee would be great to start with, but I would prefer the Bismark, and if sumter is right about the ship rails (that they are included but a little out of proportion, then I think I will buy the Bismark.

Regards Ninetalis.