1/350 SHIP SUGGESTIONS NEEDED!!!!!!

Hi Maxey, In the past, I have built some battleships and submarines from Tamiya and Hasegawa. The kits are good quality. I'm just getting back into building models again so I don't know about Dragon or Trumpeter quality. Carriers are easy to build in 1/350 but they are expensive. As far as aftermarket parts  related to each company, I'm not sure about that. I would suggest building a kit of the battleship North Carolina by Tamiya if you can find one. Hope this helps!

I built Tamiya's 1/350 USS Missouri and USS Enterprise (CVN-65) when I was growing up and they came out about as well as my skills at the time permitted. I don't recall any difficulties with building, but they're also both somewhat dated now.

Having not built a ship since, I can't really tell you the good from the bad, but I can advise that you check out the reviews and seek thoughts from people who've actually built them. Case in point - I ignored words of warning about Trumpeter's USS North Carolina and ended up reboxing it and selling it. 

My current ship stash is a bit all over the map...I've got Dragon's 1/350 USS Laffey, which looks amazing and oh so tiny (and without much aftermarket support). I've got Academy's HMS Warspite in her 1943 fitting, Zvezda's HMS Dreadnought with the full wood deck/PE/brass guns aftermarket, and Revell of Germany's 1/144 Fletcher-class destroyer. For most ships, someone makes aftermarket...a lot of the more prominent releases get the nice Pontos wood decks, etc, but there's usually something by somebody (White Ensign, Gold Medal Models, etc) making some extensive $100 PE set.

If I were you, I'd put together a list of subjects first, then see what's out there kit-wise, and make the call.

Maxey- try posting over in "ships". This particular neck of the woods is devoted to what's basically the suggestion box for the Forum.

My only suggestion to you is to start with something that's neither too ambitious or expensive.

oh ok.  sorry about that

And Thank You to everyone who has responded, it has been very helpful!

Maxey,

Don't rule out the Revell 1/350 Bismarck and Tirpitz. They are far better than the Tamiya.  Dragon kits are also excellent but are far more difficult than others.  Trumpeter's kits are inconsistent in that some are more accurate than others; checking the reviews on each would be highly recommended. Most Tamiya 1/350 battleships are showing their ages but the new Yamato is exceptional but expensive.  The Hasegawa line is very nice but expensive, but look out for the CAD lines on Nagato and Mutsu.  The Aoshima 1/350 kits are excellent and a little more reasonably priced. ICM produces some nice Koenig class German WWI dreadnoughts, and Zvesda does an excellent HMS Dreadnought.

I hope this brief review helps!

Bill

Maxey .

     I would recommend to you this ship . I have built the TRUMPETER - U.S.S. NORTH CAROLINA. There are those who will say she has innaccuracies.I checked with the museum and they assured me the model is correct for the way she appears now.

  The model goes together well , there are a lot of 1/350 aftermarket parts available if you want and although NOT an IOWA class (U.S.S. MISSOURI , NEW JERSEY , WISCONSIN and of course the IOWA ) she builds easily , is good looking and at 1/350 she will impress.  good luck - - -tankerbuilder

TB - Sorry, but the museum doesn't really know what they're talking about in this case.

The North Carolina kit is a good "representational build" in that it looks like the ship, but it is *not* accurate. How much this matters is up to each builder.

TRACY .

 I do agree one hundred percent with you . That,s why I said there are innaccuracies there . Being a docent at the HORNET and now the NEW BRAUNFELS - RAILROAD MUSEUM I can certainly agree with that observation . I still think the NORTH CAROLINA builds into a mighty fine looking shipmodel.

     I may be partial ,it was a gift AND my FIRST -TRUMPETER kit ever . Thank you for dropping in . - - - tankerbuilder

I am curious about the issue with the accuracy of the 1/350 Trumpeter USS North Carolina. Given that all plastic models contain errors, are those with this kit really glaring (like the CAD lines on Hasegawa's Nagato/Mutsu kits), or are they minor, like having thye wrong number of rivets on the turret tops?

Bill

Well, here's a review of the Trumpeter 1/350 North Carolina by a critic whose views I tend to respect:  http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/ships/bb/bb-55/350-trump/north-carolina.html .  I do remember reading, somewhere or other, another review that really shredded it, but I can't remember where. 

The price puts this kit out of my ballpark, but  I do have the Trumpeter 1/700 version.  It's pretty high on my bucket list of kits in my stash that I actually want to build.  (The North Carolina is a popular model subject in this neck of the woods - and relatively easy to research.)  Personally I'm very impressed with the 1/700 kit.  With the help of some photo-etched parts from White Ensign it has the potential to produce a superb model.  (Which is not to say that the one I build will be in that category.)  It even has countersunk deck planking seams.

In all honesty, as a former maritime museum curator, I wouldn't put a lot of stock in the typical museum employee's evaluation of a ship model kit.  I suspect Tankerbuilder talked to somebody who works in the gift shop.  I'm well acquainted with the ship's curator and education officer; they're both walking encyclopedias about the ship herself, but neither of them would claim for an instant to be really knowledgeable about plastic warship kits.  For better or worse, it's rare to find a ship model enthusiast on the staff of a maritime museum.

At the risk of taking this thread off-track a little, North Carolina (and Washington) enthusiasts (I know there are quite a few) ought to know that the Trumpeter 1/700 kits representing those ships are quite different.  The Washington kit actually is a quite accurate representation of both ships as they were built.  It has the 1.1" anti-aircraft gun munts, the early radar fit, and the "gouge" in the port side of the forecastle.  (The biggest modification to turn it into an early-war NC would be to add a couple of small platforms to the after Mk. 38 director tower.)  The North Carolina kit represents her late in the war, with 40mm gun tubs (including the two on the fantail), the "gouge" plated over, the extra platform on the forward superstructure, and dazzle camouflage.  (I haven't done a lot of digging about the Washington, but I suspect the NC kit - with that platform omitted - would be a good starting point for a late-war version of her as well.)  Fortunately both kits contain plenty of 20mm Oerlikons and .50 cal. machine guns - though those parts aren't quite as well detailed as the best available in the scale.   (And the armament sprue in both kits includes both 1.1" and 40 mm anti-aircraft guns.)

John,

Thanks for the review.  The kit seems to be more accurate than some believe. In fact, the review did not indicate any major problems.

I have seen this model offered on eBay for as low as $40.00. Check there if you want one larger than 1/700.

Bill

Most reviews will not speak to accuracy for a couple of reasons

1. takes more to write
2. one needs to be a subject matter expert
3. there is often much teeth gnashing by people accusing the reviewer of being to harsh, jeopardizing future releases, etc.

I've got the 1/350th kit. I'm not a North Carolina expert, but I extensively studied the kit a number of years ago for a conversion to Washington. The biggest issue in my mind was the fact that the lowest level of the superstructure was WAY too tall. It looked to me like they had sized it based on the true height, but then forgot to subtract for the thickness of the deck piece that went above it. Consequently, the portholes and watertight doors are not aligned with each other and it just looks odd to my eye because of it. The "stairwells" from the main deck up through this structure also bottomed out to an open air archway, which they depict as a watertight door. There's a missing structure on the superstructure level below the bridge, starboard side. There were more, these are just the ones I remembered off the top of my head. Minor details to some, but annoying to fix for others.

The lower hull DOES NOT FIT WELL. The red plastic they used distorted on forming, essentially "clenching" and becoming narrower than the upper hull. It's a good, strong plastic, too. so it's a lot of work to make sure it doesn't cause fit problems or pull the joint apart over time (wooden dowels serving as reinforcements is common)

I think the review the Professor is mentioning is Ron's Smith's over at Rajen's list. The site appears to be having problems at the moment, so I'm not sure when/if that link will start working.

Tracy,

Thanks.  I will look for those issues.

Bill

I can't dispute any of those comments about the 1/350 kit; I don't have it.  I think it's generally agreed that the 1/700 version is considerably more accurate.

I just remembered, though, one rather noticeable glitch in the 1/700 kits - both Washington and North Carolina.  There's something wrong with the locations of the 5" gun mounts.  A comparison with the excellent plans by Thomas Walkowiak (available from The Floating Drydock) makes the kits look mighty good - with that one exception.  It's hard to tell just what went wrong, but if  you build the kit out of the box, four of the six 5" gunhouses on the upper level will overhang superstructure underneath them.  It shouldn't be too difficult to fix this problem, but if it isn't dealt with the finished model will look a little odd.

In my earlier post I also misspoke about a couple of detail differences between the two 1/700 kits.  Sorry about that.  I've corrected the post.

Hi , TRACY :

 My NORTH CAROLINA is in the 90% range of being finished . I did NOT run into the problem you mentioned with the bottom , though . You are correct about the area where the one deck is definitely thicker than it should be .

 My trusty sanding  block took care of that ! I still think it doesn,t look to bad . I have NEVER built a model of an IOWA in wartime trim. it looks like the TAMIYA or HASEGAWA offerings are out ,because of budget .I DO NOT like REVELL'S offering though!

 The funny thing is , in ALL these years  , I've looked at that REVELL ship kit  with, I guess a jaundiced eye . Something about the hull lines doesn't look right . I believe the shape from the main body through the bow is to abrubt a change and not the nice flowing curve the WISCONSIN exhibits .

   Believe it or not ,The MISSOURI  is the one I have NEVER built ! So the MISSOURI is NOT in either my stash or on my shelf . The WASHINGTON (REVELL ) and the ALABAMA (REVELL-MODIFIED ) are though ! Gentle chuckle - when I was small I got the REVELL - " VICTORY at SEA " sets. The MISSOURI was never there ! It was taken up with an extra cruiser or something .Were my uncles or someone CLOSET modelers ,? I now wonder . Thanks TRACY         Tanker-builder

The big issue with 1/350 ship kits is the sheer number of parts and repetitive assemblies...guns and such.  Especially if you are normally used to Air Craft or Armor Kits. Its not uncommon for ship kits to have upwards of near 1000 parts...not all but some.  A ship just by its nature take a lot of time to build......its not difficult just time consuming.  Many folk who migrate over to ships give up from frustration or burn-out due to the build time required.

My first ship was a Heller 1/400 Hood...cheap but awful as far as accuracy and details.  Being a fairly accomplished AC and Armor builder with competent scratch skills I assumed to make quick work of bringing up to realistic standards of detail with the HOOD..

Haaahaa!! I almost quit the hobby entirely because of it!!  Bit off more than my canary a** could chew.

Here is what I learned....dont go overboard....dont try to rework the entire model.  Start simple and keep it that way,..concentrate on good clean building techniques and try to learn a new tech or two with each build.

As you learn and improve,..add the After market goodies a few at a time....dont go overboard and buy the wood decks...."ULTIMATE" PE sets....scale figures...and brass barrels  all at once. let each kit gradually improve with clean techniques and additional details.  After you have a few well built kits under the belt you may feel its time to go all out....go for it.  But remember...dont rush it...dont over complicate it by adding too much,.....and do remember its supposed to be a relaxing and enjoyably hobby,...not a source of frustration.  And....it doesnt have to include the Admirals engraved coffee cup..LOL!  Have fun Buddy!!

PS......limit the caffeine while bending and applying PE  :)