FSM Most Wanted Poll - Ships

Hey :

Sharkbait .You hit a nerve there .I served on the LURLINE in the late sixties as an engineer .Whatta neat old ship ! She was a class old lady .Not a bad ride and reasonably well maintained .She was OLD though . Now , the MONTEREY wouldn't be bad either ! .      Tanker-builder

Either a 1/72 scale PT 45-68 77' Elco PT boat, with extra parts to build a (PTs 59, 60, and 61) "Gunboat" version if so desired -- a companion to the venerable Revell "PT 109" 1/72nd 80' Elco kit -- or a 1/35th version of the same.

A Uss Texas in injection molding would be very nice because i don't have any of the money needed to get the Iron Ship Writes kit, maybe a bunch of people could hit up trumpeter or tamiya on it

1/350 USS Texas BB-35

Oh yeah while I am still dreaming in technicolor a 350 of Matson's SS lurline would be nice too.

i37.photobucket.com/.../image_zpsbbcfc67d.jpg

i37.photobucket.com/.../th_image_zpsef9aabeb.jpg

I would love to see a 1/350 WW2 era Canadian built Fort or Park class freighter to go along in convoy with the Liberty and a good T-2 tanker. Sorry about the photo quality.

lvanb

1/350 USS Montana class BB

I'd like to see an injection-molded Montana in any scale!  Though for me, preferably in 1/700.

I want more 72 scale submarine models. Start with the Holland 1 and work your way forward in time. But I most especially want a 72 scale Type XXI U-boat. That boat became the basis for all the submarines that followed. The Nautilus that went under the North Pole was basically a XXI in almost every detail, just Americanized with a nuclear reactor squeezed in.

- Leelan

Zvesda's WWI Russian/Soviet battleship is the Sevastopol. She had a long and interesting career, remaining in active service until being scrapped between 1956-1957. I enjoyed the kit, and she looks great next to my Koenig and Dreadnought.

Bill

That was my first major ship project and it took a while. I was pushing my envelope on a very tricky kit. You might notice that my rendition is early 1917: that meant no torpedo nets which included about four thousand microscopic PE parts, and was before the Germans painted white rings on the turrets (for aircraft recognition) which would have been a royal pain because of the irregular surface up there. Dreadnought's war record wasn't distinguished (did sink a sub - only BB in history to do so) but if the Zvezda Dred would have been available I would have chosen it with no hesitation considering the praise I've heard forit. I have the Zvezda Varyag and it looks very good indeed. At least when they want to, Zvezda can make some fine models. I've run into some of their older efforts that were .... awful. I've heard Borodino etc are in that category. Their Rooskie WWI BB is supposed to be very good too, but very obscure. Couldn't someone do a RN or German battlecrusier?

And wouldn't DML or Tamiya sell a 1/350 model of CV-6? I'd pre-order one at $200 without a thought.

Eric

This guy tried to convert the Trumpeter Hornet in 1/350th, but apparently the shape of the hull was so off, that he had to scratchbuild everything below the flight deck.

paulbudzik.com/.../Enterprise_Scratch.html

Eric,

I emphatically agree with you about a 1/350 release of the WWI HMS Queen Elizabeth. WWI and the pre-Dreadnought eras are largely ignored, but the situation is starting to improve. Also, that is a great job on the Koenig!

Bill

Good grief: wonder how long that CVE took. Doubt I'd have the patience.

Still looking for that WWII BB and I really think my next "project" ship will be the Prince Wales/Pontos - KGV conversion. Sinking Bismarck was a remarkable moment for Britain at a very dark time (heaven knows why the Germans risked a morale boost for a reeling enemy for nickle/dime rewards) and I'd want KGV to be in her fighting garb.

I'm a military historian, not maritime. Dreadnought was undoubtedly a historic ship in terms of design and politics, but because of bad luck it's war record was really pretty lame. I'm really hoping Trumpie will put out a 1/350 build of its 1/700 WWI Queen - they've got the WWII build in that scale. As for the ICM Konig - doubt I'll ever do two of them. One was enough for an ulcer.

Eric

Wow, that is one impressive build.  Thanks for posting it Sub.

For what it's worth, I put in for a 1/350 Tennessee class BB with caged masts.  As well as a smattering of sailing ships of course.

Steve

That is some scratch!

Eric,

Have you looked at the Zvesda WWI Russian/Soviet ships in 1/350, or either the Trumpy or Zvesda HMS Dreadnought kits? Don't forget the ICM German WWI Koenigs class ships. All of these build into excellent models and they have fine detail sets available.

Bill

Eric,

Those Pontos conversion sets are tremendous! I'm considering the same one! I have used the Pontos USS New Jersey and Missouri upgrade sets for the final appearances of those ships and was very satisfied. Good luck if you make the investment!

Bill

subfixer

ps1scw

IX-64

Well, somebody has one.

That was a scratchbuild--and a most impressive one, at that.  See the April 2005 issue of FSM, I think it is, or this thread:

http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=13617

I think it would be an interesting subject for a kit, too.

I know of the upgrade but only second hand. Some wiser heads discussed it (no doubt not for the first time) on Model Warship and the conclusion was that it was a harder conversion to make than between North Carolina and Washington (the ship that should have been modeled) - and there's a lot required to do that. Those big ships were not mass produced the way a DE was. But the fact that Trumpie did a Hornet, why not an Enterprise - every Star Trek show was an advertisement - makes you wonder either who does the marketing or who buys big carriers. Miserable history regardless.  

The upgrade I'm considering is the big set sold by Pontos that will turn Prince of Wales into the 1941 KGV. I'm looking for one WWII BB and unless someone builds Washington that would be a good one. (Warspite would work too, but I know the day I buy a WWII Warspite, Trumpie will put out a WWI Queen - as they already have in 1/700 - a kit I could not pass by.)  

You're right about the Chinese companies not building IJN ships: wonder why? It is a little odd that you can get three 1890s Chinese warships in 1/350 and not one from the RN or USN. (Unless you count Mikasa - one ships that was well worth a model. I don't count the ancient Olympia/Oregon: I've built the later and it's a modern model only if you're crazy enough to do major surgery on every other part.) But I've just done two 1/700 DDs and was amazed how many IJN ships are available from Fujimi, Pit Road, Hasegawa and Tamiya: I'd guess a representative of every major class of WWII ships and one in the flesh for nearly every capital ship. Obviously the IJN has its fans - but I doubt they're in Korea or China.

But I guess there will always be a market for Bismarck. Sigh.

Eric

I bought one of the modern USS Missouri kits, as well as a detail set for it. It fits with the earlier kit of the New Jersey. By the way, the Tamiya New Jersey is not a new kit; it is the old kit in a shiny new box.

And,  don't forget that Trumpeter and Dragon are not manufacturing Japanese ships. They are largely manufacturing U.S. ships with a smattering of British, French, and German. I would love to have a USS Enterprise (CV-6), but there are conversion sets to build that ship using the Trumpeter USS Hornet. Granted, that is not a perfect solution, but it is an available one.

Bill

You might be right but heaven knows models have a long shelf life. I've been doing this for about three years and it strikes me that even in that time we've been seeing ever more post-WWII subjects. And, when you get down to it, you could argue that the modern BBs  were politically if not militarily more important than the wartime Iowas that served as the world's most expensive flak platform. I'd bet that a good number of sales come from men (and now women) who serve on vessels or their relatives, especially when you're looking at these very high ticket items. Thousand of sailors served on the modern Iowas and they all have families and they're just getting into modeling age as it exists in the US.

There is also a big market in Asia - it's startling how many WWII and JMSDF kits are out there - often for big bucks. And true Yamato was a naval blunder the day it was launched, but  the image, the name, it's fate and the books (and comics) done about it give it a place in Japan that no ship has in the US. Let's not forget that nobody has modeled a 1/350 Enterprise - a ship that was easily the single most successful warship in naval history. There would be if it had been Japanese.

Eric

While Tamiya was busy coming out with another Yamato in 1/350 scale I cannot understand why they came out with a modern version of the Missouri and not a more detailed WWII version of the Big Mo. And they did not come out with one, they also came out with the modern new Jersey! It would have been a great partner side by side with The Yamato as in their catalogue. In my LHS the modern Missouri is gathering dust in their shelf. The shipbuilders are not interested.

The great lakes have cold water and don't harbor many of the parasites found at sea. My brother tells me it's a dangerous place to dive with murky waters, but finds there are in remarkably good condition. At least two planes have been salvaged from Wolverine and are in very good shape considering. Several others remain on the bottom. Even ship wrecks from the War of 1812 have been found in very good shape. Dangerous waters up there and when there used to be a zillion "sort of" ships, ships foundered often so the place still attracts wreck fans among divers. Not for me thankee.

Eric

littletimmy

That looks like one of two training carriers that were on the great lakes. I remember one was the USS Sable. cant remember the other one. They were both converted from side wheelers

littletimmy

That looks like one of two training carriers that were on the great lakes. I remember one was the USS Sable. cant remember the other one. They were both converted from side wheelers

USS Wolverine

That looks like one of two training carriers that were on the great lakes. I remember one was the USS Sable. cant remember the other one. They were both converted from side wheelers

ps1scw

IX-64

Well, somebody has one.

IX-64

the ships of peral harbor in 1/350 scale