I know some Forum members don' t care for in-box reviews, and they certainly have their limitations. But I just bought a wood kit about which I'm really enthused.
It's the Model Shipways US brig of war Syren, and it's quite simply the best sailing ship kit I've ever seen. Big caveat: there are dozens - maybe hundreds - out there that I haven't seen. But this one's mighty special.
I started thinking about it when a member of our model club brought his unfinished one to our last meeting. It looked great, but the price, $300, put me off. Just last week Model Expo put it on sale for $239.95, and I got more interested. On Wednesday I started thinking really seriously, and looked it up again on the ME website. This time the price was $119.95! Chomp. Apparently that price, for some reason, was only in effect for a few hours. But I ordered it Wednesday, ME shipped on Thursday, and Fedex delivered it Saturday.
it's a plank-on-bulkhead kit, on 3/16" equals 1' scale (1/64), designed by a gentleman named Chuck Passaro. I have the impression that he's a relatively recent convert to serious scale sailing ship models, but he clearly knows exactly what he's doing. The plans (eight big sheets) are excellent, the construction scheme is sound, and I've found no errors of accuracy whatsoever. (Regular Forum participants know how rarely I say things like that.). And the instruction book consists of 130 pages, complete with color in-progress photos by the dozen. There's also a link to an online practicum run by Mr. Passaro himself.
The basic material is, of course, basswood. (Boxwood and/or holly would have been ideal, but would have driven the price through the roof.) There are several dozen nicely-cast Britannia metal fittings (guns, anchors, wheel, etc.) and a sheet of photo-etched brass parts (hammock netting stanchions, sweep and gunport lid hinges, gun carriage details, etc.) The belaying pins are turned brass.
The basic "egg crate" structure of the hull is laser-cut plywood. ME has gotten complaints lately about plywood quality, but this stuff seems really nice.). The "carved" decorations are cast Britannia. (The figurehead is a very buxom mermaid. I foresee an interesting discussion with my wife when the time comes to paint it.). The ship's boat is to be carved from a set of laser-cut basswood lifts.
The spars are birch dowels. There are about a dozen sizes of rigging line - the Model Shipways "cotton-poly mix" that I like. There are hundreds of boxwood blocks and walnut deadeyes. (Mr. Passaro's own cottage industry company, Syren Ship Models, sells nicer blocks, but the ones in the kit will be acceptable to most purchasers.)
The vessel herself didn't have much of a career (she fought in the war with Tripoli and was captured by a British ship of the line in the War of 1812), but she makes a beautiful model. I wouldn't recommend the kit to an absolute newcomer, but a modeler with a bit of experience should be able to produce a handsome result from it. Hats off to Mr. Passaro, and to Model Expo.
P.S. I just noticed that my too-smart phone changed "Passaro" to "Password." I've fixed it (I hope); my apologies to the gentleman in question.