Older produced kit detail VS newer produced kit detail?

Two different questions.

Newer kits, which are from newer molds and designed using newer engineering methods, are really superior in every way to older kits. Yes there are always exceptions, but the older kits had a lot of molded on detail that looks clunky now. Modern slide molding can make a part that previously was in two parts, each with a flat back, and therefore a seam when glued together that has to be dealt with.

AFA the Revell 1/96 Constitution, there's been ten re issues since the original, and one by Heller as well.

But there's never been a retool of the original parts. Differences include vac form sails, with or without flocking (all junk IMO), brass stanchions and base, inclusion of crew (highly desirable), painted copper bottom, hard molded ratlines versus thread dipped in rubbery stuff ( both undesirable), a little history booklet, and no doubt other details.

Yes it makes sense that as a mold gets older, quality can diminish. I don't think this is nearly as big a problem with Revell as some others. There's no significant thought that this mdel has suffered from that, or that there's any difference in the US versus German issuances.

I think for this model, cheaper is better. Once you have the kit in hand, the internet is full of horse trading for parts you want, don't want, or have questions about.

Buy the kit and get started. It's a great one. Make sure you have a big space to work for a while.

Bill

If tey are from the same mould, which i think is what your saying, then yes, go for the older one. The moulds certainly are not going to improve over time.

A couple of years ago i built the original 1998 Rexell boxing of their Ar 555. I have seen otehrs bulds useing the re-release from 2012 and they had panel lines partly filled in a lumps and bumps that should not have been there and mine had none of these isues. This must have come from damage to the mould.

Of course, if your compareing an old kit with a completly new tool, different thing completly.

Hi all!

I've built the Revell 1/96 Constitution twice before, and am working on my third. My first build, in the early 1980's, was from a kit likely manufactured in the late 70's. The moulding was crisp and clean for nearly all parts, particularly for the thin spars. The second build was from a kit manufactured in the 90's. And that moulding had serious issues with the thin spars, with heavy flash and mismolded pieces. My current build is from a kit from the mid 70's and the molding is much cleaner. Bottom line, from my experience, the older the mold the better for the 1/96 Revell Constitution. That being said, even kits from more recent mold pops can be turned into beautiful builds.

Jose

Greetings!

The older kit does have very sharp moldings, the crew figures, the waxy covered thread like shrouds and ratlines, a copper-painted bottom.  The older release also has a nice historical booklet not found in newer releases. The newer version has hard plastic shrouds and ratlines, no crew figures, and no previously painted bottom but is otherwise the same kit.  I would opt for the older kit.

Bill Morrison

Wow! What a great forum! I really appreciate so many responses from you guys. Learned a ton. Lots to consider now. How much room will the finished kit need? Crew or no crew?

Thanks guys!

Dimensions will vary based on the angle you set the yards to, and if you rig the studding sail booms out.

Case dimensions will run 39" (1m) long by between 12" (30cm) yards hauled around hard, to 16" (40cm) for squar, no booms; to 20-22" (50-55cm) with studding sail booms (and, that's a bit tight) by 33-36" (85cm-1m) tall.

Those are general inside dimensions for the case.

If you use glass, use fill-strength (1/4" [6mm]) glass preferably tempered.

If you use perspex[plexiglass) you can go down to 3mm/1/8" thick, but polycarbonate sheet is actually better in these sizes.  Any of those are likely to be twice to three times more expensive as glass.  But, glass will need a wooden frame or metal angle to support it (unless you'd like to try epoxy-gluing butt-jointed corners a la aquarium style.  Glass will weight a considerable amount more, too.

I have a personal preference to setting the case into a dado in the base.  This is a fiddly bit of woodwork as a general rule.  A way around that is to use a precisely-cut base made to the inside dimensions, then to apply a trim piece or moulding on the outside to form the other side of a dado.

And... following the Captains outline, that’s about 38 sq. ft.

1/8” weighs 2 lbs/sq. Ft.

3/16” weighs 3 lbs/sq. Ft.

1/4” weighs 4 lbs/sq. ft.

You’ll need a sturdy table.

I agree with everything that has been said; however, another consideration to take into account is the quality of the plastic used. I have older kits that have beautiful crisp molding but with the age comes brittleness. Parts can break and usually at the most inopportune moment. The newer kits can have short shots and flash but also the plastic is softer and therefore easier to bend when it comes to rigging stress. This can mean that you will need replacement parts or substituting wood for masts and spars.

My solution has been to pick up the older kits and a newer but not necessarily the newest repop so that I have spare parts if needed. Of course this means more money but if you have the means then I might suggest this as an option.

Steve

I remember building my first of a trio of big Constitution kits. I entered it into show-and-tell in grade school.

I don't think I painted anything.

My second was an after school project with a best friend in middle school.

We painted the deck and the stripe.

My third was a subject of some effort and I actually got it done, but not really rigged.

If a modeler gets this thing put together and in a case, it's a real achievement.

There are very few sailing ship models I know of that use the new molding technologies.  I recently bought the Revell Victory in 1:450 scale.  It looks like the kit has some parts with new technology, some with old!  Old parts on on bottom (it can be built waterline), and I will be discarding that.  Other kit is sail training ship, I think it is called Kruzenstern or something like that.  Sail is not a big seller.  Thus, for older kits, like any existing Constitution kit, it doesn't make a lot of difference.  Brand is a bigger determination of molding quality and model accuracy than date of molds.

Don,

Your comment about sail not being a big seller is somewhat questionable.  There are over 27,000 active members of the Modelshipworld website, most of whom are building plank-on-bulkhead wood sailing ships, as well as plastic sailing ships. There are other modelers on the Ships of Scale site doing the same.  If plastic model companies want to sell sailing ships, they need to provide a variety of interesting kits instead of repeatedly re-releasing the same ships.  For example, how many kits of the HMS Victory are on the market?  Airfix has released two different kits, Heller released one, Revell two, UPC one, Pyro/Lindberg one.  How many of these are we supposed to purchase to show that there is a market? Once a customer has bought one, does he/she really need another?  There are many, many other interesting ships that the manufacturers could offer in order to sell products; instead, they have allowed this venue to stagnate, claiming that there are few selling.

Well, that is my soap box!  I have been arguing these points with the manufacturers for over fifteen years to no avail!

Bill

warshipguy

Don,

Your comment about sail not being a big seller is somewhat questionable.  There are over 27,000 active members of the Modelshipworld website, most of whom are building plank-on-bulkhead wood sailing ships, as well as plastic sailing ships. There are other modelers on the Ships of Scale site doing the same.  If plastic model companies want to sell sailing ships, they need to provide a variety of interesting kits instead of repeatedly re-releasing the same ships.  For example, how many kits of the HMS Victory are on the market?  Airfix has released two different kits, Heller released one, Revell two, UPC one, Pyro/Lindberg one.  How many of these are we supposed to purchase to show that there is a market? Once a customer has bought one, does he/she really need another?  There are many, many other interesting ships that the manufacturers could offer in order to sell products; instead, they have allowed this venue to stagnate, claiming that there are few selling.

Well, that is my soap box!  I have been arguing these points with the manufacturers for over fifteen years to no avail!

Bill

 

Understand your points, but I belong in two clubs that are multi-genre.  When I go to shows, or monthly show and tells, number of ships of all kinds is much lower than other genres, and most of them are 20th century or newer warships.  Extremely rare to see a sailing ship.  Was at Hope it Don't Snow, in Rochester, MN Saturday.  Poor showing of ships this year, but one sailing ship exhibited was a Model Shipways wooden kit- unusual.

I think one of the problems may be the length of time it takes to build a sailing ship, even a plastic one.  An avid ship modeler may build several modern warships a year, meaning significant sales, compared to sail, which a guy may build one a year, or one every two years or so.  So the sales to avid shipmodelers doesn't compare to other genres, or modern ships.  I also belong to a model car club, and some of the guys have a new completion every month or two.  Guess what type of kit mfgs like to produce.

Don,

Believe me, I appreciate your point.  But, I believe in the adage, "Build it and they will come."  I also believe that the relatively low representation of sailing ships at competitions is a reflection of the scarcity of model kits available in today's market.  Modelers of sailing ships would purchase plastic kits if new ones were manufactured.  Instead, we continue to get the same old releases/re-releases.  The few new kits that are manufactured are of the same ships previously released.

I told the then Director of Customer Relations at Revell Germany last year that the last kit I wanted was yet another HMS Victory, especially at 1/350 scale.  As a sailing ship enthusiast, I want new kits of ships never released at a standard scale and consistent with modern techniques of molding.  I cannot purchase kits that do not exist, and I will not purchase ships I already have. I suspect that the 27,000 known sailing ship modelers at MSW feel the same.  We want serious models. They are not being produced.

Anyway, I suppose that we have to agree to disagree,a very infrequent occurence!

Bill