1/150 USS Susquehanna is back!

If you want a big Revell Constitution kit, my advice is don't buy new.  Those things  have been available since the 1960s-  there are lots of old, unbuilt kits out there!  ( Fathers Day gifts, etc. that never got started.)  Just be patient and keep your eyes open.  

I got mine a couple of years ago, at a local show.  A guy had a few sailing ship kits that I was looking at, so he asked if I was interested on any of them. I told him no, I was really looking for a big Revell Constitution.  He said he had one in his truck, but the box was so beat up he didn't think it was worth bringing inside to try to sell it.   I took it home for $20.  The vac form sails were damaged, but I toss those crappy things out anyways.

I'm thinking about turning it into an RC model, with a simplified rig.

About five years ago I stumbled across a pair of Revell Constition models for $60 each, wish I had bought both, but one for only $60 was a deal, I agree, prices are very high for the sailing ships these days

I have a rule that I only buy a model when another one gets finished. Do I follow it? Sort of, yes.

I agree with the math in particular ships.

Keeps me off the streets too.

She has her hobbies and I don't ever say anything about $ 200 worth of oil paints, expensive brushes, uber trips to paint outs. Her deal and she's happy.

Bill

MR TOM SCHRY

Tanker-Builder, you're right about the prices being too high.  Knowing that, I'll probably order myself one or wait until the 2024 Nationals and see if I can get one in the vendors' room. I hope that more of these classic sailing/steam ship kits are reissued but at a more reasonable prices.

tjs

 

Yes models cost more these days. Unfortunetly they are never going to go down in price. The costs to make them have gone way up and there just isn't the volume of sales for some of the smaller companies to be able to save money in bulk.

My wife gives me a hard time about it on a regular basis as I drop another $80 on a kit to "sit on a shelf".  What I tell her is simple. 

I spend $60 for a round of golf that lasts three hours.

A movie costs an easy $25 now and lasts around two hours.

A trip to the Casino can be a $200 an hour adventure.

Going on a cruise is around $3,000 for five days.

A model such as this costs $180 and will take at least a hundred hours to complete.

What is the best VALUE for each hour of enjoyment?

The only time I even look at a price tag anymore is to see if I think that dollar per hour of joy may be out of whack. Would I pay $180 for a curbside car model or a submarine kit with 12 pieces? Not a hope since the value just isn't there. Actually even that is a lie since there are car kits I would gladly fork over $180+ for if I could get my hands on one!

Tanker-Builder, you're right about the prices being too high.  Knowing that, I'll probably order myself one or wait until the 2024 Nationals and see if I can get one in the vendors' room. I hope that more of these classic sailing/steam ship kits are reissued but at a more reasonable prices.

tjs

Hi Tom!

       I had hoped when I heard this, the price would be reasonable. Seems that it caught me by surprise. But, then everything tied to Petroleum has gone sky high. Even though the masts and spars can be fiddly they were fine models and so if the Quality is still there they might be worth it! I don't know though. The prices I've seen seem a wee bit steep!

Hey Bill!

           You are so correct! It did start as an Imaii Kit! Thing is When I bought my group I was in Japan at the time! I saw them in a store window and had to have them. There were originally five. I don't know about now, But at the time they were equal to Heller in Quality but not as fiddly.

          What I liked at the time was the cleanliness of the Moldings and the ease of assembly. Although sailing ships they went together fairly well. There were some grunts and growls when rigging because of the flex of Yards and Masts. I fixed that and as they say, I think in England"Bob's yer uncle"

There's one partially started on eBay for $39.99...

plus $ 73.60 shipping.

Bill

Thanks GMorrison!  I've never built an Imai kit but I'll take your opinion as a good recommendation.  The thing that I don't understand is how can they take a kit that's been around for 50+ years, probably not do anything to change or improve it, and Mega Hobby is asking $180.00 for it!  Granted, I'll probably end up purchasing it, because I like the subject and have never seen one on the vendors' tables,but come on manufacturers,  give us a break.

tjs

Scalemates shows it started life as an Imai kit, and that's always a good thing.

Bill

There was One:

      No one has mentioned it though. When Imaii and others did these ships there was quite a selection. Using the Loom from Heller was the best thing I ever did. I built the whole series for a friend and the one I most enjoyed(How accurate she was I don't know) as the Spanish Galleon.

       I was surprised when It got to the deck and the instructions told you how to use Floor stain to tint the deck. That along with the ability it seems to work with, the hull was also done this way. All the fancy paintwork was done with Craft paints, for a different and unique look.

        Yes, because of the tenderness, the Masts and Spars were changed to Wood. No regrets there either. I got brass cannons fron A ship Model Building sight. Brass with some kind of engraving on them as well! Yes, over engraving of the wood grain on all parts, but, wet sanding helped cure most of that!

MR TOM SCHRY

Tcoat, even though it has it's dated flaws I'm sold and plan to get one.  Sailing ship kits don't get reissued every day.

tjs

 

Oh don't take my list as meaning it was or is a bad kit in any way. None of what I said is horrible and I will consider grabbing one. All I was saying is that it is an old style kit (he asked) and I can do a better job of it with what I know now. 

At one point I had several of the Monogram tall ships built. Including the Constitution, Cuddy Sark, Alabama  as well this one.  I have the remains of the other three on a shelf in the basement and just may restore them some day. I also have the most recent release of the Constitution that I received as a Christmas present that I need to build someday.

Tcoat, even though it has it's dated flaws I'm sold and plan to get one.  Sailing ship kits don't get reissued every day.

tjs

I built this kit from the Monogram boxing back in the md 90s. It was before I started to seriously start modeling so was not one of my best efforts (all hand painted, assembled with tube glue, no extras done on it, etc). Would love to do one today with the equipment and skills I have since then Unfortunately it was the casualty of a move when a chair fell on it in the back of the truck so no pictures. Didn't know I would be doing models all the time back then so it went straight to the trash instead of the boneyard. 

I doubt that it has been retooled so what was out then is probably what you can expect now.

Here are a few things I can remember and some things I would do different now:

It is a child of the 70s. Yes it was a good child but still 70's molding tech. The planks and "seams" in the hull are massively overscale. This was pretty normal back then no matter how good the kit. Today I would lay down a heavy primer coat to fill in and subdue some of the effect.

The guns and some finer details were a bit basic (70s remember) I am sure that with some judicious painting they would look fine but I wouldn't be surprised to find the aftermarket has something nicer these days.

The masts and spars were very flexible. That could be far better with today's plastic. Or of course it could be worse! If the same I would replace with brass rod if building now. 

The ratlines are cast strene and way overscale. I would make a loom to make my own. 

I haven't looked but back then refernce material was almost impossible to come up with. Didn't really matter to me since it was OOB and just painted as per the box lid. No doubt today there is a lot more reference material for anybody that want's to go all AMS on it. The guns did not seem right to me at the time since they looked like they were probably  a 50 to 100 years older type than that ship would have had. I don't know though since I didn't have internet then.

No idea what they will include for rigging thread now but doesn't matter since I would pitch it and go with EZ Line. It is stretchy but does not put tension on the masts and spars. Also comes in heavy and fine black and tan for all the different stays and ropes.

It is HUGE! With the bowsprit it is probably pushing 30" long and 24' tall. 

AHHH now I want one and have too many kits already!

Thanks Bill. You're correct, that is going to be a big model.  I found out about it through an email I got this week from Mega Hobby which listed it.  This is definitely going on my"Wish List "

tjs

Wiki lists the actual ship at 257 feet long.

of course since she had a bowsprit it would take a little more digging to find out the waterline length but at 1/150 that's over 20 inches. 

Big ship.

Scalemates doesn't indicate it's back in production so might be wait-and-see.

Bill

I saw that too but I was wondering how large it was going to be.  Aoshima makes several sailing ship kits that are pretty small.  I built Academy's New Bedford Whaler a few years ago and it was in 1:200 scale and it was pretty small.

tjs

rcboater

I just got the weekly " what's new" email from one of the online shops.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the Aoshima 1/150 USS Susquehanna is back in production!   I think the last time I saw one of those was in the late 1980s....  (but looking at Scalemates, I see it was re-issued in the 2005-2009 timeframe.)

Does anyone know any about this kit?   Based on the few photos I found, it looks like the ratlines are one piece plastic - rather chunky and heavy.  But I wonder about the rest of the kit's parts......?

 

 

 

Saw that.  Trying to scape together enough bucks to order it.