Best 1/350 kits w/PE Included

Carl_M24

Might be a dumb question but when you purchase the extra add-ons do they come with any instructions to know when to use them during the build or do you just have to kinda make a note of each part and look for them as you go along?

Pretty much the latter.

And, some of the aftermarket destructions are better than others.  Pontos, for example, is notorious for having one team write the insturctions, and a different team create, and number, the parts. 

Far too few of the aftermarket sets come with Parts Maps, so you can spend ages looking over a dozen sheets of PE looking for a 1805, except it's a 179B.

None of the sets will tell you things like "On Page [nn] of the [mfgr] instructions at Step [x] do [this]."  That's on you.  Sometimes you can use a Sharpie or similar to mark up your instruction set as a reminder. 

My personal preference is to scan up the kit and the AM instructions as PDF, then run them through my BlueBeam PDF editor in cut-n-paste fashion.  I can't recommend that as a blanket bit of advise--I own a [very spendy] BB license for work reasons, also, I use the BB Editor every day, so I have more than average experience with it (and it's not intuitive software).

I have some bros who make multiple copies of the instructions (as many are double-sided) and re-build the array as single-sided sheets.  This is very handy if using several different AM sets--as is often the case.

This is, admittedly, over-stating the thing.  If all that's wanted is a simple swap of armaments, well, that's easy enough.  It's more where you are expected to mix kit parts in with the AM.  And, specially, where you need to carve away moulded detail to replace it with AM materials, which is often not a simple, scrape it all off and replace.

So, some web images of Akagi detail to show som of the possible scope

So yeah, the plastic kits wind up being more brass than styrene.

Somtimes.

One of our regulars here built up a spiffy USS Langley, which wanted for rather a lot od 2 steps back to get 3 steps forward.  Worth the search (just use Google "FSM Langley" and not the hopeless Kalmbach search engine)

CapnMac82

Trickiest part is that the specialist aftermarket companies really want your business.  Which means they can often offer you "more" than a bulk kit manufacturer (who is trying to balance cost to put a kit out across the entire spectrum of potential buyers, the better to increase sales).

"All in one box" is more convenient for the modeler, obviously, but may not always be an ideal choice.

Part of that is in the nature of ship modeling.  Ships tend to be very specific, and will have specific details.  And the differences are often visible, too.  Which means they matter. 

Gun turrets with one "knuckle" versus two; gun director houses with flat or angled backs; specific superstructure shapes or configurations.  So, even if a dozen of a given ship were made, each one of those can often be identified by features in photos.

And, just what (or which hull) the kit manufacturer modeled matters, too.

Trumpeter's 1/200 US carrier line exemplifies this latter.  The one hull castign is meant to be Enterprise, Essex, Hornet, and Yorktown--Which are similar to each other, but much in the same way a Pzkfz IVA is similar to a IVG.  If you know, you know.

 

 

Might be a dumb question but when you purchase the extra add-ons do they come with any instructions to know when to use them during the build or do you just have to kinda make a note of each part and look for them as you go along?  I never worked with PE before coming over to ship building, any add-ons with AFV's and planes were pretty simple to know when/where to use them.  A big reason I'm enjoying ship building a lot more is there's much more actual "building" of the model and less focus on painting/weathering like the others.   

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm really liking the Yamato and Scharnhorst models. Especially since I'm a self proclaimed buff on the Pacific war and battle of Midway the Yamato would be a very enjoyable build.  It looks like the USA Dragon website isn't around anymore but Squadron has the Scharnhorst models. I usually go through hobbylinc but they don't have it available. 

EdGrune

I pawed over the new Flyhawk high-tech USS Cowpens AEGIS cruiser.  It comes with both PE and 3D  replacement parts.   Quite nice

Flyhawk also makes a standard version without the add-ons

 

Wow,I didn't realize that they had 1/350, I still have an old Dragon Mobile Bay,I would guess the Flyhawk is good,I hear good things shout their 1/700 kit

Trickiest part is that the specialist aftermarket companies really want your business.  Which means they can often offer you "more" than a bulk kit manufacturer (who is trying to balance cost to put a kit out across the entire spectrum of potential buyers, the better to increase sales).

"All in one box" is more convenient for the modeler, obviously, but may not always be an ideal choice.

Part of that is in the nature of ship modeling.  Ships tend to be very specific, and will have specific details.  And the differences are often visible, too.  Which means they matter. 

Gun turrets with one "knuckle" versus two; gun director houses with flat or angled backs; specific superstructure shapes or configurations.  So, even if a dozen of a given ship were made, each one of those can often be identified by features in photos.

And, just what (or which hull) the kit manufacturer modeled matters, too.

Trumpeter's 1/200 US carrier line exemplifies this latter.  The one hull castign is meant to be Enterprise, Essex, Hornet, and Yorktown--Which are similar to each other, but much in the same way a Pzkfz IVA is similar to a IVG.  If you know, you know.

I pawed over the new Flyhawk high-tech USS Cowpens AEGIS cruiser.  It comes with both PE and 3D  replacement parts.   Quite nice

Flyhawk also makes a standard version without the add-ons

Find the Very Fire Yamato.

Bill

Here's a couple

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/1350-ship/japanese-battleship-yamato/

http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/ships/dkm/bb/scharnhorst-350-dr/dragon-review.html