USS Constitution....

Add me to the list of potential cusotmers--

I wish someone would make a set of generic details and fittings for the Imai/Minicraft series of 1/350 scale tall ships. Ratlines, rigging pieces, railings, ladders, etc. would be great. 1/350 scale is already a standard for modern fittings, so there is some overlap of components....

-Bill

Another big part of the problem is that so few plastic sailing ship kits are currently in production. The Revell Cutty Sark, for example, is not in the current Revell-Monogram catalog. The only sailing ship that does appear in it is the Constitution, in two scales. (The entire range of Revell-Monogram ship kits at the moment consists of eight kits: the two Constitutions, PT-109, the Titanic, the Missouri, the carrier Saratoga, the Arizona, and the Gato-class submarine. All those kits are at least twenty-five years old; the Missouri has been around for more than fifty years. Quite a commentary on the firm that used to lead the market in ship kits.)

Several Revell sailing ships, including the Cutty Sark, are currently being sold by Revell Germany, but the unfortunate truth seems to be that most of the plastic sailing ship fraternity functions primarily with out-of-production kits. It's hard to blame the aftermarket manufacturers for failing to cater to such a small potential market.

It does seem like it might be practical for them to produce generic sailing ship sets. One for eighteenth- and nineteenth-century warships, for instance, could include such things as hammock nettings, transom window frames, gratings, porthole rims, gun carriage components, lettering for transoms, boat oars, gunport lid hinges, chain plates, backing links, and a dozen or so other components I could think of. The same artwork could be used to produce sheets in various scales, and would be just as useful for scratchbuilt models and wood kits. Until some company (White Ensign - are you listening?) sees fit to take a chance on such a product, though, I guess we'll be left to our own devices.

Jtilley is correct there are no photo etch products produced for any plastic sailing ships commercially.Are part of the hobby has been left behind. Mainly because there's not very many of us that model sailing ships in plastic.Another draw back to us is there's to many different scales in the sailing ship models. That makes it hard for manufactors to come up with photo etching.Perhaps if someone like Model Expo or Blue Jackets would make a set for say the 1/96 Revell Constitution,that would include some photo etching,wood blocks,and deadeyes to scale to enhance this model. Theres other add ons that I didn't mention.Perhaps there would be a market .I know I for one would like it. I would think if products like that were offered more modelers would do sailing ships. Look what the photo etch market has done for gray ship modelers. It has really helped bring new modelers into the hobby. You look when Trumpeter comes out with a new Aircraft Carrier the after market guys have products produced almost simultaneous. That real helps that model.Perhaps if that happened with a couple of the big plastic sailing kits like Revells Cutty Sark.USS Constitution ,(mention before) and Hellers Hms Victory it might provide more interest. Just my thoughts
Rod

To my knowledge there are no commercially-distributed photo-etched parts sets for plastic sailing ship kits. That sounds like a dangerous generalization; maybe somebody can contradict me, but I doubt it.

I believe Bluejacket sells separately a few of the photo-etched sheets produced for its own wood kits, and Model Expo offers a handful of generic etched brass parts. But so far as I know that's it.

I had an e-mail exchange about this once with the owner of one of the photo-etched parts firms. I pointed out that there are all sorts of sailing ship fittings that would make good subjects for photo-etching. He gave me a straightforward, honest answer: he didn't claim to know the subject matter well enough to deal with it, and his firm was so busy with modern warships and railroads that he didn't feel he could afford to branch out into a new area. Fair enough.

It does seem like a shame, because there's real potential there. Think of it: hammock nettings; bowsprit netting; topsail sheet blocks; porthole frames; name boards; carved decorations and lettering; gratings - the mind boggles. Maybe some day. In the mean time, I've been toying around with the idea of buying the do-it-yourself photo-etching kit that's recently appeared in the Micro-Mark catalog. Kind of expensive, but maybe worth it if it's good.