WW1 Warships

Well if you are ok building models of resin, and in 1/700 scale there are a ton of them available. There are Russian , British, Aust-hung., and some other countries as well. Hp models and Komberg are the most polific, but there are other manfacturers as well. Go to either Steelnavy.com of Modelwarships.com for a listing and reviews of these models. Most can be mail ordered from retailers here in the US.

Go build one, and have some fun.

Dick Wood

You can start out with the following:

1/350 Revell SMS Emden
1/350 Zvezda Varyag
1/350 Alanger Konig or Grosser Kurfurst
1/350 Hasegawa Mikasa (ok, not WW1, but still...not WW2)
1/350 Eastern Express Borodino

All are in plastic, all are available.

Jeff

The Brands you are looking for are made in resin. Combrig, WSW, H-P and a couple more are avalible from http://www.pacificfront.com. Combrig, which is made [well] in Russia has a large selection of warships going back to ships built as early as 1880. I have built about 6 combrig kits (Gangut, Moskva, British Pre-Dreadnought HMS Britiania, British Monitor HMS Abercrombie, HMS Erin, Russian cruiser Aurora) I have liked the kits and have been able to build them without too much trouble. There are a great number of kits avalible in resin that are not avalible in poly-styrene (plastic). The resin kits are most avalible from www.pacificfront.com, www.tridenthobbies.com, and modelwarships.com.

1:350 scale, resin and brass. Very nice kit.

Iron Shipwright has a Smith-class pre-WWI USN destroyer in their to-do pile, along with a WWI-era Conyngham (if I can get the master finished for them in a timely manner)

Another venue that has an excellent selection of vintage dreadnaughts in large scale is card models. My favorite brand is Wilhelmshavener .... check this stuff out ...

http://www.papermod.de/E-shop/index.html

http://www.e-papermodels.com/index.php?cName=ships-warships-germany

http://www.model-dockyard.com/books/catalogue.asp

I have what seen to be a dumb question, what exactly is a card model?

Card models are printed on cardboard stock, you cut the parts out and glue them together. The level of detail is amazing on some of these kits and there are lots of WW1 /earlier subjects available. The german page www.moduni.de is a  good source for those.

As for the plastic models, don´t forget the venerable Airfix IRON DUKE in 1/600. A real classic (actually the only WW1 battleship around for decades) and you might still find one for a reasonable price.

Heller has made beautiful kits of the russian battleship Potemkin and cruiser Aurora in 1/400 (although both pre-WW1). They are now available from Maquette and should be quite cheap to get while the quality is still very good. 

 Couldn't you build an Arizona, Texas or Utah to a WWI spec.? Surely someone sells AM parts such as the "birdcage" masts and other WWI accessories, no?

                                                                                    - 60

m60a3 wrote:

Couldn't you build an Arizona, Texas or Utah to a WWI spec.? Surely someone sells AM parts such as the "birdcage" masts and other WWI accessories, no?                                                                                     - 60

Yes you could.   Tom's Modelworks makes PE cage masts.   But backfitting a Pearl Harbor Arizona to WWI configuration is not as simple as slapping a cage mast on it.    The Arizona underwent an extensive refit in the late-20s/early-30s which added torpedo blisters to her hull.   The hull shape is totally changed.   Same happened with the Texas.

Perhaps you should look at the ex-Toms Modelworks 1921 Arizona (now done by Iron Shipwright).  It has the correct hull configuration pre-bulge and a cage mast.  Or how 'bout a 1916 Michigan

by Iron Shipwright (1:350 scale).   Or an armored cruiser that served from after the Spanish American war, through WWI

Cagemast ships are available to be built

 

It's often struck me as extremely unfortunate that the plastic ship kit manufacturers have paid so little attention to World War I.  It could easily be argued that warship design played a bigger role in world affairs during the years 1906-1918 than during any other period.  How great it would be to walk into a hobby shop and find a selection of kits including H.M.S. Dreadnought, the British and German ships that fought at Jutland, and some of the grand old American battleships with their "cage masts"!  Fortunately, the resin kit manufacturers (notably White Ensign, a couple of  German companies, and the amazing Russian firm Combrig) have come to the rescue during the past few years with some really nice, well-designed kits that, at this point, have actually covered the subject pretty thoroughly.

I'd urge any plastic warship modeler with an interest in WWI to take the plunge into resin.  It takes a little while (read:  a couple of hours) to get used to the medium, but it really isn't a lot harder to work with than plastic.  (Hint:  White Ensign kits are beautifully detailed, have some of the best, most detailed instructions in the business, and cost a fair amount of money.  Combrig kits - especially the most recent ones - are almost as well detailed, have extremely vague instructions, and, due to the international currency situation, are among the biggest bargains in the hobby.)

It's also worth noting that the few plastic WWI kits on the market are far above average in quality.  The Revell German light cruisers and ICM German battle cruisers are excellent - and supported by outstanding aftermarket detail sets from Gold Medal Models.  The old Airfix Iron Duke, once the mysterious giant donuts are removed from the barrels of its secondary armament, isn't a bad kit by any means.  Another one that deserves mention:  the old Revell American four-stacked, flush-decked destroyer.  (Just be aware of one weird howler in that one:  the "wood planking" on the deck.  Those ships had steel-plated decks.)  Airfix also made a 1/600 four-stacker, under the label H.M.S. Campbleton, that was re-released recently.  Like all other Airfix kits, it needs to be snapped up if you can find it; Airfix recently declared bankruptcy, and its products are likely to go up extravagantly in price on the collectors' market.

In 1/400 scale, there is also the German torpedo boat/destroyer "V-108" produced by Mirage, and the Imperial Russian cruiser "Aurora" and pre-dreadnought battleship "Potemkin", both of which were originally moulded by Heller and have since ended up with various Russian and Eastern European manufacturers, most recently Maquette.
I think Mirage's "Mazur" (Polish gunnery training ship, the first ship to be sunk in WW2) was originally a WW1 destroyer or torpedo boat, but I can't remember its exact history.
The late 19th-century pre-dreadnought USS Oregon, represented by the Glencoe/ITC 1/225 kit, also served in WW1, in fact I think the Glencoe kit includes colour profiles for the WW1 ship, though I'm not sure if the kit's armament configuration is correct for WW1.
Finally, Glencoe produced a kit of a WW1 USN 110' submarine chaser in about 1/72 scale. These vessels also served in WW2, but the kit definitely represents a WW1 sub chaser.

WW1 and mid/late 19th century ships are a particular interest of mine. I'm thinking of scratchbuilding a WW1 destroyer or large torpedo boat in 1/200 or 1/96 scale in the fairly near future. My current scratchbuild is the turreted monitor/coastal defence ship HMVS Cerberus, in 1/96 scale, scaled up from the free plans available at http://www.papershipwright.freeserve.co.uk. This actually served in WW1 as a submarine depot ship, though I am building it in its 1880s configuration.

An added comment to this thread concerning WW 1 warships. I have always thought that the SMS Seydlitz was one of the most incredible warships that ever took to sea. When you think of the punishment she took in her battles, and then lead the High Seas Fleet into Scapa Flow, that had to have rubbed some salt in the face of Jellicoe, Beatty and the boys.

After a somewhat "lengthy" intermission, I greet you all gentlemen !

I left the forum as a fresh B.A graduate, and now I'm here as a M.A student. I also moved to another flat, so I had my hands full during my absence I'm very happy to see you again.

I completely agree with professor Tilley. Never in history did naval technology playe a so decisive role in determining the international relations. "Dreadnought Fever" swept virtually every corner of the world.My home country Turkey (then Ottoman Empire of course),as you know, was hopelessly gripped by that fever and dared bankruptcy to buy dreadnoughts in order to revenge the shame of Balkan Wars. The story of Reshadieh and Sultan Osman I (you know them better as HMS Erin and HMS Agincourt) must be well familiar. And of course there is our immortal Yavuz, the Goeben. I'd definitely want a 1/350 scale model of her. I doubt there shall be hardly a more historically significant and remarkable warship than her. If our f*****ing politicians would be a little less greedy and little more history conscious, we should be all able to visit and think about that battleship which brought the end of an empire and the death of 600 thousand turkish soldiers.

Heartiest congratulations on your degree, Kapudan - and best wishes for a fine career in graduate school!  What's the subject?

Very good to have you back , we wish you great success with your school goals.

Ralph, Professor Tilley; I thank you both for your very kind wishes. I'll try to compose a synthesis about a completely neglected subject and era: rebuilding of the Ottoman Navy following the disaster of Navarino. This period roughly comprises 1830-1845 and witnessed a phenomenon of crucial importance: introduction of steam to the Ottoman maritime. As in other fields of technical innovation, armed forces (i.e navy) spearheaded this new technology. Within two decades, steamships were prowlig Ottoman littorals, linking the imperial domains to western world more than ever before. Another little known fact that I want to analyse is the Ottoman-American co-operation during this rebuilding and innovation process. If my luck shall continue, my intention is to go to USA for doctorate after the M.A

I too wish you all the best in your continued studies.  Your subject for thesis sounds very interesting and your research and teachings of your country's maritime and military heritage would be valued here in the US.  Our schools teach nothing about the Ottoman Empire other then it was very big and happened after the fall of the Roman Empire and gives our children the impression that you all wear robes, carry bid swords, and ride camels when in fact, your social customs were not much different then those of the West.

Scott

 Thanks for some enlightenment Kapudan. That is some interesting history. I believe I'll study up some more on your nations history. Thank you.

                                                                                              -60

Scott, M60, thank you both. It's the same old (and sad) story everywhere. In fact, this mighty polity was virtually unknown even to us (i.e the turkish people) until some 25 years before ! What is tought about the Ottoman Empire in public schools here was very close to Scott's description until very recently ! But I don't want to blame global scholarly or alumni community for being weakly informed about the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman archives were closed to the outside world and were in a state of great disorder. Since then, enormous steps are taken. Now anyone who can read ottoman turkish shall easily obtain a permission of entrance. Scholars and researchers were extremely surprised to find an open, receptive, dynamic and self-rejuvenating (both "mentally" and "physically") state organization; even more in the so-called periods of decline ! It's not surprising that whole the periodization and the perception of Ottoman-Turkish history was completely overhauled. Let me cite a funny anectode. I'm currently translating John F. Guilmartin Jr.'s legendary study "Galleons and Galleys" into Turkish. When my publisher contacted professor Guilmartin for copyright settlements; this mighty scholar wrote a superbly humorous answer, saying that "Turks have an extremely rich and amazing maritime history which is misunderstood by everyone; especially by Turks themselves" this totally summarizes the (very recent) state of Ottoman history in every field. For those who'd like to read some literature about it, I shall propose some very sound works; all concise, easy to read but quite deep in context.

I'm sure I made a 1-350 plastic kit of the Emden some years ago, made by  Revell - anyone seen it on sale recently? Checking the website,(http://www.revell.de/en/products/model_kits/) it's still listed.

pyanfaruk wrote:

I'm sure I made a 1-350 plastic kit of the Emden some years ago, made by  Revell - anyone seen it on sale recently? Checking the website,(http://www.revell.de/en/products/model_kits/) it's still listed.

It has recently made the re-release list.   It has been unavailable for several years and has recently been drawing high prices on eBay

A lovely little kit, as I remember - for someone brought up on the Airfix blur, the detail seemed amazing. I think it was the first one I made that wasn't 1-600 scale as well - a larger scale was a revelation to me.

Happy times.

 

Try this...

Roberts/Combat Models

18 E. Clay St

West Hazelton, PA 18201-3824

(570) 450-5647

These are 1/72 vacu-form kits w/ resin details.He carries 2 U-boats (U-9 and U-35),a US sub

("Old S-class") and a WWI era "Flush deck" destroyer (USS WARD).There may be others.

Well, I think you will have seen the various suggestions floated.  There does remain one final source of WW1 ship models, but they are big (1/100!!) and quite expensive.  I refer you to http://www.mz-modellbau.net/core/  These include 'Derflinger,' 'Von Der Tann,' 'Bayern,' and of course, the doughty armored cruiser 'Scharnhorst,' among others.  Quite frankly, these are the finest and MOST detailed kits on the market, and other than some limited-run waterline resin kits, are the only ones available besides those already mentioned elsewhere.  Any one of these big German opportunities is a kit 'to smother your mother for!'

I noted with great pleasure some mention of Turkish maritime studies, and for sure, this is an area of such limited available knowledge in the rest of the world that it really is a crying shame!  Sure would be nice to know more about the career of the 'Sultan Yavuz/Goeben,' some of which I have only learned by studying the activities of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in WW1 (which also is barely mentioned).  'Yavuz' apparently had a NUMBER of encounters with the battleships of the Black Sea Fleet, which you can read about in the book 'Russian & Soviet Battleships' by Stephen McLoughlin.  Another HUGE gap in maritime knowledge generally available are the activities, methods and ships of the Barbary Corsairs, which of course were the terror of the Mediterranean for about 600 years!  I have several books supposedly on the subject, and I do assure you they are all rubbish!  As the Corsairs operated under at least the titular command of The Grand Porte, you would think that much more would be known about these characters and their ships (The Ottomans were nothing if not good bureaucrats, keeping records of everything...), but apparently, no-one in the West has ever bothered to learn Turkish and check the original sources, contenting themselves with whatever accounts in French or otherwise that might already be lying around..... Shameful!

I built the ICM Kit the Konig

 

http://www.internethobbies.com/icm1kowwigeb.html 

 

nice enough kit, older tooling a few fit issues with the decks, nothing one can't get around.

I used I think it was a photo etch kit from white ensign. 

 

Commander Series Models Inc./Iron Shipwright makes a series of resin WWI era ships.  You can find them at:

 http://www.commanderseries.com/

Best regards:

Charlie

Sure its an old thread but one that needs resurrection.

 Upon reading some of the above posts, I just ordered the Zvezda Varyag.

Awesome antiquated looking ship.

I just love that WW1 archaic look. That era in shipping very much interests me - mostly from an asthetic point of view. Dirty rusty ships from that era make excellent models!

Then you'd probably like the 1/350 'Mikasa' from Hasegawa (excellent!), or the 1/350 'Borodino'  from Zvesda/Eastern Express to go along with the 'Varyag' and or 'Emden/Dresden'............

searat12 wrote:

Then you'd probably like the 1/350 'Mikasa' from Hasegawa (excellent!), or the 1/350 'Borodino'  from Zvesda/Eastern Express to go along with the 'Varyag' and or 'Emden/Dresden'............

Indeed. I have been eyeing those up as well!  Too many kits, too little time.