Heres' a beaut!

What's really sad about this sort of thing is that the people who actually build the "models" probably have no idea that they're participating in a scam.  And by the time the dealer pays the shipping expenses and takes his very substantial profit, those "modelers" probably are being paid a few cents per hour for their work.  They're being exploited, the customers are being deceived, and the dealer is laughing all the way to the bank.

Just needed to comment on this tread. In March I was in Jupiter Fl. and happened to see a sign advertising ship models. Went in and was overwhelmed at the number and sizes of hundreds of wooden ship models. Store owner comes up and ask if I am interested any particular ship. I am currently building the Atlantic and was looking at his version. I said it was totally inaccurate and then he began telling me it was hand crafted by artisians etc, etc. I did alittle snooping around, well all these ship models are coming out of Vietnam. They were unloading crates of them while I was there! It was obvious the guy was doing a booming business, as he had a wall with photos of all the customers he had made sales to, he call them Captains. I think he was glad when I departed scene.

sumpter250 wrote:

For example.....when I saw Big Jakes "link"  "SOVEREIGN-OF-THE-SEAS-MODEL-SHIP...." I was expecting to see a gracefull clipper....Hoo Hah!, This was an overstacked wood barrel with washtubs in her masts! (translation: not what I expected at all).

The model in question represents the 17th-century Royal Navy man-of-war of the same name, not the 19th-century clipper  (it's still rather crude and inaccurate, but not QUITE as much as it would be if it was intended as a model of the clipper!)

Now, in all fairness, I have seen some quality work, in museums. Yes, some finely crafted scale sailing ship models. Of course, right next to them, there have been works reminiscent of the labors of a spastic sea urchin!  I have always, and will continue to, cast a very wary eye to everything "Ebay". That!, is a market in which you really must have intimate knowledge of the item up for sale.  For example.....when I saw Big Jakes "link"  "SOVEREIGN-OF-THE-SEAS-MODEL-SHIP...." I was expecting to see a gracefull clipper....Hoo Hah!, This was an overstacked wood barrel with washtubs in her masts! (translation: not what I expected at all). Beauty is, after all, in the eye of the beholder (in this case it would have to be someone like the guy who saw me walking inland, with an oar on my shoulder, and asked, "what's that?"). I'm sure someone will purchase that item, and feel like they got a real bargain. It is only in the community of "model builders", that the word "scale" has any real meaning. Certainly not in the world of marketing.

   I've built HO scale model railroad scenes, detailed 'down to the second hand on the conductor's watch', had someone look it over, and say....."oh, that's cute".       (I can't even write that without having to stifel the urge to do great bodily harm)   Pete

What we have here is yet another demonstration of why I fervently wish the phrase "museum-quality model" would disappear from the English language.  It's a meaningless oxymoron.  I've ranted on the subject several times in this forum, for example:  http://www.finescale.com/FSM/CS/forums/536356/ShowPost.aspx

It may be my imagination, but I think the term is a little less common now than it was a few years ago.  Nowadays it's usually used as an advertising term - by dealers who are either crooked or (more often) ignorant.  We should remember that most people don't understand what a scale ship model is.  In this realm as in so many others, lots of dealers prey on the public's ignorance.  The best that can be said in defense of such operations is that the people perpetrating them, in many cases, do not themselves have any idea what a scale model is.  The one in the ad Jake found certainly doesn't meet that definition.

in read the discription, I've seen this model upclose and personal. I the hands of an experienced modeler. this kit builds up real nice. The ordimental investment casting, were at the time (years ago!) cost $400.00. and the rest of the kit, the wood and other fittings were $599.00. and that was the wholesale price at the time... If this is the poshett (I think that's how it was spelled. this would be a deal If it all included. The kit has two kinds of wood for the hull. Two layers! Any one who gets this kit! Good luck to them.. I 've seen 10 kits total. only 2 built!! nah nothing wrong here....

What a particular museum may or may not display is neither here nor there. I suspect that what the sellers of these items wish to infer by use of the term 'Museum Quality'  is a model of scale accuracy, built to a high standard. Only the gullible or those lacking knowledge of the subject would  accept this to be the case.

 Look closely at the stern and bow areas of these offerings, and particularly at the fittings, the boats on the model in question are  a case in point, crude to say the least and in my view not of a standard worthy of the term scale or quality.

This is not to say that some of them do not make attractive 'furniture' displays, my quarrel is with the representations made about them as far as accuracy and scale is concerned.

GeorgeW wrote:

My point is that if you buy these items as ornamental pieces, fair enough. but to describe any of them as 'Museum Quality' is just laughable.

It gets back to what the term 'Museaum Quality' really means.  Oftentimes museaums seem to display models that are simply ornamental pieces, and not accurate replicas of any sort.  While I've seen some models in museums that are outstanding and of a quality that I cannot envision ever producing myself, I've also seen models at the other end of the scale, which are so bad, I wonder why the museum curators chose to include them in the collection.  Sometimes the model might have an interesting history tha justifies its inclusion, but other thimes it seems as though they just wanted to fill an empty area with just anything.

Andy

My point is that if you buy these items as ornamental pieces, fair enough. but to describe any of them as 'Museum Quality' is just laughable.

There seem to be huge numbers of these in the model ship categories on eBay US (oddly, there are hardly any on eBay UK or the other European sites) a number of sellers seem to specialise in them. They almost outnumber kits in the "non-military" ship kit category.
Some of them actually aren't too bad - for example, those sold by "handcraftedmodelships" - but many look very clunky and inaccurate even to my non-expert eye.
 
Worst by far are the 20th century warships. Some degree of inaccuracy could be excused for historic sailing ships where no plans or accurate drawings exist, but there's no excuse for things like this Fletcher-class destroyer. It makes the Lindberg kit (which is about the same size) look like a masterpiece!

That said, these models are many light years ahead of the wooden model ship ornaments sold in gift shops. I recently saw one labelled as the "Sea Witch" clipper which (I'm not joking) resembled a wooden clog painted black with masts and sails glued on.

Almost everything!

I find it irritating at times how freely the term 'Museum Quality' is used particularly on sites such as Ebay. 

Once, I accidently broke a mast and tore the rigging down on a tall ship model.