1/350 ships

My suggestion is to buy a cheaper smaller 1/350 kit and practice on that one first.  Just build the kit with no PE or scratchbuilding.  Just practice on construction and painting first.  Then buy another kit and put some PE on it, again for practice.  Build up your skills before launching into someone like the CV-8.

Jesse

I would agree with Jesse on this, get some practice in on smaller less expensive 1/350 scale ship kits. Work your way up to something as complex as the Hornet or you might become frustrated with it and abandon the project completely.

I just finished the Blue Water Navy Hornet last year, and even though it is a resin kit vs. Trumpeter's injection molded plastic kit, the photo etch is basically the same. And I can tell you it was a bear. Just assembling the endless 20mm guns is enough to push one over the edge. And believe me, this wasn't my first photo etch experience, I'm the veteran of dozens of 1/350 ship projects!

Tackle something along the lines of a Fletcher destroyer first, I believe both Tamiya and Trumpeter have one in their lines.

Good luck!

Thanks for the input Jesse. Like the old saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day"

Now I have another exuse to get another model. You can never have to many!

Agin, thanks. 

Thanks for the input Goshawk.

Sometimes one forgets you have to walk before you run.

My wife will be glad to here I need to buy another ship!

Thanks again.

Muddytracks - you're demonstrating a level of common sense that's refreshing.

Many ship modelers cut their teeth in 1/350 scale on the excellent destroyer U.S.S. Fletcher, by Tamiya.  The Trumpeter Liberty ship might be another good newcomer's project. And just yesterday I saw, on the Squadron mail order website (www.squadron.com) that Hasegawa has just released a 1/350 kit of the famous Japanese destroyer Yukikaze.  The price is pretty hideous, but on the basis of the photo on the web page it looks like an outstanding kit.

Good luck.  It's a great hobby.

You mean like the Iron Shipwright USS Clifton Sprague (FFG-16)?

http://www.commanderseries.com/ships_350.html

I have one.  It is one of ISW's best kits. Resin & brass,  whole hull, full decals,  MSRP is 120 bucks, but currently on sale as part of ISW's IPMS Nationals sale at 25% off (more off if you buy more).   Shipping is free.  If you want it poured short for a waterline, contact Ted Paris at ISW and have him pour you a special one.

http://www.commanderseries.com/ship_specials.htm

Its a good deal at 90 bucks.  You pay as much for a styrene kit plus the aftermarket stuff.  Its all inclusive in the ISW kit.   Plus you get the ISW customer satisfaction guarantee  - which includes: if you screw it up they will replace it.

The decals includes hull numbers and names for:

OH Perry, Wadsworth, Duncan, Clark, Philip, Morison, Sides, Estocin, Sprague, Moore, Flatley, Fahiron, Puller, Williams, Copeland, Gallery, Tisdale, Reid, Stark, and Fitch.

Resin is a good medium to work with.   It glues with either CA or epoxy.  You cannot use a solvent glue because the resin will not melt.   You can fill seams with your favorite putty, solvent, catalyzed, or CA.   You can paint resin with your favorite paint,  enamels or acrylics.

Looking at my kit, there is a pour stub on the bottom of the hull, the stub is about 1/8 inch wide.   Run the back of an Xacto knife along each side of the stub 6 or 12 times and the stub snaps off.  You may also need to take a hack saw to the larger central pour stub.  Its a 5 minute job.  Clean up the cut with some sanding sticks.   Resin ship kits are poured upside down.  There mak be some small bubbles on the underside of he hull.  Fill with diluted putty, and sand when dry.   I then prime with hardware store red primer.  Sand smooth & touch up any flaws.

Next attach the separate hangar roof and hangar doors, funnel,and the bridge house.   Those are the major parts.   On the underside you have the running gear & rudder.  Add the weapons, the OTO gun, missile launcher & CIWS. 

Mask & paint the hull.  Paint the fret of PE at this time.  Touch up nicks & cracks in the paint after installation.

The PE  lattice masts may look daunting,  but they are really just box folds - quite easy with a Hold&Fold tool or a couple of scraper blades.    Tack the railings & helo deck nets in place with white glue - then go back & cement with CA.

It comes with a Seasprite helo. 

All it all it is a good kit of a neglected little ship.

I've been a plastic 1/35 armor guy for awhile but want to do a plastic 1/350 Iowa Class BB, who's  kit do you recomend for an semi-advanced builder (I've done the large full rigged Constitution before, shudder..),

looking on Ebay I saw:

Trumpeter Minihobby

Tamiya

Revell

Lindberg

Otaki

From my tank days i know Tamiya is good but which of these kits do you guys prefer? And will look best on display? (ok they only had 1 of the Otaki kits, from the 50's)