Ocean Liners

There is this company, but I suspect that they build by contract, and do not build model kits. It might be worth inquiring though.

http://www.maritimereplicas.com/cruise.htm

This place seems to have some very small imported kits.
check this site
http://members.aol.com/MSM1250/

Anyone recognize any of the companies?

On September 30th, Modelwarships.com will be adding a new sister site to our consortium. It's a site dedicated to liners and merchant vessels called the Debris Field. The Debris Field was a very successful site that ran into some hard times a year or so ago, so we've agreed to host them. The site is built, we're adding content, and we'll be holding the grand opening of the site on the 30th.

If you're into liners, that's the place to be. In the meantime, the old Debris Field Forum is still active, it can be found here:

http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/88381

Regards,

Jeff Herne
Modelwarships.com

The Lusitania is a great kit especially when you display it with a 1:350 WW1 U boat that is available in a resin kit. It gives the reality of big punch in a small size seeing it dwarfed by its "target." The Glencoe SS United States is addressed in an article in the defunct "Model Ship Builder" If you want it, I can copy it for you. Bluejacket still makes the parts the article advises you order for the davits.

Guess what? The Oriana was reissued, and is available now. Also, Gunze released two new ocean liner kits: Lusitania in 1/350, and QE2 in 1/450. Both are super-detailed and worth the money.

May I suggest a bit of lateral thinking?
There have been several conversions of naval ships into ocean liners, though that would increase the dignity of some of them.
One of the most interesting was the conversion of an RN aircraft carrier into a migrant ship. I think the name was Helenic Prince although that could be the conversion of HMAS Albatross a seaplane tender and not kitted whereas the other conversion is. I just have to find the book with the cirrect info.
Airfix did a range of liners in 1:600 which still surface in hobby shops. Just keep an eye open.
TTFN Dai.

I remember when I was a kid building a model of Oriana that was quite intricate, also one of the NS Savannah. I haven't seen them in hobby shops for quite a while so Ebay might be your best bet.

You can also fins a decent model of the QE2 either through ebay sometimes or contact the QE2 museum in CA. It's about 3 ft id lenght. I sold mine unbuilt to a collector in AUS, The shipping was more than the model price.

That's about all you're going to find... either in the Entex or Gunze boxes, they're basically the same kits, and the Academy/Minicraft Titanic kit is also readily available.

You can, of course, with scratchbuilding, convert Titanic into Olympic and and Britannic in their troopship or hospital ship guises, and Lusitania into Mauretania as either a troopship or hospital ship.

There's a few box scale decent sized liners out there in varying quality, including the Glencoe SS United States...her lower hull shape is all wrong since it was a trade secret at the time the kit was released. That model does require alot of work though.

Best,

Jeff Herne
Modelwarships.com