What scale should I start?

We're in the same Boat (so to speak),

My first attempt at a ship 2 years ago ended badly with a horribly miscolored Tamiya 1/350 Fletcher Kit (with conversion set and PE from Tom's Model Works).  It just had to go back on the shelf.  I'm about to start my destroyer project anew with Trumpeter's USS The Sullivans 1/350 and Gold Medal Models PE.  It seems to me that PE really makes the ship models realistic.  Both look like quality kits.  They'd build to be about a foot long.  If this project goes well for me, it'll open the door for larger and more complex battleships and cruisers. 

As a fellow modeler about to (re-)start ship building, I'm betting that Tamiya's Fletcher and Dragon's The Sullivans are a good place to start.  I'm sure the experienced ship guys here can enlighten us both. 

Semper Fi,

Chris  

ridleusmc wrote:

We're in the same Boat (so to speak), My first attempt at a ship 2 years ago ended badly with a horribly miscolored Tamiya 1/350 Fletcher Kit (with conversion set and PE from Tom's Model Works).  It just had to go back on the shelf.  I'm about to start my destroyer project anew with Trumpeter's USS The Sullivans 1/350 and Gold Medal Models PE.  It seems to me that PE really makes the ship models realistic.  Both look like quality kits.  They'd build to be about a foot long.  If this project goes well for me, it'll open the door for larger and more complex battleships and cruisers.  As a fellow modeler about to (re-)start ship building, I'm betting that Tamiya's Fletcher and Dragon's The Sullivans are a good place to start.  I'm sure the experienced ship guys here can enlighten us both.

What do want to do with your ship models,  have a few examples which are fairly large and detailed or have a whole fleet on display?   

If you wan the latter - the most popular scale is 1:700.  There are plastic and resin kits for almost every navy from almost every period.  Their are photoetch detail sets available form many.   The main benefit and bad rap that 1:700 scale has it its size.  Consider that 1/10 inch represents 70 inches - thats a 5'10" man.

If you want the former - the most popular scale is 1:350.   Additionally there are a limited number of very nice kits in 1:400 scale (12% smaller).   They are large enough that you can add details.   There are photoetch and resin aftermarket for many kits.   In plastic the numbers are few -- but they are growing.  In resin there is a wide assortment.  There is a perceived price differential between plastic and resin,  but when you consider that the resin kits include some items as standard which are aftermarket add-ons in plastic, the prices tend to even out. 

You can always choose to build larger or smaller -- its entirely up to you.

I would also like to point out that there are numerous problems with the Trumpeter The Sullivans.  Most are correctable with aftermarket replacement items from YankeeModelworks or L'Arsenal.  You will need to scrape the knee-high walkway pads off of the decks.  Trumpeter didn't have their first-team at work on this project.   The 1:700 scale Sullivans, co-produced by Trumpeter and PitRoad is a very nice kit, but without the options of its larger brother.

Conversely, the Trumpeter USS England is a nice kit.  It is well engineered and goes together well.   I would recommend the England over The Sullivans as a novice ship-modelers kit.   Go with the PE by either WEM or GMM.  The England, when she set her record of sinking 4 (?) Japanese subs in as many days was in overall Navy Blue -- a simple paint scheme to master.

The Tamiya Fletcher is also a good choice.   I also recommend the Revell Emden for a different first choice.

m1garand wrote:

Hello to y'all! After building mostly armor kits, I am thinking about building ships.  Mostly WWII to modern era war ships.  Please excuse my ignorance in model ships.  What is the most popular/manufactured scale in ships?  Only ship I've ever built was 1/72 PT boat by revell.  What scale and manufacturer would you recommend? Thanks in advance!

You can always build in both 1/700 scale and 1/350! For just the sheer variety of available subjects 1/700 can't be beat. In one area alone (battleships, battlecruisers and coastal battleships) it is possible to assemble a collection of 265 (and growing) subjects. The down side is working in the small size. However, look in the gallery sections of www.steelnavy.com and www.modelwarships.com and see what can be accomplished in 1/700. Although PE adds a layer of detail to 1/700 that improves them the models don't require that level to be good models that are convincing and satisfying to build. 350 must have PE or it will look clunky and incomplete.

It is possible to obtain resin 1/700 kits at prices similar to the newest injection molded kits, depending on the country of origin. Probably the best kits for the money are those of Combrig, a Russian company. Their WW1 ships especially are fantastic. However, for post WW2 in 700 the best company for your needs is probably JAG. Resin models in 350 tend to get pretty pricey. WS

It really comes down to one thing, for a lot of people - how much SPACE do you have to display your finished works? Unless you're planning to give all of them away ... right ...

Lack of space is why I opted for 1/700 scale ships, and even at that, I have steered clear of anything larger than a cargo ship, to date. The one aircraft carrier I built for a friend took up an entire shelf in my display area (just checking to, ummm, see if it looked OK, you know). I put each completed model in a stackable IMEX display case, so I can rearrange them from time to time.

Thank you so much for the info!  I think I'll check out 1/700 scale first and then maybe move up to 1/350.  Looks like 1/700 and 1/350 are the most popular/widely available scales.  Since I only built armor kits, I'm only exposed to 1/72 and 1/35 scales. 

Thanks for the info guys.  I'm going to go with 1/350.  I want to build a representation of my Great Uncle's Destroyer USS Dortch (DD-670, square bridge Fletcher) as it appeared in Tokyo Bay in 1945.  Sometime after the Dortch, I'd like to build a capital US battleship or cruiser, haven't decided which one yet.  I feel the need to have one large and impressive battlewagon.  I don't really need to fill my shelves with a fleet.  I'll have more questions about the kits and PE sets that I've already aquired, but I'll save that for another thread.  I'm not ready to get started yet.  I have a large F-4 I need to complete first.  Thanks for the info.

Semper Fi,

Chris 

I would go with a Revell 1/72 S-100 schnellboot. Aftermarket items take it over the top but she looks real good out of the box. Price for the kit is real good also. I managed to pick up 2 for  12 bucks each on sale at Hobby Lobby. Shouldn't be any more or less hard than building one of those clanky targets.... I mean armor.

 

John 

go really big and start with a 1/35 LCM or LCVP. i am doing an LCM  and it will probably be my first stab at airbrushing. this and my armor kits are practice for 1/350 ww1 and older ships. am starting with ww1 german bb markgraf w/ pe or predreadought russian borodino with gold metal pe (which also comes with pe for russian protected cruiser varyag)

I chose 1/700th for the space considerations also.

Pick something that will "stand out" from everything else, say the Nelson class battleship. (Here is a nice 3-view of the type.)

Ridl, they are all slapping paint on you!! Blue! Pink! Blue! Pink!

Don't spend too much money out of the gate. Build something that you can find at least a little info about. Don't decide you need to build the IJN just now. The easiest, best looking and most badassed ship model I ever built was the 1/350 Tamiya Bismark. I see one on sale in eBay.

Now bear in mind I'm only a humble wingnut, but it was a really nice model.

What do you guys think about BB-55 USS North Carolina?

Semper Fi,

Chris

There are some engineering and fit problems.   I would not recommend it as a novice ship kit.

My recommended novice ship kits with which to learn PE application are the 1:350 scale Tamiya Fletcher,  1:350 Trumpeter England, or the 1:350 scale Revell Emden.   I recommend a novice  start in the larger 1:350 scale - then transfer the skills learned to a smaller scale if you choose to go that route.   I choose these subjects because the kits are well engineered and fit together well.   They have a limited number of parts, unlike the hundreds of small parts found in many battleship and carrier kits.  Being smaller (and less expensive) there is more of a chance you will actually complete the kit and learn something.  Often big expensive kits are stuck in the closet and ignored for fear of screwing up the big (expensive) kit and wasting money.  Starting with a smaller/less expensive kit lessens the OMG factor and worrys of making a mistake -- and you will make a mistake - guaranteed.  I still do.

ridleusmc wrote:

What do you guys think about BB-55 USS North Carolina? Semper Fi, Chris

If you are talking about the 1/350 model then I suggest you go with Ed's comments.

However, if you are talking about the 1/700 Trumpeter North Carolina that would be a good kit to go with for the small scale. It is a complex build but not at all impossible for a first time ship builder. It certainly is cheap enough, even with a supplementary PE set. If you stick with Camo Measure 21 or 22 the painting won't drive you crazy either. If you are a competent aircraft or armor builder/painter you will have no trouble with that kit. When you are finished it will make for an impressive model. WS

Sorry guys,

It seems like the thread took a left turn somewhere.  My first ship project will be a square bridge Fletcher in 1/350 (DD-670 USS Dortch).  I have two kits with which to work, Tamiya's Fletcher and Trumpeter's The Sullivans.  Throw in two PE sets (Tom's and Gold Medal) and I think I already have enough parts.  I was asking the about North Carolina as the 2nd ship build, a grand display for my shelf, but that's not the only one to consider.  I have all these airplanes and tanks sitting here, it doesn't seem right that there's nothing here to represent Naval Vessels. 

This weekend I bought "Basics of Shipbuilding" by Mike Ashley while I was on a Phantom paint run. 

Semper Fi,

Chris   

I would urge anybody just getting into ship modeling, and trying to pick a scale, to think about one other factor:  eyesight.

I had the good fortune to be born nearsighted.  Without my glasses I'd have trouble recognizing my wife from across a room, but until a few years ago I always worked on models without magnification.  Age has caught up with me recently; the optometrist says my eyes are in excellent health, but I now need bifocals.  (And my eyes, like most people's, are different from each other.  Without my bifocals I have trouble getting both eyes to focus on, for instance, a book I'm holding in front of me.)

As we've discussed in several other threads here in the Forum, various gadgets are available to provide magnification for modelers.  Some people like magnifying visors, like Optivisor; my own preference is a set of prescription reading glasses.  With practice, it's possible to get used to such things.  There's just no denying, though, that working without magnification is easier and more fun.  Until a few years ago, for instance, I had no trouble installing a set of photo-etched guard rails on a 1/700-scale battleship without magnification.  I can still do it, but only with my glasses - which I find myself taking off (whenever I need to focus on anything more than six inches away), mislaying, having to polish, etc.  What used to be a fairly simple, fun activity is now an excercise in mild frustration - and takes at least twice as long. 

I suspect that, if I hadn't originally been nearsighted, I wouldn't have been drawn to small scales.  I'm inclined to think that 1/700-scale ships will be far more enjoyable for people with excellent closeup vision than for the rest of us.  To the optically challengd, the difference between 1/700 and 1/350 really is pretty significant.

Anyway - whatever scale you pick, good luck.  It's a great hobby.

i have the same problem with close up. i am a technical illustrator and digital artist and have a pair of computer glasses set up for just working on the computer as my regular glasses are too strong and bifocals don't work that well. i take my glasses off to read and when model building except when cutting pieces from sprues; then i wear my computer glasses for protection. i have 2 magnifiers, a lamp and a visor but still have not gotten used to them. i seem to have a gap of 4' to 8' where my computer glasses blur but my regular glasses are too strong.

just something i have to get used to. a couple of really good tweezers are a big help as is working on a concrete floor so, when parts fly off the tweezers, i can find them. i have the cleanest floor in the shop because it seems  i sweep it up with a dust pan every time i drop something.

i have a friend in my ship building club who things 1/350 is too small. he builds kits from bluejacket (USS MAINE, USS OLYMPIA) which run about $500 and are wood, white metal, pe, and maybe some plastic.