Model Ships... Lack of popularity?

The large 1/350 German warships and Japanese ww2 made a big impact in ship modeling.It will take about five years to complete one of those to I.P.M.S. Standards.

I have seen a little 1/48 scale super detailed P-47m beat out a large 1/350 scale super detail Bizmark.The thunderbolt got best of show.The same person built both and entered them .

Yeah Silver ;

 I have seen that too .Tis a shame but it does happen .  T.B.

Ships just aren't really in the news at all these days. It's not like anyone thinks about them. And they're fiddly to build, and don't really have that "macho appeal" of a tank. They don't go really fast like a muscle car, and they don't have the lines of a high speed jet, nor the historical appeal of many other genres. I've built one--the USS Constitution, but have no plans to revisit the genre.

I have 4 of them in my stash and honestly, it's the time it would take to build one that has me balking at it. I look at all the antenna wire detail I'd need to do to do it "right" and that alone has me focused on planes. Especially with the 1/350 USS Missouri.

There sure are a lot of kits out there though. Even a new USS Texas, which could fun as a few short road trips to verify real world detail, etc. could be done. A luxury I've never had before.

mitsdude:

When I worked as a HVAC engineer in the Pierre hotel in NYC in the 60's there was this tennant who I had repaired her air conditioner was in her 80's at that time had about seven rooms full of ship models that her late husband built, he was the captian of the last whaling ship in the U.S. and he build all of his ships by hand made of wood, along with full sizerd ship figure heads he aquired from ship yards it was quite a museum that I visited several times as she saw I wsvery interested in her collection and like you any model ship I'd built would be a joke by comparison to this craftsman's work so I fully understand what you say.   Karl

Personally, I love to build ships. Tanks and airplanes are too easy, and there's no real point in building a car model.

Bill

the doog

Ships just aren't really in the news at all these days. It's not like anyone thinks about them. And they're fiddly to build, and don't really have that "macho appeal" of a tank. They don't go really fast like a muscle car, and they don't have the lines of a high speed jet, nor the historical appeal of many other genres. I've built one--the USS Constitution, but have no plans to revisit the genre.

 

Well, they certainly not everybody's cup of tea. And yes they can be quite fiddly to build, especially when you start adding PE, metal gun barrels, wood decks, rigging... Some builds require the skills of a micro surgeon.

As for the rest of your points I respectfully and strongly disagree.

Macho? Hard to get more macho than a battleship. Bristling with guns in a most warlike fashion and the ability to project hurt for miles and miles while taking fire. Sounds pretty macho to me.

Historical Appeal? USS Arizona and USS Missouri. For the USA,  WWII arguably began with the Arizona, and certainly ended on the decks of the Missouri. Or USS Hornet venturing deep into Japanese controlled seas to launch the Doolittle Raid. Numerous other ships have put their mark on history. The Golden Hind, the Niña, Pinta & Santa Maria, RMS Titanic to name some non warships... And so many others.

Sleek lines? To my eye IJN cruisers such as Atago and Takao had some lines that were truly graceful and sleek. Angles and sweeping curves of design that made them look like they were at full speed even when anchored. And not even mentioning small racing craft or similar vessels. 

In the news? Well 1, that depends upon your news source, and 2, what's going on in the world. Maybe not today, although I did read of a ship in the news today. But certainly in news of the past, and certainly in news from the future, there will be ships, civil and military.

Oh that's all there and more...

I have interest in ships, WWII US aircraft carriers in particular, but to do some ships right, you need to do rigging, and I cant stand doing that. One reason I dont do WWI aircraft.

Another thing to add is that no aircraft model can out detail a ship model.

Silver

Another thing to add is that no aircraft model can out detail a ship model.

 

Maybe so, maybe no...

Take a look here:

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Fea1/501-600/Fea541-F-4-Greutert/00.shtm

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Fea1/601-700/Fea656-F-4-Greutert/00.shtm

Nice F4.But;I have a 1/32 scale F4E scratch build cut away way nor detailed .Also I have another F4 E Israeli completely opened up and very highly detail and it lights up.The reason l have the edge is that I flew the F4s in my younger years.Both of the aircraft models are going to be displayed at my local museum at Boeing in Seattle.I, if I decide will post photos.Again yours looks very good.If the Nationals where to be held in Seattle .You and the modeling world will see it entered.i also have a friend who will complete soon a 1/144 scale aircraft carrier w/ jets and helicopters.I will build the aircraft for him.That ship model will have a cutaway area to show the inside bays.That will be the mother of ship Models.

Word of friendly advice.Their is lots of assorted wiring in the wings and throughout the plumbing of the aircraft.Its measured in miles in length.All cables are coded and clamped.Many assorted colors on wiring and clamps.

GMorrison

Ration that man some rum!

I am building a Dragon 1/700 carrier. I have literally taken the thing back apart twice now. Can't wait to get back to my Revell yacht model.

 

Man, now you guys are making me nervous about those Dragon cruisers in my stash!

Just got my USS The Sullivans in the mail.

Which suggests that maybe they just sit too long on the shelf at the LHS and aren't worth the space.

Silver

Again yours looks very good.

 

Haha, I'm sorry but I could never build a model like that.  The builder is a well-known Swiss modeler.  His name is Pierre Greutert. The world awaits your humdinger though!

Gary