I suppose it's true that model ships are bigger projects than most other kit subjects... and doubly so when you get into the aftermarket. As I spend lots of time in that area of the hobby I can vouch that the bar is set especially high among shipbuilders too.

 

I certainly find them fascinating but they just seem like a LOT of work. For a sailing ship like HMS Victory you've got piles of rigging and for a more modern ship like USS North Carolina you almost have to add piles of PE rails and other parts. It takes me forever just to build a 1/48th aircraft or 1/35th tank, I don't think I'd have the patience or stamina to ever finish even a 1/700th ship model. 

My hats off to you guys that can pull it off! 

Great discussion. I remember as late as the mid 80's seeing tons of naval models. I do see a great reduction in stock in current hobby shops and even at modeling shows where you will find rows of tables filled with aircraft and armor models but just a few ships.

The detail quality has improved  in the last few years and some really impressive models in the 1/700 and 1/350 scale can be built. Another scale that would be good to expand a selection is the 1/444 line. Currently several submarines are available with some outstanding details.

Hi;

     I don't think they are less popular . There is this though  .If you look around what do you have ? Supply ships and one Box boat ( the Colombo Express ) in 1/700 . The size - 1/700 , and what's available are killers for lots of folks .

     The selection is indeed small even to Tugs , Coast Guard patrol craft and of course Tankers and Passenger ships ( those since 1960 ) . Even the old ones are hard to find . Of course there's those ugly Hotels on Barges ( my term for the newest (liners ? )

     The really beautiful liners and freighters are almost non - existant .

   Now other civilian craft , if you want them , are available as large Wooden Wonders . That means ( I Wonder if I can build that , it's Wood .) They aren't cheap either and don't fit the new style mantels anyway .They are too big as a rule .

      That's how I got into building paper models .Trouble there is , most are models of European ships and boats . Very little for the American Merchant service . That's how Tanker - Builder as a handle came about .

      I use a technique borrowed from paper and build Tankers , Freighters , Liners , workboats and motoryachts , and everything that floats , that way . Also they are either railroad scales ( 1/160( " N " scale  , 1/87 ( H.O. scale) 1/48 ( "O " scale ) and once in a while , 1/72 scale .

    The interest seems to be in those objects that make war on the high seas .Whether the Age of Sail or Modern .There are few Clippers , Whalers or plain old cargo ships from the Age of Sail . Once in a while in the odd scales you will get a smattering of Civilian stuff from Japan or China , mostly ships you've never heard of . Those are all modern too or at least within the last twenty years .

     Revell used to do some nice ships like the S.S.United States , Oriana and Canberra from P and O and the Brasil/Brazil - Argentina , from Moore - Mc Cormack lines . And of course the ubiquitis  "Hawaiian Pilot " a Post war  " Stick Ship " ( a Merchant Term ) employed by Matson Navigation , who also operated the Mariposa , Monterey and the Matsonia and Lurline cruise ships ,    and the Nuclear Freighter Savannah operator unknown .  Must not forget the Queens ( Mary and Elizabeth ) done by both Revell and Otaki with a smattering from other companies .

 Hmmm . That's it .

    They had an old 50s era Chris Craft Tri-Cabin for years and even though it didn't happen , turned it into a " Sport Fisherman " ( no Way in real life ! ) . Years ago OTAKI had a 40' Coast Guard Inland patrol craft . OTAKI is the company which did the modern ships no one ever heard of . From molds of the same ( motorized for the domestic market ) in Japan .  All 1/400 except the patrol boat at 1/32 scale .

 So If you don't want to do Paper or Scratch - Build , you are kind of limited on what you can get , if you can even find it . I forgot to mention Lindberg's offerings in work boats and yachts  very large , except for the Chris Craft 30' express Cruiser ( a small Thirties / Forties cabin cruiser . It came Motorized and Non-Motorized ). they originally , Except the " Chris Craft Constellation " started life as PYRO kits many eons ago it seems .

       So there you have it . Except the " Hemi Hydro " and the hard to find " Bass Boat from Ranger " ( Two versions , by Revell ) there isn't much out there . Sorry but it's true . That's why ship modelers search like detectives at model shows where there are a lot of vendors . Trouble is , the price may equal or exceed what you would pay for a new kit of the U.S.S. North Carolina from Trumpeter , $ 225.00 with P.E.

     Don't let closeness to water fool you though . There  are very many folks crazy about ships and boats that have never dipped a toe in either coast's salty waters ! I have friends from Montana who are just bonkers about the old Liners from the forties and fifties !                Tanker - Builder

I have the usual suspects in my stash, Bismark, Hood, Missouri, Dreadnought and the last Tamiya Yamato I even have a couple of the Italeri 1/35s as well. To be honest they are being saved till I get better at modeling or I retire as they will take a while to build and I want to do them justice.

They also seem to take up a lot of room, well the two 1/35's will and appear so delicate I still wonder how I'll attach the railings on them

Phil

My interest in modelling is mostly non-military. Occasionally there's a military subject (such as an interesting plane) that I build, but mostly I like working civilian machinery: merchant ships, oil tankers, civilian planes, training aircraft, ordinary people's cars ... and so almost everything I like is out of fashion, and the manstream of model-building, which is mostly military-minded, isn't all that interested.

For me, that isn't a problem at all. I just have to work harder to find kits to build, subjects to model, and so finding something that interests me is part of the fun. I have to track down my modelling subjects – they're probably not going to be sitting there on the shelves of any hobby shop I enter – and so tracking down and researching the next model comes with the territory I have chosen to wander.

For all of the modelling mainstreamers building their Spitfire and Hurricanes, Bismarcks and Yamatos, F18s and Blackbirds, life is a bit easier, and you have plenty of friends doing the same and enjoying the fun with you. Good luck to you all, and happy modelling!

For anyone who chooses the road less travelled, not only in modelling but also in life, it has its own pitfalls and pleasures. But for me it is the only way I want to follow ...

And so when it comes to ships, if you think ships ain't as popular as they should be, what exactly is the problem? All you have to do is track down an interesting subject, spend time tracking it down, then do it justice. As the football coach once said "It's a simple game."

 

When it comes to ships I believe it depends on what era you are talking about. I believe you will find the old ships with sails the most popular. About 10 years ago a local museum had a private collection of old sailing vessels on display. At the time I was thinking of building the USS Constitution (the big one from Revell). After the museum visit I forever swore off even thinking about building it. The ships I saw there were some of the most amazingly detailed models I've ever seen in my life. Some of these were huge, in their own glass display cases. These were not built from kits as most of use know them. These were made of wood, metal, fabric not plastic. The parts were handmade by the builders. A few were lifetime works of their builders. If you ever get a chance to see some of these you will be humbled when you consider the skill, time, and effort that you as a modeler know that it took.

Sure I've visited Skyway Models.  It is a great resource for the Seattle area modeler, along with Galaxy Hobby in the north end.  Three Hobbytown USA stores offer varying amounts of support. 

Surface_Line

I think the ship sections in four of the five shops in the greater Seattle area are healthier than I remember 20-30 years ago.  Somebody must be buying them.  Even though I only build 1/700, I think they sell more of the big ol' 1/350 ships, and that draws more attention to the ship sections.

 

I try to say that I build 1/700 ships, 1/24 cars, 1/1200 sailing ships and Napoleonic 1/32 figures, but I find that I get focused on one area or the other for a few years and don't get any work done on the others.  Right now, it has been five or six years since I built anything besides a ship.  Between the nice new kits coming out and the really interesting, though clunkier older resin ships that I haven't built yet, I have tons of projects to work with and I am still slower than molasses.

Rick

 

Hey just curious have you visited skyway models???

I think the ship sections in four of the five shops in the greater Seattle area are healthier than I remember 20-30 years ago.  Somebody must be buying them.  Even though I only build 1/700, I think they sell more of the big ol' 1/350 ships, and that draws more attention to the ship sections.

 

I try to say that I build 1/700 ships, 1/24 cars, 1/1200 sailing ships and Napoleonic 1/32 figures, but I find that I get focused on one area or the other for a few years and don't get any work done on the others.  Right now, it has been five or six years since I built anything besides a ship.  Between the nice new kits coming out and the really interesting, though clunkier older resin ships that I haven't built yet, I have tons of projects to work with and I am still slower than molasses.

Rick

As a kid, I built a LOT more ships than what I have built as an adult. The market seems to have changed/evolved. Ship kits have gotten for more complex and pricey in the past 30+ years. Back then there was a more varied selection of kit types, and far more "entry level" kits for younger modelers. Now kits are more high end and in more specific areas and scales: mostly WWII, and some current types in two primary scales-1/700 and 1/350. Selection is great nowadays, but it would be nice to see other areas of shipping covered as well as more low cost/entry level type kits to attract younger modelers to the genre. I know folks argue about the high cost of a kit working out in hours spent vs dollars paid, but the initial costs are often quite steep and I suspect that is the biggest obstacle for many. The second being display space- anything bigger than a WWII destroyer starts to eat up a good amount of shelf display space.

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.

My opinion is that if a man is into modeling, ships are the quintessential expression of that. Men build ship models. Maybe it's because they lend themselve so well to a home's decor. You can get away with displaying a ship model easier because it hearkens back to the classic age of men at sea. If you've built a model ship, no one looks askance at you if you tell them.

That being said, the last ship kit I tried ended up in the garbage. Now, granted, this is because it was a marginal kit anyway--Dragon's old Ticonderoga class CG. I also handicap myself because I can't afford the nice new molds, and I'm sure that factor affects how appealing the genre is. An easy build increases the chance of more ships appearing finished on the shelf. 

So, in my own case, the challenge of a ship kit puts me off. I have a few 1/350 submarines in the display case, but have yet to put a surface vessel in there. I want to, because, again, manliness. Every guy needs a ship kit on his bench.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Sometimes it depends on where you live.  CLosaer to the water or a naval base you might see more ship models.

I really like ships in the 1/350 scale and have 13 builds in the case and 7 in the stash,but it has been about 7 years since I built one.For me it has been dwindling bench time which has prevented me,ships take awhile and when time is limited,I reach for something that goes a little quicker.

 

Could be pricing for many also,newer detailed stuff cost a lot,and if you choose PE,the cost can skyrocket.

A good question, curious to see what people think.

WW2 warships are being produced like never before as quality kits.

Sailing ship models are mostly the old dated ones, with a few new offerings.

Small craft, pleasure craft etc. used to be really popular but I would say are rare to non existent.

Merchant ships, forget about it.

This forum seems to perk along pretty well on the strength of a small group of regulars.