Most wanted ship kits

I went through my back issues yesterday, for anyone interested in the hard copy.  The article appeared in the April '06 issue.  It was a tantalizingly brief pictorial; I remember I really wanted to see progress photos.  Thanks for posting that link, there are many more pics of the finished model, than were printed.

The link supplied above is to Bill Waldorf's post; he's the modeler.  Interestingly, the article gave the scale wrong, as 1/72, which is why I wrote that above.

The aircraft were a mix of Hasegawa and Academy kits, and it was noted that he contacted the local IPMS chapter to build the airplanes and crew figures.  As of the publication of the issue, it was noted that the model was at a museum in Kalamazoo, MI, but it may have been relocated since them.

It is a really excellent build!

Best regards,

Brad

i think it is in a museum in florida.

Somebody's got talent. What a fantastic model. Should surely be in a museum. Thanks for the link, Paul

Thanks for the link to the pictures. That looks like it was a great project and came out well for the group!!! Thanks again,

Jack

1/96 scale http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=13617

Regarding the Sable and the Wolverine, there was an article in the magazine (FSM) about 5 years ago or so, featuring a 1/72 model of the Wolverine.  I don't recall the specific issue in which it appeared; hopefully someone else will remember, so we can reference it here.

I think it was a club project, with some guys working on the ship, and others working on the aircraft.  It was a fantastic build, and it's worth it to track down the article, for your enjoyment.

Best regards,

Brad

Hi Bill, Your right!

Both were paddle wheel steamers converted to carriers for the training of Navy pilots. No dangers from U-boats etc. while learning to land and take off from carriers. They didn't have hanger decks and were based just a few miles from Chicago. Some really good pictures on the net. One picture shows both tied up at Navy Pier. They were really kind of unique and would make a nice project of something different.

In addition, although they weren't really ships,  I've also always wanted to model the "Mulberry" harbors of D-Day as well.

Best regards,

Jack

NARA,,  College Park, MD

EdGrune

 

..

 

 

Both the Sable and the Wolverine were paddlewheel driven.   They were originally passenger ferry/cruise ships on the Great Lakes.    They were reconstructed,  cut down and build up with a flight deck for basic carrier quals.

 

Plans are available and a master in 1:350 has (which ones been made I forget)been made.   Problems were encountered in preparing the molds.    The steep undercuts for the paddle sponsons made for a very difficult mold.   Making a multipart hull is considered but aligning the sponsons for minimal seams has been a sticking point.     Large potential reject costs

Where are the plans available? I am not above a scratchbuilt- I have long wanted to do one or the other.

tucchase

 

warshipguy:

 

Weren't they training carriers on the Great Lakes? Didn't one of them have paddle wheels?

Bill Morrison

 

 

Now this sounds like an interesting ship!  Paddle wheels on a carrier?

Both the Sable and the Wolverine were paddlewheel driven.   They were originally passenger ferry/cruise ships on the Great Lakes.    They were reconstructed,  cut down and build up with a flight deck for basic carrier quals.  

Plans are available and a master in 1:350 has (which ones been made I forget)been made.   Problems were encountered in preparing the molds.    The steep undercuts for the paddle sponsons made for a very difficult mold.   Making a multipart hull is considered but aligning the sponsons for minimal seams has been a sticking point.     Large potential reject costs

The PE for the deck lattice work as well as the paddlewheels would  also be extensive (expensive).   The wheels were not just "riverboat' type,   Rather they were turn of the century state  of the art with a feathering mechanism

tucchase

 

warshipguy:

 

Weren't they training carriers on the Great Lakes? Didn't one of them have paddle wheels?

Bill Morrison

 

 

Now this sounds like an interesting ship!  Paddle wheels on a carrier?

Both the Sable and the Wolverine were paddlewheel driven.   They were originally passenger ferry/cruise ships on the Great Lakes.    They were reconstructed,  cut down and build up with a flight deck for basic carrier quals.  

Plans are available and a master in 1:350 has (which ones been made I forget)been made.   Problems were encountered in preparing the molds.    The steep undercuts for the paddle sponsons made for a very difficult mold.   Making a multipart hull is considered but aligning the sponsons for minimal seams has been a sticking point.     Large potential reject costs

The PE for the deck lattice work as well as the paddlewheels would  also be extensive (expensive).   The wheels were not just "riverboat' type,   Rather they were turn of the century state  of the art with a feathering mechanism

warshipguy

Weren't they training carriers on the Great Lakes? Didn't one of them have paddle wheels?

Bill Morrison

Now this sounds like an interesting ship!  Paddle wheels on a carrier?

Weren't they training carriers on the Great Lakes? Didn't one of them have paddle wheels?

Bill Morrison

How about the USS Wolverine and the USS Sable Aircraft carriers in WWII? I'd like to give them a shot as well but I know there is a limited market. How many out there have even heard of them?

Jack

the Baron

A new 1/700 Langley would be nice, too.  As with so many other CV modelers, I'd like to be able to model the first 9 US carriers, and those three would fill the gaps.

In order to be done correctly,  the use of photo-etch for the latticework on the Langley is almost a requirement.   Doing it a an open web matrix in injected PS is probably beyond the capabilities of injection molding technology.     Doing it as a solid piece with raised webbing (a'la many injected molded cranes) just wouldn't replicate the light latticework detail.  

That being said,   Loose Cannon does a resin & brass Langley in 1:700 scale.   It may be finised either as the first carrier configuration or in the as-lost seaplane tender configuration.

The Loose Cannon kit is broadly based on the version presented in FSM from 15 to 20 years ago.  With the details improved and the photoetch presented in a finer form than the artwork in FSM allowed.

My own "Most Wanted" were completely out of the mainstream.  I'd like to see kits of the USS Ranger (CV-4) and USS Wasp (CV-7) in 1/700.  I know, I know, there are the resin Corsair Armada kits out there, but I think they're out of production again, and hard to find.  A new 1/700 Langley would be nice, too.  As with so many other CV modelers, I'd like to be able to model the first 9 US carriers, and those three would fill the gaps.

Best regards,

Brad

I can recommend these books:

Lennarth Peterssen "Rigging Period Ship Models"

Roger Charles Anderson "The Rigging Of Ships In The Days Of The Spritsail Topmast, 1600 - 1720"

Jean Boudriot "The Seventy-Four Gun Ship Vol. 3 (Masts - Sails - Rigging)"

Wolfram zu Mondfeld "Historic Ship Models"

Karl Heinz Marquardt "Bemastung und Takelung von Schiffen des 18. Jahrjunderts"

Rolf Hoeckel "Modellbau von Schiffen des 16. und 17. Jahrhunderts"

George Biddlecombe "Art of Rigging" - old one, but can be found on Google books search

I work in the smaller scales (1/200th and such). I just don't have the space for larger models. The weave of a piece of cloth is way too big for the scale. Also, most threads would be too thick. And sprue breaks and bends at all the wrong times and places.

And don't get me started on the useless instructions found in most kits. Adding together all the time I've spent on the computer and at the library looking up how to do the rigging depresses me.

If you have any good sources still in print let me know 

But You can simply make cloth sails and 100% accurate rigging - all in Your hands...

By the way, i like only sailing ships, with small list of exeptions, not sailing ships: i like RMS Titanic, IJN Yamato, Bismarck, Varyag, HMS Hood (strange, but all of these ships has dramatic end). And that's all.

Overall, I like sailing ships better than modern battleships.

I think the main complaints people have are 1) The sails look fake and 2) doing rigging properly can be a real pain.

I fully realize these are true. The sails do look fake. The rigging is probably not even 75% accurate.

I still love 'em.

Deal.

That's a good list!  I would add:

• HMS Vanguard
• HMS Queen Charlotte
• HMS Agamemnon
• HMS Captain (Nelson's)
• HMS Bellerophon
• HMS Shannon
• Bucentaure
• Droits de L'Homme

Bill Morrison

My most wanted ship kits (all sailing ships):

De Zeven Provincien

Friedrich Wilhelm zu Pferde

Prins Willem

Royal Caroline

Rotter Loeve

Santisima Trinidad

San Martin

Le Ambitieux

HMS Beagle ("normal" model, not "clone" of HMAV Bounty)

Prince Royal

Henri Grace A Dieu - Great Harry

Mary Rose

Ark Royal (Ark Raleigh)

rcboater

I have seen one in plastic-- There was the little Lindberg towboat-- one of their four little (3-4 inches long IIRC)  workboats:  A Towboat, a little tug, a fireboat, and I forget the fourth.    The kits were sold individually, and later in one box as "workboats four" or some such thing....

 

 

Don Stauffer:

 

 

  Never seen a single plastic kit of a towboat, so common on midwest rivers. 

 

That's right- I had forgotten all about that one!

No I'm am really not interested in building  any civilian ships,except possibly Titanic.Men-O-War are so much better looking in my eyes.It's just an opinion thing.

I have seen one in plastic-- There was the little Lindberg towboat-- one of their four little (3-4 inches long IIRC)  workboats:  A Towboat, a little tug, a fireboat, and I forget the fourth.    The kits were sold individually, and later in one box as "workboats four" or some such thing....

Don Stauffer

  Never seen a single plastic kit of a towboat, so common on midwest rivers. 

     Without reading the thread I'm still for some Manilla Galleons which I am going to try and simulate with the IMAI or is it Entex kit when I get it. The Drake ship from these guys has the outside ribs and I'm going to take a lick at that. I'm in Siam and like to think of the first ships that reached this faraway exotic land. I'd also like to see a detailed SS Central America in 1/96 and some generic large sailing ship( from the California/Nevada Gold Rush era. Maybe there is stuff out there, but I'm no expert.

    On my workbench: Revell Kearsarge 1874, Revell Santa Maria converted to the most generic freight vessel I can figure out/extra cannons, Greek/Roman war/freight galley in black and Great Western/Airfix (and too many others ie, HO trains and 1/32 slot cars.)  No more pics yet, I gave my digital to the cleaning lady. She was on a verrrrrry big bummer. (no details) Paul/Siam

I also agree with Don, but few civilian ships have made history as the publishers understand it.  Also, how about the lack of plastic sailing ship kits? There have been many of historic interest, but the manufacturers ignore them as well.

Bill Morrison

Hey, DON, I agree with you. That,s why I acquired a whole lot of papermodels when I could.This gave me lots of models of civilian vessels that I could build in the same scale or enlarge to my favorite scale for these which is 1/87. I do wish ,like you there were more ,but,the companies go where the profit is. Like model airplanes if there is a higher demand we,ll see more BF 109 s and FW 190s. That holds true in ships too , darn it! oh, well I guess you and I will still be scratching when we want what we want. tankerbuilder

DURR

i agrree with you Don  i would love to see a lng tanker or two  and a few modern passenger ships  and even smaller lake frieghters and large ore carriers  like the edmund fitz.   all in Non-resin

There are a few laker kits out there.  There is a nice 1:700 resin model of the Fitz, not too pricey. I think Carr hobbies in Duluth handles those.  There is a 1:87 scale laker, styrene, a generic one, aimed primarily at model railroaders.  You can build it in various lengths.  Even full length it is a bit short. I think you can get that one through Walthers.

There are a number of plans for those willing to scratch build, and A J Fisher co. has been bought at back in operation.  They used to provide wooden (solid hull) lakers.  Don't know which kits are back in production.