Lindberg ship model opinions?

FYI- in the future, you might get more/better responses if you put the name of the model(s) in your post.  Not all of us have the time/motivation to click on 5 separate links, and wait for 5 separate pictures to load.  (Not everyone has a broadband connection!)

To save others the hassle,  he's talking about the LST, LCVP, LCT, Minesweeper, and LSD.

I'd say they are all typical Lindberg.  I've seen all of them in one form or another over the years, and I've built the 1/32 LCVP.  It doesn't compare very well to the Italeri 1/35 scale kit, except on price.   The details are not too crisp, and somewhat over scale. It was originally designed to be built as a motorized toy, so the cargo deck is in two pieces to give access to the battery compartment, with a hole for the on/off switch.  There is no detail in the gun turrets, and the guns themselves are a little crude.  The boat has a molded in rope gunwhale that I've never seen on a picture of a real boat.

Still with a little "applied modeling skill", you can build a decent model from the kit.  On mine, I used a razor saw to remove the molded rope, replaced the guns with some aftermarket .30 cals, and used a Jeep model to help cover up the cargo deck floor.

Great opportunities for scratch building!

Not the best kits, sometimes crude, but cheap, oh so gloriously cheap!

I've got the LCVP.... it certainly looks like one when finished.

The only shipsfrom Lindberg that I have ever found to be reasonably worthwhile are their sailing ships. Unfortunately, they are not marketed as the ships that they actually represent but as ridiculous "pirate ships!"  For example, the British Royal Sovereign (ne: Sovereign of the Seas) is a 100 gun First Rate. No pirate ever sailed with one of those.

Oh, well.  Maybe one day they'll model a submarine!

Bill Morrison

I recently completed the minesweeper which I had done over 20 years ago, seemed that the parts didnt fit as well as they had before also it was missing set of flags and one of the propeller shafts was missing, this problem was remedied when my mother's dog had chewed up a christmas ornament and the wire was just the right size. The flags I got from some leftovers from another kit

I would steer clear of these, as there are better ship models out there for similiar prices. A bad experience with these Lindbergers might turn you off of ship models forever.

Lightship is a/ the classic. The ones you picked though are all fine, because there isn't much competition. But, if you look at the old kits of ships like Hood or Bismark, just walk away...

NEVER Eat Yellow Snow!!!!   Well that's an opinion!

Lindberg must be employing a comedian to write the copy on their web pages...

Historically accurate, laugh...

They have boxes of plastic resembling boats or ships that are from various decades & the misc. 'box scales'  don't match any other boat scales, except the 1/32 LCVP.

They may or may not be accurate, with the bonus that some of them could be used to make an accurate model in the hands of a good builder.

I've had the LCVP, & although the box says 1/32 is is very close in size to Italeri's 1/35th LCVP.

Conversations I've had aboutt the two boats suggest that they were build in large numbers by many small boat builders, so some variation is possible.

So you pays your money & takes your choice, google reviews of them, or treat them as 'historical' builds & build the ones you like the look of, & have some fun.

They have one thing going for them- they are big scale. Big means easier. A lot of WWII vessels, particularly from the Japanese manufacturers are 1/700, which can be tricky to master. Conversely, 1/350 or larger scale models can be very expensive.

If you are interested in the subject matter I think you can get  a nice 'mantlepiece' model from any of these kits. Sure, there are more accurate models, but I built a couple of these when I was a teenager and I found that they dropped together very well 'out of the box'. If you have your heart set on this type of vessel then the alternatives will make the lindberg kits look like a bargain: If you're not bothered about what sort of model you build, there are probably better kits out there in terms of accuracy/easy of build/ value for money.

In my opinion, the important factor is your own interest. If you really want one of these vessels you will be motivated to do justice to the model, whatever the quality. There's no point building the 'perfect' kit if you're not interested in the real ship it portrays= if you're like me, you'll never bemotivated enough to finish it!

I'd say 'go for it'

Will

warshipguy

The only shipsfrom Lindberg that I have ever found to be reasonably worthwhile are their sailing ships. Unfortunately, they are not marketed as the ships that they actually represent but as ridiculous "pirate ships!"  For example, the British Royal Sovereign (ne: Sovereign of the Seas) is a 100 gun First Rate. No pirate ever sailed with one of those.

Oh, well.  Maybe one day they'll model a submarine!

Bill Morrison

Wow! Which pirate ship is the RS?  I don't mind doing a lot of modification and kit bashing. If I have a reasonable hull, maybe I can make something good with it.  Never have built one of the pirate series.

We've been down this road before, opinion wise. The ship model kits Lindberg  offers are 1950's technology and are typical for that "golden" age of plastic. One thing Lindbergs critics fail to consider is that the company 's products were aimed at a certain facet of the market, i.e., low end, low cost models. Compared to Revell kits of the same period Lindbergs were crude but offered ship models no one else was making.   It's almost an old joke on this forum to even consider Lindberg a  "player" in today's market place. I haven't purchased any of the "new" foreign $200.00 ship kits everyone slobbers over but they are far superior to what Lindberg offers in terms of molding, fidelity to scale, Etc.  But if one takes  cost into consideration, and expectation of finished product, Lindberg continues to "soldier on" in the market place. But be forewarned: in many ways the original "Lindberg Line" ships  are bath tub toys waiting to be assembled but that's OK if you're looking just to take a run at building a ship model.  

The current offering of ship models found under the Lindberg banner include the old PYRO(Lifelike) kits which are as old as the original Lindberg kits, BUT they are superior to the plastic blobs Lindberg manufactured and should not be lumped in as a potential BB gun target. The NANTUCKET lightship, west coast fishing boat, and tugboat are just three  of the PYRO kits Lindberg has reboxed over the years and are nice models when complete. Add a little scratch building and these Pyro kits can shine. The Coast Guard Patrol boat is a nice Lindberg original but being a former Coastie I have a natural soft spot for these boats. 

 I don't have access to Lindbergs parent company's business plan but considering their recent Japanese sub fiasco, apparently they are still thinking 1950's swimming pool models  will sell. And yes, I've built the Blue Devil destroyer back in the day!

In closing,  purchase a "cheap" Lindberg kit, build it and draw your own conclusion. Like the old Hill's Brothers coffee commercial  tagline "You get what you pay for...."

Don,

Lindberg Marketing                        Real Ship

Sir Harry Morgan Pirate Ship         Le Saint Louis

Captain Kidd Pirate Galleon           Wappen von Hamburg

Jolly Roger Pirate Ship                  La Flore

Blackbeard Pirate Ship                  Royal Sovereign

Again, you get what you pay for.  La Flore and Wappen von Hamburg have vacuformed sails; the others have solid plastic sails molded to the yards.  They have fair detail and are nicely shaped.  All have open gunports, but the method of molding the guns varies from full carriages and cannons to a row of dummy barrels molded onto a strip that is cemented to the interior.  Anyway, I believe them to be adequate for the price and they do build into reasonable ship models with effort.  You should check them out.

I wish Lindberg would market these kits under their real names and expand the line. It seems to be what they do best, given their abysmal track record with 20th century warships.

Bill Morrison

Echoing thunder1's post, their USCG 95 footer is a good model of an A-Class 95 right out of the box and can be easily modified to a C-Class 95.  After-market details (new gun for one thing) and replacing the molded-on hand rail on the fo'c'sle dress it up nicely.

I also did their lightship and enjoyed it.

I also am an old Coastie!

My CG modeler's reference website is coastguardmodeling.com

Don,

I forgot to mention that they also have a kit of the Dutch Gouda.  I believe that most of their sailing ships were originally by Pyro, although I don't know the origins of La Flore and Wappen von Hamburg.  I remember these ships once manufactured as themselves.  They are unusual in that they have full gundecks.

Bill

On the "rope gun'nle" on the Lindy LCVP

It's good to remember that the US Army bought, and operated, a significant number of LCVP over the years.

I've anecdotal testimony from a former member of an Army Barge & Bridging unit that they regularly nailed condemned hawsers as a "rub rail" on many of their craft.  Now, one of their unit functions was to lash to a Ammie barge and use that as an impromptu ferry.  So, they were in a lot more contact with other vessels than a naval-use LCVP.  Finding photos of bridging units is rather difficult, but the nature of the beast--everyone is too busy to stop and take pictures; few there see anything remarkable to set to film.

The figures in the Lindy LCVP certainly seemed closer to 1/35 than the stated 1/32.  Always seemed wrong that they did not bother to include kapok life jackets.

AHA! I have told many folks to save their dollars and start your first ship with a LINDBERG "95 ' COAST GUARD CUTTER.It is a darn good facsimily to the 95s I,ve seen in CALIFORNIA. I use LINDBERG exclusively for my odd-ball conversions that I don,t want to do a %100 scratchbuild! I have ,on my bench ,right now the MINESWEEPER and it is now a OCEANIGRAPHIC RESEARCH VESSEL with AZIPOD drives(made from model truck wheels),Docking thruster at the bow,again made from model truck wheels-1/32 scale snap-fit kits) Small 24' containers on deck(all EVERGREEN)For the scientists to work in and a full blown %100 scratch built minisub with deck crane (rocker arch type) and two r.o.v. units stashed on the deck forward of the containers.There is an extendable crane on the port side aft of midships for the R.O.Vs. By using the LINDBERG hull I saved about four weeks work. She,s not finished yet.I still have to do the MAIN deckhouse and bridge ,mast ,radars spotlights etc. My wheel houses in this scale are fully detailed inside. I change the stern to a TRANSOM type and other things to allow me to move it into 1/87 scale.This way I can use PREISER figurines.Then scratch build whatever it takes to finish the SEA NYMPH. She is turquoise in color and bears the N.U.M.A. logo on the hull!  Now I have started a CUT-AWAY of the 95 foot CUTTER.There,s no way I would say,cut up ITALERI,S P.T. for this kind of model! The CUTTER is 1/80 scale so the engines areH.O. flat car loads from the model railroad section of my local HOBBYTOWN. SEE !! You can have a lot of fun with LINDBERG KITS!! Just don,t try to build accurate models out of the box !!Customize , modify and have a ball!     tankerbuilder

I got a little carried away and forgot to tell you that when someone says it ain,t so !check it on your own. I operated an L.C.V.P. when my ship needed something to haul pump and boiler parts to the bouy from the shore shops.This particular boat was built by HIGGINS and it had 4' hawser (ROPE) all the way around the deck in liu of a rubber or wood bumper.The is poor boat had a flathead four and couldn,t get out of it,s own way ,but, It never failed to start,never leaked and sipped the fuel. When I retired I bought a BOUY TENDER and converted it to a LIVEABOARD house yacht and my "DINGHY" was one of the old hIGGINS L.C.V.P.s and it was powered by a G.M.265 horsepower six when I got done with her. These old boats HAVE been converted to liveaboards too!!.The owner just drops the ramp down to pier level and VIOLA!! a front porch on your boat! The ramp is operational so you cover your front entry when you are underway.    tankerbuilder

Hey TB

 What was the name of the buoy tender you purchased? Was it a GSA auction piece or bought from a second party? I know from first hand experience that vessels purchased from the Coast Guard are usually in first class condition with all the "workings" still aboard. I paid a visit to a former USCG 62 foot tug(wood construction) and the owner told me it looked like it came out of the shipyard when he purchased it, all systems intact right down to the corrected charts in the pilot house.  I'm surprised that you "muck about" with model ships and boats, real boat owners can't be bothered with glueing plastic together when they can spend time cruising  the high seas in the "real thing". Many folk, like myself, will never afford  the "real thing" so a model kit, (in my case a radio controlled model on a lake or pond) is the closest ship we'll ever own.

thunder1

 Many folk, like myself, will never afford  the "real thing" so a model kit, (in my case a radio controlled model on a lake or pond) is the closest ship we'll ever own.

I'd like to be able to afford the cost to fill the fuel tanks just once.

I also recently completed the shrimp boat model, painted it in the colors of an old Gloucester fishing trawler I saw in a parking lot on the waterfront , the day after I took the pictures the boat was a pile of lumber, the model looks really good in its new colors

HI , I bought the bouy tender from an out of business auction at a defunct boatyard . She had been in their possession for about six months before they went under . You are right though . Except for the outside neglect at the yard she was pristine inside and the engines only showed 160 hours after last refit . I was fortunate to have the funds to cruise her and carry aboard two , YES , TWO restored SKI -NAUTIQUE ski boats. I played with the real thing until I ran out of cash paying doctors after insurance capped my wifes policy. It was great and if I was thirty years younger I would do it again! The idea of filling the tanks would be frightening now as I had removed one of the water tanks and increased the fuel capacity to allow longer cruising. She wasn,t fast , but when done to my taste she had it all. Yep ! hot tub , fireplace, air conditioning throughout  , gourmet galley and walk-ins . AH , those were the days . Now I play with plastic because I did so to while away the off-bridge hours working for an oil company (foreign) as a tanker captain . Then I built for some attorneys , the rest is history . I love models for the fact that they help me to remember the really "Good Times" and LINDBERG was cheap enough to take along in case I left it behind somewhere.        tankerbuilder

OK beginnings................maybe a good "learning project", with optional extra detailing/rigging.

In 1/87 scale,one "North Atlantic Fishing Trawler" became a coastal freighter, one is being built as a Collier,

One "Fishing Schooner Elsie" is now a 62' Ketch, and another built as a cutter rig ( plastic hulls only, the rest scratch built ),

The 1812 Privateer hull is being used to build a two mast schooner,

The "Brig of War" hull is being used for a 34' lobster sloop,

The "coast Guard Tug" was backdated to an older Steam Tug,

In other scales, The "Jolly Roger Pirate Ship" is becoming HMS Surprise, from the movie "Master and Commander......." and the "Bobtail Cruiser " is being built as USS Carronade IFS-1, the only ship of that design that the U.S. Navy had........

Come to think of it, I haven't built a single Lindberg kit as what it was meant to be.

sumpter250

In 1/87 scale,one "North Atlantic Fishing Trawler" became a coastal freighter, one is being built as a Collier,

I am glad to see there is another brave sole out there! I am working on the Lindberg Minesweeper kit and have to agree with most of the other posts out there about the quality of the kit. To put it simply the parts seem "clunky" however, there are some positives about the kit. I am looking to improve my skills as a modeler in weathering techniques and converting static models to RC and I figured that this little Linberg kit would make a good guinea pig to practice on! I rather practice on a clunky $20 kit than screwing up a $40 + kit. Hope this helps a bit.

The Trawler, like many of the Lindberg kits, come and go, and come back again. Best advice?, keep an eye on your local Hobby Shop...........or, if you have the patience, order one and wait for it to arrive.

PHILLIP , hey , I appreciate the input.I have to say though I have never seen a radio controllable boat or ship model for $40.00. The cheapest one I founrd is a supposed SEARAY and it was $129.00 . That said you will have fun with you choice and if you aren,t worried about power or range ,well you can stuff gear from a radioshack four wheel drive pickup . It will all fit . Then enjoy , study , think about the way she handles and plan to do something bigger that you can use FUTABA radio gear and servos and gell cell motorcycle batteries . I use them in tugs because they not only give you a lot of running time , but , they make good ballast too ! I use motors you can find at electronics hobby stores that sell salvaged electronic drive motors by the bucket .     oldcarguy

I have only had one Lindberg ship kit    La Flore   French Frigate. Never got around to building it but seem to remember that it looked quite a nice kit of an unusual subject.

I one of the earlier posts in this section converting a hull to make a pirate ship waq mentioned.One of the first ship kits I ever made was the Black Falcon pirate ship made by Merit in England in the 1950's. The moulds have gone to an East European manufacturer and it was re released  some time ago. it was a bit crude and from memory looked as though it was a 2 masted Brig. If you can get one this could depict a pirate ship quite well I should imagine with some work

I snagged the smallish Henry Morgan whaler in a Lindberg boxing. You can't fail to detect it was once a Pyro kit from the 60's, that you could buy at any drugstore. It is a nice little kit and basically a fun nostalgia build. Which is why I wanted to kow what their small USS Constitution was all about.

I also snagged their "Jolly Roger" kit - box photos of the built kit make it lok pretty sharp. Note that HobbyLobby has a 40% off coupon on their website and HobLobs almost ALWAYS have Lindy "pirate ships" on their shelves; the source of my JRoger. 

I happened to think ,after I posted the last time .I didn,t tell you which LINDBERG boat kit I rc,d . It was the LCVP . Why ?, well the RADIO SHACK 4 wheel drive p/u gear fit in there without much trouble AND the batteries were UNDER the cargo in the welldeck ! The COAST GUARD CUTTER IS a good candidate for small RC and it would work as well or better than the LCVP. Many RC clubs don,t like the smaller stuff running when they do so ,  if you have a place to run without a club GO FOR IT !!!          tankerbuilder