What Did Everyone First Build.?

Revell's USS Arizona - Then I Pearl Harbored it.

I can't remember the very first ship, but I built darn near every carrier and battleship that Revell made. I think my first carrier was probably the Yorktown, and first battleship was probably Missouri or New Jersey. Also built a couple of Revell Arizonas. (They were cheap back then!)

Probably the Revell Arizona followed by the Missouri

1:700 Bismarck, after that i build allmost every battleships, carriers classes available 1:700 back than. today i build 1:350 ww2 warships.

My very first ship model was a Revell USS Franklin D. Roosevelt aircraft carrier. My dad and I did the actual building, and my mom did all of the painting. My first "solo" ship model was a Revell USS Sullivans destroyer.

Jim

I'd have to say it was the venerable Revell MIssouri...I remember wanting the Titanic (my mom is a Titanic nut), but I remember my dad telling me the model came with a big hole in the side, so I couldn't play with it in the tub...

Where does the time go? From a Revell Missouri to scratchbuilding a Schnellboot in 1/32 scale...sheesh.

Built lots of them back in my early days (late 70s), mostly from the Airfix and Revell ranges. Difficult to remember which one was first, but it could have been the Airfix Graf Spee (still my favourite subject in ship modeling). Built loads of carriers from Revell (had loads of fun re-creating dogfights with all the aircraft in those!), and some neat (well, at the time!) subs showing 'all' inside details...

It must have been in the mid 50s' - a carrier with F9 panthers and a chunky crane-shades of The Bridges At Toko Ri. I was aware something had gone on in a place called Korea, but at the time when I picked it out to "glue together" the notion that this carrier on the model shelf was there because it shot planes off the deck that flew in Korea was still not recognized by a 7 year old. I moved on to the Tug Boat (the Lindberg mold) and thence to The Sullivans. Currently working on the Heller 1:100 HMS Victory(so 47 years later I still get a kick out of "glueing them together, albeit with CA now) scheduled launch date....when it's launched!~!

It must have been in the mid 50s' - a carrier with F9 panthers and a chunky crane-shades of The Bridges At Toko Ri. I was aware something had gone on in a place called Korea, but at the time when I picked it out to "glue together" the notion that this carrier on the model shelf was there because it shot planes off the deck that flew in Korea was still not recognized by a 7 year old. I moved on to the Tug Boat (the Lindberg mold) and thence to The Sullivans. Currently working on the Heller 1:100 HMS Victory(so 47 years later I still get a kick out of "glueing them together, albeit with CA now) scheduled launch date....when it's launched!~!

The first ship I recall building was Lindbergh's PT-109 when it was first released. (Many moons ago...) I remember tube glue and an awful paint job at the waterline. I've since picked up a copy of the '109' in 1/32 scale that was made for RC. This time I'm going to take extra care and do it right.

My first ship was the Bismarck 1:700, 17 years ago.

Macross VT-1 Super Ostrich was my reintroduction to the hobby after more than a decade repite

Hi,
Ah, fond memories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!My first time AH ,./..Er ship model
was the Revell Arizona and then the USS Missouri.40 yrs later my sons first
ship was the Revell Arizona!!!!!
Good Hunting,
rdxpress

My first ship was the Titanic, I don't know what maker,but it must have been in about 1/700 scale.This is about 1980,before they actually found the Titanic on the ocean floor.I remember that It was very glossy as I only had gloss paint .Now I'm working on 1/350 Bismarck from Tamiya.Anyone know where I can get the decals or stencils for the bow and stern swastikas?

The very first that I can recall was the schooner "Bluenose" back in the late 1950s. Can't remember who made the kit nor the scale, must have been Monogram or Revell. At the time, I thought it turned out pretty nice. I would probably throw rocks at it now.

Pete

I first built a 1:700 yamato, well maybe i was too ambitious and it looked horrible

The first model I built was the old DKM Tirpitz by Revell, then the DKM Bismarck (which was to my irritation, practically the same thing), then I built the Revell USS Arizona. Of the three, only the Arizona is still around. It was so damaged by 20 years of abuse that I "rebuilt" it as the wreck it appears today at the bottom of Pearl Harbor. I built another Revell Arizona 2 years ago, souped up with photo-etched railings and put the two together. They actually look pretty neat. Gives one a "then and now" effect.

My first ship model was a Revell 1/570 Tirpitz. Working on a 1/600 Airfix Graf Spee now.

1/72 F-105, I was 6 and had an unique "fingerprint" camouflage scheme to it.

LT

My first ship model was Revell's U.S.S. The Sullivans (the original Fletcher Class destroyer) which I received as a 10th Birthday present. Sullivan is our family name and although we're not related to the five brothers who went down on U.S.S. Juneau, I knew the story.  It was a strange experience building that model; on  one hand, it was fun, and on the other hand, it was  sad.  I can't explain it any better than that.

As you might expect, I didn't produce a museum quality model, but it had a place of honor on my desk for years.  A while back, I bought a kit of this ship - building it is on my "to do" list.

Wow, talk about bringing a post back from the grave!

Well, since it's here I may as well join in.

I remember, a long time ago, I built this jet model.  I must have been 7 or 8 years old.  All I remember was that I didn't paint it and I took it to show and tell at school.  It was a big model, a military jet and had the nosecone like the concorde, that would bend down when the plane was landing.  I can't think of the name of it right now.  All I know is that I was proud as can be of that model and it sparked my younger-days career in modelling that lasted until I went to college.

So here I am, over 35 years later, and after a 15 year break, I find myself in love with the hobby again.  I'm currently working on Heller's Soleil Royale, just recently finishing Revell's 1:96 Cutty Sark (which sits proudly in my boy's room.  I have a Montague Dawson print coming in the mail to go behind it on the wall.)  Waiting in the wings are the Heller 1:100 La Reale, two Revell 1:96 Constitutions, and the imposing Heller Victory. 

Needless to say, I'll be kept in sailing ship heaven for years to come....

First ship was the 1/96 Cutty Sark my step sister brought over on new years eve of 1971, i was eleven at the time, and had no clue what i was doing, but got her together with no paint, and very limited rigging, and man was i proud of that ship!.

I remember the 1/96 Cutty Sark myself. I was 11 when it was goven to me & it had no instructions in the box. I too had no clue as to what I was doing & I found every book there was on her & pics so i could do it up right.

I'm quite sure my first ship was a monogram Iowa class.

First ever model was a Revell 1/72 FW190. Remember getting more glue where I shouldn't than where I should have.

First ship was a Revell Trawler that an Aunt got me for Christmas. Might have been a Russian Spy Trawler, but over 30 or so years, memory fades.

My first ship model (no idea when I built it, but probably the late 1980s) was the Airfix 1/600 Scharnhorst/Gneisenau. I still have some AA guns and other bits from this model in my spares box! I also built the Frog/Novo Shell Welder tanker, and a modern US carrier of some kind which may have been the Airfix 1/600 Forrestal. 1/72 aircraft were my main interest back then however.
I also remember being given the Airfix 1/170 HMS Victory as a Christmas present, which seemed a mind-bogglingly complex and difficult kit to me at the time - I never built it and I think the kit was later sold at a car boot sale.

When I got back into modelling about 5 years ago, my first ship model was, of all things, the Airfix 1/600 4-stack destroyer HMS Campbeltown, which I built in 2001. (The kit was given to me by a neighbour who'd had it in his attic for years). Until about a year and a half ago, ship modelling didn't really interest me much, mainly because I had a (false) perception of ship models as being small + limited in detail - until I built the Revell 1/72 Vosper MTB kit, which made me an instant convert to 1/72 ship/boat models. (This kit is fairly crude + inaccurate, but nevertheless it was what got me interested in this scale).
I stuck to 1/72 scale for a while but after building a couple of kits in the 1/150-1/250 range (Revell USS Defiance and Buckley) found that these scales also offered plenty of detailing opportunities.
Whilst I still prefer building models in 1/250 or larger, I now also build 1/350, 1/400 and 1/600 ships, the latter scale mainly because it's the only way (other than scratchbuilding) to build a representative collection of WW2 Royal Navy ships!

Threads like this are always fun to read, it's interesting to see what kits everyone started with! I'd imagine the Revell 1/535 Missouri must be the most common "first ship kit" in the US, not sure what it is here in the UK, maybe the Airfix 1/600 Belfast or Bismarck. (Despite being one of the worst representations of its subject, the Airfix Bismarck is probably also the best selling, the same is probably also true of the Revell Missouri...)

  Memory of the first model I ever built has fallen out of time, into darkness......There was a series of books, for young readers, that featured a schooner, named "Windrider". Using a small block of wood, some toothpicks, and some thread, I built that schooner, a two master, as I "saw" it when reading the story. The first plastic model I remember, vaguely, was a full rigged ship. It was about 5" overall.. The oldest model I still have, is the Ideal, Revenue Cutter "Alexander Hamilton", though, it has been "rebuilt" several times, and no longer resembles the original kit.

My very first ship model was an Aurora "Doctor Dolittle Good Ship Flounder". I saved up my allowence for weeks and purcharsed it at the local 5&10 store.

As I recall, I was around 7-8 years old and it went pretty well until I got to the sails which required multi-colored stiping painted on. I did my best, but the stripes sure didn't look like the photo of the completed model on the instruction sheet.

I sure wish I still had that model, would love to give it the "whole treatment". It was a pretty little schooner. Hmmm, maybe I can still find one out there somewhere...

Wow, what a trip down memory lane...my Dad and uncle would take me to Quonset point for Navy Day and I loved crawling around the ships and aircraft that were at the base for the day. The carrier based at Quonset I believe was the USS BENNINGTON, mid 1950's. So my dad took me to a local hobby shop to purchase a carrier to build for my birthday. Well, they were fresh out of  Revell  carriers but the shop did have a Revell MISSOURI, so that model came home with us. But since I was 6 years young, my old man didn't trust me with a tube of glue. So I had to wait(seemed like forever) until my Dad could sit down at the kitchen table and "help" me put it together....until that evolution took place I would dry build the model every chance I got. No wonder half the quad forty's were missing...and one of the catapults..what a great model to start with...been building every since.( hey my second model was the Lindberg "Moon Rocket", sent away for that model, used half a tube of glue on it!)

Mike M.