Well...I guess anything that gets people - especially young people - interested in the hobby is a good idea. A hull length of "over a foot" seems pretty small for a...ship...like this, though. Those animals are going to have to be mighty small.
The Minicraft ad emphasises that the kit has been designed for families to work on together. That's a concept I support whole-heartedly. Quite a few years ago my wife, my stepdaughter and I built a series of life-size bird models by Bachmann, and all three of us enjoyed it tremendously. We mounted all twelve birds on a stained wood plaque, which is still ornamenting the guest room. And just a couple of weeks ago my nine-year-old grandson and I tackled the "Triceratops Diorama Set" from Tamiya. The idea of modeling a dinosaur had never occurred to me before, but that kit is one of the best-designed ones I've ever seen. The base includes a "pond" with a thin sheet of clear plastic over it (and fish and a prehistoric salamander below the surface), a "palm tree" with individual leaves made from plasticized crepe paper, and a pair of velociraptors (with individually-molded claws). The instructions are beautifully done - and feature a section, obviously written by a zoologist, relating the known facts about the critters in question. We finished the project in four sessions of two or three hours each - just about right for a kid of that age. I confess I had trouble saying goodbye to our dinosaur when I packed him up in Ben's suitcase for the return flight to Texas. Well done, Tamiya. If this forthcoming Noah's Ark approaches the same level, I'll buy one for Ben's next visit.
Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.