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Need ideas for 1/700 first ship!


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Hi all!

Just getting back into modelling and decided to give a ship a go as my next project - see if it floats my boat (sorry)...

I am looking for something possibly waterline as I want to 'base' it with a sea base (once I figure out how to do it).

I have seen quite a few 1/700 kits around but my head is now spinning as some are really old casts, others are new but I think I have frazzled my peepers looking into them all...so, can you knowledgeable folks(es) give me some ideas/pointers/suggestions on some decent ones to get started with in this scale (or close as).

Many, many thanks.

Pete (currently making a mess of an academy me262).

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Size? Nation? Period?

As usual, go with Tamiya for a safe bet. Either an E class or V/W destroyer would be an excellent starter. Either Skywave or Trumpeter Liberty ships would be a good choice for something a little larger. I'd steer clear of the battleships because it is not too easy to tell which are the new kits and which the old. There is a Warspite just out which should be fine but I haven't seen reviews yet. Most of the US cruiser kits are fine (if you avoid Revell) with the Tamiya Indianapolis being probably the best.

You should be OK with Trumpeter, Pit Road (Skywave), or Dragon. If you really want to try something special the recent Dragon US destroyer kits are incredibly finely detailed, but might be a bit too much. Similarly the recent Essex class carrier kits.

This assumes you will want to avoid resins with etched brass and other delights.

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Hi Pete.

I think the key to your dilema, is to pick a subject that interests you before worrying about which are new or old kits.

There is no point building the latest kit if the subject does not "float your boat".

Personally, I would decide on a nation and time period as Graham has suggested and then look at which of these ships really interest you.

Above all, your kit build should be enjoyable, so my advice is to do the ship you WANT to do, even it means having to opt for an older or less advanced kit.

John

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Thanks lads, my favourite period is the dreadnought era right up to around 1950 ish, british primarily but partial to most other nations (apart from the swiss navy - useless).

I do not mind brass etch but definitely not ready for resin yet :-)

Pete

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Have you had a look on the White Ensign site? That should tell you just what is available. They are very helpful: if you have some idea of what you want they'll let you know whether it is old or new tooling - though the price is usually a give-away with the Japanese manufacturers. Just don't look at their resin lists. Personally I find resin kits much less fearsome than the etched brass that comes with them, unless you really want the subject. White Ensign offer particularly promising resin RN subjects but the etch sheet is frightening! The other good source is Hobby Link Japan, which is usually some months ahead of WE and maintains a wider range of the Japanese toolings.

There are two particularly helpful websites: Model Warships http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/index.php is particularly useful for tracking down individual subjects and kits, whereas Steel Navy is livelier but less useful for kit research http://members.boardhost.com/Warship/

I do second wholeheartedly the idea of picking the subject and letting the choice of kit fall out, although personally I would still avoid the older ex-Matchbox, Revell or Italeri subjects. You can almost always do better - and the crudity of the details will severely disappoint you.

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Agree with most of what Graham has said. To keep it simple: if you're starting out in 1/700, you won't go wrong with Tamiya, which range from very good to excellent. They are reliably better than offerings from the other three Big Four Japanese manufacturers (in descending order of quality: Hasegawa, Fujimi, Aoshima). Among their more recent releases (hence the best of the best) are HMS Repulse, HMS Vampire, USS Indianapolis, Prinz Eugen, IJNS Mogami. The flip side of this is that they tend to be quite markedly more expensive. Relatively, the older HMS King George V/Prince of Wales, HMS Nelson/Rodney, Scharnhorst/Gneisenau, USS Enterprise/Hornet, while not quite up to Tamiya's latest standards, can be had surprisingly cheaply for the quality on offer (£12-17).

Also thoroughly recommended are the Revell Bismarck and Tirpitz. Can look stunning from the box and are reasonably priced (£18).

Compared with the above I think you will find most other offerings disappointing. In particular avoid anything with an Aoshima label on it. Matchbox (some reboxed by Revell) are a bit heavy in detail, which gets more and more of a problem the smaller the scale: HMS Exeter is the best of the crop.

Can't comment on recent Skywave releases though I have heard (from Graham!) that some of them are excellent.

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Skywave(Pit Road) always have been good, by the standards of their times, but nowadays more releases come from Trumpeter and Dragon than what once were "the Big Four". Dragon are a mix of truly cutting-edge stuff and Skywave reboxings. Trumpeter are now "partnered" with Skywave and are generally good but sometimes slip a little - they will still look great compared with Matchbox. Revell are about to release the Matchbox Kelly, which I thought the best of their range (I admit to a preference for the smaller stuff) but it still has huge gaps in the fit and needs all its armament and details replacing with WEM extras. Its main value used to be as a cheap hull for later War Emergency destroyers.

The latest toolings by Aosima are as good as any (I'm told), but they are few and you have to be sure which one you're getting. The earlier Fujimi stuff was also below the big two, but their recent run of liners/auxiliaries/tankers are much nicer.

One other specific kit I'd add to the excellent list is the Dragon Essex class, which comes in a variety of options of which the Lexington and Ticonderoga are supposedly the most accurate - these ships did change a lot in detail and whilst you may not care too much about that, you might as well start with the best.

I still think that for a newcomer something small and straightforward is probably most suitable, one of the Tamiya destroyers (not O-class) or the Trumpeter Cossack. But only if you fancy the subject.

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I know you said you would prefer RN but for a first ship I did Dragons premium edition USS Arizona. This came with enough PE to complete the ship add a bit of detail and still keep it simple enough to not frustrate me and give me a battleship. I think most dragon kits are released as normal boxings and premium editions with Photoetch included, so make sure you get the premium boxing :)

cheers Callum

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Revell are about to release the Matchbox Kelly, which I thought the best of their range (I admit to a preference for the smaller stuff) but it still has huge gaps in the fit and needs all its armament and details replacing with WEM extras.

The Matchbox Kelly was really welcome when it came out but what I recall about it is the very thick (1.5mm?) hull sides which moved all the detail on the deck and the locations for the davits inboard about a scale yard. Also the top corners of the hull sides were quite rounded. Nothing that can't be corrected, as some of the excellent made-up examples I've seen attest, but I suggest there are better candidates for a stress-free no-extras-required first build, including, as you say, the Tamiya E-class destroyers and HMAS Vampire.

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I agree. The Japanese companies were ahead of the field with their moulding tools, that permitted detailed decks on single-piece hulls. I just thought that as paganpete might walk into his local shop and see this as a new release, he'd better know a bit about it.

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Thanks all,

As a matter of fact I did pop into modelzone in Hull and see the Kelly/Kipling which I thought would be a good start but am never sure about Revell quality as I remember some nightmares with them, Italeri and Airfix when I used to model!

I have checked out WEM and I love the site...so much stuff (will check other links later), I think I am going to plump for a 'safe' Tamiya to start off with and take it from there as you have all supplied me with so much help and info!

Many many thanks - will keep things updated as to what I choose!

Pete

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Hello there, I echo the Tamiya Vampire destroyer choice definitely, having built her recently, and also the Revell Bismark if you wanted something non RN. They were two of my most enjoyable builds. (The best was Combrig's HMS Hood from 1893 - it was Resin I am afraid, but honestly there was nothing untoward with it except being careful with sanding and using different adhesives. Maybe one for later!)

Have fun whatever you chose, and remember - enjoy it!

All the best, Ray

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Thanks Ray...I am leaning towards the Vampire at the minute: I have a couple of other cheap models to practice on before I do a decent one - try and get my shaky hand skills somewhere near they were 15 years back :-)

Pete

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Have you considered aircraft carriers? You then get a mix of maritime and aviation.

Fujimi HMS Ark Royal and Eagle - 1950's era

Aoshima HMS Victorious - 1940's era

Although these are quite old kits they can still be picked up at model shows at reasonable prices.

Mike

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Old and awful - but ok for practicing skills on, if you know that in advance. They will not look good compared with modern tooling. OK, the Fujimi one isn't quite as bad as the Aosima if you throw away the aircraft. A decent Illustrious class has to be one of the most desired kits - almost as much as a Town class cruiser!

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Have you considered aircraft carriers? You then get a mix of maritime and aviation.

Fujimi HMS Ark Royal and Eagle - 1950's era

Aoshima HMS Victorious - 1940's era

Although these are quite old kits they can still be picked up at model shows at reasonable prices.

Mike

And for good reason: they are excrement. The much-anticipated Aoshima Victorious was a massive disappointment - crude and massively behind the state of the art - when it first came out in the 1970s and it will not have improved in the 40 or so years since. Probably one of the worst of the Aoshima offerings, which is saying quite a lot! The Fujimi Ark Royal and Eagle were less bad but will still be disappointments to the modern eye and take a lot of work. If you're keen to try an aircraft carrier, the Tamiya Hornet or Enterprise are aging but basically sound. Of the two I'd go for the Hornet (early war) as the Enterprise (late war) has, IIRC, some inaccuracies in the light AA fit - though it'd still be an enjoyable build.

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Wow... has this thread been an eye opener: I just bought the tamiya O-class, the Fujimi Eagle and the Aoshima Katsuragi. I did get them at good prices: 500 for the O-class, 1300 for the eagle and 1600 for the Katsuragi (which is a new tool).

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If you dig around there's a lot on info on the net about ways of improving the O-class. The forecastle is too long for all but Onslow, and the superstructure could do with squaring off to make more vertical. I never found that too difficult, with a sharp knife or sanding tool in a drill, plus a bit of filler. WEM do replacements/alternatives for the armament, which did vary considerably on the O/P classes. Their etched set is a delight after you get over the initial shock. You can even buy mines for the minelayers.

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  • 9 months later...

Pete, as a first kit I would still go with a carrier and not because I'm biased. Reason being, perhaps with a Skywave Bogue Class or some other CVE, the construction is simple and the detailing minimal. Apart from the painting of the flight deck, I would say that satisfaction should be 'the hook' which pulls you down further into the detail. A larger vessel will do this after you've completed it and you stand back and think to yourself...'wow. did I make that'!?

As to the Aoshima Illustrious class with its moulded on anchors etc., yeah it was a crappy kit, even for the period it was made (think Tamiya et al)...but, it is still the basis for a cheap workhorse, and may I say, a horse which can elevate your detailing skills and enjoyment higher. Bloody good carrier overall too...even with its still debated armoured deck and minimal a/c complement. (The RN punched above its weight and even HMS Victorious helped the USN when its call sign became the USS Robin)

All you need are references, patience and quick posts here to help you along. (I'd be willing to help you do any carrier going...not because I want to, but because I can. Now there's a boast!)

As to Fujimi Ark or Eagle; lovely CAG on both too. Ditch the Sikorsky's though!

EDIT: GO ON DO AN ESSEX CLASS with disruptive pattern...that'll wow anyone!!!!

PS: I used to use DAS Pronto for my seas as it is a slow but self hardening modellers clay and you could imprint the hull form for insertion later. NB- with the hardening process it does shrink ever so slightly, but if you don't go too deep and pull it off the base quickly, you can still sculpt deeper and when fixed, mould the bow wave and any gaps with a spatula/butter knife! I'm raring to help...

Paint sea in matt and then brush semi-gloss varnish...ahh it's all coming back now! :)

Edited by Nobby57
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Take a look at the thread entitled ' Navy Documents and Manuals online.' (In this forum) Started by The Velociweiler.

Try this link for ides on a US made CVE, HMS Attacker; posted by cmatthewbacon... http://hnsa.org/doc/plans/index.htm

Edited by Nobby57
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Ditch the Fujimi Seafires too - fading memory has drawn a grateful blank over the other aircraft.

I do agree that the Tamiya (ex-Skywave) CVE will make a good introduction. The Dragon Essex might be a bit forbidding at first but are light years ahead of the horrid Aosima and Fujimi British carriers. If you really have to do a British carrier, and want a decent kit, then you have to go to resin. The Colossus is excellent, and their Ark Royal is supposed to be even better.

I think the Tamiya Repulse is supposed to be pretty good too, but I'm not into the big targets.

Edited by Graham Boak
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As it seems carriers are back on the menu for me too Graham, those L'Arsenal Colossus class Light Fleet Carriers look tempting....maybe a Sasebo diorama, with HMAS Sydney relieving the Glory.

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