prowler0000 Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I`m going to get a Titanic: I just can`t put it off any longer..... But which one? Minicraft do 2 variants: 1 plain vanilla & 1 with PE of some description. Revell (sic?) do one in 400th scale, which isn`t my usual flavor, bur if its the better kit.... I haven`t seen any reviews for these ships, save for those on the RMStitanic page, & thay`re a bit spotty, to be honest! Comments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richellis Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 I have the revell anni version, and I will be doing a review soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killingholme Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I didn't want to reply as I've not seen all three kits in question, but being as it is so quiet in here... The Minicraft kit is quite old- originated with Entex in the 1970s. It was state of the art in it's day though. Firstly, and applicable only if you're buying second-hand (and like a lot of big plastic ship kits, there are good deals out there from vendors who bought it and decided they couldn't manage the complexity) is to make sure you get a post-1999 boxing of the kit. At this time Minicraft actually reworked the moulds to expunge some errors. Not all of them by a long chalk, but it gives you a fighting chance! The deluxe edition of this kit includes just etched railings and shrouds. To buy the exact same thing from Toms Model Works costs $20, so given the price diferential in the UK between the two kits, the deluxe edition is probably a fairly good deal regardless of how much further a/m detail you intend to add. You can always supplement the Minicraft etched railings with Toms Model Works 'Titanic detail set', which gives you lifeboat davits, compass platform, etc etc. It is a small etch that does not include railings and will ensure that you don't duplicate any parts- quite cheap at $20. You can of course sink three-figure sums on etch though! Overall, the minicraft kit is big (which in my opinion makes it easier to work on) but also a bit crude in places (the poor hull plating detail is almost a show-stopper for me, because unlike errors such as the incorrect number of portholes, there's nothing you can really do about it.) Just like the Minicraft kit, I think everyone will hold their own opinion of the 1/400 academy model (models of Titanic are the equivalent of models of spitfires in that regard!) , but it looks like everyone seems to agree that it is a much better proposition in terms of parts layout, design and fit. Consequently, it should be a much smoother experience than the 1/350 kit. As an owner of the minicraft kit, I will stress the point that there's quite a bit to be said for not having to spend hours of your build filling sink marks, removing flash and struggling to get moulded pipe runs to line up- there's already enough to be spending effort on with a kit this complex!!! The Revell 1/400 is a much older kit than the Academy 1/400, but being as I haven't seen it out of the box, I couldn't comment whether 'newer tool is better' is applicable here. Hope this helps with your decision. I went through a similar process myself, and concluded that 1/350 was the scale for me just because I like model ships on as big a scale as possible, the photo etch is slightly more manageable, and you can (and I did!) pick up the kit very cheap second hand. regards, Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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