I have little or no experience with ship models and I wanted to know if the 1:350 "Borodino" and "Orel", pre-dreadnought ship models by Zvezda are any good?
Detail, molding etc.
Also, any problem with availability of these kits? (like OOP) I notice at most web shops they do not have them readily available (in stock)

Are there any other model companies that make these (or this type) of ship in 1:350?
Any opinions or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Take it from an old AFV modeler...it's scary in here! Like walking way out on thin ice

Cheers,
Charles

It's not a bad kit - I have the Orel started. The plastic reminds me of the old Heller ship kits. Some fit issues, but nothing a little Bondo won't fix. Frank (Wildspear) was building one and had a thread going on it here (Frank, what ever happened to that build?).

There is also a discussion on this class of ships going on over at ModelWarships.com. You can get to that thread by clicking here

As for availability, try Pacific Front Hobbies or Free Time Hobbies, both of which list the Borodino and Orel (or Oriol, as Free Time listed it) in their on line catalogs.

Hey Chuck...
I can tell you, mate, both kits are definitely good, and will work up into nice subjects...there are some decent PE sets to enhance each kit, that will further beauty up the products...they're both definitely worth the money, mate!

There are also a couple of kits from the other side of the Russo -Japanese conflrict that these two participated in. The Mikaze comes into mind and I'm pretty sure there was a sister or another type on the Japanese side. They are 350 scale as well and I believe Hasegawa made them

Martin,

That ship was put on hold while I built other ships. I get her finished just dont know when.

SprueBrothers still has the Oriol on their bargain bin for 20$USD ; Great models has the Borodino for 24$. The Eastern Express borodino is an older kit, usually sold for double the money. Couple people told me the Zvezda kit is the same mold (?) and not to bother with the Eastern Express offering. But this is second hand knowledge, I only have the Zvezda kit. Hope this helps a bit!


More info:
Borodino build:
http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/bb/ru/borodino-350-pvb/pvb-main.html

from another forum exchange:
Q. Zvezda released its own Borodino Kit#9027 (all of the above are in 1:350). Is there any difference between the Eastern Express and Zvezda Borodino's?I was wondering, since the Eastern Express Borodino goes for 70-80 US$ and the Zvezda Borodino for 20-25$. Do you know if there is any significant difference (besides markins) between the three Zvezda offerings (Knyaz Suvorov #9026, Borodino #9027 and Oriol #9029)? Seems even the box art is identical..
A. They are the same kit, same quality. Buy the Zvezda it's cheaper. No relation to any ICM kit. All of the Borodinos were quite similar, with only very minor differences with two of the class of five. Imperator Alexander III did not have the side decks on either side of the aft superstructure (more like Tsesarevitch). The Slava had a pole mast forward, instead of the heavy military masts of the others. Borodino, Suvarov and Orel were all the same.

Thank you all for the fast and detailed response! Time to jump feet first into the ocean (so to say)
Some how I find myself attracted to these, well, old ships!
I'll keep you posted on how things work out.

Cheers,
(Oh God, a whole new avenue of modeling)
Charles

There are some other real nice early battleship kits out therein 350 . World War 1 German Kaiser class BB's come to mind and I am sure there are a couple of other non-resin kits "floating" around out there. It is not my genre, , so I am only somewhat familiar with the offerings.

I also have the ICM Konig and Alanger Potemkin; have not built either, but were recomended. If you want to start "cheap", you can pick up the Revell SMS Emden, a Dresden-class light cruiser. Couple future Group Builds are centered upon those types of vessels, check out the GB tab and related threads!:

Pre-Dreadnought Campaign 1866-1905
[STARTS: November 01, 2008]

OPERATION: World War 1 Warships
CAMPAIGN LEADER: bruce miller
STARTS: May 15, 2009]

Well I ordered 'Orel' and 'Varyag' from Sprue brothers last night.
The timing on the "Pre-Dreadnought Campaign" looks pretty good as I have several projects I must complete prior to starting in a whole new area of modeling

Thanks again to everyone who responded,
Charles

Ahhh, yesss, and another shipwright is born!

Either one will make for a great entry in our "Pre-Dreadnought Campaign" (btw, the Zvezda Borodino is on slate for my entry as well... )

Have you seen this from Gold Medal Models?
It sure will make for a fine ship looking even finer....



Glad to see that you're "hooked", Mr. Reading, and looking forward to seeing you around here more!

Cheers,
~Gunny

Don't forget that White Ensign Models also has dedicated photoetch sets for these kits:

PE 3517 and 3520 for the Konig class battleships:

http://www.whiteensignmodels.com/brochure/images/wembrass/wempe3517.jpg

http://www.whiteensignmodels.com/brochure/images/wembrass/wempe3520.jpg

PE 3567 for the Borodino class battleships:

http://www.whiteensignmodels.com/brochure/images/wembrass/wempe3567.jpg

PE 3586 for the IJN Mikasa:

http://www.whiteensignmodels.com/brochure/images/wembrass/wempe3586.jpg

and there is Pro 3503, a pre-1917 mast for the Konig class battleships:

http://www.whiteensignmodels.com/brochure/pro3503.jpg

BMK, produces some very nice turned brass Barrels and some fantastic Stacks for these kits also.

Ha! That's what prompted me to purchase both ships! The GMM Photo Etch with frets for both a Borodino class ship and the Varyag. I'll let the credit card cool down for a couple days and start assembling AM stuff. (brass barrels you say?) Oh this is gonna hurt. I can tell already.
Cheers,
Charles