Can I ask for some advice on a military ship model? I returned to modelling a little over a year ago and have focused on 1/35 armor until now. I've been making steady progress and have 5-6 models under my belt. Now I've got the itch to build a warship and some questions have naturally come up:

1) Does it make a difference whether I start with a 1/350 or 1/700 kit? I've seen a couple 1/700 kits at my local club meetings and they seem awfully small.
2) Is there a particular kit you would suggest to a competent armor modeller looking to build a ship? The Bismarck is calling my name, but I'm open to suggestions.
3) If I do spring for the Bismarck (I might not be able to stop myself), which kit would you suggest? Any AM kits needed / suggested?

Thanks for any help.

How much space do you have on your shelves ? Don’t forget that 1:350 ship takes four times as much space as 1:700.

Bismarck is good idea, but if you would like to build a masterpiece it will take much more time and work that any tank you have build. Don’t forget about closed place for exposition, because there is practically no possibility to clean properly such kit, with railings, small guns barrels and antennas...

IMHO the best Bismarck/Tirpitz on the market is Revell 1:350 or same scale Scharnhorst by DML, but you will need some aftermarket stuff barrels, railings maybe wooden deck...

In my opinion you should buy first DML destroyer with all the PE stuff, and if you will finish this ship, then think about battleships

Look at this:
http://www.dragon-models.com/html/1037poster.htm

Cheers

Wojtek

Thank, Wojtek. Do you recommend the German destroyer you provided a link to or was that just to show me how much detail the kits come with? I've read some good reviews of Dragon's newer destroyer kits, so I'm wondering if one is in that category.

I only build in 1/700 for my ship models. Its all down to money and space. If you want a decent Bismarck/Tirpitz, then I would recommend the Dragon kits of either. WEM do some etch to complement or improve the etch in the kit.

thanks
Mike

Hi Bill,

Z-39 it's just example, but if you will find that this kit is to complicated you wouldn’t lose a lot of time and money

BTW look at this...
http://www.hasegawa-model.co.jp/akagi/Z25E.html

Cheers

Wojtek

Mike - Does Dragon make the Bismarck in both 1/350 and 1/700? Space is no issue ... I have an entire basement.

Wojtek - That Akagi model is beautiful ... and well beyond what I will ever achieve.

How about the Dragon Laffey kit as a start?

HI Bill!

An excellent choice. The detail is superb, the kit engineering is excellent, and it still comes off as a compact build. You should enjoy that kit.

--Karl

If my calculations are correct, the Laffey in 1/350 scale would be roughly 11.9 inches long and 1.2 inches wide. That's smaller than I expected, but it does seem like a better place to start than the Bismarck. I would swear I made a Fletcher class destroyer as a teenager that was much bigger.

I meant to ask for a suggestion for a ship modeling guide as well. Is there a good all-around book that lays out the best way (or at least a logical way) to construct, paint, and weather a ship? How about Advanced Ship Modeling by Brian King?

My personal favorite is "Ship Models from Kits" by David Griffith. While he does work with 1/700, the techniques carry over to larger scales. Don't forget to check out the "Features" section here. There are many good how-tos there.

Ahoy, Bill!
Welcome to Model Shipwrights, mate, and to the "salty side" of the hobby!

IMHO, one of the best (and now free) ship modeling books available is from Mike Ashey, Building and Detailing Scale Model Ships...and be sure to check out the rest of his site while you're there, all great stuff!

Cheers,
~Gunny

Thank you for the link!!!

Cheers,

Harm

Yes, thanks indeed for that link. I've browsed through it and it looks like it's got everything I could ask for.

Ship building is indeed a whole different animal from tanks. I do 350 scale becasue it is bigger and means the detail pops. I too recommend getting a smaller less expensive kiit to make sure you like doing it. I would go with doing the Tamiya Fletcher. It is easier to do, with a dedicated PE set it comes out great. After that, venture out a bit. The Tamiya Bismarck is a good kit. There are a lot of good PE sets for it as well. The Revell kit is far more accurate. I haven't done it soi I can't attest to it's difficulty. Now if you like this aspect of the hobby and progress further, the difficulty increases with some of the Japanese manufacturers specifically Hasegawa.

Steve - Thanks for the Fletcher suggestion. Would you recommend a particular PE set, since I see there a number of them available? What do you think of the Laffey / Benson as a starting kit or possibly the England with PE?

Hello Bill
All of the recommendations you have gotten are very good. So here are mine . I would go with 1/350 scale as it is simply bigger. On the destroyer kits mentioned, the Tamiya Fletcher is nice, but is old and a little inaccurate. A third party PE set is needed if you want PE. Eduard, Gold Medal Models, Tom's and White Ensign make dedicated sets for this kit. The new DML kits of the Benson/Gleaves Class Destroyers and Gearing Class Destroyer are better detailed, more accurate and come with a basic PE set. In my opinion, they are better values. The Trumpeter USS England kit is a little step below the DML kits, but much better than the Tamiya Fletcher. It does need a third party set for PE and I would recommend the White Ensign set. If you want to go with a larger subject for less than a hundred, your choices are limited. Tamiya has versions of the Iowa Class, King George Class and the Bismarck and Tirpitz. All are in the same boat as their Fletcher. The Trumpeter USS San Fransico is nice, but has some minor inaccuracies. Third party PE needed. Still, very good value for the price. The Revell Bismarck is excellent with Third party PE required. An excellent value. The Trumpeter and Academy versions of the Graf Spee are also nice. Both kits have problems with detailing and accuracy, but build up into very nice models. The Academy kit comes in two versions. The premium version comes with PE and stick down real wooden deck. At less than a hundred U.S., it is an excellent deal. Now that I think about it, the Academy kit is the one I would recommend if you want a bigger kit at a reasonable price that has all the extras included, but does not overwhelm you with detail.
Above a hundred dollars, the sky is the limit. I priced out the Akagi kit when it came out and totaled over $500 USD for the kit and all the extras. The buildups look beautiful, but outside my budget
Sorry for being so long winded.
Shaun

Shaun - Thanks for the detailed input! I think I'm going to start with the Laffey. The consensus view seems to be that it's a modern kit that strikes a good balance between detail and ease-of-build. The inclusion of the PE in the kit is a plus too. The Academy Graf Spee (premium) kit is gorgeous even without paint. If I enjoy the Laffey then I might consider it ... but it does seem very detailed and a tad intimidating as a second or third build.

The Laffey is a good choice. I would not worry about being intimidated by any of the kits, especially the Graf Spee. If you biuld it out of the box and don't do any scratch building it is actually as easy or easier than the Laffey. I am building a 1/35 M4 High Speed Tractor with PE right now and it is really fighting me. Either the Laffey or Graf Spee seem easier to me, except for the painting, LOL.
Good luck
Shaun

Santa answered my prayers and gave me the USS Laffey for Christmas. Are there any build logs of this ship?

Bill, at the risk of committing treason, you might also check out the forums on modelwarships.com. Strictly a ship site and lots of good info.

I'm about 80% through a build of Laffey right now. It's a great kit, but if you have never done much ship building be warned, lots of small fiddley bits with fine detail. Also, you might want to look into some PE, I've used the Cyber-Hobby (also Dragon) set supplemented by the Yankee Model Works Buchannan PE set.

I would say that with Laffey, as with about all of Dragon's recent kits in my limited experience, sitting down and thinking out your build before you ever start will pay dividends down the road. If I had built the kit over again I would do a much construction as possible, PE and all, before I ever picked up the air brush or paint brush. Planning and a lot of patience will pay off for you on Laffey.

Hope you'll keep us posted on how your build goes.

Bob

Bob - This is my first ship since high school years ago. I was planning to build it out of the box with just the kit PE where I can make it work. Have you followed the instructions or would you suggest a different build order? Is it suicidal to assemble the whole ship and then try to airbrush it?

Bill, check your messages.

Bob

Bill, have you had a chance to start on Laffey yet? I'm curious as to how your build is going. I'm to the point of attaching the railing on mine, then on to the rigging. Taking a little break right now to explore wingy things for a bit. If you get a chance, let me know how things are going.

Bob

There is a HUGE size difference between 1/700 and 1/350. And therein lies the issue. Which you chose depends on your skill level and room to display. Also, many 1/700's are now resin rather than plastic. Resin takes a bit more experience to work with. Also painting makes a difference . Brush strokes are magnified in 1/700. Airbrushing is almost mandatory to get a good result in 1/700. Again your abilities will dictate what you can do. I have perfect vision and still use a 3x magnifier to build my 1/700. Many of the 1/700 PE parts nowadays are almost too small to see without magnification and certainly difficult if not impossible to manipulate without magnification.

If you have specific questions, feel free to PM me

David

Bob - No progress on the Laffey yet. I just made hash out of a King Tiger I spent two months building and I'm starting over because I'm determined to do better. So it's going to be at least a few months before I get underway ... which is good because it's going to take me that long to figure out how to build a ship properly. Speaking of which, did you get my email back on the 11th or 12th?

David - Someone in my local model club brought a 1/700 scale destroyer to our last meeting and I was shocked at how small it was. My memories as a kid are of the Fletcher I made and it was huge ... did they make one larger than 1/350 scale? I can see myself getting into ships, but not 1/700 scale.