Hi

I am kinda a new to ship modelling and I and others would probably benefit from hearing opinions on everyones favourite kit manufacturer mainstream or cottage plastic or resin any scale 1/350 or 1/700.

I realise its a fairly wide reaching and indefinitive question but there maybe companies which are mainstream and cottage types which are generally real good real bad or somewhere in between.

Due to wide nature of the question I quess I am only seeking general opinions not specific scales and ships etc.

I thought maybe others like me could be saved from repeating the costly mistakes of others.

Regards

Sean

I’ve only built 3 ships (2 revell and 1 tamiya) so I probably don’t know what I’m talking about.

I’ve found the Revell kits to have many fit problems (this is compared to other types of models as well) but very nice instructions.
I liked the Tamiya kit the best with its great fit and good details but it was newer then the other 2 so that should be expected.

I also have a kit from Skywave that I havn’t started. Its details are great but the price seamed higher then most.


So far if giving the choice I would probably pick a Tamiya ship over a Revell one but as I said I don’t have too much experience with them.

The thing is Sean things like scale and subject matter are important.

I don't build 700 but there are many good players out there that offer great kits, (Tamiya, Trumpeter, Dragon, Hasegawa, even Revell)some are plastic some resin. There is also a variance of prices so what is the best deal for the money.

I do build 350 scale plastic. Right now as far as what I have built, there are only 2 players Tamiya and Trumpeter. Luckily they don't overlap on kits nor do they shirk at prducing high quality. I know there are several good Resin manufactures as well. Iron shipwrights comes to mind, but their offerings are in the several hundred dollar range dependent upon subject. Some other companies are entering the field and from what I've seen they have been quit good as ell.
The best thing for you to do is pick a kit you are interested in and post a question as to quality. If you are building say a 700 scale BIsmarck, then you actually can ask which is the best lol :-)

Sean, that's a fantastic question, mate!

And also a very difficult one, for me, my friend. . .I really have no favorite model manufacturer, per se, as I enjoy building all different types of ships, ship subjects, scales, and the like.

There are certain companies that make a better kit, no doubt, but there are also many smaller manufacturers that market good, very buildable kits at great prices. And then there are the higher priced resin subjects (which at times are touted to be more than what they turn out to be! ) that you can sink half a paycheck into without much of a problem, for sure!

I like to build models, period, mate. . .I like the challenge of an ill fitting hull, or the problems of scratchbuilding that part that you just can't seem to find, just as much as I enjoy building a "shake and bake" kit!

So in essence, Sean, I really don't have a favorite manufacturer myself, as there are goods and bads about all of them, but then, that's why we call ourselves modelers now, isn't it?

Keep Modeling!
~Gunny

I'm not a big ship modeler, so take anything I say with a grain of salt.

I sorta agree with Gunny -- I don't have a favorite manufacturer per se, but I do have opinions on what quality I can expect from certain manufacturers. I choose my models by subject first, then manufacturer, if indeed there is a choice.

At present I am finding subjects of interest in the Trumpeter 1/350 range ...

John

Hi Sean,

I haven't built any of the smaller scale ships since I was very young. I can just about handle 1/35, so for me it has to be Italeri with their range of Landing Craft.

They also have the ELCO Boat coming out some time later this year and if they continue to develop this range I for one will be delighted.

Trumpeter also do the LCM 3 in 1/35 and Tamiya have the small river MG boat.

As eveyone has said there is such a range of possibilities one way might be to focus on a partcular Navy and choose a kit that way.

Have fun

Cheers

Al

If you are just starting out, I'd stick with injection molded kits. You probably want something that goes together well and looks like a reasonable facsimile of what you are building when it's done.

In 1/700, my recommendation would be any of the new Tamiya or Hasegawa releases to start with. Also, the newer Aoshima, Trumpeter/ Pit Road and some of the Dragon kits are quite nice, as are some of the older Tamiya kits.

If you want to dabble in resin, Combrig makes really nice kits, especilally the newer releases (Tiger, Agincourt, Erin, etc). They are also not too expensive. There are other good quality companies out there, like White Ensign, but their models are more complex with lots of photo-etch.

In 1/350, Trumpeter has released a billion new subjects, but (IMO) the fit isn't as good as the older Tamiya 1/350 kits.

There is a lot available in resin in 1/350, but resin ships in this scale can get pricey, running from $100 for a destroyer to many hundreds of $$ for a CV. On top of that, the quality ranges from poor to outstanding, depending on the manufacturer.

What you buy depends on what scale you like and what subject matter you like. Once you figure out scale and era (WW2, modern, etc), then you might be better able to get opinions from the good folks on this board.

HTH...