Hello all,

I've been poking around this forum and checking out ship models on the 'net, but I haven't seen anything that would indicate what kit would be a good one to start a shipbuilding experience on. I've been building armor and aircraft since getting back into the hobby, but a ship would look good in my new den.

Back in my pre-teen and teen years (before the oh-so-common modeling hiatus), I built a bunch of Revell and Monogram battleships, PT boats, and carriers. Now, I've been looking mostly at the Tamiya battleships in 1:350. Any recommendations? Or should I slide back to 1:700? I don't plan on messing with the PE additions until I get a build or two under my belt.

Thanks for any and all advice!

- Frank

Hey Frank.

If I were going to start off, one of Tamiya or Academy's 1/350 scale ships would be the way to go. Good scale, no tiny parts and maximum enjoyment. I would look on ebay for a kit. Tamiya's kits are still very good, but take a look at Trumpeter's carriers, they're awesome.

Gator

Hi Frank~
Good combo right now the Trump Iowa and the Lion roar
etch and barrels!
Trust me I have alot of ships!
Ron

Hi Frank, welcome aboard, mate!

As with all model kits, there are good ones and bad ones on the market, (and some worse than others!), but if you're going to jump into shipbuilding, then I would say that in addition to my mates previous suggestions, another good route to follow would be one of Dragon Models "Premium Edition" kits, which have been reworked and re-tooled...
The accuracy and buildability (is that really a word? :-) ) is top notch, although 1/700 scale is the main focus thus far, there are some 1/350 scale subjects, too. . .I guess my best piece of advice for you would be for you to decide on what type, class, etc. of ship that you would like to build, and then pick our brains as to which kits we have built, and compare this with other's thoughts as well, then go from there.
Good Luck in your quest, mate, and keep us posted of your progress, and don't be afraid to ask lot's of questions, we're glad to lend a hand!
~Gunny

Thanks for all of the replies!

I'm torn between going battleship or carrier. Those big guns on the battleships may be the deciding factor for me. I'll poke around Great Models and Sprue Bros. a bit more and come back with a few choices.

Not to go off topic, but what exactly is the difference between the first releases of Tamiya's New Jersey & Missouri and the new, twice-the-price re-releases?

- Frank

Truthfully, the box art.

I am perhaps the strongest advocate of the 350 scale ships. I've built the Bismark, Tirpitz, 2 Yamatos, KGV, Essex, Nimitz, Lexington, and Arizonza. I still have the huge nuc Enterprise, NC,NJ, Hornet another Yamato,and some of the other smaller ships. There are cheaper /recast versions of the Tamiya battleships that go under the name of Mini hobbies Models. They aren't as crisp a molding as the Tamiya because of a softer plastic, but are exactly the same otherwise. They can be picked up on ebay for around $20. You also can get the real Tamiya versions for around $45 through the same source. Trust me, buy these things through ebay. A year ago they were reasonable, but with Trumpeter selling all their super carriers for over a hundred, Tamiya decided to double their prices and as Gator says "their boxart"

Trumpeters carriers are works of art, but slightly more complicated. Each aircraft is a small kit unto itself and there are a lot more smaller pieces. I would recommend getting one of the Minihobbies kits as your first. See if you like it and you won't have spent much money if you don't like it. As to photoetched. I woud recommend that you get just a rail set to start with. Just do up the main deck the first time out. As you gain confidence, get a Tom's Modelworks set which usually run around 33 bucks. The Lionroar is the "everything but the kitchen sink" kit. It comes in at $100 and that is ordering from China. But you get an unbelievable amount of stuff, all metal hollowed out gun tubes, propellers, and usually 6 or so sheets of PE.

Hope this inspires you. These kits when painted and with the PE added are really show pieces. I look at mine almost every day and still marvel at them

Thanks again for the information, guys. I'm not surprised about the Tamiya artwork "upgrade". Given that tidbit of information, and that Sprue Bros. was running a Tamiya sale, I picked up the Tamiya New Jersey (1/350) as my starting point. Once I get my bench cleared up a bit, I'm going to give it a go.

I took a look at aftermarket and didn't see much in the way for dedicated PE sets other than an Eduard and a forthcoming WEM set. Any recommendations for the rails or miscellaneous upgrades?

Thanks!

- Frank

Sounds like a winner, Frank!
Listen up, Gold Medal Models has a dedicated set in 1/350, right Here!

Good luck and keep us posted of your progress!
~Gunny

Thanks Gunny!

Looks good! Building a ship will be a change of pace for me. Always nice to work outside of the norm.

- Frank