¹⁄700

Academy of South Korea has announced the release of AC14220, a 1/700 scale version of the doomed liner R.M.S. Titanic + LED set. This is a re-release of the Academy’s Titanic kit from 2007 with LEDs to jazz things up.

When I first saw this kit I assumed it would be a repop of Kitech/Zhengdefu's 1/720 scale Titanic with its poor molding and odd hull and superstructure proportions. Happily, this is not the case. An entirely original effort by Academy, this Titanic is a much better model, cleanly molded and easy to assemble. While I'm no Titanic expert, the kit's proportions are convincing and the completed model looks like the great ship.

Academy's Titanic seems to have been designed with younger or more casual modelers in mind. The complex structures of the original are broken down into relatively few assemblies so that the model can be built up quickly. Nevertheless, the large amount of attractive molded on detail keeps it from looking too toylike. The crisp, precise moldings were a pleasure to handle with no flash, sink marks, or visible ejector pin marks anywhere. The parts are molded in black, white and tan plastic with components broken down so that one could build a nice looking Titanic model without painting it. Decks are in tan, for example, and the white strip along the forecastle above the ship's name is a separate part molded in white to be attached to the black hull. The result is basic but effective. This clever pre-coloring of parts is actually a return to the very roots of plastic ship modeling, like Revell's Taney and Eastwind kits from the early 1950s. Another nod to less experienced modelers (although useful for all of us!) was the inclusion of spares of some of the smaller parts with extra vents, crane assemblies and even a spare rudder.

As a more experienced modeler I was less than thrilled with the simplified assemblies which in places look a bit chunky, and the prominent hull plating, though dramatic, is overdone for the scale. Much could be improved with the application of photoetch, but the simplified molded in details and that plating mean that creating an accurate scale model from this kit would require a significant amount of work. Perhaps the best way to experience this model is to take it as Academy's designers aparently intended it: as an attractive, easy to build alternative to their magnificent (but challenging) 1/350 scale Titanic. Now with the addition of LEDs for the illuminated portholes, this kit should make into a stunning display!

- 1/700 scale plastic model assembly ship kit
- Length: 382mm
- Height: 114mm
- Easy to assemble, with LED package
- MCP - Multi Colored Parts
- Contains display stand with battery holder
- Two AAA batteries required (not included)

The little Titanic can be ordered for £21.99 (approximately US$32.00) from Hannants in the UK.

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/AC14220