OT: 1/700 water line ship models

[nashvillen]

Not sure if this is too much OT, but I am interested in buying and building 1/700 waterline ship models of WWII ships. Having them in front of you while doing a mod or just playing the game would be inspiring if not helpful in understanding the ship involved. I have noticed several manufacturers of these kits and wonder if anyone has experience witht them?

I am looking for a quality kit with enough details at 1/700 that will stand out. I realize a 12.7 mm machine gun is not physically possible at this scale, but would like to see enough barrell detail on the smaller AA guns that can be brought out with washes and dry-brushing. I am looking for a model kit that has little flash and is clearly laid out in the instructions (They don't need to be in English if done this way!)

I have seen the following manufacturers:

Aoshima
Fujimi
Hasegawa
Pit-Road
Tamiya

I have had past experience with Tamiya kids with some 1/48 scale armor and fournd them to be excellent. Any comentary on any of these or others that I am not aware of are welcome!

BTW, I found a Hibiki by Tamiya that I just purchased since I wanted a model of this ship to have in front of me while I read Cuttlefish's AAR about her, again.

I will post pictures of the ships as I finish them.

[kaleun]

Can't help you there, but I had the same thoughts too.

[Cuttlefish]

I've found the Pit-Road models to be pretty good. The two I own have nice detailing and very little flash. The assembly diagrams are clear enough that the fact that they are in Japanese doesn't much matter.

One of their models that I own is Hibiki. The instructions are for the destroyer's 1945 configuration, with one of the aft twin 5" turrets replaced by 25mm AA guns, but it includes the parts so you can assemble it in an earlier configuration with all three turrets if you wish. You can also put it together full-hul or waterline.

[Schanilec]

I must have built at least seventy of those in the `70's. I think they are the best. If you search the web a bit you'll find a few real good diorama's other have built. Or if one really wants to get extreme check out this site vonabt.co.uk

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: nashvillen

Not sure if this is too much OT, but I am interested in buying and building 1/700 waterline ship models of WWII ships. Having them in front of you while doing a mod or just playing the game would be inspiring if not helpful in understanding the ship involved. I have noticed several manufacturers of these kits and wonder if anyone has experience witht them?

I am looking for a quality kit with enough details at 1/700 that will stand out. I realize a 12.7 mm machine gun is not physically possible at this scale, but would like to see enough barrell detail on the smaller AA guns that can be brought out with washes and dry-brushing. I am looking for a model kit that has little flash and is clearly laid out in the instructions (They don't need to be in English if done this way!)

I have seen the following manufacturers:

Aoshima
Fujimi
Hasegawa
Pit-Road
Tamiya

I have had past experience with Tamiya kids with some 1/48 scale armor and fournd them to be excellent. Any comentary on any of these or others that I am not aware of are welcome!

BTW, I found a Hibiki by Tamiya that I just purchased since I wanted a model of this ship to have in front of me while I read Cuttlefish's AAR about her, again.

I will post pictures of the ships as I finish them.

Tamiya makes the best quality in my experience. Hasegawa not so good. Aoshima and Fujimi I didn't build so much and Pit-Road I've never heard of.

EDIT: Just looked it up Pit Road is SkyWave. Yes. I do remember them. They had some cool 1/700 scale accessory packs. They're actually pretty good as well.

[Cavalry Corp]

It was these models that got me into all this stuff

IJN ships with mystical names - magic...

[SqzMyLemon]

Being an avid modeller, I know exactly what you mean in terms of having model replicas around to inspire and motivate you to learn more about the real thing and bring enjoyment while playing a game such as WitP AE, even if just visually as you plot your turns.

Tamiya kits for the longest time set the standard and they have a large selection. There are new retoolings of some of their kits recently. I just picked up a 1:700 Suzuya and am currently working on the CL Nagara. I've heard good things of both Aoshima and Pit-Road. Newer kits by Dragon, Hasegawa and Fujimi are really impressive, but they tend to be in the 1:350 scale range.

Not sure what your skill level is, but there are also tons of aftermarket replacement brass gun barrels and photo-etched detail sets out there for 1:700 that deal with the size issue of your 12.7 mm MG for example. Just make sure you have a magnifying glass as the parts can be very small!

Another good ship building website is modelshipwrights.com which has some very talented modellers who post builds regularly and are always free with advice and information. A great site.

Happy modelling!

[jeffk3510]

ORIGINAL: SqzMyLemon

Being an avid modeller, I know exactly what you mean in terms of having model replicas around to inspire and motivate you to learn more about the real thing and bring enjoyment while playing a game such as WitP AE, even if just visually as you plot your turns.

Tamiya kits for the longest time set the standard and they have a large selection. There are new retoolings of some of their kits recently. I just picked up a 1:700 Suzuya and am currently working on the CL Nagara. I've heard good things of both Aoshima and Pit-Road. Newer kits by Dragon, Hasegawa and Fujimi are really impressive, but they tend to be in the 1:350 scale range.

Not sure what your skill level is, but there are also tons of aftermarket replacement brass gun barrels and photo-etched detail sets out there for 1:700 that deal with the size issue of your 12.7 mm MG for example. Just make sure you have a magnifying glass as the parts can be very small!

Another good ship building website is modelshipwrights.com which has some very talented modellers who post builds regularly and are always free with advice and information. A great site.

Happy modelling!

2nd! I am a huge modeler myself. I prefer Tamiya over most of the kits out there. Also, shop around online, stores, and clearence isles at hobby shops. You can get some very very good deals.

[nashvillen]

As for my skill level, I am a long time N Scale model train hobbyist who mostly specializes in the electronic side, but I am fair with detailed parts that are small (read-I have have nice magifying lens with a florescent tube around it, so I have light and magnification!). I also have the tools to do very detailed work. Thanks for all the advice!

I am going to work on my Hibiki when it comes in and see how it goes! Thanks, again, Cuttlefish! I am enjoying your new AAR. I will not be commenting on either it or Cribtops from now on as I am reading both and don't want to give anything away accidently. Just to let both of you know I am a fan of what the two of you are doing!

That being said, I will look for the aftermarket detail parts, they will probably be etched brass, I have worked with that material in the past.

Ohhh, better not let the wife catch on to what I am doing... She won't see me for a while, again. She scolded me the last time I got into a deep run of WITP:AE and only came out of the computer room (read cave) for meals and sleep for a couple of months... [;)]

[SqzMyLemon]

Too funny, I have bags of N-Scale stuff including tons of model kits for buildings and such to start putting together. I just need to plan a layout and "negotiate" the space to build it. I have a feeling you know how that can go at times! As far as wiring goes...I haven't a clue!

I'm in Alberta, but there's a model store I have ordered from occasionally in Georgia by the name of Free Time Hobbies. They have an excellent selection of everything you might need kitwise including a pretty decent stock in photo-etched brass detail sets and geographically they are in your neck of the woods. Their website is a breeze to get around and set up nicely.

Some good detail sets can be had from White Ensign Models, Lion Roar, Flyhawk, Gold Medal Models and Tom's Modelworks to name a few I've worked with and liked.

Cheers

[mdiehl]

Have to agree with the positive comments on Tamiya and Skywave/Pit Road. Good kits.

[Schanilec]

A good diorama site is modelshipgallery.com Checkout one of the modellers Kym Knight. Although they are 1/350 scale, they are fantastic.

[vonTirpitz]

Steelnavy has always been a good place to check out naval modeling.

[wdolson]

I've been a modeler all my life (though haven't had much time to build in recent years).  For about 6 years I bought model collections and sold them off on Ebay.  I've also read the book written by the son of Tamiya's founder.

Back in the early 1970s 1/700 was emerging as a major scale for ship kits and no Japanese company had the resources to make kits of the entire IJN, so they form a consortium.  Aoshima, Fujimi, Hasegawa, and Tamiya teamed up.  I think Skywave/Pitroad was a company equally owned by all 4.  They essentially drew ship classes out of a hat and each company was responsible for releasing the kits they drew.

Aoshima and Fujimi don't have the reputation for quality that Tamiya and Hasegawa have, so their original efforts were not as good.  The technology of the 1970s molds were lower pressure than what can be done today, so the small detail on all the 1970s kits was kind of soft.  Through Pitroad/Skywave, the consortium shared some parts that were common to different kits like aircraft.

The consortium made some American, British, and German ship kits, but the bulk of the line was Japanese.  As mold technology improved, Pitroad/Skywave made a series of Japanese ship detail parts that were much better quality than what was available in the older kits.  For a while these were sold as separate kits, sometimes by Pitroad/Skywave, sometimes under other labels in the consortium.  When the older kits today are re-released, they include the Pitroad/Skywave detail set or sets appropriate to that ship.

Dragon from Hong Kong is a major innovator in kits today, but they started out buying up molds nobody else wanted.  Some of the kits they got were American ships from the consortium that weren't wanted anymore.  Among these were the molds to an Independence class carrier and an Atlanta class CLAA.  They have re-released these many times, the most recent boxes have been as "Premium" kits with lots of extras like photo etch and all new detail parts.  The Independence class carrier came with one TBD and one F9F, a mystery I've never been able to figure out.

In the last decade Hasegawa has completely retooled some of the old kits and Tamiya broke ranks a little with the consortium and released some new mold kits that were supposed to be from other makers in the consortium (namely the Shokaku class carriers).  The new mold kits are much better than their 1970s counterparts.

Dragon and more recently Trumpeter from China have been challenging the dominance of Hasegawa and Tamiya in many areas.  30 years ago Tamiya was the gold standard in 1/35 scale armor, but Dragon first and now quite a few other countries have pushed Tamiya in that niche.  Tamiya kits are still quite good, but there are a lot of other options that are just as good out there.

In ships both Dragon and Trumpeter started releasing American ships in 1/700 scale.  Trumpeter also has quite a line of 1/350 American ships too.  I think Dragon's 1/700 ships have more features than Trumpeters (for example the newer Dragon carriers have a complete hanger deck and an option to build with a clear top deck), but both are high in detail and are on par with the best from Japan.

For many kits, the newer re-releases are the exact same kit as the older releases and if you find an older one on Ebay cheap, grab it.  Not so with the ship kits.  The newer releases frequently have a lot of extra detail that just wasn't there or was done poorly in the earlier releases.

Bill

[CyrusSpitama]

I haven't done any modeling of any sort since my Star Fleet Battles days... which reminds me... Is your avatar the mighty B-10 of SFB fame?

[John 3rd]

I spent many an hour growing up in the 70s building those 1/700 models. Fondly remember building the Lexington, placing a full deck strike on her and then placing her under attack in a diorama. Tooks several weeks to make and this 10-12 year-old thought it was the cat's meow! Long time ago now...

Nashvillen: Thanks for starting this thread. Nice to think back on those days.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the beautiful ship art that graced the box covers. Magnificent!

PS I take it (from the last couple of Posts) that one can still buy the 1/700s. I'd love to order a couple and try it again. Is there a good website where the kits can be viewed and rodered?

[wdolson]

There are lots of online stores.  Three of the biggest are squadron.com, greatmodels.com, and spruebrothers.com.  There are a couple of ship specialty eStores too, but I forget the name of them right now.  Ebay has the best prices of anyone, though all the online retailers have sales and you can pick up some great deals.

The American ship kits from the Japanese companies look old and tired next to the newer kits from Dragon and Trumpeter.  Though the newer mold kits from the Japanese companies are on par with Dragon and Trumpeter in most respects.

Bill

[Raverdave]

I am also back into modeling after a long break from the '70s.  I am mainly doing 1/350 subs to build up my skill level, but have also started a 1/350 USS Essex.  Also starting to build  nice stash of kits that I will build one day, mainly Coast Guard vessels from around the world. 

1/700 worries me because of the size and my eyes are starting to go (just got some reading glasses a few months ago !) and I think that you can put more detail into a 1/350. 

[SqzMyLemon]

John 3rd,

I have to echo your comment about a great thread. It's nice to be able to talk models without getting the "look" or having the spouse's eyes glaze over [:D].

Wdolson, great points on the Japanese model company's. I always wondered why the boxes had the similar size and same box art for the most part. It seemed like all they had to do was swap manufacturer's logo's and names.

I haven't gotten any of the newer Trumpeter or Dragon kits in 1:700. I did recently get the USS Independence, USS Benson and USS Chavalier (SP?) all in 1:350. I also have the Hasegawa Akagi and a Tamiya Mikuma in 1:350. The new technology these days really shows in the recent kits.

I miss the local hobby shops though, I try and support them. It comes down to economics and the fact many don't stock these items so the internet is definitely the way to go these days. There are tons of good deals out there and often times with the right order shipping is free.

Why won't anybody release a new USS Enterprise kit do you suppose? I'm anxiously awaiting a chance to pick one up!

Whoa...don't get me started on models, I best get back to my turns here and try not to hijack the thread!

[HansBolter]

I've been building 1/700 and a few 1/350 naval kits for a few years now. The greatest variety is in the Tamiya line. I have also become a fan of Hasegawa.

However, the highest quality, with the greatest level of detail I have found (without adding aftermarket brass) is in the Trumpeter line. Most of their 1/700 kits come with the option of full hull or waterline.