I recently bought an old Academy kit of the Tirpitz and it has the option of motorizing it. Do all Academy 1/350 scale kits still have that option?
Looks like a nicely detailed kit, will make a great R/C conversion project.[:D]
No they do not. I am currently building their 1/350 Graf Spee, and it has no option for motorization. Neither does the 1/350 USS Oliver Hazard Perry Frigate I have in my stash.
Thanks for the info. I was just wondering.
You’re welcome. How does that Tirpitz kit look? I know it is supposed to be a clone of the Tamiya kit. Can you give any comparison? A LHS has a couple for a decent price (all plastic kits 20% off) and I am eyeballing them…
My brother and I were at a hobby show and someone was getting rid of some of his kit collection so we got it for a song, $20. It came complete with a photo etch set for the Tamyia kit. It is at least 15 years old as the hobby shop it was originally bought from has been out of business that long (it had a price tag with the hobby shop name),
It looks like a well detailed kit, no flash and nice crisp molding, plus the motorizing kit. It looks pretty good all round. i have never seen the Tamyia kit so I can’t compare them. However from what I have seen of the Academy kit I would definitely recommend it.
As I am a bit of an R/C junky I will probably convert it to an R/C model probably after I complete my 3 foot R/c tug boat (1/28,3 scale…yeah a weird scale), 1/72 scale model of the Canadian ice breaker Norman Macleod Rogers (that one still in planning stages), 1/48 scale flower class corvette (pre Fleetscale semi kit), The USS Crocket (Dumas model…requires repair after damage when I moved 8 years ago) and several other models. I really have to complete things before starting something else[bnghead]. I should have the tug complete by May in time for a tug-o-war with a friends tugboat model.
Hi, John,
I, too am an R/C junkie. I am currently working on converting the Revell AG Hermann Marwede kit to R/C. I am also working to convert the Trumpeter 1/200 Arizona. This will be dwarfed by my 1/200 Titanic whose hull is nearing completion. I have to glass it and then I can start on the fun part, the superstructure which is an impressive kit from Mantua. Do you have any suggestions where I can acquire propeller shafts and propellers for ships like these? I have a surface transmitter that has two throttles and I plan to build all of them with seperate throttles. I am just having trouble finding screws and prop shafts for them.
Hi Pavlvs
There is a hooby shop here in Nova Scotia that claims that if they dont have a model ship propeller in stock it doesnt exist. Here is their web site
http://www.lowellbriggshobbies.ca/
They have quite a few fittings for remote control ships like motors, couplers, shafts, etc. I hope this will help.
I converted the old Matchbox Flower Class corvette to RC over 25 years ago. It is still going strong but is in need of a refit after the attacks it has suffered over the years, water born hunter killer rotweiller, angry Canada geese, near miss from an osprey, plus I really should permantly mount the motor in the hull after all this time. I stuck it in the hull with a big lump of plasticine modelling clay. Hey it worked!
There was a Japanese company, Nichimo (spelling???) I don;t know if they are still around. They used to make a motorizing kit for their 1/200 scale Japanese battleship Yamato (???) Maybe they are still around. It allowed for 4 operational props driven by one motor. The props were attached to the shafts and looked pretty close to scale. I used then in a 1/144 scale german destroyer (scratch built balsa wood stand off scale) that I built for my nephew, more of a toy really.
Anyway try Lowell Briggs he may be able to help you.
Cheers,
John