If the main criterion is “kits that exceded expectation”, I suggest a modest offering from our good friends at Lindberg. Their “Coastal Patrol Boat”, the Cape-class Coast Guard Cutters, known service-wide as “95s”.
The kit, out of the box, is a fairly accurate representation of the A-class boats as they were commissioned in 1953. I have pictures of ones complete with mousetraps. The fit is good and the kit goes together well and looks good when done. The only real change to out of the box would be to file off the molded on hand rail across the front of the superstructure and replace it with Plastruct or Evergreen rod. With very little work it can be converted to a later C-class boat with a longer pilot house and no ASW weapons. So, if you are “expecting” a “typical” Lindberg kit, this little one surpasses expectations.
I built the kit 30 years ago and did a typical early modeler job on it. I immediately bought 2 kits when Lindberg reissued them. I have one completed as an out of the box A. I replaced the handrail with .045 Plastruct rod, replaced the 40 with an HR offering and added HR draped fire hoses. If I can figure out how to post pictures, I’ll post a couple. The second is in my stash and will be built as a C boat some time in 2010.
That is my offering.
As for the Revell Conny in 1/96… I was working on one about 10 years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would have to include it in my personal top 10. (FSM included it in their top 10 classic kits) I had the hull complete and the masts constructed. I had the fore mast rigged and was about half way through the main rigging. Then a section of drop ceiling fell on it. Totally demasted. I could not believe it when, a week later, I was helping a friend clean out his attic and he came across a 1/96 Revell Conny still in the box. He mused “how did that get here”, looked at me and said “can you use this?”. So now I have another Conny in my stash.
Of the kits I have built, nearly all sailing ships, I found the best are: Revell CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge, IMAI Susquehanna - everything fitted together perfectly -, Revell Mayflower and the greatest of them all, the Pyro Harriet Lane. I’m about to build it (actually a Lindberg reincarnataion) for the 7th time in 44 years.
Glad someone got on this idea. I would say that my list goes like this: 1. Pyro Roman Merchant because its so unique. 2. Revell Cutty Sark large because of what it is (fantastic). Is anything wrong with this kit besides the blocks? 3. Revell 1959 HMS Victory because I have one built and rigged with plastic sails now and it looks great and I had one in 1960 when I was 10 years old and won a first in a contest with it. 4. Revell Great Eastern because of the ship that is the subject. 5. Trumpeter’s heavy cruiser San Francisco because I suspect it is an accurate modern kit and it’s very close to USS Indianapolis, my fathers ship in WW2. He got off just before the loaded the bomb to go to the war college. “44 months in the Pacific.” 6. Heller galleons because there aren’t enough galleon models, but be careful what you buy. 7. Revell and other ships from Colombus’ fleet. Big or small they look good to me and they are contemporary to the first western ships to visit Siam where I live now. What’s know about early ships to the East? 8. Aurora USS Hartford because of the propeller and all those cannons on deck. Seems to build into a nice piece even if the kit looks a little thick and crude? 9. Airfix (?) Wasa. Looks super cool of a super cool ship. 10. Revell aircraft carrier Hornet. I got the kit but haven’t seen it yet. I think it’s a shrine. Model will be OK I’m sure.
Final note, I’d sure love to see a model of the Atocha, Mel Fishers treasure galleon and anything from the Spanish Armada. Galleons are cool. Phillipines? Big ones with interior detail please. Thanks, Paul
VELL! HERR MANSTEIN, are ve looking for targets, ya? The 10 best in my humble opinion are as follows One- the swift boat by MONOGRAM. Two -The 36 foot express cruiser(FORMERLY made by LINDBERG) haven,t seen it in years. Three -REVELLS U-47 . Four-The ORIANA/CANBERRA kit by REVELL. Five- The H.M.S.Snowberry-I R.C.d mine and she still runs! Six- The N.S.SAVANNAH-by REVELL. Seven-The BRAZIL by REVELL. Eight-The COAST GUARD CUTTER by LINDBERG. Nine-The Minesweeper by LINDBERG. And Ten - the CHRIS-CRAFT CONSTELLATION by LINDBERG. I choose these because of the opportunity they ALL have given me in the past to develop my scratchbuilding skills. The LINDBERGS are special that way. Revell has also allowed me to stretch the boundaries with these kits. The very first kit bash I EVER did was to a damaged pair of models, the BRAZIL and the SAVANNAH,The SAVANNAH was damaged BEYOND repair aft, The BRAZIL was severely damaged in the forward area.Solution I put the SAVANNAH bow on the BRAZIL where the contours matched almost perfect.Thus my conversion skill door was opened. tankerbuilder
Has any one done a talley yet or you want to run a little longer. I gusss for classics, you could list the Tamiya series of 1/350 Ships. they have stood the test of time. amd another vote for the large REVELL CLIPPERS I saved my money as a paper boy 40 years ago, at least it seams like that to buy The CuttySark. Never finished her but for days i would just get the box down and look at the rigging drawings when I did get brave enough to start I remember warping masts pulling string to tight, never finished he , but for a 10 year old dreaming of sailing while building was everything. now with video games and tv I am afraid we are looseing our modeling base. I tried to get my son interested, lost to the video games, but i have one more chance with my Granddaughter and grandson,and if I live long enough Great grand children . as soon as they are a little older we will try again. i still find my self maleing an airplane noise as I fly her by me or bang as the tank fires a round,
It’s all in the eye of the beholder…Nichimo’s YAMATO when released in 1970 was a real milestone in ship models. I had just finished up building the Lindberg Fletcher and was looking for a new project. A trip to the original Hobbytown in Boston had the Yamato on the front counter, heck, it took up the whole counter… I was used to 18" boxes containing diminutive plastic ships and the owner pointed out the HUGE Yamato box to me. He popped the box open and the the size of the hull alone sold me on this kit. The quality(and quantity) of the parts was state of the art for 1970, even today they hold up pretty well. But the price, a whopping $49.95, it was a monthly car payment! But I had to have it, scratch building wasn’t part of my modeling vocabulary in 1970. Being a seaman in the Coast Guard I wasn’t able to front the purchase but the owner allowed me to make installment payments. I recall making the final payment and carrying the model back to my ship, all on foot, quite a distance from the hobby shop. I remember the Officer of the Deck remarking at the size of the ship model box “there goes a career man”, I guess he was right. Thirty years later I retired and still build ship models.
I agree with thunder1. It really is in the eye of the boholder. Many kits mentioned in this thread as “best” are mentioned in the companion thread as “worst”. Sail builders would not include power ships and vice versa. One person said no sail ship should be in the top 100 and another rattled of a dozen that should be in the top ten. It’s all personal opinion and preference. You would almost need 2 or 3 compilations: sail, non-sail, and possibly classic. It is just interesting to see who likes building what and why.
By the way, thunder1. When were you in the Coast Guard and where? Sounds like you were at Base Boston at one time.
Yes, I was stationed on the CGC BIBB at the time, I haven’t heard Sector Boston referred to as “Base Boston” since the 70’s. Spent my entire career in the First District, mostly Mass. and Rhode Island. Pulled a lot of Ocean Stations, Gitmos, Yucatan Patrols, etc. Served on patrol boats, buoy tenders and even the dreaded NANTUCKET Lightship(where careers go to die). If you remember Base Boston, then you must recall the “Combat Zone”, the Hobbytown was located in the same area.
Spent some time in Allentown, use to visit a shipmate there. What about your CG connection?
I’m a '75 graduate of the Academy. I visited “Base” Boston on a cadet cruise on Eagle in summer '71. Only spent a weekend. First Lt on Alert. CO LORSTA Enewetak. Ops at Base Glouster (now Sector Delaware Bay). OPS on Dallas. Admin Officer at Yorktown. Deputy at Int Ice Patrol. Got out as an LT in '86 to settle down and raise 4 kids. I have a son in the class of '10 at the Academy and another son who is taking the ET2 SWE tomorrow at Sector DelBay. I joined the Auxiliary a few years ago when my commitment to my kids Scouts and sports activities started to wind down. Sounds like you had a 30 year career from about '70 through '00 or so with an awful lot of underway time. E-8, E-9? Or did you go warrant or mustang?
Question. I have the Pyro Blockade Runner/Harriet Lane and have opened the box several times. Each time I look at the blocks and standing rigging and put the box away again. I am planning to get aftermarket items from Blue Jacket or a similar place to replace the kit parts. In your various builds of the kit have you done it out of the box or have you gone aftermarket? If you have gone aftermarket, where have you gotten your new items?
I’ve always built it out of the box except for the last time when I substituted Revell blocks as they are a bit smaller than the ones that come with the kit. But this time who knows?
I am glad I stand corrected on the sailing ships… I guess my only recollection/experience has been bad old heller kits , the beagle and the pirate ship. I don’t have any “young” fond recollections of sailing ship : ( Next time I will finish my coffee before posting ; )
I also forgot the Morgan, that would have made my list… Bill brings one more I would have put done, the Borodino. Also has one of the best box art examples I have seen. I am saving THAT box for sure! The Nagato would have made the list if not for the infamous CAD lines. The details are just exquisite.
Another point to consider is cost, as mentioned before… an honorary mention goes to Dragon 1:700 modern navy Premium kits. Varied quality, but also varied subjects and the kit includes a small PE fret and full hull/waterline options. A great “starter” kit you can find for less than 15$ USD on sale at all major online shops.
This thread could evolve into a great group build theme ; )
Good list; we are in the golden age of kits, more so in the ship category. Not only we have good scale conversions (the Tamiya 1/700 Yamato is even better than the 350 scale offering), we have the slide mould Dragon series of WW2 destroyers, the Academy Wasp, the Hobby Boss sub series, etc…
It would seem that we need a set of criteria to go by - something like the Military Channel does with their “Top Tens” except that we can probably leave out “Fear Factor” - unlikely that a kit that is so poorly engineered that you don’t want to build it should be in the top ten (I guess that eliminates Aurora’s Bonhomme Richard).
My first cut at the criteria would include (most important first):
Scale fidelity (the appearance and proportions of the kit should be identical to the real ship)
Detail and Completeness (the kit should have be highly detailed and include everything that you need, aftermarket PE should not be needed)
Length of production and availability (for example Revell’s 1:96 USS Constitution and 1:570 Queen Mary have been around for a long time and are in the catalog year after year)
Innovation (did the kit offer some really innovative features or it was it groundbreaking in some way, for example the Revell 1:192 USS Constitution was highly detailed for its time)
Price (how much do you get for your money, a 10 being under $15, 9 under $20, 8 under $25, etc.)
If we try an example, say Revell’s 1:84 NYFD Firefighter, using a scale of 1 to 10
Scale Fidelity: 10
Detail and Completeness: 10
Length of production and availability: 3 (the kit has been around for a long time, but is not in the catalog very often)
Innovation: 3, it’s a nice kit, a unique model, and originally came with brass plated parts, but nothing earthshaking)
Price: 8 (the kit has always been affordable, i.e., under $25)
So that would give the Firefighter a score of 34 out of 50 or about 68%