I build aircraft mostly but been eyeballing 2 Revell ship kits…1:350 Bismarck and USS Enterprise A/C Carrier. Id like to know if anyone has built these and their opinion of the kits. The Enterprise kit is around 60 bucks, which seems cheap for the size of the box! The Bismarck is over 100 bucks but is located in a collectibles store. The owner has what amounts to a small hobby shop in there and his prices are pretty high IMHO. Im thinking about shelling out the dough for Bismarck but want to know if Im getting my moneys worth. My Bday is real close so Im hoping for both…[:D] I haven`t done any research on these kits yet…wanted to hear your opinions first.
Welcome to ship modeling! The 1/350 Revell Bismarck is a fantastic kit that you can possibly find a few dollars cheaper. On the other hand, I am not sure which USS Enterprise you are considering, CV 6 or CVN 65.
It`s the CVN 65. I wish I could find a CV 6 in 350 scale…does on exist? If I could get both I could do a “now and then” build…lol.
I kinda figured the price that guy wants for Bismarck was high…don`t know how he moves any merchandise as he wants at least 10-15 dollars above the MSRP.
That Enterprise kit sounds like the old 1/400 scale one first released, by Aurora I believe, several decades ago. There is no current CV-6 Enterprise in 1/350. Only CV-8. Considering her war record, that is a HUGE oversight.
That Bismark can had in the $80 range from online sources.
Yep…prolly the one…remember it being a weird scale…looks like the Tamiya kit a little but definately the Revell kit. I figured the Bismarck kit could be gotten for less. The only WWII carrier kits Ive been seeing lately are 1/700 and seem pricey for their size. This is when I wish I had a basement...remember seeing a scratch built CVE in 1/72 scale...that would be somethin to show off!
A company called Trumpeter did a 1/350th CV-8 Hornet close to ten years ago… it is merely so-so, being one of their earlier ship efforts.
After that they came out with a series of Essex class carrier kits, CV-9 Essex, CV-10 Yorktown, CV-13 Franklin, and CV-14 Ticonderoga. These were better, but far from perfect and leave a lot for builders to add if you decide you want to get into adding detail.
Recently, Hasegawa and Dragon have released “baby flattops,” with Dragon releasing a Light Carrier Independence CVL-22 and Hasegawa the Escort Carrier Gambier Bay CVE-73. Both are excellent kits, with the Hasegawa one being simpler to build due to the simpler design of the ships. It is, however, more expensive in the US due to distribution chains.
Plenty of US Aircraft carrier options.
Revell’s newer kits are excellent, but they tend to re-issue their older kits as well, so it is good to do some research first. Another item you may or may not be familiar with is that there are different Revells; Revell of Germany turns out the good stuff whereas the US Revell seems content to mainly churn old kits (their 1/72nd Gato sub is an exception).
Im very aware of the two Revells and all the other model companies…been modeling off and on for 30 yrs…just dont know much about ship models as Im an aircraft guy. Ive been living in my current home for 11 yrs now and that Enterprise kit has been sitting on the same shelf in the hobby shop for the same amount of time..lol. Ive been eyeballin it for quite some time but was wondering why no one snatched it up. Thinking maybe not a good kit but probably too big for most people. Im going out there tomorrow and might buy it…think its 1/400 but cant remember.
What scale are the Hasegawa and Dragon kits? Ive seen new kits but mostly 1/700...too small for me and my meathooks. I guess Im looking for a change of pace build…something besides another plane…lol. Id love to find a kit of the Barnegate Lightship...I actually sailed on her as a teenager in the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps...was an oiler in the engine room. She was kept at pier 34 in Philadelphia and maintained by the Philadelphia Ship Guild. They also took care of the Gazella Primera..a sloop..and the USS Olympia..Adm Deweys flagship in the “Banana Wars”. Once a year we would sail the Barnagate down to her winter berth in Wilmington, Delaware…why? Not really sure cause there`s not much difference in temperature…lol
The Hasegawa and Dragon kits are in 1/350 scale. Tracy forgot to mention that Trumpeter also released the USS Hancock (CV 19) in 1/350 scale, which was the first of the long-hull Essex class. They also released the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and the Admiral Kuznetsov (Soviet/Russian).
Yep, that`s why I was going to jump on it for 60 bucks. The guy with the collectibles shop wants $40-45 for his Dragon 1/700 kits…outta his mind!
Not to sound like a smart a$$ but I know the difference between a spaceship and an aircraft carrier [;)] Ive been watching it for the past 11 yrs. My luck...Ill go today to buy it and somebody will be walking out the door with it! Thanks with the price range info…have no idea what these ship models cost.
Price ranges vary. Revell’s 1/720 CVN-65 Enterprise dates to the late 60s, early 70s or so. I recall building it in that time frame originally. Considering the vintage of that kit, anything over $20 would be too much. And yes, I agree with you about your shopkeepers 1/700 Dragon pricing.
But if it is the old 1/400 Enterprise, $60 is arguably reasonable for such a big older kit.
I thought you said the kit you’re considering is the Revell 1/400 scale CVN-65-- that’s the old, old Aurora kit.
The 1/350 scale CVN-65 is the Tamiya kit, and a much nicer kit.
If you’re considering buying the 1/400 kit for $60, who cares if $60 is a good price for the 1/350 kit-- that’s not the kit for sale, right?
FInally, why not just do a little research yourself? You said you’re an experienced aircraft modeler-- surely you’ve heard of Squadron.com, Sprue Brothers, Great Models, Google, or Ebay? You’ll get a much better sense of the going prices that way… for example, I just googled revell 1/400 enterprise, and immediately found one for $40 on ebay, I also found that Great models used to sell it for $48, but it has been out of stock since 2007…
Confused?? Did you read the thread? I saw two ship kits and wanted some ship modelers` opinions on them including their idea of a good price as stated above. Does that clear it up for you any? Geeze…who crapped in your cornflakes??
As far as a 1/350 scale CV 6 is concerned, Yankee Modelworks offers one, but it is quite expensive. Nautilus models makes a conversion kit of the Trumpeter Hornet to build either the Enterprise or Yorktown. Nautilus also makes a wooded flight deck for each.
I really don,t know which REVELL carrier you are referring to .I had the (large) ENTERPRISE years ago(maybe that,s why it seemed large) And I was not enthralled with it . I do own the TRUMPETER 1/350 carriers and I will say , I am NOT dissappointed with what I have .Someone gifted me the U.S.S. INDEPENDENCE and I will say that it is NOT my first DRAGON kit WOW ! The prices you mention ,I think are high considering that in 1/350 you can find some really good BISMARKS and sisters at near or slightly above that .Of course with the newer ones you get the state of the art now, moldings. I would recommend the TAMIYA or HASEGAWA ENTERPRISE in the larger scale at a reasonable price . As to the BISMARK , my friend, GO NEW and that way you,ll be happy with what you bought . All the ships except (maybe )the "BIG “E”) are 1/350 and that makes them a lot easier to handle and you have many more options . tankerbuilder
The Revell carrier Im talking about is the Enterprise CVN 68 (?) and is in a rather large box which is why I thought it was 1:350 scale but Im sure is the 1:400 kit from way back when. The point of this thread was I just wanted a little info on 2 particular kits Ive been seeing for quite some time in 2 LHS by me and a little price info on 1:700 kits...the one guy is way high with prices thanks to the info Ive gotten from you swabbies…lol. So, thanks for your help and thanks to everyone else that chimed in!