Scales and kit suggestions please. Small Navy ships.

Modeling Subjects Ships
1

Hi,

After doing a lot of military vehicules (mainly tank in 1/35) I am seriously considering going into model ship building.

I am thinking small Navy ships like corvettes, destroyers, escorts and so on and I would like them to be around 18 inches long.

So I am asking you my dear ship model aficionados…

What scale should I choose?

What is the best companie in this line?

Any kit suggestions?

Do you know a Youtuber that make building videos of those kind of kits that are not too boring?

Thank’s a lot in advance shipmates!

2

1/350 would seem to be the logical choice for sheer availablity - with more and better-detailed projects to choose from all the time - but the smaller ships are likely to come in a bit under your 18" window. Larger scales are available, with newer 1/200 stuff coming out, and a somewhat random spread of older ‘box scale’ kits still readily acessible (like the old Revell 1/240 four-stackers). It just depends on whether you want to stick with one consistent scale - which it seems is your object - and how much display space you’ll ultimately have available. [:D]

3

To keep around the 18" desire you may want to look into the Revell 1/144 Flower class Corvette which ends up being 17+“. Any destroyer or escort in 1/350 will be around 12” or less.

4

Don’t overlook submarines.

Tamiya, Revell, Trumpeter.

New Revell PT-109.

5

Wellllll. Thank you for your quick reply.

Yes I would like to stick to the same scale.

I know that 1/350 scale have probably the most models available.

Looking a that I an not sure about the final size. My botom size would be around 15 inches…

6

Yes I have seen some video about the Flower clas corvette. I love those ships. Is there a lot of 1/144 scale ship like that? I do hope so…

7

I have done some sumbmarine but i fail to find a chalenge in them. Not enough pieces and all…

As for the PT 109 I have done quite my share of them when I was younger. I need a new drug. lol

That was a good suggestion nonetheless. Thank you.

8

There aren’t too many 1/144 ships. I like the scale too. I built a Type XXI uboat with interior, it was really cool.

Otherwise, there’s a 1/144 Fletched destroyer, but it’s about 3 feet long.

The corvette is a great model, I’m about 1/3 into it. I’ve kind of hit the wall, but would like to get back into it.

9

As far as subs, a 1/144 Gato will be around 24 inches, U-boats will be around 18 inches.

As far as not enough parts, plenty of PE out there to dress them up and get a better scale effect. That will add to the parts count and hair pulling, not to mention the language skills. Available for pretty much all the US, German and Japanese subs in that scale.

Gato’s in 1/350 (AFV) are about 11-12 inches, but PE out there for them as well

10

Hi,

For Revell-Germany also has a 1/144 scale Landing Ship Medium, a 1/144 modified landing ship (late 1950s era with a small helo platform), a 1/144 scale Fast Attack Craft (missile boat), and a 1/144 scale modern diesel electric sub (plus a modern 1/144 scale commercial harbor tug and a 1/142 scale fishing trawler that is sometimes packaged as a Russian Spy Ship).

Pat

11

Hi,

With respect to small navy ship models in general, although I have a copy of the Lindgerg 1/125 scale Minesweeper, I’d love to find a similarly large scale model of a newer mine counter measures ship like the USS MCM-1 or MHC classes, the RN Hunt class or the European Tripartite classes. [:)]

Regards

Pat