G’Day everyone,
I’m considering attempting the Tamiya 1/350 USS Enterprise and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions/advice to offer me? I haven’t attempted a ship for …7 or 8 years, so I want my return to the fray to be “spectactular”[:D]
Smokey
On my return to modelling, I picked the biggest kit in the shop which was the Big E. This is a great kit, but not for beginners. I would go for a smaller(cheaper) 1/350 as a practise run to familiarise yourself with the concept of ship building. My Enterprise sits on a shelf in my shed, crying out for an airbrushed finish, PE accessories and someone to finish the tiny planes.
I will get back to it one day and apply the knowledge gained from the FSM and “modelwarships.com” forums.
If youre confident then go for it , but I would suggest holding back for a bit so you dont end up with a £125.00 shelf filler.
Regards
Daveash
A great 1/350 ship kit to do as a refresher is the Tamiya Fletcher class Destroyer. It’s a great kit that just falls right together. If you enjoy that, then do the Big “E”. But doing the Enterprise as your first ship in so long is a bit much, and could lead to a HUGE dissapointment.
Thanks lads, I knew i was biting off a bit more than I could chew, but I do have a great offer for the kit (nothing down, no more to pay) so I’ll just put this one on the backburner…(with the other they’ll - look great in the new house {in the TV room} Honey …kits)
any tips on good detail kits?
Smokey
Get the additional aircraft kit and build all the aircraft first, if your not going mad by then the boat is easy.
Never turn down a free kit.[:D] It can sit on the shelf for awhile and you can come back to it later when your ready.
if you can get them for free, i would like to get one 2 
no problem, i shall pay the shipping costs to me
woudl like to make the Big E also sometime.
However the new Nimitz in 1/350 from Trumpeter would be cooler
I agree, never turn down a free ship model. As for the kit it’s one of the best kits iI ever built. Your going to have to take your time its a bit kit. many things can be done with the kit. You can see many pictures of the kit on Modelwarships.com under carriers. You can get everything in photo-etch you would need. even interiors for the planes. However I still am waiting for some company to come out with weapons and external fuel tanks and other assesories for the planes and the flight-deck. good luck, and have fun
I had not built a ship kit in over 10 years and BAM! got the hankerin’ for the Big E. So far it’s not really that bad. Just remember Grasshopper, “Patience”. Take you’re time, get the appropriate decals, PE, air Wing and decals for them, and a couple hundred Eduard painted sailors. But as others have mentioned, as soon as I had the deck lines painted and all major assemblies done, TAKE A BREAK!!! I’ve read several articles from other modelers about the Big E taking 4 to 10 years for them to complete. Of course their work is out of sight! Shoot, if I get mine done in 1 year I’ll be happy. The only caution I might bring up is the painting of the deck stripes. I don’t really care for brush strokes in paint so airbrushing is a must. Don’t waste time with blue painter’s tape. Go ahead and load up on Tamiya or Drafting Tape.Especially if you’re thinking about acryllic paint. As a matter of fact, I have enjoyed the quality and assembly of the Enterprise that I went ahead and picked up the New Jersey BB-62 for the next BIG project.
Can you say “HOOK - LINE - AND SINKER?”
Ha! Just wait until you’ve built everything you’re interested and you start scratchbuilding!!
Jeff Herne
(Up to his neck in a 1/200 Takao)
Ditto Jeff,
Or really want to build something that isn’t quite out there[:)] So you start to kitbash/scratchbuild/seek psychological help.[:o)]
Scott
(In the planning stage of “On Yankee Station; USS Oriskany in 1/350”)
(Or, how Scott will part with his mind and his wallet)
i did the Big-E about 10 years ago… It was a lot of fun but took a lot of work. Fixing the two piece hull was the one of the biggest jobs. I didnt do a lot of detailing on mine but it came out ok. Painting the deck was a pain especially all those tie downs. I think it took me a week with toothpicks to do them all.
here are a couple of pics of mine. and Oh-yea dont mind the overturned planes.
The Big E was the first ship I ever built.It was the first for many things,first Tamya kit,first shot at Tamya paint and the first time I built a coffee table(close to the same size).I really enjoyed it.It went together very well.There is lots of detail painting though.I didn’t add any PE or extra detail to it but it came out great.I admit I still have a few planes to finish but they are handyif you want a small project to do some night.If I feel like doing something different,I just grab one and finish it.Airbrush is a must for this kit.
Good luck!