I saw the ad and the article on this kit in my latest copy of FSM.
I have the old Fujimi Waterline Series offering, and it’s a dilemma for me. I like that the Tamiya kit is a little better detailed, but the MSRP of $68 is more than I want to pay. Also, I wish Tamiya had followed Trumpeter’s lead and produced the aircraft in clear plastic.
Still, it’s nice to see another new 1/700 kit of the Sara in her late configuration.
What do you think of it, from first glance?
Best regards,
Brad
I seen the kit being offered in the low $40 range with free shipping.
Back in the 70’s , I’d say Tamiya was worth the extra $$, but now ,its hard to pick their $68 Sara over Trumpeters $21. I built the Fujimi kit and with photo etch and some Evergreen plastic, comes out to be a really nice kit and can be had for around $20. Now if Tamiya had come out with something unique, say the Wasp (CV7), then that would be no contest. I’d pay $68.
First, I agree that $68.00 is an outrageous price for ANY 1/700 kit. Just like I don’t think there’s any such thing as a paperback book that’s worth $100.00. (The textbook publishers disagree.)
In choosing between this kit and the Trumpeter competition, it’s important to note just what they are. The Tamiya kit represents the Saratoga very late in the war, with the anti-torpedo bulge and twin 5" mounts fore and aft of the island. The Trumpeter Saratoga shows her as built, with 8" turrets (and yellow-winged biplanes all over the flight deck). The Trumpeter Lexington shows her as she looked when she was sunk, after the 8" mounts were removed but before the twin 5" could be added. All three models, out of the box, look quite a bit different.
I’ve got the Trumpeter Saratoga in my stash, and I really like it. I won’t buy the Tamiya one.
I’m with you there! An injection-molded Wasp and Ranger in 1/700 are my regular responses to the annual polls for kits we’d like to see.
jtilley, you’re right, it is important to remember exactly which subject each kit portrays. I have the Trumpeter 1/700 Sara, too, for my between-the-wars collection.
If I didn’t already have the Fujimi 1945 Sara, I might–just might–consider getting this new kit, though I’d probably wait till I could find a discount like Marcus saw, or until it comes up more frequently on the second-hand market. But I agree that the old kit can be built into a good model of the subject, even if it needs some extra detailing. Of course, which of the kits of its vintage don’t need a little extra work?
Brad,those posted MSRPs are ridiculous.I just saw it on Amazon for $41.08 with free shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-Models-Saratoga-Aircraft-Carrier/dp/B00KGMT6D4
Or $37 with shipping on eBay.
Does any one think the a/c look over scaled?
Even forty bucks is a little too expensive for me. I’m Dutchy. I’ll look for it around $20, or less, if I can find it.
Yea, I rarely pay any more than 25 for any kit. I have to answer to the boss you know.
Now if I get cash for my Birthday or Christmas…that’s a different story.
I see comparable prices on eBay for 1/700 kits from the other Japanese makers, $60 or so for an Akagi from Aoshima, for example.
I was just stunned now to see an eBay “Buy it now” offering of the Revell 1/720 USS Intrepid, in its present Revell of Germany boxing, for $33. That is way too much for that kit. Not saying I wouldn’t build that kit, but I wouldn’t pay more than $10 for it.
Every once in a while though, you’ll find something that’s just too good to pass up.
Honestly I’d like another crack at the Intrepid I built that kit with meager resources over 20 years ago and would like to build it again with Trumpeter aircraft and updated guns.
Heh, me, too, but not at $33. I have seen it cheaper in other auctions, though. Also, I haven’t checked Revell-Monogram’s website to see if it’s in the catalog again.
I don’t remember if the kit was a long-hull or short-hull Essex, but whichever it is, you could use it to build the other members of the same class. They boxed it as the Franklin, and I think they also boxed it at one point as the Essex herself, though I’d have to look that up in Graham’s book to make sure.
I wouldn’t mind building the Arizona/Pennsylvania kit again, too, applying what I’ve learned since I last built them as a kid.
OK, I checked at RM, and it is in the catalog:
No price given, though. Next time I’m at HobbyTown, I’ll have to take a look.
I find it hard to believe that there aren’t more kits of CV-5 and CV-6 in 1/700 scale. Without these ships and the Hornet CV-8 we might have had to negotiate with Japan for a stalemate in the Pacific. lenny