Hello,
I am very interested in building model ships, mainly ships of war from all eras.
I am looking for any guidance on where to start. I am finding models that seem cookie cutter or have poor reviews saying that parts are not correct and need modification.
If anyone has any advice on where to begin, I would be so grateful.
thanks!
Michael
A 1/350 WWII destroyer or cruiser or even and older Tamiya battleship is great place to start and dip your toe in,if you build it out of box,there are not a lot parts.I would think the sailing ships with all of the rigging would be pretty complicated for a first build.
Yep, Tamiya or Dragon ships. Hasegawa are also good. 1/350th is the standard.
Donât overwhelm yourself. The part that is never said is that these guys who use all the resin, photoetch, and 3D printed parts on their ships have been building models for decades, many 50 years or more. Start with building out of the box and get really good at that. Donât worry about modification until way down the line. As Tony and Top have said, buy Tamiya kits until you get super proficient. That way youâll guarantee yourself perfect fit and buildability. And enjoyment.
Previous model-building of any kind is a plus! Even 1/350 scale ships have some pretty small parts. Tamiyaâs 1/350 Fletcher is a decent kit to start with, should be generally available, and not expensive. If you want to go larger scale, Airfix 1/72 Vosper MTB, Revell 1/72 PT 109 (the latest release), and Revellâs 1/72 Schnellboot, are relatively easy builds, have lots of detail OOB, and look nice when built. It mostly depends on where you think your experience level is, and how big your budget is.
As you ace your first kits youâll be prepared to go on to more demanding models. And have fun! If youâre starting to feel stressed, take a break!
Welcome.
The most popular scale for ship modellers is 1/350 so if space is not an issue as you go along focus on that scale. 1/700 is also popular but except battleships, large cruisers and carriers, models are tiny and detailing is more difficult.
Most ships have lengthy servicelifes or receive modifications so all kits will have some detail missing or different from the timeframe depicted and so on. Some ships even have two or more kits for different eras in their service life.
If you want to learn the basics try something a Tamiya Fletcher or the Dragon Benson kits, as previously mentioned, or for modern era ships you can do Trumpeterâs Arleigh Burke class kits, or modern Japanese destroyers. Also Takom has a couple of nice modern era ship kits. You get decent size models with good details and basic photoetch included.
The most important thing to learn is to preplan your build and that instructions are there to offer basic info on assembling the parts of the model but not the optimum sequence of assembly. Usually you prepare sub-assemblies of the ship, paint them and then you add them to the hull.
Welcome aboard. 
Since model ships are so small, use a toothpick to apply the glue. Squirt some glue on a piece of cardboard or on a plastic dish and then use a toothpick to dab into the glue and then âpaintâ the tiny piece with the toothpick before putting it into place.
Buy some of the best nippers to cut the parts as close as possible without breaking them. The other modelers can tell you who makes the best nippers (Xuron or other manufacturers). Also, tweezers will help as well when holding onto tiny parts for gluing. Wear disposable gloves to avoid getting super glue onto your fingers.
Good luck!
If youâre using superglue I recommend you buy some âunglueâ to remove any you might mess on the model/your fingers. Gloves are great if you like the feel of them.
I use an unglue.
âIf anyone has any advice on where to begin, I would be so grateful.â
Everyone here is giving advice (including myself) which may, or may not, be useful. I think it would be helpful to us to know more information about you, ie; previous modeling experience, and age. For instance, if you have been modeling cars, or aircraft for the last 30 years, a lot of the advice would be useless to you. On the other hand, if you are 15 years old, and have never glued two parts together, that is a completely different story.
A little background (nothing personal, of course) would be helpful in providing advice.
One of the recommendations Iâve seen for removing parts from sprues is to cut them off twice â the first cut to separate the part leaving âtagsâ of the sprue gates attached to the part, then once the part is free of the sprue, go back and trim the remnants of the sprue gates as close as possible. Doing it this way is more work, but it allows you to put less stress on delicate parts during removal and lets you avoid damage from an awkward cut angle when separating the part that could result in a gouge out of the part, because youâre making the final trim on just the part, not the part that still has another attachment to the sprue you havenât cut yet.
Hi Michael and welcome to the site.
As many have said, 1/350 scale is a great place to start. There are many kits available in this scale from all eraâs and nations. These kits usually have a lot of parts and detail is typically good. Tamiya and Dragon kits are good kits to start with and most are relatively inexpensive,.
THere are two good sites to look for reviews, advice and how-to information.. This site and ModelWarships.com
Always remember, this hobby is supposed to be fun.
Steve
yes its recommended as if you cut tight to the part the plastic can stress and rip a divot out the part but if the nub is only thin it lessens the chance of actually damaging the part.
Welcome to the salty side!
Like a lot of the comments, start small: Tamiyaâs Fletcher in 1/350 is a good intro.
Donât attempt photo etch on your first buildâŚ(unless youâve used it beforeâŚ)
Build in small sub assemblies⌠Paint as you build-donât try to paint the whole thing after youâve completed the assemblyâŚ
Most importantly, Have fun. Lots of great people here to help out with any questions you may haveâŚ