RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted November 21, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 21, 2015 A really good issue IMO, lots of good stuff and the marine theme worked really well. A typically excellent and balanced review of the Hornby S15 was almost worth the cover price in itself but I'll admit that is not a balanced opinion given that the S15 has been one of the releases that I'd been really waiting for. On model boats and ships, there is a whole hobby of 1/1250 waterline ships where you can get just about anything but the models are made mainly by cottage industry type small suppliers in small runs and are not cheap. In plastic there are plenty of very nice 1/700 and 1/350 warship kits but merchant vessels are rather poorly served and especially modern merchant vessels are extremely badly represented in kit form. The size of ships means that models in railway scales are always going to be at the smaller end of the spectrum, even the Matchbox/Revell 1/72 Flower class corvette is a hefty beast and the Revell 1/72 Type VII U Boat is quite a beast. Both types are small as ships go. That said, for those who are up to what might be called semi-kit building or assisted scratch build projects you can get plenty of parts and preformed hulls to do all sorts of ships and there are still the Billings type kits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibber25 Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 A really good issue IMO, lots of good stuff and the marine theme worked really well. A typically excellent and balanced review of the Hornby S15 was almost worth the cover price in itself but I'll admit that is not a balanced opinion given that the S15 has been one of the releases that I'd been really waiting for. On model boats and ships, there is a whole hobby of 1/1250 waterline ships where you can get just about anything but the models are made mainly by cottage industry type small suppliers in small runs and are not cheap. In plastic there are plenty of very nice 1/700 and 1/350 warship kits but merchant vessels are rather poorly served and especially modern merchant vessels are extremely badly represented in kit form. The size of ships means that models in railway scales are always going to be at the smaller end of the spectrum, even the Matchbox/Revell 1/72 Flower class corvette is a hefty beast and the Revell 1/72 Type VII U Boat is quite a beast. Both types are small as ships go. That said, for those who are up to what might be called semi-kit building or assisted scratch build projects you can get plenty of parts and preformed hulls to do all sorts of ships and there are still the Billings type kits. I hope we'll be able to return to the topic of boats, not least because I have (both partly built) a 1:76 scratchbuilt MS Oldenburg (Lundy supply boat) and a 1:48 MV Gry Maritha (Scillies supply boat) and I'd like to build dioramas for both of them. The Gry is a kit but the Oldenburg is scratch-built and really only requires finishing. When I started it some 10-12 years ago, I took slides for a step-by-step including how to form the bow from a single piece of Plastikard (I read up on how to do it in a maritime modelling mag) and I'd really like to use those pictures one day! (CJL) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rue_d_etropal Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I am at Wakefield exhibition this weekend, and Langley are there as we;;. This has given me a chance to see their models. The large boats are beyond my price range, at the moment, but they do some smaller vessels at much lower prices, so maybe I will try one of those. The suggestion of a list of models is a good one, but will probably highlight the small number of boats available for 4mm (or near) scale. Smaller scales such as 1/87 can work, as they can still look the part, and unless you stand a chunky 4mm scale figure next to one of the cabin doors the smaller size is not obvious. If I was looking for something a bit bigger, I might go for the soon to be released coastal freighter http://www.artitecshop.com/en/coastal-freighter.html these are nearly 2ft long and would nicely fill one of my APA boxes. not sure if it would be early enough period though for a British layout(1940s), but spot on for something continental(1950s). . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westerner Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Rue: Did you see my post (42)on page 2 of this thread, about the RM article Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted November 22, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 22, 2015 There are several kits in the Revell range at 1/72 scale that can be used as is or modified. One is the Sunseeker 'Predator 108' luxury yacht though at 18 inches long it is only suitable for larger layouts, the other one is the 'Walter Rose', an inshore rescue craft about 6 inches long. The Walter Rose looks as if it can easily be converted to other types of vessel such as a fishing boat by removing the cabin and moving the wheelhouse forward. An added bonus is that this kit includes alternative masts and radar that can be used on another model. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
swisspeat Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I was responsible for the Scenecraft boat article in the latest issue of MR and I have been intrigued by the number of posts here about boats. After all we are a railway modelling magazine but lots of us are drawn to modelling boats too. I looked back over older issues of the magazine and recall at least two "value for money" kit built boat articles (one in MR 133 for a Frenchmann River kit and one in MR 191 of a Kibri plastic boat kit) costing less than the Scenecraft boat. The Kibri one cost less than £15. I agree they are no where as good as Artitec boats but maybe we all have to start our boatbuilding skills somewhere. Incidentally I have just built a Craftline balsa wood based canal boat as a future article for the mag. I have had it sitting in my cupboard for over 10 years and at last I have got round to building it. I'd almost forgotten how good balsa is to work with. That kit still costs less than £7 today and I see Scalescenes retail narrowboat kits for £3.99 and a cargo ship at £6.99. Happy boat modelling! Best wishes, Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted November 22, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 22, 2015 Although my modelling is much more rail orientated than marine, in terms of 1:1 I am more interested in shipping than trains. Admittedly a lot of that is down to the fact that I've spent most of my adult life working in the maritime sector in various capacities but even outside of work I have a real passion for ships. I'd love to see models of modern (and even not so modern) cargo carrying vessels such as box boats. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rue_d_etropal Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Alan, thanks for the info, I think I must have a copy somewhere, possibly not, but will look out for it. At the moment I am only really looking around. I have a couple of items I could use, but in no rush. t has been a busy weekend at exhibition, talking to a lot of people. Consensus seems to be that boats are just as interesting and nothing wrong in model railway magazines have articles about them, especially as quayside/dock railways are of interest to many, and so boats might be required. The model boats/ships I see on layouts often get a lot of interest. Phil, those Revell kits are a bit modern for many, but looking closer at the Walter Rose, and I think it would be possible to build a new wheelhouse. as the cabin is a separate piece of plastic to the deck, and maybe it has been designed that way so other boat kits could use same hull and deck. I as looking at the small boats Langley do, and look reasonable price, but again no hurry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 A really enjoyable issue. With winter upon us it's nice to see some scenes reminding us of summers by the seaside! Thanks to all who contributed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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