What's a good scale? scale sizes for WWII ships
{andypaul@aol.com}
The standardized scales were pretty much set back in the early 70s when Tamiya
began offering the 1:350 scale ship kits to complement their line of 1:700
scale stuff. Since then those two scales have become the standard by what most
ship modelers live by. Not the best or the worst, just the most popular.
Deciding on one of these scales is up to you of course. It depends I suppose,
on the amount of shelf space and money you have. The biggest bang for the buck
is 1:700 scale. The largest variety of ship models resides in this scale and
the largest selection of photo etch detail sets is there as well. The second
advantage to 1:700 is the size. Obviously, you can put a lot more 1:700 scale
ships on your shelves than 1:350 (doubles in size). So if you have a good
magnifier and don't mind working with almost microscopic sized photo etch
parts, this may be scale for you. There are also lots of 1:700 resin kits
available as well. 1/350 scale has advantages and disadvantages also. The
first larger size makes it easier to work with and detail. Same goes for the
photo etch. There are far fewer plastic kits in 1:350, although the Chinese
have been releasing this scale like crazy lately and the photo etch aftermarket
companies are going like crazy to keep up. There are lots of 1:350 scale
multi-media (resin, photo etch, metal) ship kits on the market, but the expense
is more than most can deal with. An average resin destroyer runs around $85.00
(compared to $28.00 for the plastic Fletcher) and the larger the model the more
they cost. I just paid $400.00 for a 1:350 scale USS Langley kit. The cost was
dictated mostly by the massive amount of photo etch included with the kit. Was
it worth it? To me it was. Is it worth it to you to have the only 1:350
Langley kit in the world for $400.00? Let your wallet be your guide. Hope
this helps.
{Rusty White}
Flagship Models Inc.
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