StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Well, at least for a ship modelin' feller like myself it's the holy of holies.

The Combrig 1/700th scale HMS Dreadnought kit is here!
Well, not here, not in my hands here, but it's been ordered and should be delivered by next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Those nutty Russians at Combrig, they've begun producing resin kits that are as good as any produced anywhere in the world today, and at incredibly affordable prices. You'd almost think they intend to dominate the market, or something.
They've been in business for around five years or so, and have gone from producing detail-free, frankly awful kits like this, to masterpieces like their Dreadnought. All of their new releases are of similar or equal quality, and they've also re-tooled that Borodino kit to their new standard of quality.
H-P Models of Germany produces a seriously inferior Dreadnought kit, in the same scale, but it costs $59, as opposed to the Combrig kit which goes for $45. Combrig's Dreadnought is not only superior in terms of price, and detail, but it includes two extensive photo-etched brass frets.
Those alone would cost about $15 on their own from an after market producer.

So, if you have a knack fer buildin' little plastic ships, have some experience at resin kits, and would like to see something that blows Tamiya or Hasegawa products COMPLTELY out of the water, get one from Pacific Front Hobbies in the US, or White Ensign Models in the UK.

Pacific Front Hobbies (don't let the Christian animated gif. run you off, Bill Gruner's a great guy)

White Ensign Models

Do you have any experience with Trumpeter kits? We got my dad a 1/350 Nimitz for Christmas (and just my luck, he says it's the wrong one, he wants the USSR Admiral Kuznetsov Guess he'll have to exchange it, not wrapping that fucker again) and I was wondering if it had any headaches.

Dalton wrote:Do you have any experience with Trumpeter kits? We got my dad a 1/350 Nimitz for Christmas (and just my luck, he says it's the wrong one, he wants the USSR Admiral Kuznetsov Guess he'll have to exchange it, not wrapping that fucker again) and I was wondering if it had any headaches.

I don't build modern kits, but I know people are raving over it, and that Trumpeter makes some of the best injection molded kits to be had.

Timothy Dike, in his review at ModelWarships.com wrote:A well designed kit with very little to complain about. This kit retails for $199.00, but can be found on sale for less in most places. That may sound high to some of you. but with almost 1000 parts, this kit will provide hours of enjoyment. That gives you a lot of bang for your hobby dollar.

Gold Medal Models announced today that their photo-tched brass detail set is ready for shipping, too.

That's some crazy prices for the models at White Ensign, and I find it hard to believe that anyone kicks Tamiyas ass when it comes to injection moulded goodness. Having said that, I switched to CGI model making a few years ago and it's yonks since I made a ship model (Bismarck). Dreadnought is grand, but are there any of the later Queen Elizabeth class of British battleships available anywhere at a reasonable price? I prefer the later ships with superfiring turrets rather than Dreadnoughts 2 side turrets.

Dalton wrote:Do you have any experience with Trumpeter kits? We got my dad a 1/350 Nimitz for Christmas (and just my luck, he says it's the wrong one, he wants the USSR Admiral Kuznetsov Guess he'll have to exchange it, not wrapping that fucker again) and I was wondering if it had any headaches.

You confused the Nimitz for the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov? For SHAME.

Vympel wrote:You confused the Nimitz for the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov? For SHAME.

HEY. It wasn't my fault my dad emailed me saying he wanted the Nimitz.

Oh, and thanks, Frank

Kenny_10_Bellys wrote:That's some crazy prices for the models at White Ensign, and I find it hard to believe that anyone kicks Tamiyas ass when it comes to injection moulded goodness. Having said that, I switched to CGI model making a few years ago and it's yonks since I made a ship model (Bismarck). Dreadnought is grand, but are there any of the later Queen Elizabeth class of British battleships available anywhere at a reasonable price? I prefer the later ships with superfiring turrets rather than Dreadnoughts 2 side turrets.

WEM put out their Queen Elizabeth in 1918 fit this year, and eveyone agrees it's about as good as a model can get.

Samek from the Czech Republic produces a Royal Oak, if you'e interested in one of the "R"s, in 1939 fit. A solid model.

Combrig released a kit of HMS Tiger earlier this year, and they're going to be expanding on their RN line with more WWI dreadnoughts in 2005. They're currently working on HMS Lion, Queen Mary, Invincible, Colossus, and Erin.

White Ensign Model's Queen Elizabeth is, errrm, pricey, but not insanely so, and Samek's Royal Oak is up there in price, too. But that's the world of resin, the tooling may be hundreds of times cheaper to produce compared to injected styrene tooling, but the material that constitutes the kit itself is dozens of times more expensive. And these resin producers don't produce in the volume that lowers injection molded kit prices.

If you want an example of insanely priced resin models, Imperial Hobbies Productions make a line of never-weres; their G-3 battlecruiser goes for around $200, and that's 1/700th scale! And, to top that off, it's not even a complete kit! You have to get TWO Tamiya Nelson or Rodney kits to get the secondary armament parts you need! Then there's Yankee Modelworks, some of their 1/350th WWII subjects are over $500!