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Which Brand of Wooden ship model kit is better or worse.....? Take a poll and answer a few multiple choice questions.


Chuck

Which Brand of Wooden ship model kits is your.....? Take a poll and answer a few multiple choice questions.  

468 members have voted

  1. 1. Which Brand of Wooden ship model kits have the best quality materials ?

    • Model Shipways
      104
    • A. Latina
      43
    • Amati
      95
    • Caldercraft
      133
    • Corel
      35
    • Constructo
      8
    • Mantua/Sergal
      22
    • Mamoli
      16
    • Occre
      42
    • Billings
      16
    • Marisstella
      20
    • Bluejacket
      64
    • Deagostini
      11
    • Dumas
      4
    • Panart
      22
    • Dusek
      16
    • Euromodel
      37
    • Master Korabel
      25
    • Modellers Shipyard
      11
    • AJ Fisher
      5
    • Soclaine
      0
    • Syren Ship Model Company
      126
    • The Lum ber Yard
      4
    • Kolderstok
      6
    • Vanguard Models
      35
    • Disarmodel
      0
    • WoodyJoe
      3
    • CAFModel
      3
  2. 2. Which Brand of Wooden ship model kits have the best quality plans and are historically accurate to the best of your knowledge?

    • Model Shipways
      164
    • A. Latina
      23
    • Amati
      70
    • Caldercraft
      141
    • Corel
      12
    • Constructo
      3
    • Mantua/Sergal
      10
    • Mamoli
      16
    • Occre
      27
    • Billings
      17
    • Marisstella
      17
    • Bluejacket
      58
    • Deagostini
      10
    • Dumas
      6
    • Panart
      7
    • Dusek
      10
    • Euromodel
      37
    • Master Korabel
      14
    • Modellers Shipyard
      19
    • AJ Fisher
      6
    • Soclaine
      0
    • Syren Ship Model Company
      126
    • The The Lum ber Yard
      3
    • Kolderstok
      8
    • Vanguard Models
      38
    • Disarmodel
      0
    • WoodyJoe
      0
    • CAFModel
      3
  3. 3. Which Brand of Wooden ship model kits is in your opinion the best value for the $$$$

    • Model Shipways
      163
    • A. Latina
      66
    • Amati
      60
    • Caldercraft
      89
    • Corel
      16
    • Constructo
      11
    • Mantua/Sergal
      12
    • Mamoli
      14
    • Occre
      38
    • Billings
      19
    • Marisstella
      16
    • Bluejacket
      30
    • Deagostini
      8
    • Dumas
      5
    • Panart
      13
    • Dusek
      12
    • Euromodel
      12
    • Master Korabel
      19
    • Modellers Shipyard
      9
    • AJ Fisher
      5
    • Syren Ship Model Company
      97
    • The Lum ber Yard
      2
    • Kolderstok
      3
    • Vanguard Models
      26
    • Disarmodel
      0
    • WoodyJoe
      0
    • CAFModel
      1
  4. 4. Which Brand of Wooden ship model kits have do you think have the worst plans, poor quality materials, and poor instructions?

    • Model Shipways
      23
    • A. Latina
      124
    • Amati
      24
    • Caldercraft
      3
    • Corel
      48
    • Constructo
      76
    • Mantua/Sergal
      48
    • Mamoli
      58
    • Occre
      27
    • Billings
      82
    • Marisstella
      6
    • Bluejacket
      16
    • Deagostini
      12
    • Dumas
      13
    • Panart
      25
    • Dusek
      6
    • Euromodel
      9
    • Master Korabel
      8
    • Modellers Shipyard
      5
    • AJ Fisher
      2
    • Soclaine
      8
    • Syren Ship Model Company
      0
    • The Lum ber Yard
      49
    • Kolderstok
      4
    • Vanguard Models
      0
    • Disarmodel
      0
    • WoodyJoe
      1
    • CAFModel
      3


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I have not done a lot of building, so my observations are not born of actual modeling experience and therefore probably not worth much consideration, but I do own and have closely inspected (that is inventoried, and reviewed plans and instructions) quite a few kits from many of these manufacturers.   I am actually quite surprised by almost 20% saying AL has the worst components, plans and instructions.  I own 3 AL kits (HMS Bounty, HMS Surprise and Harvey) and while I cant speak to historical accuracy, I can vouch for the quality of the materials in the kits.  At least as far as what I would want the quality to be.  The wood seems to be free of burrs and of consistent color and texture and uniform width and thickness.  The fittings don't exhibit an abundance of flashing or shoddy casting.  The milled wood pieces actually look superior to many of the other kits I looked at.  So far, I'm not missing any components (although I have not done a parts inventory on the Harvey).  I don't know a lot about rigging line so I won't comment too much on that other than what's provided in the kits doesn't look much different from the line provided by other manufacturers in their kits.  And the last thing I'll say is that the completed AL kits I've seen on this website look phenomenal.

 

So, as I stated above, my lack of experience is notable and I'm sure there are others with MUCH more experience that can comment further on AL's kits, but I was indeed surprised by the near 1 in 5 who say AL is the bottom of the heap of wood ship kit manufacturers.  I would like to hear what some of the issues others may have had with them and whether I've just been lucky...  There are at least 2 or 3 more AL kits I have my eye on to snap up since they are gone and inventory is getting very limited.

 

Thanks,

Don

Edited by DonInAZ

Current Build: Chesapeake Bay Flattie by Midwest Products

Completed Builds:  Chesapeake Bay Crabbing Skiff by Midwest Products

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31 minutes ago, DonInAZ said:

I have not done a lot of building, so my observations are not born of actual modeling experience and therefore probably not worth much consideration, but I do own and have closely inspected (that is inventoried, and reviewed plans and instructions) quite a few kits from many of these manufacturers.   I am actually quite surprised by almost 20% saying AL has the worst components, plans and instructions.  I own 3 AL kits (HMS Bounty, HMS Surprise and Harvey) and while I cant speak to historical accuracy, I can vouch for the quality of the materials in the kits.  At least as far as what I would want the quality to be.  The wood seems to be free of burrs and of consistent color and texture and uniform width and thickness.  The fittings don't exhibit an abundance of flashing or shoddy casting.  The milled wood pieces actually look superior to many of the other kits I looked at.  So far, I'm not missing any components (although I have not done a parts inventory on the Harvey).  I don't know a lot about rigging line so I won't comment too much on that other than what's provided in the kits doesn't look much different from the line provided by other manufacturers in their kits.  And the last thing I'll say is that the completed AL kits I've seen on this website look phenomenal.

 

So, as I stated above, my lack of experience is notable and I'm sure there are others with MUCH more experience that can comment further on AL's kits, but I was indeed surprised by the near 1 in 5 who say AL is the bottom of the heap of wood ship kit manufacturers.  I would like to hear what some of the issues others may have had with them and whether I've just been lucky...  There are at least 2 or 3 more AL kits I have my eye on to snap up since they are gone and inventory is getting very limited.

 

Thanks,

Don

I was surprised by this as well.   I have some experience with AL kits and while I wasn't overly impressed, I wasn't so disappointed that I haven't seriously considered buying another.   I also thought it a bit sad that they are no more.   I thought they had a good place in the spectrum of kits.   As someone else pointed out, it may be about individual kits too rather than the company as a whole.  It may be that Ive been lucky and the AL kits Ive experienced just weren't all that bad.  Some, Im sure, are not that great.   Ive also noted that their instructions can tend to be great in the beginning and then just sort of dissolve as if the writer lost interest - this observation has been made by others and is not my original thought, but one that did resonate with me. Their instructions have nice photography, which I appreciated, but their format was confusing and accuracy was a wash.   Otherwise though, if you just want to get on with building something they weren't so bad.   I really like the Model Shipways kits, but often find they come with overly wordy instructions and/or poor or repetitive visual aides.   This I find difficult for quick referencing as the main steps can be lost in the minutia of explanation. 

 

I think your experience viewing really nice completed builds from AL kits may have more to do with the builders and how those kits more easily lend themselves to refinement. 

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23 hours ago, Justin P. said:

I think your experience viewing really nice completed builds from AL kits may have more to do with the builders and how those kits more easily lend themselves to refinement. 

This is very true. A good builder can make a bad model look good, but a bad model can frustrate a less experienced builder. For example, I think my version of the Corel Ranger came out looking pretty nice, but I wouldn't recommend that kit to anyone as it was of poor quality and wildly frustrating to build. Since the core purpose of this thread is to help less experienced builders understand their choices, it's important to consider the kit rather than the finished product.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I hope I am a registered user.  At any rate I have only my first model I am building so I have no reference points.  The Amati La Nina I am building is fine as far as I can tell. My only real complaint was a silly metal boat.  For a first wooden boat guy the instructions were not there and one had to study the  parts to understand what to do. A biggie was putting the wrong wood on the quarter deck.  I just had to start and and had been thinking and reading too long.  There were no builds anywhere that helped in that case.   I found a slew of Santa Maria pics on another site which was helpful.

Also the order of building did not fit my tiny ship brain too well.  E. G. I still have not put the rudder on because I feel I might damage it. 

The keel is so small you cannot mount the boat at all in a firm way and I am using towels to keep it in place. Outside if these comments I expect serious challenges.  It is why I decided to build ships.

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The poll would be of more help if people would state their building experience and explain why they up voted or down voted a particular kit.

 

Asking an experienced builder or beginner can result in different answers for the same kit from the same company. A beginner may give up in frustration whereas an experienced builder can adapt and may have few issues that he/she can't work around.

 

I'm only on my 2nd build and both are from Dikar which went of business long ago. So I have nothing to compare to, my Dikar kits could the best kits ever or the worst I just don't know.

 

As Dikar isn't around anymore it's not relevant to the poll but I've occasionally come across Dikar kits still listed on Ebay.

So for anyone who comes across one I've found there is nice milled variety of exotic woods.

Castings from my limited experience are good.

Instructions quality? I couldn't say I lost mine but there's enough pictures of completed ships on the internet to use as a guide and there are forum members here who are willing to advise and fill in the knowledge gaps for you.

If the kit is complete there are four sheets of plans done on a 1 to 1 scale, parts are numbered and there are parts sheets with matching numbers and a parts inventory.

Edited by robert Lamba
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7 minutes ago, robert Lamba said:

The poll would be of more help if people would state their building experience and explain why they up voted or down voted a particular kit.

The poll is intended to rate the the experience we have with the various manufacturers. 

 

 It would balloon out of control if it were a poll about our experience with every kit.

 

You can get a pretty good idea of how someone feels about a particular kit by looking at build logs, or checking for a review.

Luck is just another word for good preparation.

—MICHAEL ROSE

Current builds:    Rattlesnake (Scratch From MS Plans 

On Hold:  HMS Resolution ( AKA Ferrett )

In the Gallery: Yacht Mary,  Gretel, French Cannon

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Rick; excellent post...Moab

Completed Builds:

Virginia Armed Sloop...Model Shipways

Ranger...Corel

Louise Steam Launch...Constructo

Hansa Kogge...Dusek

Yankee Hero...BlueJacket

Spray...BlueJacket

26’ Long Boat...Model Shipways

Under Construction:

Emma C. Berry...Model Shipways

 

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1 hour ago, Gregory said:

The poll is intended to rate the the experience we have with the various manufacturers. 

 

 It would balloon out of control if it were a poll about our experience with every kit.

 

You can get a pretty good idea of how someone feels about a particular kit by looking at build logs, or checking for a review.

You quoted me from my review which only took me a couple of minutes to post, short and sweet hardly ballooning out of control.  There's no need to spend endless hours going through how many builds on this forum?

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Well, there's several manufacturers in the poll that are no longer in business.  Yet you can still buy the kits and people are still doing logs for them.   

 

The poll is basically a thumbnail.   If you see a manufacturer who has a kit you're interested in, then view some logs for details.  

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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18 hours ago, robert Lamba said:

The poll would be of more help if people would state their building experience and explain why they up voted or down voted a particular kit.

There is no option to up vote, or down vote a particular kit. 

 

Anyone can start their own poll if they are looking for other opinions.

 

 

 

Luck is just another word for good preparation.

—MICHAEL ROSE

Current builds:    Rattlesnake (Scratch From MS Plans 

On Hold:  HMS Resolution ( AKA Ferrett )

In the Gallery: Yacht Mary,  Gretel, French Cannon

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the easiest thing would be just to start your own thread/poll on the topic you are interested in

 

for example

 

What is the best <insert ship name> kit.  I know there are <4-6> different kits of this ship.  Why do you think your choice is a good one and what are the plusses and minuses of your choice etc etc

 

That way you could have a discussion on a particular ship and get feedback about every manufacturer that makes one

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3 minutes ago, MEDDO said:

the easiest thing would be just to start your own thread/poll on the topic you are interested in

 

for example

 

What is the best <insert ship name> kit.  I know there are <4-6> different kits of this ship.  Why do you think your choice is a good one and what are the plusses and minuses of your choice etc etc

 

That way you could have a discussion on a particular ship and get feedback about every manufacturer that makes one

Good idea once I get a proper grasp of the various kits involved.  At this point I am trying to understand the reason for vast price differences.  While some might shoot for a price markup there is probably more about details of the kit contents.  Reviewing the various logs helps but most are like me-they just accept what they do not like and figure out how to solve it.  Caldercraft sounds like an interesting choice but so far their kits are about 50" and I would prefer something about 36".  I have quite a bit of time to choose and I will keep working at it. 

Thanks for your help.

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Prices can reflect a lot of things. For example, how old is the kit? If it's been around 20 years and the manufacturer has long since paid off the development costs, it might be sold cheaper as they can just churn out replacements. If it's newer, it may be more expensive because it takes a lot just to develop a kit, but it also may be a better kit as manufacturing methods and other aspects of improved over time. Quality of materials is a big one, and may relate to kit age. Newer kits are likely to have better-quality materials, which you might have to pay for but are well worth it. Then there's the question of who's doing the selling; different outlets have different business models; the cheapest price might not be fair or sustainable depending on the background context.

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I can appreciate the input gathered from such a poll but I'm rather puzzled by it as well.  In order to answer the questions accurately I would think that a person would have to have experience with each brand. I can vouch for the kits by Corel as  good quality and with decent plans but lacking detailed instructions. Whether or not these are better or worse than other brands, I cannot justify in saying since my experience extends only to a couple other manufacturers.

Built & De-Commissioned: HMS Endeavour (Corel), HMS Unicorn (Corel),

Abandoned: HMS Bounty (AL)

Completed : Wappen Von Hamburg (Corel), Le Renommee (Euromodel)... on hold

Current WIP: Berlin by Corel

On Shelf:  HMS Bounty (Billings),

 

 

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Thank you

Polls are one thing but input from builders is more important. If the poll does anything it does tell me which kits are bought more.  The confusing part is the differences in the kits.  Are the parts all there?  Do they have a lot of pictures and good scale drawings? Are the numbered parts shown on the contents. 

E. G. My Amati kit on La Nina had instructions mentioning parts but most of the parts had no numbers.  The pictures and drawings were good and in, most cases, I could overcome the situation. But when I was beginning my first ship it was confusing. I wound up putting the wrong planks on the deck and had to go out and buy more of them.  I attribute that to my inexperience-that is part of learning.  I am awaiting the  arrival of another Amati kit-the Santa Maria.

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On 4/14/2020 at 5:20 PM, Gregory said:

The poll is intended to rate the the experience we have with the various manufacturers. 

 

 It would balloon out of control if it were a poll about our experience with every kit.

 

You can get a pretty good idea of how someone feels about a particular kit by looking at build logs, or checking for a review.

I think it was you who mentioned Cornwall.  That seems to be a good lead, especially that they have a number of ships in my size category.  and the prices are certainly good.

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2 hours ago, Ponto said:

I would think that a person would have to have experience with each brand.

The poll is only asking for individual experience with brands you have had experience with.   If you are not familiar with a brand, you do not respond to questions regarding that brand.

The poll results are a reflection of those responses.  A failure to respond to a question, affects the results accordingly.

 

While it may be a little more work, getting info on a particular kit means looking at the build log data base, and in the build logs themselves.

 

While there are not very many, you can get a better idea of a particular kit in the review forum.

Hopefully, more members will submit reviews; even more so when they have a bad experience.

 

 

Luck is just another word for good preparation.

—MICHAEL ROSE

Current builds:    Rattlesnake (Scratch From MS Plans 

On Hold:  HMS Resolution ( AKA Ferrett )

In the Gallery: Yacht Mary,  Gretel, French Cannon

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  • 8 months later...

I'd like to put in a plug for Model Shipways  customer service. One of the britannia metal parts supplied with my Bluenose kit was incompletely cast. Model Shipways has a statement on the Model Expo web page saying they would replace any damaged or lost parts for free: https://modelexpo-online.com/About-Us_ep_7.html

 

It took a little exploring to find the right email address, but they made good on their promise. A replacement part is on the way, no charge.

 

Model Shipways states in their advertising that extra wood is included in their kits. Another nice perk.

 

Aside from the poor instructions, this kit has more than met my expectations. I let the instructions slide though, the kit is intended for more advanced modelers who should need less instruction.

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I took a look at the survey. It's hard to make judgements among kit suppliers when one has limited experience. I've only built two brands of kits. I can't rank against other brands without experience. 

 

I would prefer to do a quality rating type survey. For instance:

1. What ship kit are you rating? List of kit suppliers...

2. Were the instructions adequate? Rate from 1= poor to 5=excellent

3. Quality of parts supplied? Rate from 1= poor to 5=excellent

4. Rate the completeness of the plans supplied? Rate from 1= poor to 5=excellent

5. Customer Service? Rate from 1= poor to 5=excellent

6. Accuracy of model and scale? Rate from 1= poor to 5=excellent

7. Ease of construction? Rate from 1= difficult to 5=anyone can do it

8...

Then a space for general comments at the end.

 

Over time a database of ratings is built up and can be made searchable. Kits could be ranked automagically from the database.

 

I did make use of build logs and other forums when I was deciding which kit to buy. I commented on what I found when I started my Bluenose log. I think this survey forum is a great idea. It would be very helpful.

 

John

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  • 1 year later...

I agree with all the philosophical discussions for sure. After so many folks did do the survey, it looks like a good tool for us “new to the hobby” builders. 

Dave

 

Current builds: Rattlesnake

Completed builds: Lady Nelson

On the shelf: NRG Half Hull Project, Various metal, plastic and paper models

 

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...
  • 1 month later...

Hi. This could maybe help someone , but probably to me as well. 
I consider myself intermediate builder , with 5 years experience. 
And I locked myself into a trap. 
Having  built frigate from syrenshipmodel company myself, there is vast vast difference ... I cant find any other commercial model company giving me same satisfying experience I clearly see it just looking at model. Even I want to find it. There is much more to it than just perfectly  fitting outstanding parts. Instructions guite etcetera is second to none. its closest as sou could get to museums master models of past century apart of hand carving of course.
because chosen scale is important - for details ship is decorated with. And level of details and acuracy ... i can continue...
and now Im on verge if investing to their costly upcoming model or what to do. As Im not eager to "improve typical ship with mdiocre detailing etc..." or ...even thinking of other models for that reason. there is certain assurednes in guide one cannot fail with some experience or even build half of model as scratch. freedom it is as well...

investing into scratch model building machinery = but  i can buy costly model instead and work with simple tools. :)

hope it helps. Or adds confusion :)

Edited by Vladimir_Wairoa
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