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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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This is a poll of just registered members.  Only members can vote.  The most logical place for it is in the kit build log area and that is why it is there.   This is the largest collection of build logs on any ship model site.  The knowledge and expertise shared is quite valuable and it is something we want to encourage people to sign up for in order to see and take advantage of.  

 

  

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  • 1 month later...

Where i can see the votes of the group ? 

"smooth seas do not make good sailors..."

:pirate41:

MY FIRS BUILD : H.M.S BOUNTY (mamoli)

SECOND BUILD :The concord stagecoach 1:12 youtube link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJzCs9umWPI 

CURRENTLY BUILD : H.M.S VICTORY (Caldercraft) : http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/15501-hms-victory-by-michael101-caldercraft-scale-172/

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Hi,

 

Vote results in agreement with my own experience, and also with most of general web opinions

 

In attachment some pics of my Panart and Constructo works, for instance... More modifications than direct using of kits... A best quality could be always the right choice for pleasant modelism !

 

Regards

 

Christian

 

 

Chaloupe.jpg

Caroline.JPG

Caroline 6.jpg

Haubans.JPG

Bitte 7.jpg

09 12 Photo A.jpg

09 12 Photo B.jpg

Simulation 5.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

I can't cast a vote on any of the poll's questions, because I would need information on all manufacturers and their kits, which is impossible. This poll's results are in no way giving a true account of what it pretends to offer. I can hardly believe there is one person whom has bought a kit from at least 95%  of the manufacturers within a time frame that has had no major influence on the price.

It might be an idea to poll one's experience with the kit(s) build by that person.

Carl

"Desperate affairs require desperate measures." Lord Nelson
Search and you might find a log ...

 

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  • 2 months later...

I agree with Carl, a better poll would be by individual kit by manufacturer. If you do by manufacturer alone you are not recognising the fact that they have a range of kits to suit experience and budget. A poor feedback result for Sergal's Racehorse (it is really poor) might not compare to their Cutty Sark.

 

perhaps if you had to give an answer for each manufacturer listed and this be poor, good or no knowledge, then you will get clear results on which are most popular and can get an accurate quality opinion based on actual experience.

Current Build(s):

  • H.M.S Diana 1794 - Caldercraft 1:64 Scale

 

Completed Builds:

 

 

 

 

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  • 7 months later...
On 3/3/2018 at 7:44 AM, Cathead said:

One Corel kit was enough. Terrible instructions, shoddy materials, inaccurate design.

I can attest to this. The Corel Chesapeake Flattie was my first kit. The materials are ok-ish. No dowels. The instructions said to sand all the spars and mast from square planks, which seems insanely tedious and unnecessary to me considering dowels are dirt cheap and can be bought anywhere, but I'm not sure if that's a prevalent practice among kits. The false deck planks didn't fit the keel, and I had to use a considerable amount of filler. Some planks were distorted or cracked, but most were good. It came with four highly detailed posters of the model in scale, but the instructions were god awful, and were more generally vague advice in broken English. Aside from the box photo and a muddled part on one of the posters, there's no guidance at all on the rigging. Fortunately, a few other users have built this model, and I've been able to use their photos as reference for how to rig it.

 

That said, the kit was still overall enjoyable to assemble, but it was more a puzzle than a kit.

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  • 1 month later...

Added more companies.......remember you can still vote.   You can also change your vote.   You can pick 3 choices for each question in this poll. 

 

Please dont bash the poll.   We realize it isnt perfect but the info is still very very valuable.  If a brand has high negatives and no positives.  I think it is something you might want to know before spending a few hundred dollars.  This isnt a complicated poll....its just a snapshot of what you think based on actual experiences.   

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  • 4 months later...

I recently built a Woody Joe kit. The laser cutting was the best I’ve seen. Although it was an easy build it may be a problem for someone new to modeling since there are no plans and the instructions are in “Japanese.”  The illustrations in the instructions are excellent and easy to follow. The wood was excellent!...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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3 minutes ago, JPAM said:

this poll is nonsense. 

Then I suppose you won't be taking it.:unsure:

Lou

 

Build logs: Colonial sloop Providence 1/48th scale kit bashed from AL Independence

Currant builds:

Constructo Brigantine Sentinel (Union) (On hold)

Minicraft 1/350 Titanic (For the Admiral)

1/350 Heavy Cruiser USS Houston (Resin)

Currant research/scratchbuild:

Schooner USS Lanikai/Hermes

Non ship build log:

1/35th UH-1H Huey

 

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That is not a very educated and well thought out comment.  👎🏻  Thanks for explaining why.  A “nonsense” comment.

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The site has almost 34,000 users.  Of course you cannot expect any one member to have experience with every manufacturer or every kit but the aggregate of the members who do choose to vote can at least give you a small look at what people have had experience with in the past and their opinions.

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4 hours ago, mikegr said:

Im just a newbie here but i think the poll result is a bit biased as the majority of users are from US, therefore they preffered local brands.

It is not, nor ever was, intended to be a scientific poll, but it does show some trend data.

Chris Coyle
Greer, South Carolina

When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
- Tuco

Current builds: Brigantine Phoenix, Hawker Hurricane

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4 hours ago, mikegr said:

Im just a newbie here but i think the poll result is a bit biased as the majority of users are from US, therefore they preffered local brands

The top four in the quality poll are evenly split between European and American. Of course there's a certain bias in any country toward kits that can be easily acquired or whose instructions are written in the native language, but it's also true that many of us have experience with various "foreign" brands with terrible instructions or other issues (Ahem, Corel). There are also "foreign" brands that have gotten rave reviews on this site, like Master Korabel and Dusek, that nonetheless are smaller brands and naturally won't match the volume of major players in the American market like Model Shipways.

 

By definition a poll is a collection of responses from the sample set.  If you want to know more about a specific brand, look for specific build logs or reviews written on this site. Or write your own review if you think a brand is over/under-rated. But it seems to me that none of the high-ranking results (for either quality or lack thereof) are mistaken based on my own experience and that of reading lots of collected opinions on this site. At most, some brands are under-represented, but that's inevitable. It amazes me how many people get worked up about this.

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7 hours ago, ccoyle said:

It is not, nor ever was, intended to be a scientific poll, but it does show some trend data.

Its kinda confusing to me as the most popular brand in my area here is voted as the worst one.

Maybe I need to order my kit from other European country.

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But Mike, remember what was said about kit availability -- in Greece, the manufacturer that you have in mind may have the most readily available products, which will affect the local perception of that manufacturer. And if they are voted "worst" in the poll based on a small sample, than that assessment may not be completely valid. Remember, it's trend data, not a final judgment on worst/best.

Chris Coyle
Greer, South Carolina

When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
- Tuco

Current builds: Brigantine Phoenix, Hawker Hurricane

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Some people are commenting that the poll doesn't make sense, but they do not explain why clearly. In my opinion, this is a popularity poll. It does not rank the quality of the kit manufacturers. If 1000 people have bought Corel kits, and liked them, then Corel will have 1000 positive votes. If one person bought a Corel kit and another kit from an obscure manufacturer, and that kit was a hundred times better than the Corel kit, it gets just one vote while Corel still gets 1001 votes. 

 

Conversely, if no one who voted bought a crappy kit from an obscure manufacturer, that kit gets a much better grade than, say, AL, who sold 10,000 kits during that same time. The crappy kit would get 0% on the bad grade while AL might get 10%. 

 

I put forward this is why some people are calling the poll nonsense. 

 

It's a good effort but really only reflects the quality differences among the top manufacturers. Smaller manufacturers, good or bad, will poll poorly no matter what. 

 

The poll would have to say something like: 

 

1- What kit companies have you bought from? 

3- How would you rate those companies?

 

Then, somehow the results would be something like, "of the people who bought Corel and AL kits, the comparison is, blah, blah.." etc.  It would be much harder to create such a poll but would really show how people feel about the brands. 

 

I, for one, have built Amati (tops for me; built two), Caldercraft (good value, but I've built just one), Corel (good material and plans but instructions are murky: built two), and Midwest (I loved the subject so, no matter what, I felt was a great kit). I have zero experience building other brands so I can only give a 0% grade everywhere else. That's why the poll doesn't make sense. 

 

 

 

Regards, 

 

Rick 

 

Rick Shousha

Montreal

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46 minutes ago, rshousha said:

this is a popularity poll

😉 Bingo! It's an opinion poll. It was never intended to establish which companies actually are better than others, only to sample opinions on which companies people think are better than others. Its results should be evaluated accordingly. 

 

P.S. I should probably add that the fellow who wrote this poll, whom we all know and love, wears many hats, but none of them say "professional market analyst," "pollster," or "expert in statistical sampling."

Chris Coyle
Greer, South Carolina

When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
- Tuco

Current builds: Brigantine Phoenix, Hawker Hurricane

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  • 4 weeks later...

Then vote as you like based on your experience.   That is what the poll is about.   Based on your experiences select the MFG you are familiar with.   Everyone who voted the way they did were not lying.   This is what they believed and it was their opinion and just because it doesnt match yours you can not disregard them.

 

Just vote for what you believe!!!!  I just dont understand these people who dont believe the results........they are honest and true.   You dont have to agree with it.  To say it is untrue is just plain idiotic!!!!

 

Model shipways uses both plywood and basswood for the bulkheads depending on the model....also they DO NOT use boxwood,  They use basswood for planking which is the same as limewood.   You are just wrong about that....sorry.

 

Chuck

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Yes there should be a link to view the results....somewhere, but it goes away after voting so I cant tell you for sure.

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8 minutes ago, Dilbert55 said:

Have not built enough kits to generate any opinion to enter into the poll. Is there a way to see the results without voting?

Should be at the very bottom of the poll, “Show Results.”

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On 11/13/2019 at 12:42 AM, JPAM said:

This poll is non sense. 

You think this poll doesn’t make sense, but I believe that the most important for any company is its public image: who is known for quality will live longer than another with poor reputation - Well known Artesania Latina, which went to close, is a good illustration of this hard reality...

 

Regards,

 

Christian

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think I can explain his nonsense comment. Or, at least, there's a part of me that wonders why "which is the best" questions were broken down into plans, quality etc, while the "which is the worst" question lumped all subcategories into one question. Chuck, maybe you could separate them into individual questions for the worst kit questions as well? Just a thought. I still find the information informative and will certainly keep it in mind when buying a kit in the future. 

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I have recently purchased the following kit manufacturers kits...


midwest

model shipways

bluejacket

occre

mamoli

constructo

artesana latinia 

mantua

scientific

 

hopefully I will have better input For this pole once I start them!

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