Hello guys and gals,

I know there are a lot of hulls, fittings, and semi-kits of modern US warships available in the scale of 1/96. However, it seems quite rare to see the same in 1/144 or 1/192. Do you know if there is any ?

Thanks for your information.

Regards,

Douglas

i dont think there are any, however doug, if you go with 1/144th scale idea, you could scratch build various models, such as the russian Admiral kutnetsov, or the american USS Nimitz class carriers, as there are various examples of the SU27 and the F14 fighters in that scale, so would be perfecty at home, it would also mean a smallish model that is easy to transport. a 96th sc nimitz would be some 2.5m long, in 144th, it would be about half that.

Lot's of hulls and plans available in 1/144 for RC warship combat. Try the AUSBG site, the North Texas Battle Group, Swampworks, BDE. Not so many parts though, so be prepared to scratch build. Check this site by searching for RC combat. Quite a few links there too.

I'm not really interested in sinking something that i just spent so much effort building, especially at the speed i build at! But, i notice that Swampworks is doing some new hulls in 1/144 scale, fiberglass hull layups. I especially like the Arizona in that scale. The price they quote really isnt bad at all when you compare them to the usual suspects. What i would like to know, based on the knowledge i have of this RC combat thing is? They normally have holes, rectangular or otherwise in the sides of the hulls, covered with balse, dope, and paint. Are these hulls pre-cut, or marked in anyway to facilitate cutting the holes, or are they smooth finish that would also serve simple RC operation and scale construction? Thanks in advance.

Here's something to look at, I found it interesting.

Thanks....How does this help me? LOL.. Great picture though.

Swampwork hulls do not look pre-scored. Although if they are, it would only take a little putty and primer to clean it up.
The best way to find out would be to ask them directly.
http://www.swampworks.com/Catalog-Ki...6%20Hulls.html

You need to also keep in mind, that the 1/144 combat scales don't put much detail to their boats. So you will still need to find a lot of the fittings yourself.

Thanks Umi...I did just that. I asked if they could tell me anything about their Arizona hull and or kit and if it had scored sides, etc., or was smooth. Their response was 2 words...."Its smooth". How do vendors in this hobby with attitudes like that sell squat? They will still probably get my 125.00+ dollars, but only because nobody else sells hulls in scales smaller than 1/128....Wish they had competition!

I am very much a strong advocate for scratch building.
If you have or know someone with a bandsaw, or jig saw, then any hull can be built over the weekend, or in one week.
For the price of some plywood, balsa, glue, and fiberglass materials.
1. cut frames and keel
2. set frames on keel
3. cut sub deck
4. sheet frames
5. sand hull
6. fiberglass

Kind of hard to believe that there was a time I didn't know how to do this.

Wanna see that again?
http://modelerhobbyforum.multiply.co..._Construction#

Maybe one more time...
See the next post.

I am sure you can find a few more build ups by others on the boards here too.
Pat Mathews YTL tug
RGinCanada's trawler
Dongledell's Riva Aquarama comes to mind also.

I just want to see If I can post that again,...

Scratchbuilding

1. cut frames and keel
2. set frames on keel
3. cut sub deck
4. sheet frames
5. sand hull
6. fiberglass

Thanks Umi...I have been scratchbuilding for years as well...LOL! Those are still great shots. My basement looks exactly like that, in about 3 or 4 different areas of the basement! I hope some here who dont have much experience in scratchbuilding see those. This would be the first Fiberglass hull i have ever purchased and built. Everything else to this point has been scratchbuilt. As far as attitude goes, i was probably being oversensitive. They responded back to another question i had in a more customer friendly way. Theres no one building fiberglass hulls and marketing them in scales other than 1/96, 1/48, and in the UK in 1/128. If they are, their keeping it secret. I'm very surprised by this, because i would expect a greater demand in the smaller scales due to limitations in storage space or transportation space. How many folks building model ships live in apartments? In 1/96 scale, hauling around an arizona or the like, for me would be like some of them folks you see at DIY's hauling lumber with half hanging out the window! LOL! Good luck with your projects! Have a good day.

Originally Posted by OhioMIke

Thanks Umi...I have been scratchbuilding for years as well...LOL!

...

I Kind of thought so, but then I thought maybe I was confusing you with CGBob or someone else... I almost didn't post at all, but then I am a strong advocate for scratchbuilding...


One of the things I used to think before scratch building,

Originally Posted by Umi's brain

How do you keep the water from leaking between the boards?

One of the thoughts I had after I learned how to scratch build,

Originally Posted by Umi's brain

Wow, Fiberglass actually has glass in it...and resin has a Hardener?? No wonder that model was always sticky back in high school.

LOL.....i remember vivdly fiberglassing this *&^%*%$#@* ore boat i'm working on. 80" of hull. I decided for economy to use polyester resin. Outstanding job! Perfect layup! No wrinkles or gaps or even noticeable air bubbles in the cloth. 2 weeks later i had to yank it all off, still wet and unhardened. I didnt mix it properly, or long enough. I was so worried that it would harden in the big container i was useing for that much boat, that i didnt mix it long enough or aggressively enough. I think when all was said and done, it had hardened in approx., a dozen places, all of them about golf ball size in area. Then i had to wipe the entire boat down repeatly with acetone to get all or as much as possible of the polyester resin still on the hull off, so i could do it the right way later with epoxy. That job really sucked! CG Bob is without a doubt one of the greatest model builders i have ever seen. In person or in the model pages of "Scale ship modeler", etc. Hes been building quite a while as well, by the number of boats he has in his collection. Its just to darn bad he insists on building those ugly Red and White glorified sppedboats! LOL......Hes a Retired CG occifer...LOL. Just kidding Bob. Dont hurt me!