Is there an unbiased rating scale and listing of kit manufacturers regarding quality of kit materials, instructions/ documentation, customer service, complexity etc., etc
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LUCZORAMA SHIPWRECK SCAVENGER HUNT GIVEAWAY. 4 Weeks of Fun • 1 Legendary Prize ((OcCre’s Fram Ship)) • Global Crew Welcome!
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This would be really hard as one needs to have experience with all the kits to have a fair review,also everybody have a different interpretation what is a good quality kit ,
Perhaps you can ask the forum members for their opinion on the kit you wish to purchase.
Not really looking for another at this time. Like most builders i have several kits stacked in the closet( Of course there’s always room for another)
I like others have my own opinions just trying to see if there was some sort of consensus.
Thanks for the input,
Ron
Hi Ron, there probably is consensus with members here. Some kits are superb while others are dated and poor quality.
Kurt Konrath
Kurt Konrath
What Bryian said is so true even for kits from the same manufacture.
I have seen newer releases with updated wood and details, better instructions that far exceed the same kit from same company 19 years ago.
I have seen newer releases with updated wood and details, better instructions that far exceed the same kit from same company 19 years ago.
I Think it really boils down to how much experience you have with different manufactures. I used to love and still do some of the older AL kits for value for money. I love CC kits for good accuracy. Panart go to great details with their larger scale but require a lot of reading future steps. Occre are good value kits with reasonable instructions. The Chinese kit Alert was great but challenging. I have been lucky so far, apart from the AL Sopwith 9 which builds to a great model,to have kits that have not been a major drama to me.
I have not done any Euromodel, or US Shipways kits, so I cant comment on those.
As to the quality, none of the kits I have used have had BAD quality wood or parts. But that can be subjective dependent on the age of the kit ad how well its been kept. It also depends on how the final wood is supposed to be displayed ( Painted / Unpainted).
As to instructions, I'm sure they are good in their natural language, but bare in mind that translated doc is sometime literal not actual. For us English only folk it can be a challenge to interpret correctly what was really said. ( My wife's Hungarian Australia heritage, and watching a Hungarian movie with subtitles is hilarious to her as she said that's not what they said at all!)
It also depends on who's opinion of good or bad wood or the builders expectations. Most of the time you get what you pay for.
My first kit was an occre beginners kit, Albatros, which I right royaly stuffed up, but learnt a lot. Next was the CC Endeavour ( a Bluff bow), which was a massive step up in compexity and a minor stuffup, but was also joy to do. I then did AL kits, Panart, more Occre and all were great and a challenge. The hardest, but most complex and great quality was the AL Santa Ana due to size and single mahogony planking ( No longer avail I believe). None had missing parts or bad parts. I'm now on the Panart Victory launch and then the Agge or Victory both from CC and that will see me out for the foreseeable future.
A kit is what a kit is, and is subjective to to the buyer sometimes. Mostly we are lucky, 40 years ago kits were nothing like they are now and now we have a huge array to choose from. Kits coming from better Chinese suppliers have a lot more for the price than some of the older kits, BUT have Chinese or translated documentation. Some EU suppliers are no longer sitting on their collective as---ses.
Build what you want to. not what someone tells you.
A kit, paper, plastic or wood, that warms you heart or spirit is always the best kit.
There is an old saying...
I cannot show you the way to success, but I can show you the way to failure, try to please everyone...
I have not done any Euromodel, or US Shipways kits, so I cant comment on those.
As to the quality, none of the kits I have used have had BAD quality wood or parts. But that can be subjective dependent on the age of the kit ad how well its been kept. It also depends on how the final wood is supposed to be displayed ( Painted / Unpainted).
As to instructions, I'm sure they are good in their natural language, but bare in mind that translated doc is sometime literal not actual. For us English only folk it can be a challenge to interpret correctly what was really said. ( My wife's Hungarian Australia heritage, and watching a Hungarian movie with subtitles is hilarious to her as she said that's not what they said at all!)
It also depends on who's opinion of good or bad wood or the builders expectations. Most of the time you get what you pay for.
My first kit was an occre beginners kit, Albatros, which I right royaly stuffed up, but learnt a lot. Next was the CC Endeavour ( a Bluff bow), which was a massive step up in compexity and a minor stuffup, but was also joy to do. I then did AL kits, Panart, more Occre and all were great and a challenge. The hardest, but most complex and great quality was the AL Santa Ana due to size and single mahogony planking ( No longer avail I believe). None had missing parts or bad parts. I'm now on the Panart Victory launch and then the Agge or Victory both from CC and that will see me out for the foreseeable future.
A kit is what a kit is, and is subjective to to the buyer sometimes. Mostly we are lucky, 40 years ago kits were nothing like they are now and now we have a huge array to choose from. Kits coming from better Chinese suppliers have a lot more for the price than some of the older kits, BUT have Chinese or translated documentation. Some EU suppliers are no longer sitting on their collective as---ses.
Build what you want to. not what someone tells you.
A kit, paper, plastic or wood, that warms you heart or spirit is always the best kit.
There is an old saying...
I cannot show you the way to success, but I can show you the way to failure, try to please everyone...
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a way which could help you directly are the Look Inside, Box openings and kit reviews we have here in our forum..... off course all based on the expereinces by the topic authors - this is very subjective, but photos of the content are telling you a lot - and also than the building logs of the kit models
Here is the link to the Kit reviews
Kit Reviews: Wood, Plastic, Paper.
This forum discusses all types of mediums of kit reviews. If you have a review to share of your own or have read a review, please post it here.
shipsofscale.com
I started off in the world of model ship building in wood with the HMB Endeavour from Occre. My experience of shipbuilding, although still limited, has taught me that not only is material quality important, but also the quality of the back-up from the manufacturer when support is needed. Something to bear in mind when commenting on a product. Happy building!
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Try these links from YouTube
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when rating a kit instructions come up and how good or bad they are. In some cases the instructions seem to either make or break a kit.
so here is a wild idea
any manufacture producing a kit has to build a prototype and create a set of instructions. So why not take that process of the prototype build and post it as a build log and include the instructions. With Google, it can be translated to any language. Also builders can see and read the instructions before they buy the kit.
Seems to me "printing" instructions is so old school and you can not print a version in every language, an E version is so much more practical when it is posted on the forum.
so here is a wild idea
any manufacture producing a kit has to build a prototype and create a set of instructions. So why not take that process of the prototype build and post it as a build log and include the instructions. With Google, it can be translated to any language. Also builders can see and read the instructions before they buy the kit.
Seems to me "printing" instructions is so old school and you can not print a version in every language, an E version is so much more practical when it is posted on the forum.
I don’t disagree however, currently there is an active thread discussing the merits of hard cover book vs ebook hate to open another can of worms
Being a Newbie and just receiving my first kit today, (OcCre HMS Bounty) I have a little different view. I selected my first kit because of documentation and YouTube Videos. I looked at a number of other manufactures and found them lacking in the documentation and video department. Rightly or wrongly, I'm assuming with modern Laser Tech all of the manuf's are improving their kits quality and a missing or broken part can be replaced, fixed or modified. OcCre seems to do a good job with pictures and full scale drawings, but I will know more as I progress down the Kit building path. Also I'm going to look to all of you for future guidance.
My apologies for being off topis (OT) - but I could not help but notice Old Guys being new at the hobby:
OLd Guy,
OcCre brand is a good kit to go with. The are usually much more detailed in their rigging "plates". However, please be careful as sometimes the belaying pin "numbers" and where the lines go can be wrong. You can PM me @Donnie and I can discuss with you some very basics if you wish.
OLd Guy,
OcCre brand is a good kit to go with. The are usually much more detailed in their rigging "plates". However, please be careful as sometimes the belaying pin "numbers" and where the lines go can be wrong. You can PM me @Donnie and I can discuss with you some very basics if you wish.
Thanks Donnie, I'll take you up on the help!
One aspect I find important is the characteristics of the rigging thread since rigging consumes a lot of the build time.
My two pennyworth contribution is:
OcCre thread is very cooperative but slightly soft and a bit furry. Wiping glue on the end helps when threading blocks and dead eyes.
Caldercraft thread is too stiff and springy: it is easy to poke through holes but does not retain sharp bends. Knots spring undone.
Corel thread is a good compromise: stiff enough to thread but still easy to knot. Surface is not fuzzy.
My two pennyworth contribution is:
OcCre thread is very cooperative but slightly soft and a bit furry. Wiping glue on the end helps when threading blocks and dead eyes.
Caldercraft thread is too stiff and springy: it is easy to poke through holes but does not retain sharp bends. Knots spring undone.
Corel thread is a good compromise: stiff enough to thread but still easy to knot. Surface is not fuzzy.
I am right at the beginning of starting a new OcCre kit (Nuestra Senora del Pilar) and I am thinking of making all my own cordage/ropes/lines. I have a rope machine and think it will allow me to add some realism. The kit came with a lot of spools all labelled 'composite'. This model is much bigger than the AL ship I built. So, it's going to take a lot more rigging. It'll be awhile till I am ready to rig it though.
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Hi,
I have a question about this. Is it a truth that the belaying pin closest to the line that is being rigged is always chosen? I find all too often those belaying diagrams off, and I usually wind up tying the lines to the closest point where the line drops. In fact, I don't even know if there is a "standard".
thanks
... just think for a moment, ratings are based on someone's opinion. Opinions are personal views on things and are subjective by default. The same kit can be reviewed by many different people, and they might have different opinions. The only 'unbiased would be the dimensions. Even the timber material could have different views: for one it will look dry, for another is too light...The worse is... they show off a model from a completely different kit as the photo on the box.
I guess you have to make your own opinion based on multiple reviews (if possible). We have seen a great model from a poorly developed kit, but...we also saw the opposite.