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Looking for steam ship kits

  • Thread starter Thread starter berc
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berc

berc

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Hello!

I’ve always been a fan of steamships, but the number of kits available for these types of vessels is quite limited. I’m especially interested in ships like the Great Britain, Great Western, and Great Eastern. So far, the only kit I’ve found is the Airfix Great Western, but I’d like to learn more before making a purchase.

Do you know of any other kits available for these ships, or at least for similar steamships?57417_rd.jpg
 
I think all kinds of kits are welcome. I don't know too much about plastic steamships, but there are a number of wooden kits.

Some examples:

HMCG Harriet Lane:

Chaperon, Stern wheeler:

Hjejlen, Billing Boats:
billingboats.com

BB403 HJEJLEN | The Expert | BB403 HJEJLEN from Billing Boats

BB403 HJEJLEN - The Expert - BB403 HJEJLEN from Billing Boats
billingboats.com billingboats.com

Marieville, Paddle wheel riverboat, Disar:

Marieville Paddlewheel Riverboat (Disar, 1:72) – Ages of Sail

Scale 1:72 Total Length 26.2" (66.5cm) Height 10.4" (26.5cm) Width 5.5" (14cm)
www.agesofsail.com www.agesofsail.com

Vangiard, Paddle wheel tug

Marieville Paddlewheel Riverboat (Disar, 1:72) – Ages of Sail

Scale 1:72 Total Length 26.2" (66.5cm) Height 10.4" (26.5cm) Width 5.5" (14cm)
www.agesofsail.com www.agesofsail.com

Robert E. Lee, Amati:

Robert E. Lee, Mississippi Riverboat 2024 Edition (Amati, 1:150) – Ages of Sail

Robert E. Lee - Mississippi Riverboat Amati wooden kit Part #AM1439 Scale 1:150 - Total Length cm. 60 (23.6") New kit edition contains more detailed full-color assembly instructions Metal scale has been replaced with laser-cut wood for more realistic construction Technical tables are now...
www.agesofsail.com www.agesofsail.com

Mt. Washington, Dumas:

Mt. Washington (Dumas, 1/48) – Ages of Sail

DU1235 Length: 44-1/2" inches Beam: 12 inches Scale: 1/48th
www.agesofsail.com www.agesofsail.com

These are some of the models. I know there are others...

Best of luck, carl
 
Not kits, but Seawatch Books publishes two volumes about building models of these early paddlewheel steamships; USS Susquehanna, and a Civil War Blockade Runner.

Roger
 
If you are courageous and fast, have a look at this one: I'm just a bit short of cash, if not ...
www.befr.ebay.be

Steingraeber Holzmodellbaukasten "Sirius" 1837 • Maßstab 1:60 Rarität | eBay

Les meilleures offres pour Steingraeber Holzmodellbaukasten "Sirius" 1837 • Maßstab 1:60 Rarität sont sur eBay ✓ Comparez les prix et les spécificités des produits neufs et d'occasion ✓ Pleins d'articles en livraison gratuite!
www.befr.ebay.be
 
Berc! Welcome aboard!

Sorry I'm late to the party! The forum covers all manner of kits and scratch builds. That Great Western model looks very cool!

It would help your shipmates help you if you let us know your particular interests. Plastic over wood? Kit or scratch? Military ship or not? Your skill level? Scale? On that point, The Great Western model is in 1:180 scale which would, IMHO, make fabricating details dauntingly complex for me.

I can't add anything to the plastic model conversation.

Carl gave a nice catalogue of what's available. I'd add three more, all naval vessels:

USS Susquehanna from Woody Joe in 1:120 scale Instructions in Japanese

The Gulnara from Krick in 1:48 scale instructions in German

L'Orenoque from Mamoli in 1:100 scale instructions in Italian

I have built Model Shipways Harriet Lane and I'm currently working on L'Orenoque.

There's a nice kit review of USS Susquehanna https://modelshipworld.com/topic/21659-1120-uss-susquehanna-woodyjoe/#comment-650582

If you are interested in wood, navy ships, and are working up your skills, I'd recommend the Harrriet Lane. The price is good, the build is easy and there are some helpful logs out there to assist you achieving the result you want in a scale that allows for but does not demand superdetailing. I would not attempt L'Orenoque if I was new to wooden ship modeling. If you look at my log you'll see why. I can't comment on Woody Joe's USS Susquehanna except to say that the monograph and the plan set from Gib McArdle are excellent and, even with the scale differences, allow a builder to do a lot of cool detail work. I also can't comment on Krick's Gulnara, but there was a great build log out there showing how beatufully the ship can be built. Finally, although international kits often have excellent instructions in a variety of languages, sometimes they don't. IMHO this means that a builder should think about their skill level relative to the instructions and cost of any kit. A builder with a couple of ships under their belt will be happier and more confident with a kit like, for example, L'Orenoque, than a first timer. Finally, finally ROTF I've learned recently that any kit will have limitations that may happily or unhappliy complicate the builder's work.

Hope this is helpful.

Blessings. Peace. Gratitude.
Chuck
 
Pepite 1/60 said:
If you are courageous and fast, have a look at this one: I'm just a bit short of cash, if not ...
www.befr.ebay.be

Steingraeber Holzmodellbaukasten "Sirius" 1837 • Maßstab 1:60 Rarität | eBay

Les meilleures offres pour Steingraeber Holzmodellbaukasten "Sirius" 1837 • Maßstab 1:60 Rarität sont sur eBay ✓ Comparez les prix et les spécificités des produits neufs et d'occasion ✓ Pleins d'articles en livraison gratuite!
www.befr.ebay.be
Click to expand...
Too late:eek:. I just got the kit for myself :p. Hang the end of the month:oops:, one lives only once ;). But maybe, at the end, it's you the lucky one here. One single sheet of "plans" and "drawings" and not many to scale, no fittings, ... :confused: It's very much like scratch building from a kit (I love it!). CoffeeSorry (no, not really).
 
Last edited:
The Gavel said:
Berc! Welcome aboard!

Sorry I'm late to the party! The forum covers all manner of kits and scratch builds. That Great Western model looks very cool!

It would help your shipmates help you if you let us know your particular interests. Plastic over wood? Kit or scratch? Military ship or not? Your skill level? Scale? On that point, The Great Western model is in 1:180 scale which would, IMHO, make fabricating details dauntingly complex for me.

I can't add anything to the plastic model conversation.

Carl gave a nice catalogue of what's available. I'd add three more, all naval vessels:

USS Susquehanna from Woody Joe in 1:120 scale Instructions in Japanese

The Gulnara from Krick in 1:48 scale instructions in German

L'Orenoque from Mamoli in 1:100 scale instructions in Italian

I have built Model Shipways Harriet Lane and I'm currently working on L'Orenoque.

There's a nice kit review of USS Susquehanna https://modelshipworld.com/topic/21659-1120-uss-susquehanna-woodyjoe/#comment-650582

If you are interested in wood, navy ships, and are working up your skills, I'd recommend the Harrriet Lane. The price is good, the build is easy and there are some helpful logs out there to assist you achieving the result you want in a scale that allows for but does not demand superdetailing. I would not attempt L'Orenoque if I was new to wooden ship modeling. If you look at my log you'll see why. I can't comment on Woody Joe's USS Susquehanna except to say that the monograph and the plan set from Gib McArdle are excellent and, even with the scale differences, allow a builder to do a lot of cool detail work. I also can't comment on Krick's Gulnara, but there was a great build log out there showing how beatufully the ship can be built. Finally, although international kits often have excellent instructions in a variety of languages, sometimes they don't. IMHO this means that a builder should think about their skill level relative to the instructions and cost of any kit. A builder with a couple of ships under their belt will be happier and more confident with a kit like, for example, L'Orenoque, than a first timer. Finally, finally ROTF I've learned recently that any kit will have limitations that may happily or unhappliy complicate the builder's work.

Hope this is helpful.

Blessings. Peace. Gratitude.
Chuck
Click to expand...
So, I only the plastic kits and it can be any steam ship (with sails), such as the Great Eastern or the Great Britain.
 
berc said:
So, I only the plastic kits and it can be any steam ship (with sails), such as the Great Eastern or the Great Britain.
Click to expand...
Steam ships with sails as plastic kits seem to be a rare breed indeed. I guess you best chance to find any will be with eBay. Airfix "Great Western", Revell "CSS Alabama" and "USS Kearsarge", Heller "Amphitrite" come to mind. All are discontinued 'vintage-kits' and even as such hardly available.
 
Pepite 1/60 said:
Steam ships with sails as plastic kits seem to be a rare breed indeed. I guess you best chance to find any will be with eBay. Airfix "Great Western", Revell "CSS Alabama" and "USS Kearsarge", Heller "Amphitrite" come to mind. All are discontinued 'vintage-kits' and even as such hardly available.
Click to expand...
Yeah, they're rare. What do you know about their quality? Most of them are vintage as you said.
 
berc said:
Yeah, they're rare. What do you know about their quality? Most of them are vintage as you said.
Click to expand...
Now, I'm exclusively into wood, but as a young chap, I build the "Great western", a friend of mine "Alabama" and Kearsarge". To me, they seemed OK, Great Western about 30/35cm long, the 2 others much bigger, around 70/75cm. How they look when finished depends largely on your patience and painting skills.
 
Pepite 1/60 said:
Now, I'm exclusively into wood, but as a young chap, I build the "Great western", a friend of mine "Alabama" and Kearsarge". To me, they seemed OK, Great Western about 30/35cm long, the 2 others much bigger, around 70/75cm. How they look when finished depends largely on your patience and painting skills.
Click to expand...
I'm focused on plastic kits, since I'm young (17) and I don't have the money for wooden kits and for the required gears. Also, I've never worked with wood.. Although, it's a future plan of mine to build wooden kits. Anyway, I forgot to say, I'm also interested in plastic clippers. I already have "Cutty Shark" by Revell.
 
www.ebay.co.uk

Revell 1/96 Scale C.S.S. Alabama - Factory Sealed | eBay UK

The box is factory sealed.
www.ebay.co.uk
Here is one. Not cheap, but that's up to you.
Don't be afraid of wood. There are small Chinese kits of Baltimore Clippers available for around €20 incl. postage on Amazon, eBay, Temu, AliExpress, ... Nothing fantastic, but certainly worth a try. And, as far as sailing ships are concerned, wooden kits are much more diverse in form and time period than the plastic crowd. And they keep you busy much longer :).
 
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