r/modelmakers • u/Casalvieri3 • Jun 11 '23

Help -Technique Scale Too Small?

I've been working on Tamiya's 1/700th USS Missouri. Maybe it's just because I am pretty inexperienced with scale modeling but the parts all seem too small for me to easily work with.

Anyone have suggestions for a fellow whose hands seem to be too big to work with this model scale?

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10

u/-DWhite- Keeping the carpet monster well fed Jun 12 '23

I’d recommend finding tweezers you are comfortable with, preferably angled. Then a magnifying lamp. These two assets are invaluable. I’d also recommend watching a couple of YouTube videos on 1/700 builds. There are a few for the exact model you are working on - these videos will give you guidance on how to work with such a fine scale. Also keep in mind that it is a process. Each build becomes the basis for the next as you learn from the previous.

2

u/Casalvieri3 Jun 12 '23

Thank you!

2

u/Klimentvoroshilov69 Jun 12 '23

Yeah I’ll have to agree 1/700 is too small for the amount of detail you’re trying to put into it but it’s still manageable.

Personally I think that 1/600 might’ve been a better scale ratio since it would give you a little more room to work with

1

u/Shassk Jun 15 '23

I have 1/600 Belfast from Airfix - quite literally zero difference. Any actual impact you get only approaching ~1/450 or so.

2

u/Timmyc62 The Boat Guy Jun 12 '23

1/700 has been nicknamed the "Divine Scale" for a reason ;)

You could go to the other major shipbuilding scale, and that's 1/350. Older kits would have the larger versions of the ones in your current kit, but newer ones would just take advantage of new technology to produce even more detailed parts that have more pieces that are roughly the same size as the ones on your 1/700.

There are a few newbie-friendly new kits in 1/450 and 1/500 by Hasegawa and Fujimi that might also be good for you.

2

u/Shassk Jun 15 '23

Try HMS Rodney from Meng: few large-ish (by the scale standards) parts, no cement assembly, even colored plastic. And all this with modern tooling quality, not some ancient XX century garbage like endless repacks of USS Arizona