Ships in 1:12 scale

[Sivin]

Does anyone know of a source for 1:12 scale ships, of the type so many of our ancestors came over on at the turn of the 20th century?

Thanks,

Helaine

[Stacey6163]

I've found some on ebay in the past.

[Selkie]

Doubt they have too much in 1:12 scale but MircoMark has tons of ship building supplies, tools and some kits as well. Here is a link to their model ship section. They also have trains and tons of miniature everything for building. Good service too.

[havanaholly]

Helaine, do you have any idea how HUGE one of those ships would be in 1:12 scale? 1:96 scale is considered large for a ship model.

[Blondie]

I've also seen some of the older ship models at Hobby Lobby. Take a peek there! I'd love to watch someone build a ship, so please do take lots of pictures if you build one.

[pdlnpeabody]

I have seen 1:12 room box displays of the captain's quarters and gun decks, but never an entire ship. It would probably be over 20 feet long.

When I was in my early teens, I built two of the Revell 1:96 scale tall masted clippers- Cutty Sark and Thermopylae. Both ships were about 3 ft. long, almost 3 ft. high, and had around 1,300 parts. Almost 300 of those parts were tiny blocks for the vast amount of thread that comprised the rigging. It took almost 3 months to build one. Plastic model kits are going the way of the dinosaur, but on rare occasion, I have seen a kit sitting on a store shelf. One of those kits cost $80 back in 1989. I don't know what they cost now, but if I ever come across one again, I'll probably get it.

[Debora59]

Hobby Lobby has some wonderful ships in a smaller scale, and its true, you wouldn't want 1;12 scale unless you have an entire room for it! My husband has been building lots of model submarines, the largest one is 1/72 scale, and its 4.5 feet long

[havanaholly]

...you wouldn't want 1;12 scale unless you have an entire room for it...

Like the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. A 1:12 scale model of one of those trans-Atlantic steamships like my mother's grandparents arrived on from Scotland in 1888 would not only be long enough to fill at least one, if not part of a second room, but probably need to raise the ceilings, too (or my maternal grandfather's Hession ancestors, whose ships had masts) and 'way too high to play with. I thiink doing a series of roomboxes of some of the interior rooms, or part of the steerage section where a lot of our ancestors rode over here, would be just as satisfactory and a tribute to our families' US beginnings.

[Selkie]

I can't remember who it is, but someone here on GL has posted spectacular pictures of their shipbuilding. I'm not great at using the search tool so maybe someone with a better memory than me will be gracious enough to post a link to the album. I'm quite sure it was a man and it's been quite a while since new pictures were added.

[havanaholly]

I can't remember who it is, but someone here on GL has posted spectacular pictures of their shipbuilding. I'm not great at using the search tool so maybe someone with a better memory than me will be gracious enough to post a link to the album. I'm quite sure it was a man and it's been quite a while since new pictures were added.

That was JohnReid, and it has been quite some time since we've heard from him. The only album I saw in his gallery was the 1:16 diorama from the Sergio Leone movie set, but he also posted delightful pictures of the wonderfully detailed warship he built.

[Selkie]

Ah yes, thank you holly. Here is the link to the thread he had going about his ships. Scroll all the way through because there are wonderful pictures of his work throughout.

[Sivin]

Thank you all! Nope, I didn't consider how huge a 1:12 model would be; I'll search for smaller. Appreciate each of your responses!

[havanaholly]

1:12 scale means that an immigrant ship 476.5 feet long by 55 feet beam (I couldn't find info on how high from keel to mast) would be a model over forty feet long (476.5 inches) by nearly five feet wide (55 inches).

[Jeffrey]

Midwest products makes a 1:12 Dinghy kit but that's the only boat i could find at that scale when i was making my boathouse.

http://www.midwestproducts.com/store/product/d90663ea-cd37-4f2f-b2b6-a4b2c47c16e1/Dinghy.aspx

[Deb]

I'm a little late to the party but I brought pictures! We visited the Titanic museum in Branson and they have a fully detailed model of the ship in the lobby. The quality of the pictures isn't great because it's in a glass case and apparently the only person who knew how to use the Windex had been on vacation for a long, long time. But you can still see the ship and get an idea of what it looked like.

The room was fairly large and I was in the far back corner to take this picture but could still only get part of it. The plaque standing in front of the case is about 18" long so that gives you an idea of the size of the model.

This is the best close up I have but you can see some of the detail. Based on the size of the stairs and the deck chairs, I'd guess it's either 1:24 or 1:36.

I know it's not a model so it isn't exactly on topic, but it's still a very cool miniature replica of a ship so I thought you'd like to see it.

Deb

[pdlnpeabody]

Midwest products makes a 1:12 Dinghy kit but that's the only boat i could find at that scale when i was making my boathouse.

http://www.midwestproducts.com/store/product/d90663ea-cd37-4f2f-b2b6-a4b2c47c16e1/Dinghy.aspx

I built that kit too. It was actually kind of fun to build a kit out of wood for a change.

I have a model of the Titanic, but it's only 3' long. I was in the process of putting fiber optics in the windows and decks to light her up. The plan was to build and partially sink her with the bow just under a resin ocean, but I'm still looking for several hundred feet of fiber optic cable to finish the lighting first. I have a few U.S. and Japanese Naval ships partially built too, but between the kids breaking parts and the house projects, they have been on standby for quite some time.