The German research vessel Meteor represents 1:300 ship model kits here — a civilian hull with unusually busy deck equipment. Being close to the far more common 1:350, the scale gives a model around thirty centimetres long, enough for the cranes, boats and bridge windows to read clearly. A survey ship makes a welcome change from grey warship hulls: white superstructure and a coloured hull call for careful spraying and a crisp boot-topping line at the waterline.
Hulls of comparable size, mostly in 1:350, are grouped in ship model kits. Railings, ladders and the other fine metalwork that finishes a research vessel come from ship model accessories, and the whites, reds and buff tones you need for a civilian hull are in model paints.
