Two closely related scales share one shelf here, and between them they bring European and Japanese shipbuilding traditions together. 1:400 and 1:450 ship model kits include the liner Queen Mary 2, the battleship Yamato with its deck aircraft, the Polish destroyers ORP Grom and the helicopter destroyers of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. Dimensionally both sit between 1:350 and 1:700, so you get solid detail without surrendering a whole wall of cabinet. Below, how to choose and what fits.
1:400 has European roots: Polish warships, French escorts, the Tudor carrack Mary Rose and the modern liner Queen Mary 2, which reaches a remarkable 86 cm at this reduction. 1:450 is home to Japanese subjects, from Yamato to the current helicopter destroyers of the Maritime Self-Defense Force. Together the two cover themes that are hard to find in any other size — Polish warships of the Second World War in particular count as collectors' rarities.
Practically negligible: hulls from both sit together in a case without jarring. Choose by the ship, not by the number. Both sizes give detail close to 1:350 for noticeably less shelf. A destroyer works out around 25 cm, a battleship at roughly 60 cm.
Grey destroyer silhouettes are built on armament and radar; civilian hulls on clean paintwork and long rows of windows, where decal work decides the outcome. Yamato paired with a set of American carrier aircraft lets you capture Operation Ten-Go, the battleship's last sortie in April 1945, as a complete scene.
The golden rule of matching scales holds here too: 1:400 ship photo-etched parts, 1:400 wooden decks and 1:400 turned barrels are made for these kits and will not look out of place on a 1:450 hull.
Neighbouring formats for large ships are listed under ship model kits.
![1:400 ORP 'GROM' – wz.40 [Polski Niszczyciel II WŚ]](https://cdn.cloud404.cz/clients/cdn147/gallery/products/148477/gall_188_rd.jpg)
