A three-hundred-metre warship reduced to a desk-sized forty centimetres: that is the trade 1:800 ship model kits make. The shelf belongs mainly to American aircraft carriers of the Nimitz and Kitty Hawk classes, joined by the German battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz. Part counts stay sensible, the building is relaxed, and the finished hull still commands a room. The notes below deal with the two things that decide a carrier model: the flight deck finish and the railings that go on last.
It slots neatly into the gap between display-case 1:700 and collector miniatures. Assembly stays undemanding, yet the ship is large enough for island superstructures, deck edge fittings and parked aircraft to register properly. A carrier still comes in under half a metre, so no special cabinet is needed. For a first large warship it is one of the most forgiving formats there is.
The core of the shelf is American nuclear and conventional carriers: USS Nimitz, Carl Vinson and Kitty Hawk. The kits include a flight deck with marked runways and a set of deck aircraft, and the finished impression rests on neat deck painting and cleanly laid decals.
Bismarck and Tirpitz offer classic building: main turrets, directors and a busy bridge structure. If you want more battleship detail than this size allows, 1:700 ship model kits carry the broadest aftermarket support, while British classics belong to 1:600 ship model kits.
Lay runway markings and deck numbers onto a gloss base and seal them with a matt coat, or they will silver. Paint the flight deck before the island goes on — flat and unobstructed it sprays and masks far more easily. Railings, antennae and radar screens come from etched brass.
Every other ship scale is listed in ship model kits.
