I have a number of larger ships in 1/350 and subs in 1/72 in the stash, awaiting construction. Before building, I want to put together a closed, glazed wall shelf, so that they don't die from dust and dirt.

Problem is, manufacturers don't list the dimensions for kits any more! Some still list Length only. They used to give L/W/H.

So I am appealing to the community who have built these, to let me know the dimensions of their built models, so I and others can calculate the required shelf space.

Fell free to add to this list!

In my case, I need to know the following (Length, Width & Height):

1/350 AFV Club GERMAN U-BOAT TYPE XXI
1/350 Banner USS Arizona
1/350 Entex RMS Titanic
1/350 Gunze-Sangyo RMS Lusitania
1/350 Tamiya U.S. Battleship BB-63 Missouri
1/350 Tamiya U.S. Battleship BB-62 New Jersey
1/350 Tamiya U.S. Aircraft Carrier Enterprise
1/350 Tamiya Tirpitz German Battleship
1/350 Tamiya Japanese Battleship Yamato
1/350 Tamiya Japanese Battleship Musashi
1/350 Tamiya German Battleship Bismark
1/350 Tamiya British Battleship Prince of Wales
1/350 Tamiya British Battleship King George V
1/350 Trumpeter SS Jeremiah O'Brian Liberty Ship
1/350 Trumpeter British Battlecruiser HMS Hood
1/350 Trumpeter SS John W Brown EC2-S-C1 Liberty Ship
1/72 Airfix Vosper Torpedo Boat (Airfix)
1/72 Airfix RAF Rescue Launch
1/72 Revell AG H.M.C.S. Snowberry
1/72 Revell AG German U-Boat Type VIIc/41 Atlantic Version
1/72 Revell AG German Submarine VII C Wolf Pack
1/72 Revell AG German Schnellboot S-100 with Flak 38 (WWII)
1/72 Revell-Monogram US Gato Class Submarine
1/72 Revell-Monogram Torpedo Boat PT 109
1/72 Special Navy U-Boat Type XXIII

Imperial or Metric? I have 5 of the 1/72s I'll measure at the weekend for you...

But I would suggest you build a shelf/cabinet as big as the space you have allows for future releases....

I'm Canadian, and I'm old enough to work in both Metric and Imperial!

Seriously, though, this is a first "retirement project", and these kits have been in the stash for some time. I held off building due to moving and the size. The idea is to build one or two shelves just for the ships listed.

The others are mainly 1/35 armour, and planes in various scales. And some 1/12 scale cars (they'll need something similar). Normal glazed shelving for these, and I know most of the sizes.

But for the ships, I need especially the widths, to determine how deep the units must be.

It's easy to share shelf space for planes and armour - but ships are a special case!

Appreciate any help!

By far the biggest beast in your list is the Enterprise, with an extreme width of 78.4m and length of 342m. That's 224mm wide by 977mm long. (I assume you mean the nuke carrier CVN 65...) Any shelf that can fit it will fit anything else you build in 1:350! Unless of course you develop a taste for 1:1 scale icebreakers...

Be sure to add a few cms to allow for sticky-out bits like safety nets and cranes!

Tom

Yeah, should probably leave that one to a case by itself. It prob doubles the shelf width for the others.

The initial concern is the two ocean liners. Then the various warships in 1/350.

I am thinking to put the ocean ships in wall-mounted unit, together.

The others will likely require a floor unit. It's possible to use a store-bought bookshelf for the floor unit, and attach a plexiglass front or glass doors - it keeps 'em clean, but doesn't really display the best.

Glazed, used, store shelving is ideal, but way too expensive for me. So I've been studying how they are made, and might try construct my own...

I've only built a few of these so I'll only comment on them.
1/350 AFV Club GERMAN U-BOAT TYPE XXI
This one's barely 18 cm long. It can sit on your hand : )

1/350 Tamiya British Battleship Prince of Wales
This is about 60 cm long, give or take a few
1/350 Tamiya British Battleship King George V
Same as Prince of Whales
1/350 Trumpeter SS Jeremiah O'Brian Liberty Ship
This is about 45 cm

1/350 Trumpeter SS John W Brown EC2-S-C1 Liberty Ship
Same plastic as the O'Brien

1/72 Airfix Vosper Torpedo Boat (Airfix)
1/72 Airfix RAF Rescue Launch
Each about 30 cm

1/72 Revell AG H.M.C.S. Snowberry
Not quite 1m

1/72 Revell-Monogram Torpedo Boat PT 109
about 30 cm

Hello Jessie

The average length of the longer ones seems to run around 35-36 inches.

But the critical dimension I need to make a shelf is the width - I need to know the worst-case width, so all of them will fit inside.

Once upon a time, I think Tamiya used to give L/W/H - but they are now following industry practice, and only quoting the Length.

That all depends on how you intend to display them. Will they be side-on along the shelf, or at an angle?

The beamiest is the Enterprise at not quite 30 cm. The rest range from 2 cm for the 1/350 type XXI to around 15 - 25 cm at maximum for the Corvette.

Hi Jessie

Yes, excluding the carrier, I would expect the corvette to be the widest.

The plan is one ship per shelf, mirrored back, clear sides. Each ship would be displayed lengthwise (thus the shelf width is approximately 36"). I think that's what you called "side-on".

Depending on the available walls, I may do one case for the subs, one for the liners, and one for the warships.

Have yet to decide whether the Corvette, like the Enterprise, should be in standard, lone ship-case of it's own (i.e. museum-type or table-top).

That's probably wisest. Most of the ships in your list except the carrier and corvette would fit comfortably on a standard bookcase shelf. Perhaps the battleships could be on something a trifle deeper.

It sounds like a very nice display you have planned. It should look good when it's done.

I wish it were so - but it appears that the standard bookcase (at least the ones I've seen locally) are 1-2" too short in width!! In fact that's what prompted me to post the query.

Ideally, I wanted to make the case with solid, mirrored back, clear sides, front & top. But in looking at the cost of making individual cases with glass and lexan, it looks like the cost would kill it.

Fall back would something like a bookcase for the bulk of the warships, but the liners, I would still like in clear case up on the wall, as I think it showcases them better, and allows for mirrors, lighting etc.

Don't know what the economy is like over there but you could look out for glass shop display cabinets from any closing down shops.

I remember someone saying they saw a shop with closing down sale signs in the window and went in and made an offer on one of the cabinets....

Hi Sean

Actually that's how this all started. The original plan was for a six-foot store fixture. But after waiting several years, and checking the used fixture place in Cambridge, Ont., I found that these are around $800 used!

These were all-glass, with mirrored backs, and glass shelves, using aluminum channel. I first saw one as a display item in the local hobby shop.

Used ones go fast, and they seem to really hold their value - except for pressboard stuff, which typically self-destructs by the time a store closes.

Economy here is dismal.... (The hobby shops have all closed around here but one, which is a satellite of a store from Toronto).