Ships
Your first port of call for the great ships in plastic. Airfix model ships span the 1:600 capital fleet, from HMS Hood to the Bismarck, and a 1:72 flotilla of the smaller, faster craft. Build a single legend or lay down a whole navy.
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Plastic ship models: the 1:600 fleet
Most of the range sails at 1:600, so every capital ship you build belongs to the same fleet. The names need little introduction: HMS Hood, Ark Royal, Belfast, Nelson and King George V for the Royal Navy, facing the Bismarck, Scharnhorst and Prinz Eugen. The hunt for the Bismarck can be built ship by ship, or started small with the 1:1200 Sink the Bismarck! gift set. Almost all of it fights the Second World War, so the WW2 model kits collection is the natural place to widen the theatre.
Plastic model boat kits in 1:72
The small-craft side is 1:72: the Vosper Motor Torpedo Boat and its enemy the German E-Boat, the RAF Rescue Launch that fished downed aircrew out of the Channel, the Higgins landing craft of D-Day (6 June 1944), and the RNLI Severn Class Lifeboat for the modern seas. Sharing a scale with most of our aircraft, these model boat kits sit naturally in the same display.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which scale model ships fit together?
Stick to one scale and the fleet takes shape by itself: 1:600 for the capital ships, 1:72 for the coastal craft. The 1:72 boats also match the biggest share of the aircraft range, so a rescue launch can sit beneath the very aircraft it fished out. Check the scale on odd ones out like the 1:144 SR.N4 hovercraft.
Are there model boat kits for beginners?
Two starter sets cover it, both with paint, brushes and adhesive included: the RNLI Shannon Class Lifeboat in 1:72 and the Tudor warship Mary Rose in 1:400. Either is a gentler first hull than a capital ship, and the starter sets page holds the rest.
Does Airfix make sailing ship model kits?
Two at present: the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's flagship, and HMS Prince, a 1:180 ship of the line from the age of sail. The rest of the range is powered, and the Vintage Classics ships page revives older hulls from original tooling.