I was recently in Korea and picked up a few of the new Academy 1/400 Titanic kits. After comparing it with the Minicraft 1/350 kit I saw a number of similarities and a number of differences. Some good, some, well...
Overall, the new kit is much sharper and finer casting. The hull is much better and the forward well deck gunnels are in the right position. Much of the missing detail on the bow has been added to this kit, although the breakwater is still too far back and the bow anchor pit isn't quite the right shape. The decking has molded in wood grane which, although nice, makes corrections a pain (all the benches are molded into the deck. The A-Deck around the aft Grand Staircase has been corrected as have a number of misplaced doors and windows. The bulkhead details are there too, like lights and small vents. The Ventilators are mostly copied from the original kit, as are the stairs and compass platform. The bridge is still rounded and the forward stairwells still have the infamous hoods. The Boat Davits are much better and the boats themselves are very nice, although two colapsables are missing and, like the original kit, there are no smaller cutters. The railings, though are beautifully cast and are perhaps the best I have seen in plastic. Brass would still be finer, but these are really nice and preshaped (no need for heating and folding). Unfortunately the stairs are pretty clunky. The skylights are still wrong and the Grand Staircase domes are still round. The worst part of the kit is the funnels. The ladder suports are huge and have to go. The ladders themselves are ok. There are no whistles. As a trivia note: the box art shows smoke coming from all four stacks. Over all, I'd say that it is a much better kit than the Minicraft. It is newer, cleaner, has some corrections, more detail and fewer problems. Many interior walls are included and the interior deck plans are embossed onto the parts, and the grand staircases are present. This kit is obviously a reduced copy of the Minicraft, but goes a long way to improving on it.
Best regards,
Duane Fowler
Posted on Oct 26, 1998, 5:50 PM from IP address 17.128.200.175