What a waterline kit is
A waterline kit models a ship only from the waterline up. The bottom is flat, so the finished model sits directly on a shelf or in a painted or resin sea, as if afloat. Full-hull kits include the underwater hull, propellers and rudders and usually need a stand.
At 1/700, waterline is the norm. A battleship comes out around 35 cm long and a destroyer about 15–17 cm. That’s small enough to line up an entire task force in a display cabinet.
The Water Line Series
The 1/700 scale owes much of its popularity to the Water Line Series, launched in Japan in 1971 by four companies working together: Tamiya, Hasegawa, Aoshima and Fujimi. The idea was to cover the Imperial Japanese Navy in one common scale, with each company taking different ships so the ranges didn’t overlap. The series later expanded to include Allied ships.
Fujimi later left the joint series, but the Water Line Series name continues. Tamiya, Hasegawa and Aoshima still release and reissue kits under it. Many of these kits include a metal weight for the hull bottom, which gives the small model a reassuring heft and helps it sit flat.
Because the series has run for so long, its kits span very different eras of tooling. A recent release and a 1970s original can sit side by side on a shop shelf, so check the tooling date (Scalemates is useful for this) and read a review if detail matters to you.
Tamiya
Tamiya’s 1/700 range includes Japanese, British, American and other WWII warships, from destroyers and escorts to battleships and carriers. Examples include HMS Prince of Wales and the Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Vampire.
What to expect:
- Reliable fit and clear instructions, which are Tamiya’s usual strengths
- Moderate detail. Clean and buildable, but not as fine as the newest specialist brands
- Mixed tooling ages. Newer releases are more refined than older ones.
- Good value, with wide availability
Tamiya is a good place to start if you’re new to the scale.
Aoshima
Aoshima has covered a large part of the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1/700, including many cruisers and destroyers, alongside other subjects. Its range includes both older Water Line Series tooling and newer, more detailed kits of popular Japanese ships.
If you’re interested in Japanese warships in particular, Aoshima is likely to have the subject. As with any long-running range, check the tooling date of the kit you’re looking at.
Flyhawk
Flyhawk is a newer Chinese manufacturer that has built a reputation for very fine molded detail in 1/700. Its subjects include British, German, American and other warships, with an emphasis on destroyers, cruisers and smaller ships.
Things to know:
- Very fine, crisp detail, often using slide molds to capture parts that older kits simplify
- Deluxe editions that bundle photo-etch, brass barrels or other extras
- Higher complexity. More, smaller parts make these kits more demanding than a typical Tamiya kit.
- Higher prices than older Water Line Series kits, especially for deluxe boxings
Flyhawk suits builders who already have a few 1/700 ships behind them and want the most detail out of the box.
Other 1/700 makers
- Hasegawa, one of the original Water Line Series partners, with a large range of Japanese and other ships
- Fujimi, which has offered its own 1/700 range, including simplified, color-molded kits aimed at beginners
- Pit-Road, known for a wide catalogue including post-war and modern ships
- Trumpeter, with many 1/700 subjects, including modern warships and ships other makers haven’t covered
Brands compared
| Brand | Detail | Difficulty | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamiya | Moderate to good | Easy to moderate | Moderate | Strong fit, wide WWII range |
| Aoshima | Varies with tooling age | Easy to moderate | Moderate | Deep Japanese navy coverage |
| Flyhawk | Very high | Moderate to hard | Higher | Fine detail, deluxe editions with extras |
| Hasegawa | Varies with tooling age | Easy to moderate | Moderate | Original Water Line Series partner |
| Trumpeter | Varies | Moderate | Moderate | Many modern and unusual subjects |
These are general impressions, and individual kits vary within each range.
Why build in 1/700?
- Fleets fit on a shelf. You can build a whole squadron in the space one 1/350 battleship would take.
- Lower cost per ship than larger scales, both for the kit and for aftermarket parts
- Shorter builds. A destroyer can be finished far faster than a big 1/350 kit.
- Dioramas. Waterline models are easy to set in a sea base, alone or in groups.
For how 1/700 compares with other scales, see our guide to plastic model ship kits by scale. If you want even smaller collector ships, look at Mountford 1/1250 waterline ships.
Tips for building at 1/700
- Use magnification. A headband magnifier or a magnifying lamp makes a big difference.
- Cut small parts carefully. Use sharp sprue cutters and cut slightly away from the part, then trim the rest with a fresh blade.
- Paint on the sprue where you can, then touch up attachment points.
- Use thin glue applied with a fine brush so it doesn’t flood small details.
- Replace thick masts with brass rod or stretched sprue if the kit masts look heavy.
- Rig with fine material. Stretched sprue, very fine monofilament or elastic rigging thread gives convincing aerials and halyards at this scale.
- Add railings last. 1/700 photo-etch railings are extremely delicate. See our guide to using photo-etched parts on plastic ship models.
- Go slightly lighter on colors. Many builders lighten their paints a little at small scales so the ship doesn’t look too dark.
Seascape bases
A simple sea base makes a big difference to a waterline model. For resin seas and harbour scenes, see our guide to model ship dioramas. A basic method:
- Start with a flat board or picture frame.
- Build up a sea surface with acrylic gel medium, modeling paste or a thin layer of putty, stippled with a stiff brush to make small waves.
- Press the model (or a placeholder) in while it’s wet to create a slight depression for it to sit in.
- Paint the sea in dark blue-greens or grey-greens, depending on the ocean and weather you’re showing, then drybrush lighter tones onto wave crests.
- Add bow waves and a wake with white-tinted gel, keeping them in scale with the ship’s speed.
- Finish with a gloss varnish for a wet look.
Where to start
A good first 1/700 kit is a destroyer or small cruiser from Tamiya or Aoshima. It’s quick to build, inexpensive and forgiving. Once you’re comfortable, try a Flyhawk kit, or add a photo-etch set to a familiar subject. Many builders go on to collect ships that served together, such as a carrier group or a convoy escort.
If you later want to try a bigger ship with more room for detail, our comparisons of 1/350 Bismarck kits and 1/350 aircraft carrier kits are a good next step.