"Panzerschiffe - Holy *bleep* that was fast..." Topic

Ordered on Tuesday by PayPal. Ships are in my mailbox Thursday afternoon.

Nice, clean models, too, by the way; very favorably impressed overall.

I've always been pleased with the service from Panzerschiffe and I have been ordering from them off and on for years.

Dave

I've had the same experience over the years. Very fast and efficient ordering. And the models are generally very nicely done.

Their new ordering system that uses Paypal is great. In the old (last year) days, they were still quick and the models still a good value but mailing checks by snail mail was slow.

I've only ordered from them once (after the PayPal system was added) and I concur – they are FAST. Highly recommended.

I have always been pleased with their service.

Tom

HI.
I AM NEW TO THIS TYPE OF FORUM.. I AM NOT A WARGAMER BUT FOR MORE YEARS THAN I WOULD CARE TO NUMBER, I HAVE BEEN A MODEL MAKER AND COLLECTOR OF WARSHIPS IN MANY SCALES AND MANUFACTURE. I WAS SEARCHING FOR SOME NAVAL HISTORY INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET WHEN I ENCOUNTERED THIS SITE. I READ A COUPLE OF COMMENTS FROM MEMBERS WHO EXPRESSED AN UNFAMILIATY WITH VIKINGFORGE, SUPERIOR AND C&C 1-2400 MODELS AS WELL AS SOME COMMENTS THEY MADE ABOUT PANZERSCHIFFES MODELS. SINCE I HAVE A SIZABLE COLLECTION OF SHIP MODELS IN MANY SCALES AND FROM MANY COMPANIES, SOME OF WHICH MAY BE OUT OF BUSINESS, I THOUGHT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO SHARE SOME OF MY KNOWLEGE IN THIS AREA.
THE FIRST COMPANY MENTIONED FROM ONE OF THE MEMBERS WAS VIKNGFORGE. THE MEMBER STATED THAT THEY HAD NEVER SEEN ANY MODELS BY THIS COMPANY. I BOUGHT MY LARGE COLLECTION OF VIKINGFORGE 1-2400 MODELS ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO THROUGH A DEALER WHO ORDERED THEM FOR ME. THE COMPANY HAD, AT AT THAT TIME, A LARGE CATALOG AND SO I ORDERED ALL THE CAPITAL SHIPS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE RUSSO-JAPANESE CONFLICT. I OBTAINED ENOUGH MODELS TO REPRESENT EVERY MAJOR WARSHIP SHIP THAT PARTICIPATED IN THAT SCUFFLE WELL AS A FAIR SELECTION OF SHIPS OF THE BRITISH FLEET FROM THAT SAME ERA. I STILL HAVE THIS COLLECTION. THESE ARE THE ONLY VIKINGFORGE SHIPS I AM FAMILIAR WITH BUT I TREASURE THESE CASTINGS FOR THEIR REALISM, DURABILITY, ACCURACY AND CLEAN DESIGN. I HOPE THE COMPANY IS STILL IN BUSINESS AND THAT THEY ARE STILL MAKING THESE FINE MODELS.
THE SECOND BRAND I SAW MENTIONED WAS THE SUPERIOR 1-2400 MODELS. IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME, SUPERIOR WAS ONE OF THE FIRST COMPANIES TO MAKE NAVAL MODELS IN THIS SCALE. I HAVE HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS COMPANY AND ITS ANTICEDENTS, COMET AND AUTHENTICAST, SINCE HIGH SCHOOL. I HAVE VIRTUALLY EVERY MODEL MADE BY THESE THREE COMPANIES IN THREE SCALES: 1-500, 1-1-1200, AND 1-2400 SCALE. I BEGAN PURCHASING THE SUPERIOR LINE OF 1-2400 MODELS OVER 25 YEARS AGO WHEN THE THE 1-2400 SCALE WAS FIRST BECOMING POPULAR. THE SUPERIOR MODELS ARE PARTICULARY ATTRACTIVE TO ME BECAUSE, BESIDES BEING VERY DURABLE, THEY LOOK LIKE EXACT MINIATURES OF THE LARGER 1-1200 MODELS MADE BY THE SAME COMPANY. I THINK SUPERIOR STARTED OUT PRODUCING A LARGER RANGE OF MODELS THAN THE NEWCOMERS IN THE MODEL BUSINESS, C&C AND GHQ. IN ADDITION, THE SUPERIOR MODELS WERE VERY ECONOMICAL, DESTROYERS COMING IN PACKETS OF 8 AND CRUISERS IN PACKETS OF TWO. THE MODELS HAVE A DISTINCTIVE SCULPTURED LOOK AND ARE MORE ROBUST THAN C&C AND EARLY GHQ MODELS BUT I ENJOY THIS LOOK IN A MODEL LINE AND VALUE MY COLLECTION OF THEM HIGHLY. I HAVE NEVER TALKED TO THE FOLKS AT SUPERIOR ABOUT WHY THEY DISCONTINUED THE LINE BUT I SUSPECT THAT AS C&C, GHQ AND PANZERSCHIFFES BEGAN TO INCREASE THEIR SELECTIONS, THE FAMILY MAY HAVE DECIDED THE 1-2400 SCALE WAS NOT REALLY EARNING THEM MUCH MONEY AS THEIR MORE TRADITIONAL LINE OF 1/1200 MODELS.
THE THIRD COMMENT WAS ABOUT PANZERSCHIFFES. I REALLY ENJOY THE MODELS FROM THIS COMPANY, NOT ONLY FOR THE HUGE SELECTION BUT FOR THEIR INEXPENSIVENESS AND DURABILITY. THE ADVANTAGE THAT RESIN HAS OVER LEAD IN THE DURABILITY DEPARTMENT HAS TO BE EXPERIENCED! WHEN YOU PAINT A RESIN MODEL IT DOES NOT DENT AND SCUFF LIKE A PAINTED LEAD MODEL. PRETTY MUCH YOU CAN PLAY WITH THESE ALL DAY AND AT THE END OF THE DAY PUT THEM IN A PAPER BAG. WHEN YOU GET HOME AND TAKE THEM OUT OF THE BAG, AND YOU WILL BE PLEASED THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO STREIGHTEN EVERYTHING, PUT THE TURRETS AND MASTS BACK ON, AND REPAINT THE DENTED SURFACES. FOR ME, THIS MAKES PANZERSCHIFFES ALMOST MY FAVORITES TO COLLECT SINCE THEIR SELECTION IS ENORMOUS AND THEY ARE SO EASY TO HANDLE. OF COURSE I DON'T PUT THEM INTO PAPER BAGS BUT YOU GET THE POINT.
IN FAIRNESS, EACH MANUFACTURER HAS SOME ADVANTAGE OVER THE OTHER. FOR THOSE WHO WANT DETAIL AND ACCURACY, ALMOST TO THE POINT THAT LITTLE PEOPLE COME OUT ON THE DECKS AND SALUTE, THEN CERTAINLY, GHQ IS THE NAVIS AND NEPTUNE OF THE 1-2400 SCALE BUT THEY ARE MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE AND FUSSY TO WORK WITH. YOU CAN CREATE A PANZERSCHIFFE FLEET FOR 1/3 THE PRICE AND THEY ARE READY TO GO RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX WITHOUT ASSEMBLING.
ONE OTHER COMMENT WAS MADE ABOUT THE C&C 1-2400 MODELS. I THINK THIS COMPANY IS OUT OF BUSINESS NOW, BUT THEY MADE A QUALITY LINE OF CASTINGS IN 1-2400 AND 1-4800. THEIR CASTINGS WERE WERE EXCEPTIONALLY CLEAN AND CRISP BUT IN THE 1-2400 SCALE THEY LOOKED A LITTLE SPARE COMPARED TO GHQ. I HAVE A FEW AND ADMIRE THE QUALITY OF THE CASTING BUT, AS WITH GHQ, ONE HAD A LOT OF STREIGHENING TO DO AFTER A LITTLE HANDLING. THE VIKINGFORGE, SUPERIOR AND PANZERSCHIFFE MODELS CAN BE PLAYED WITH AND HANDLED MUCH MORE EASILY. SPEAKING ABOUT C&C, IT IS OF INTEREST TO MENTION THAT THIS COMPANY ALSO MADE A FASCINATING SET OF WORLD WAR TWO ERA BRITISH AND GERMAN SHIPS IN 1/4800 SCALE. THESE ARE EXQUISITE IN DETAIL, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIKE TO PLAY WARGAMES WEARING A JEWLER'S LOUPE IN ONE EYE. I HAVE SEVERAL SETS OF THESE. THE ONLY OTHER COMPANY THAT MADE SHIPS IN THAT SCALE AS FAR AS I KNOW, WAS A WORLD WAR TWO MANUFACTURER CALLED "SOUTH SALEM STUDIOS", A RIVAL OF COMET METAL PRODUCTS. THE SOUTH SALEM COMPANY MADE A FASCINATING LITTLE BOX OF SHIP MODELS IN 1/5000 SCALE AND 1-2000 SCALE TO BE USED TO TRAIN PILOTS CALLED "AUXILLARY POCKET MODELS". IT WAS MADE FOR THE THE NAVY BUREAU OF AERONAUTICS. THE BOX CONTAINED MODELS THAT REPRESENTED GERMAN AND JAPANESE FLEETS PLUS MERCHANT SHIPS. THE TWO SCALES REPRESENTED SHIPS AS SEEN FROM 10,000 FEET (1-2000 SCALE) AND 25,000 FEET (1-5000 SCALE). SOMETIMES THESE LITTLE MILITARY SETS SHOW UP ON EBAY AS WELL AS THESE C&C MODELS IN 1-4800.
I HOPE THESE OBSERVATIONS ON THE ABOVE COMPANIES ARE OF INTEREST TO THE MEMBERS.

Welcome to TMP Konigsberg!

Interesting info, and I thank you for it. I'm sure others will as well.

If I might make two suggestions? First, don't type in all-caps. It makes it a bit harder to read, and the convention in any forum is that when you do that, you do so to EITHER indicate that you are stressing a particular word (as I just did), or you are SHOUTING something.

For instance, on a sports forum you might go WHOO-HOO! The New York Giants WIN THE SUPERBOWL!!!!

Of course, if you have bad eyes or something, and have trouble reading smaller type, never mind.

The second suggestion? Break up your text with blank lines. That way, even all-cap text is easier to read. Not sure how you are accessing this forum, but hitting the return/enter key a couple of times every now and then will help a lot.

Thanks again for the info.

As for me? I bought the Seapower Rules (from Superior) a zillion years ago, but never could raise the money to buy any of those Superior ships. I remember having a long list of ships I was going to get, just never did. Played with cardboard top-down deck-view ships copied out of Janes though. Had a good time.

Moved on to non-naval gaming and am only just now getting back in to it, since I discovered one of my wargaming friends has a passion for naval action. So far I've picked up a bunch of the plastic Axis & Allies pre-painted ships, but suspect that in the long run, I would be better off going with Panzerschiff.