The release of the all-new HobbyBoss 1/700 RMS Titanic plastic model kit is a welcome one. HobbyBoss has done a good job replicating the real ship, and at just over 15 inches long, it’s perfect for display in small spaces. The box art can help with parts placement, paint color, and rigging.
The box contains 10 gray sprues and seven separate moldings totaling 156 plastic parts along with 11 photo-etched metal parts and about 100 decals — yes, two for each lifeboat. The hull comes as a single piece, so no waterline split, and four different deck parts that are molded separately with no need for fitting. The 16-page instruction manual is well illustrated but doesn’t include exact placement for rigging.
I followed the instructions by first painting the hull semigloss black, the waterline Model Master Guards Red, and the exposed deck areas tan. I continued the process, painting all the proper areas white and the benches Vallejo Dark Red (No. 70.946). The funnels received Deco Art Yellow Oxide. Technically, there is an extremely thin yellow or gold line separating the black and the white around the hull, but it would be so thin at scale to be nearly invisible and difficult to recreate. I decided against attempting it.
The instructions tell you to drill holes on the deck (Part P4). Instead, I used the drawings on Page 16 to place parts 15, 16, and 19 and glue the lifeboats between them. This way, should you goof up placement, you won’t have to fix holes you’ve poked through the deck.
For me, the decals are the fun part of any kit, but the name Titanic and the waterline numbers on the bow and near the rudder, once placed, are difficult to see. Further, the two decals for each lifeboat are challenging. For these, I harpooned them with a sharp, No. 11 blade after submerging the decals and then placed them on the boats. I felt like Capt. Ahab.
Overall, the new HobbyBoss 1/700 scale RMS Titanic went together well with most of the time spent cleaning up tiny parts, painting, and decaling. I spent about 40 hours building but did not place the rigging. The small parts could be better defined, but the built model looks great on the shelf. I would recommend this kit for those with some experience handling small parts for a build, but it should be accessible for modelers with a couple of builds to their credit.