3D printed complete (or virtually complete) plastic models might eventually be the future of our hobby. I hope not. But plastic 1250 kits, kits being the key word, will not be…..they may be a part of it….likely a niche of a niche. The majority of 1250 collectors are collectors. Not expert level model builders, nor do they aspire to be. No matter how many changes the SS producer makes, 1250 kits will be no better than complementary to finished models.

I generally second Paul’s comments and observations. Some points bear further emphasis:
-The 1250 SS models are clearly part of a “dial-a-scale” business effort. Whether the original model is a 350 or perhaps a 700 scale, many of the same SS models are available in 1800, 1250, 1200, 1000, 700 and 350. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but as noted not all parts and details translate well. It has to be more than a digital rejiggering.
-The instruction sheets are almost useless, if one is even included. The printing is often very small and cheaply rendered. There is no optimal sequencing of part placement. Good luck to any builder of these who does not have excellent reference material.
- Have also found hull warping, especially on narrower hulls like modern cruisers. Two of mine have been impossible to permanently flatten.
-The parts are obviously very small….sometimes ridiculously so. Easy to break or lose. I almost have to create a computer chip manufacturing environment, so that when some small critical part goes flying off my tweezer or a sprue I might have a fighting chance of finding the part.
-Do not agree that the tiny narrow or thin parts on these models should be modeled over-sized. That is a solution required for casting models…..these models are printed, and what has to be done when casting in metal is not applicable here.
-One of the problems with the SS models is that several (almost all) of the ones I’ve gotten have turrets/parts that do not fit in the spaces allotted. I’ve had to Draemel a larger diameter hole to fit the turret base. Twice I’ve had liquid resin oozing out while doing the widening. Heat from drilling may have spurred liquification. A surprising amount of liquid had to be soaked up.
-Other problems I’ve run into include: broken off lower parts of bows; one model had a bow that when seen from directly in front was shaped like a ) and model bow area forward was asymmetrical; missing parts (top deck level of PITTSBURGH aft superstructure, searchlight platform between funnels on SOUTH CAROLINA; boats meant for davits, etc). These were not lost parts….they were never printed. Hull warping problems that have been mentioned; a 1200 vice 1250 model sent; extremely brittle parts and sprues.
-One other comment: check to ensure the models you are ordering are actually available. The web site page for a given model will say some version of “5 available, 2 sold”. That is meaningless. It might as well say a hundred are available. Many of the models have not been printed at all, and are pre-production…..not “Available”. Three models ordered in mid-November have not yet been mailed as we head into February.

SS offers some models that have not been previously available in any 1250 format. That is what intrigued me about SS models in the first place. And our traditional model producers have not exactly been flooding the hobby with new releases, especially grey ones. So they were worth trying. Based on the newer ebay SS listings in 700 scale, there may be further attractive 1250s “available” down the road. We’ll see.

To be fair (and balanced), I will say that the largest seller of the SS models on ebay has been very good about providing replacement parts or hulls on the damaged/broken/warped parts. The not really “available” listings are problematic, but otherwise the seller has been good and helpful.

I have growing concern overall about plastic/resin 1250s. They have recurrent problems that metal models do not have. Warping is not confined to SS 1250s, as I have a couple non-SS plastic models that were flat when arrived, but within a couple months have noticeably warped upwards at bow and stern. Heat and counter-pressure have sometimes helped, for a while anyway, but is not what I want to have in my models.

Give these models a try if you have any interest in a DIY 1250 project. When all goes right, they do make excellent models.