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It must have been 12 or so years ago, but my company sponsored the making of a 1/700 scale US destroyer via using Neptun's vaunted mold-making and casting tech. The link below presents the end results, albeit that the photos had to be recolored because the model was painted in a MS-21 scheme that made taking pictures a serious problem. There are a few specs of dust, but the details speak for themselves. There are only 4 pieces per model (hull, mast, fore and aft turret), and all else was cast in place. We sold a few hundred of them, and they were not cheep at $85 @ fully painted. The kits would have been about $50, but I dropped the ball on the project and Neptun took over the rights. I was going to make several such models, but the point is, the tech exists and has existed for some time. Great detail does not require hundreds of parts. It is all about casting and materials...As for detailed painting, railings, etc., that will always be the challenge! However, one can still enjoy highly detailed models that do not take a month of Sundays to assemble. Some folks enjoy making dozens of AA guns and the like, and hats off to them. Me, I like looking at the completed project.

USS Phelps





George