I always wanted a "blue devil" destroyer when I was a kid. When I was old enough to afford one -and rich enough to buy I must admit I was dissapointed with the quqlity of the somewhat tired mouldings. If you're a beginner I'd personally avoid "old" mouldings.
I fancy a flower class corvette at some point, every one I see looks good quality. I almost bought the 1:144 version last year after seeing the review in Model Boats, but having had the chance to open the box and hold one in my hands it's
very small and quite fiddly.
I know it's not a battleship but I put together a Merit 1:48 PT boat kit together at xmas this year. I modified it for R/C and swapped a few bits, but actually I thought it was a) quite allot of kit for the money b) everything fitted together very well c) nice amount of detail.
For a beginner at plastic kits I'd certainly recommend it and although I'm not a beginner (so 2-3 days incl. modifying for radio control is maybe a bit optimistic for a beginner!), I thought it's a good quality kit, not too big or expensive and can be finished
quickly. It also has a tiny photo etched brass pack included which might be a good introduction to the media?
...Next time I'm home from business I have to paint and fit the prop and try to find somewhere to try it on the water.
Polystyrene model ship kits are a bit sparse in the UK, but I'm working near Paris and "Euro Maquette" near Austerlitz in Paris is just
sublime if you fancy a kit! VERY expensive though, but then everything is over here!! Having said that, the guy who I think owns it is very knowledgeable and speaks good English when I go in looking for bits!
http://www.euro-maquette.eu/marine.htmlNot sure if that helps? Otherwise if you just want to try it find a shop you can open the box (always ask first!), have a look at the parts and see what you think. You only have to spend £20'odd on a small kit if you just want to try.
Rich