I-400, is it legal

Rownage, since you are starting up a new club in a new country, you have a fairly unique opportunity. There are no clubs in your country already to predispose you to one format or another, and no existing suppliers in your region either. While this is limiting in a way, it is also liberating. Not only can you choose your format, you can choose something totally unique! Have you considered the Battlestations 1:96 scale format? Great for pre-dreadnoughts and early dreadnoughts. Or how about the 1:48 scale Age of Sail format, with frigates and galleons and ships-of-the-line slugging it out in the most historically accurate format yet? This one may be of particular interest, because cannons for AOS are readily available and easily produced, unlike the large-caliber, multi-barrel, rotating cannons used in Big Gun and Battlestations. Or you could pick an entirely different time period and scale. How about 1:24 scale Greek/Roman/Phoenician galleys and triremes?

To answer your question about the Leipzig, it is not one of the better torpedo-boats around. I have seen someone build a Konigsberg class and arm all main guns with rotating turrets. It never saw action because the entire ship was too unstable, and there were concerns about the ultra-light cannons exploding if pressurized. While it can be armed with torpedoes, its low speed relative to its prey (battleships) and predators (other torpedo-boats) renders it vulnerable in that role.
Some of the better torpedo-cruisers are the SP-1 Spahkreuzer and Capitani Romani. Both ships are excellent at hunting battleships.
If you want more of a gun-cruiser, consider the Japanese cruiser Mogami (light cruiser version), or one of the fast Italian heavy cruisers. These are large enough to fit torpedoes (to fend off other torpedo-boats) and one rotating turret. Don't try more than that, the ships get stuffed up quickly and can easily become more complex than a battleship.
Among the destroyers, the Gearing, Le Terrible, Mogador, Z-25, Tashkent, and Shimakaze are all outstanding vessels with good speed and size.
The panzerschiffs deserve their own mention. Packing battleship-sized firepowr into a cruiser-sized hull, these can be challenging, but are great fun. One of the most popular classes around due to their firepower and size.

However, for Big Gun, the best beginner ships are the so-called "Treaty" Battleships that were built to "follow" the limits of the London and Washington Naval Treaties. They are all very competitive, simple, and beginner-friendly. Some skippers like them so much, they don't build anything else. Here are the favorites:
Scharnhorst: fast, maneuverable, well-armed and armored. And arguably one of the best-looking battleships ever built. This was my first ship. Highly recommended.
King George V: slow, ungainly, and ugly. But she's got two mighty quad turrets, which is a monstrous amount of firepower. Don't even bother arming the odd little twin turret up front, it is not necessary and you can put a nice recovery float or camera mount in its place if you like videotaping your battles. This was my brother's first ship. Highly recommended.
South Dakota: similar speed to KGV, but twin rudders greatly improve maneuverability. Also is the only decent Treaty Battleship to carry 1/4" guns. After a couple years, you can easily transfer this ship's guts into an Iowa hull to gain additional speed and displacement. Highly recommended, both for all-around effectiveness and for future upgrades.
Dunkerque: faster than KGV, but still ugly. It's good, but if you like french battleships, skip this one and go for a Richelieu instead.

Many other popular battleships fall into the Post-Treaty category. These tend to be larger and more complex.
Iowa: the be-all, end-all of battleships. This is the ship to which all others are compared. Incredible blend of speed, maneuverability, firepower, and protection. Very popular. Great second boat.
Yamato: everyone asks about the Yamato. I'll talk about this one in the next section, Titans.
Bismark: everyone also asks about the Bismark. It is also oddly popular in the hobby, despite the extra complexity and cost and reduced damage capability of four twin turrets vs three triple or two quadruple turrets. People usually choose to build this ship for its history, not for its effectiveness in Big Gun.
Hood: remember what I said about Bismark? Hood is effectively identical.
Roma/Vittorio Veneto: Kinda like the Iowa, except it has a funky triple rudder arrangement. Excellent firepower, speed, and armor. I think the rudders scare people, though, so there aren't very many in Big Gun. Great choice for a second boat if you prefer Axis ships, or want to switch sides.
Richelieu: fast, ugly, but powerful. Twin quadruple 1/4" guns are devastating, but one of the best Richelieu skippers I know used only one turret. What he lost in firepower, he made up for in ease of maintenance. That ship never missed a battle, and almost never broke down. Plus, fewer turrets is a significant cost savings.

Titans: the real monsters. These are the biggest, baddest, nastiest battleships ever designed. None were ever completed, and few were even begun. Some are not allowed in some clubs. NOT for beginners. good third or fourth ships, though.
Yamato: the only Titan that was ever commissioned. Unfortunately it is much slower than most Post-Treaty battleships. Worse, its three triple 1/4" guns aren't enough firepower for its collossal size. It lacks firepower density. Its huge guns don't perform any better than an Iowa, which is also faster, more maneuverable, and easier to carry from car to pond. Not recomended.
H-39: remember what I said about Bismark and the firepower of four twin turrets? Same thing, with more target area. Remember what I said about Yamato lacking firepower density? Nobody ever fights against an H-39. they either fight its front half, or its back half. Either way, you only face four barrels instead of eight. I have no idea why people build the thing, but there are at least three of them in various conditions in the WWCC.
Montana: the USA's planned follow-up to the Iowa. It's bigger, slower, and has one extra turret. Unlike many other Titans, this ship has enough firepower to stand on its own. I helped design and build one in the WWCC. Great two-person boat (father-son team?), or a good third ship.
Alsace: it's big, it's fast, it has three quadruple 1/4" guns. quads get a lot of respect. For good reason. This ship has three of 'em. If you liked the Richelieu and want some guns in back, this is the ship to do it.
the "Tillman" battleships: absurdity written large. Ever heard of hextuple turrets? These ships were designed BEFORE the naval treaties, so little documentation remains and no plans are available. These ships are so absurd that no club allows them. Consider them a good example of why clubs place limits on what hypothetical ships can be built.
There. Whew, I wrote a lot more than I intended. I hope this essay helps. Remember that for a club that's just starting, simpler is better. It is more important for a few people to have random boats that can battle rather than everyone with the perfect boat that isn't complete.

 

Thanks for your 'essay', it really helps.

I don't really like Age of Sail ships as much as I like 'modern' ones. I actualy do like Classical Age warfare, but I still think I like 'modern' ships more, so the only rulepack we've got left are treaty, big gun and Battlestation. Battlestation seems a bit too large for me, as even light cruisers lik the Mogami'll get about 2 metres long. So the only rulepacks that I find really interesting are treaty and big gun.

But, about the ships you suggested, I looked them all up and found some ships that I really like. Let's go through them all:
1. Mogami: I really like this one because of the amount of guns(yes, I'd only start with one turret, but the amount of guns gives me the chance to 'expand' the amount of firepower after some time), the ability to mount torpedoes and the small size.
2. Roma: I really like the looks of this one.
3. Scharnhorst: same as the Roma
No allied ships on this list as I somehow always prefer to be the axis in WW2 games (but this doesn't mean I like fascism or nationalsocialism!).
Which one of these three'd be the best beginner ship, which one's the most robust and which one's the most suited for 'skirmish' style?

 

Hahaha, yelling RAAUUUS!! when your own ship's sinking. As we're the small neighbours of Germany the Scharnhorst'll be better known here too. But, for some reason I prefer lesser known ships. So my choice'll probably depend on whether I prefer a lesser known ship that also gets me free Pizzas, or a better known ship filled with veterans who're acuataly able to win battles.

 

Don't forget to also talk with the other potentially interested skippers. You won't have much of a battle if everyone builds Axis boats. Talking about which boats other people want to build (and why) will help you pick your boat. Also find out what sorts of tools they have: woodworking or metalworking equipment, machine tools, etc. Plan out some build sessions to bring skippers together and start on their projects.

 

I cant see people getting together and not battling just because there are no allied ships too sink. Heck, an all Bismarck fleet battle would be kinda cool to see. I battle imperial German ships so I am technically an axis captain even though I refuse to battle a nazi flagged ship.

I think getting people building boats they like is the important thing not what side of a long ago conflict those ships fought under. Getting a fleet going is the key after that worry about how to divvy up the fleet.

 

Agreed. Battle with what you've got, however you like it. There is no reason to limit anyone to strictly historical matchups. Perhaps my all-axis-ships example wasn't the best demonstration of my concern. I guess it is more of ensuring a good mix of ships throughout the club at its start. Imagine, for example, if everyone decided to build an unarmed transport as their first ship. That would make for a very different first battle experience than if everyone decided to build torpedo-boat destroyers with MJV-2 torpedoes. As another example, if someone was trying to decide between a torpedo-destroyer and a torpedo-cruiser, he could ask around to see if others are building more battleships or torpedo-boats. if there are more battleships, the greater displacement and firepower of a cruiser would be more useful, and if there are more torpedo-boats, the greater speed and agility of a destroyer would be more beneficial.

Another benefit of getting people talking about ships is that you encourage them to participate. Rather than asking "will you join the club", you assume they will join the club and ask them "which ship would you like to build?" This jumps them right past the most important question of all, right into the nitty-gritty details of choosing and building their first boat.

 

Okay, thanks again for all feedback. I'll tell you when I get any progress.