Jmolth

I have never built a model ship however I would like to. What would be the best companies to buy from that make high quality model merchant ships?

mfr02

If happy with plastic, a google for "plastic model ship kit" will give a lot of answers. Ignoring the first few for fleabay, you should find real shops selling a range. Since most manufacturers go for big sellers, the majority will be warships, but merchant marine vessels exist there if you scroll down the lists. If you have never tried a boat before, I would recommend plastic - you get a result faster and get a feel for how to do a boat hopefully without too much investment in money and effort. If a working one is intended, remember that working model boats are limited by Archimedes principle, they need to float the right end up while carrying their radio and running gear.
Merchant ships come in a wide variety - passenger liners, bulk cargo, coasters, fishing vessels, ferries and tugs among others. Scales and sizes vary hugely as well, as do prices. Anything in particular?
Plastic kits generally are "stick it together and paint it". Other types of kit require some work to be done by the builder cutting and forming parts. Perceived quality can vary - if you want everything to fall together, a kit involving a lot of work might be "poor" when the eventual result could be far superior.