Hi all,
I originally bought this kit a long time ago, built it up to the point that the hull was about half planked, then put it aside for the usual reasons (work, house moves, life stuff).
I’ve wanted to get back into it a few times over the years, but there were two obstacles: first, I was struggling to get the 2mm thick planks to bend around the bow – it was doable, but fiddly, inconsistent and slow.
The second problem was that I’m not very impressed with the kit. I knew when I bought it that it wasn’t perfectly accurate representation of a Spanish galleon, but figured I could tweak it slightly with a bit of research. The more I look at it, though, the bigger the problems seem.
The scale is wrong. The kit claims 1/90, but at that scale the sailors would need step ladders to peer over the bulwark.
The hull seems very wide for its length, with very little tumblehome, so the main and quarterdecks look enormous to me. And the hatches look too small.
The deck planking is yellow (it doesn't really show in the photos, but it's pretty ugly to my eye) and the grain is too coarse. And the planks are too wide.
Lastly (for now, at least), I don’t like the bulwarks. They seem too high and the way they step up towards the stern doesn't look like the ships in any painting I've seen from around this time period.
This kit wasn't based on a real ship so I think the best thing I could do is build a generic Spanish galleon based on an accurate depiction by an artist from around the time these ships were active. So I might set the scale at 1/60 or 1/75 and remake everything from the deck upwards based on a painting or engraving - if I can find one. The most suitable one I've been able to find so far is below, but if anyone can suggest something better I'd be grateful.
Michael
Hi all, I originally bought this kit a long time ago, built it up to the point that the hull was about half planked, then put it aside for the usual reasons (work, house moves, life stuff). I’ve wanted to get back into it a few times over the years, but there were two obstacles: first, I was struggling to get the 2mm thick planks to bend around the bow – it was doable, but fiddly, inconsistent and slow. The second problem was that I’m not very impressed with the kit. I knew when I bought it that it wasn’t perfectly accurate representation of a Spanish galleon, but figured I could tweak it slightly with a bit of research. The more I look at it, though, the bigger the problems seem. The scale is wrong. The kit claims 1/90, but at that scale the sailors would need step ladders to peer over the bulwark. The hull seems very wide for its length, with very little tumblehome, so the main and quarterdecks look enormous to me. And the hatches look too small. The deck planking is yellow (it doesn't really show in the photos, but it's pretty ugly to my eye) and the grain is too coarse. And the planks are too wide. Lastly (for now, at least), I don’t like the bulwarks. They seem too high and the way they step up towards the stern doesn't look like the ships in any painting I've seen from around this time period. This kit wasn't based on a real ship so I think the best thing I could do is build a generic Spanish galleon based on an accurate depiction by an artist from around the time these ships were active. So I might set the scale at 1/60 or 1/75 and remake everything from the deck upwards based on a painting or engraving - if I can find one. The most suitable one I've been able to find so far is below, but if anyone can suggest something better I'd be grateful. Michael
