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I’ve been fiddlin’ around with model ships off and on for several years. Up to now, I’ve never really settled in and completed a display quality model ship. I’ve started a couple of build logs here on MSW; (1) Model Shipways Willie Bennett; which was almost completed but got lost somewhere moving, and (2) Model Shipways Fair American, which I still work on occasionally. I'm still relatively inexperienced so I’m always open to critique, comments, advice, and suggestions. Please don’t hesitate to jump in... About the kit… The Belle Poule (1932) kit is produced by Dusek Ship Kits. Not going to do the “what’s in the box” thing here as Dusek Ship Kits has posted an excellent “what’s in the box” video and Dirk (Dubz) posted a fine review of the kit and contents. First impressions: 1. There are a lot more laser cut parts and the wood appears to be of much better quality than I have seen in other kits. Its obvious that a lot of research, planning, and engineering has been done to produce this kit. 2. The plans and instructions appear to be adequate. I like that the plan sheets have layouts of the laser-cut parts sheets so you don’t have to sort through all the parts sheets when you’re looking for specific items. 3. I'm anxious to see how the laser-cut pre-spiled planking works out. Scale 1:50 Length: 755 mm (2923⁄32in) Width: 255 mm (103⁄64in ) Height: 655 mm (2525⁄32in About La Belle Poule… La Belle Poule (1932) is the fourth ship of the French Navy to bear the name. The modern Belle Poule, the subject of this kit, was launched on February 8, 1932, at Chantiers de Normandie at Fecamp, France, and is a replica of an Icelandic cod fishing vessel. She has a sister ship, Étoile. In 1940 she was seized by the British and served the Free French Forces during the Second World War. Since 1978, the Belle Poule has been sponsored by the city of Pauillac, France and underwent an extensive renovation and restoration in 2017. La Belle Poule is 123’ long, a beam of 24’ and has displacement 225 tons. Powered by sail and a 285 hp diesel engine, the ship is able to sail up to 12.5 knots under sail and up to 9 knots powered by diesel engine. She still maintains a very active sailing schedule.

1:35 Viking Longship – 11thCentury Dusek Ship Kits Catalogue # D005 Available from Dusek Ship Kits for €149.00 Longships were naval vessels made and used by the Vikings from Scandinavia and Iceland for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare during the Viking Age. The longship's design evolved over many years, beginning in the Stone Age with the invention of the umiak and continuing up to the 9th century with the Nydam and Kvalsund ships. The longship appeared in its complete form between the 9th and 13th centuries. The character and appearance of these ships have been reflected in Scandinavian boat-building traditions until today. The average speed of Viking ships varied from ship to ship but lay in the range of 5–10 knots and the maximal speed of a longship under favourable conditions was around 15 knots. The longship is characterized as a graceful, long, narrow, light, wooden boat with a shallow draft hull designed for speed. The ship's shallow draft allowed navigation in waters only one meter deep and permitted beach landings, while its light weight enabled it to be carried over portages. Longships were also double ended, the symmetrical bow and stern allowing the ship to reverse direction quickly without having to turn around; this trait proved particularly useful in northern latitudes where icebergs and sea ice posed hazards to navigation. Longships were fitted with oars along almost the entire length of the boat itself. Later versions sported a rectangular sail on a single mast which was used to replace or augment the effort of the rowers, particularly during long journeys. Longships can be classified into a number of different types, depending on size, construction details, and prestige. The most common way to classify longships is by the number of rowing positions on board. Types ranged from the Karvi, with 13 rowing benches, to the Busse, one of which has been found with an estimated 34 rowing positions. Longships were the epitome of Scandinavian naval power at the time and were highly valued possessions. They were often owned by coastal farmers and commissioned by the king in times of conflict, in order to build a powerful naval force. While longships were deployed by the Norse in warfare, they were mostly used for troop transports, not as warships. In the tenth century, these boats would sometimes be tied together in battle to form a steady platform for infantry warfare. Longships were called dragonships(drakushiffen) by the Franks because they had a dragon-shaped prow. The kit This model represents the similar long ship which was found near the village of Skuldelev at Denmark and which is known as Skuldelev 2. The original was constructed primarily of oak wood about the year 1060 in Dublin. The ship had a length of 30 meters and width of 3.8 meters. The ship could sail with 60-100 Viking warriors onboard and was driven by a large rectangular sheet. In the case of no wind, there were 60 oars. Always great to have a backup plan when your intention is to go raiding! Of course, oars were commonly used for inland waterways. The sight of a sea-borne ship heading inland must’ve been terrifying to those communities in Dark Ages England. In 1:35, this is a large model, and would be a perfect shelf-mate for the Dusek Knarrthat we reviewed about a month ago. As with that vessel, this also represents an 11thCentury incarnation of this iconic legend. Dusek give the dimensions as thus: Length: 850mm Width: 370mm Height: 475mm As with the Knarr, this kit is packaged into the same style, extremely robust box with a glossy lid depicting several images of the completed model, fully rigged and at sail. Inside the box, we are presented with numerous timber sheets which are wrapped in clear clingfilm, a bundle of dowel and strip wood, a bag of parts including rigging cord and sailcloth, and finally the instructions manual and plan. I really do have to say that I like the dowel and strip material that Dusek supply in their kits. Thee material here is finely grained, consistent, die-straight and sharply cut, with no fuzziness. Timber itself looks like walnut, Ramin, and maybe lime. Not too sure, but the colours are of course natural, unlike some of the stained timbers we see in legacy kits. Dowel is of course supplied for the mast and the multitude of oars that you’ll need to make. Numerous sheets of high-quality, thin ply are included, with all parts sharply laser-cut. Where planks are included, you will note a laser-engraved arrow on the timber that points towards the longship’s bow. Remember too that these vessels were also clinker-plank, and you will start at the garboard plank and work your way upwards. On this particular sheet, you also get the basic shield shapes too. In a short while I’ll explain how these are embellished. On these four sheets, we have more planks. Remember that this model is very long, and you will need to join the plank lengths together when running each strake. This might seem a pain in the backside, but it’s no different to any other model ship, in that respect. The model will also be finished in a dark brown colour to represent the tarred appearance of each ship. The Vikings were experts in tar production, although their methods aren’t entirely clear. It does appear that tar was made by burning resinous pine logs over a buried fire pit. Very much an industrial-sized process! That’s enough history. Also note the deck sections here, and more shields. Where we now diverge from the previous sheets is with this thicker ply sheet. Here you will find the thirteen bulkheads used along the length. The edges of these are channelled out so that the planks will sit snugly into them. You will need to bevel these slightly, but due to the sheer length of the vessel and how narrow it is, the bevelling should be quite minimal. Looking at the sheet, you will also see the two-part false keel, mast foot, steering oar and also a very welcome stand on which to sit your finished model. As with the bulkheads, this is also channelled out so that your clinker-build hull will sit neatly upon it. Now for something a little different. The last large laser-cut sheet is supplied in beautiful pearwood. This very thin sheet contains the single-like planks for the decks. I do believe that in some cases, these could be lifted, and stowage placed underneath. The strips you see are the transverse plank strips. For the last little ply sheet, we are given a series of shroud pins. Now onto the bagged components. In this large, clear sleeve can be found the rest of the parts for this model. Three different sorts of rigging cords in a very natural looking colour. These are wrapped around pieces of card to prevent them from getting tangled. The thick rope is the only one of these with any fuzzy ends, and still these are few and far between. It certainly looks like Viking rope should do! This next photo shows the three rigging blocks. These are in two different sizes and remember, these shouldn’t be the pristine items we see on later vessels. Instead, they would have been quite crude. To the right of the blocks is a bag containing the embellishments for the many shields. These consist of two-part hubs (base disc and central hub). To be honest, I’d have liked to have seen more to these shields, but the kit parts give a great basis from which to work. Sail cloth is supplied, and you will need to work with the drawings to make your own sails, including the stitching of a boltrope around the edge. Vikings sometimes also tarred their sails, but you should at least seriously age them and perhaps decorate with the same motif you would use on the shields, indicating the loyalty to a specific king or earl. A single plan sheet is included which shows the various views of the finished model, including rigging. This is more of a reference as the building itself can be more or less done via the manual. On the left of the plan is a parts map. Instructions are supplied on a 16-page A5 manual, simply printed and stapled. These are clearly printed and easy to follow with their simple line drawings and very good English text. The end of the manual has a parts list and reference names for the various elements. Conclusion There are a few options out there for a modeller who wants to build a Viking longship, and this is certainly a worthy contender, being a more traditional vessel without the dragon’s head or other embellishments we see in Hollywood movies. These ships were generally tarred too, giving them a dark brown, almost black appearance, so the extensive use of plywood in this kit isn’t really an issue, as you’ll need to finish the inside and outside of the hull to suit. This is a large model too and should actually look quite imposing with the shields on display. I really do love these ships of antiquity and what they achieved in terms of exploration and settlement. In all, this is a great quality kit which is easy to build. It also won’t damage the bank balance too much either. If you’ve any interest in this period of history, or want a change from your usual type of model, this kit would prove to be ideal. My sincere thanks to Dusek Ship Kits for the sample seen here in this review. To purchase directly, click the link at the top of the article.

1:35 Knarr – 11thCentury Viking Ocean-Going Cargo Ship Dusek Ship Kits Catalogue # D007 Available from Dusek Models for €149,00 A knarr is a type of Norse merchant ship used by the Vikings and was constructed using the same clinker-built method as longships. ‘Knarr’ is the Old Norse term for a type of ship built for long sea voyages and used during the Viking expansion. The knarr was a cargo ship; the hull was wider, deeper and shorter than a longship, and could take more cargo and be operated by smaller crews. They were built with a length of about 16 m (54 ft), a beam of 5 m (15 ft), and a hull that was thought capable of carrying up to 24 tons. It was primarily used to transport trading goods like walrus ivory, wool, timber, wheat, furs and pelts, armour, slaves, honey, and weapons. It was also used to supply food, drink, weapons and armour to warriors and traders along their journeys across the Baltic, the Mediterranean and other seas. Knerrir (plural) routinely crossed the North Atlantic carrying livestock such as sheep and horses, and stores to Norse settlements in Iceland, Greenland and Vinland as well as trading goods to trading posts in the British Isles, Continental Europe and possibly the Middle East. They may have been used in colonising, although a similar small cargo vessel (the byrthing) is another possibility. Only one well-preserved knarr has been found, discovered in a shallow channel in Roskilde Fjord in Denmark in 1962. Known as Skuldelev 1, it was placed among two warships, a Baltic trader, and a ferryboat. Archaeologists believe that the ships were placed there to block the channel against enemy raiders. Today all five ships, known as the Skuldelev ships, are exhibited at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde. The kit Dusek models manufacture three different types of Viking vessel of which this is just one. They are also available in 1:72 and 1:35 scales, with this review kit being in the latter scale. I’m unsure of the actual initial release date for this kit, but I can’t see any information going back further than a handful of years. For those who are space-conscious when it comes to starting new projects, then the Knarr shouldn’t be too hungry of your shelf real-estate, even in 1:35. Finished dimensions for this are given as: length: 440mm width: 300mm height: 400mm The model itself is quite a simple affair, by any standards, and is packaged into one of Dusek’s very sturdy and thick cardboard boxes with a nice glossy lid depicting three views of a completed model. I know the timber looks to have a strange finish, but it’s thought that Viking vessels were generally protected with a layer of tar, from around the 8thcentury. It could also be used to waterproof sails. The box model shows a suitably weathered Knarr that’s obviously been much used. Indeed, the model is also laden with cargo, which is also included in this kit. Inside the box, several sheets of laser-cut timber are wrapped in a layer of clingfilm, plus there is a bundle of dowel/strip, and a further bag of components. A single sheet plan, instruction manual, and a parts map complete the package. If you’ve read my review on Amati’s Viking longboat, then you’ll see that this ‘s construction is very similar to that in many respects. Construction begins by taking the false keel and slotting onto it the series of eighteen bulkheads. These bulkheads are flanked either side by the raised section of deck in their basic plywood form. The area between these deck sections is totally open, that is, simply the full depth of the hull. This was for storing cargo. Those ply sections are now sheathed in short lengths of planking. In this kit, these are supplied on the one thin sheet of pearwood veneer, and they really do look great. Another large frame section is then installed which encompasses both the cargo hold and raised deck sections. In all, that should provide a solid basis on which the next stage can be begin. That is the planking. Now, here’s where you see the similarity to the Amati kit, with the bulkheads that are channelled out for the planks, and those very planks are supplied pre-cut on three thin sheets of plywood. The shape of the hull with the curved and clinker-laid planks is quite obvious when you look at the shape of them on the sheets, and of course, you lay the lower, garboard plank first. You will need to refer to the parts map as no parts on this model are marked on the sheets themselves. With the planks, each sheet is also engraved with an arrow to identify the bow direction of the Knarr. One thing the model instructions doesn’t mention is any possible bevelling of the bulkheads prior to planking. You will need to check this as you begin the process by laying an initial plank and seeing how it fits. Before all planking is added, a series of keyed frames will be added to the cargo area, onto which the upper plank strakes will sit. In all, there are TEN sheets of timber here (9 x ply, 1 x pear), plus a nice little bundle of timber strip, all of high quality. Laser cutting, whilst leaving scorch marks, is very good, and of course, the hull will be finished in a colour to represent tar, so there’s no real need to start removing that char. Just get on and enjoy building the model. Masting and rigging a Knarr is quite simple. In fact, the model only has TWO wooden, double blocks! Thee mast only has five rigging points, and the single yard has just three, of which those two blocks are obviously used. Rigging cord is supplied and this has the natural appearance of the material, as it should, and with that brown hue that could be indicative of some previous tar application. Three sizes of cord are supplied on spool/card wraps. When it comes to sails, some almost pure white cloth is supplied, and the quality is excellent. You will need to use the drawings and instructions to make and sew your own finished items, and I also suggest you soak the finished items in some strong tea to age them and give them that appearance of worn tar. You could also dye them red, and then age by using the tea-dye trick. You’ll need to work on this aspect, as you would with any ship of this sort of antiquity. A cargo ship needs cargo, and there is plenty here in the form of crates and barrels. The crates much first be assembled as small plywood jigsaw puzzles and then swathed in some of that tea-aged fabric you used for the sails, creating a package. Some of the cord is then used to tie then up. Each barrel has to be constructed around a plywood core. Onto this sit the pearwood exterior parts, such as the engraved head parts and the staves. Dusek has finished item lashed with rope. I don’t know how accurate that would be (or strong enough in the real world!). You may wish to use some thin metal foil, painted. This model also contains a display stand within the sheet parts, again, shaped to accommodate the clinker planking. The instructions and manual are so simple to follow and should present the modeller with no problems. The English annotation is excellent. Conclusion This really is a lovely kit and will build up into a most unusual model. You really can let your imagination go as to how you finish this with regards to final appearance. Maybe time to watch the recent History Channel series, Vikingsand enjoy the stories of Ragnar Lothbrok. I’m pretty sure these vessels are in the series, so it’s a good excuse for some televisual research. Materials quality is excellent with no warping etc. and the sheet of pear for the deck planking and barrels is an unexpected bonus.If you want to see a Viking vessel that is more of a fighting and conquering classic, then we’ll be reviewing another Dusek kit in a couple of weeks or so. Stray tuned! Highly recommended. My sincere thanks to Dusek Models for the review sample seen here. To purchase directly, click the link at the top of this article.

Dusek Ship Kits MM02 Santa Maria NEW In 2016 Daniel Dusek bought all rights for producing of all Mamoli and MiniMamoli kits. Since then the kits are released in batches. History What were the ships of the great discovery of the New World like? Tradition always speaks of three caravels, a sort of swift ship with a light hull, several masts and an assortment of sails. Scholars advise that, in reality, Columbus’s fleet consisted of 2 caravels, Nina and Pinta, and of a “Nao”, Santa Maria, a boat with 3 masts, 2 square sails and a lateen one, provided with a foredeck, which makes it belong more to the class of carracks. The strong construction, together with nautical knowledge of the time and with the perception of the great sailor allowed such a great enterprise. The year 1492 is an historical date known all over the world. Technical data Scale 1:106 Length 310 mm Height 255 mm The kit 5 sheets of plans and instruction (english, french, dutch, german) Prefabricated wooden hull 4 sheets of lasercut wood (1 sheet in pear!) round timber for masts and yards Fine-meshed sail cloth All parts of the kit are stored safely and tidily in the box so as to minimise any movement of items within. Let's look deeper at this kit. The Prefabricated wooden hull makes it easy even for beginners to create the fuselage shape in a great small model. All small parts are well stowed away. Also the castings make a very good impression. Let's start with the cleanly lasered wooden boards. First of all, there is the deck of the Santa Maria with all planks pre- lasered in a beautiful pear. And this in a beginner kit. Wonderful! Other boards are laser-cut in beech. But there is nothing wrong with this either. Very very less laser char. All is clean and crisp. And see the dowels for masts and spars. And last but not least, for all those who would like to make sails, a very nice fine-meshed fabric is included. The multilingual manual should make it easy for beginners to build a wonderful little model with a lot of fun. Conclusion With high quality components (where to find pear wood in a "beginner's kit"...) a revised manual and a really attractive price Daniel Dusek leads the Mamoli Mini Kit series into a successful future. This little kit of a classic historic ship is really great. For the beginner, but certainly also for the advanced, who are simply looking for a small, loving intermediate project, this small model promises a lot of fun. Dusek Ship Kits currently lists this model for €70,50, and I think that represents really good value for money for this beginner kit. My sincere thanks go to Daniel Dusek for sending this kit for review here on Model Ship World. To buy, go to your favorite Dusek dealer or directly to http://www.dusekshipkits.com

1:90 La Gloire - 1778 - French 34 gun Frigate - Dusek Ship Kits - MV34 Company: Dusek Ship Kits Kit No: MV34 Retail Price: EUR 349.- Available here: Dusek Ship Kits Description Classic frigate, belonging to the French Navy at the end of the XVlll century, Equipped with 26 12-oound guns on the battery deck, besides 4 6-pound guns and 4 carronades on the main deck. La Gloire was planned by the shipbuilding engineer, Guignace, and was launched at St, Malo in 1778, The model is the reproduction, scale 1:90, of the ship during the first year of navigation, with the bottom painted white. One year later, in June 1779, like with many other ships, the submerged part of the hull was sheathed with copper plates to protect it from corrosion. Technical data Scale: 1:90, Length: 840 mm Height: 635mm The kit 6 x Sheets of plans (DIN A2, 420 x 594 mm, 16.5 x 23.4 inches) 12 x Sheets of instructions in English, French, German and Italian (DIN A3, 297 x 420 mm, 11.7 x 16.5 x 12 inches) 2 x Sheet of model size 1:1 plan 12 sheets of lasercut wood (plywood and walnut) Various dowels for masts and yards Various strips of wood 1 x Photoetched brass parts Various cast Brittania metal parts in high quality Various Rope and all needed small parts (blocks, Pole, Chains, Fittings etc.) Flags All parts of the kit are stored safely and tidily in the box. Let's look deeper at this kit and start with the perfectly lasered plywood And we go on with the other lasered parts. There is one two layered sheet of photoetch parts A nice collection of wood For the masts and yards we get very nice dowels. There are also some pear strips for the build. The quality of the wood is excellent! More wood (see the perfect quality!) Let's check the smaller parts of this nice kit. The Flags Paperwork. Essential for ever good kit are the instructions and plans. As usually for Dusek you get the instruction in different languages. In this kit they are english, french, german and italian. The instructions are well done and an intermediate Modeller should have no problem at all. Last but not least there are two big sheets showing the modell in 1:1. Conclusion In 2016 Daniel Dusek bought all rights for producing of all Mamoli and MiniMamoli kits. Since then the kits are released in batches. So this really nice kit is available again for the passionate builder. The plans and instructions have not yet been revised by Daniel Dusek, but they do fulfil their task well and leave few to no questions unanswered, the plans are drawn in detail and printed in a great way. The woods are of very good quality, as are the metal cast parts. All parts are made of high-quality materials and you can see the attention to detail in this Dusek kit as well. Dusek Ship Kits currently lists this model for €349, and I think that represents really good value for money for this nice kit. Impression of the build model My sincere thanks go to Daniel Dusek for sending this kit for review here on Model Ship World. To buy, go to your favorite Dusek dealer or directly to http://www.dusekshipkits.com

1:72 Sailors Dusek Ship Kits Code: DA007 36 resin figures in 1/72 scale. Looks like a Zombie Apocalypse but are 36 resin figures in 1/72 scale. All figures are well cast. I had maybe 2-3 micro bubbles. A lot of them has separate arms so you can define their body as you like Overview: I will use these Sailors for my Dusek Maria Model. Conclusion Daniel Dusek sells these 36 figures in his shop for just 20 EUR. But you get a lot offered. My only wish would be to be able to get this set in 1:64 🙂 Apart from that these figures are to be recommended without reservation! My sincere thanks go to Daniel Dusek for sending this kit for review here on Model Ship World. To buy, go to your favorite Dusek dealer or directly to http://www.dusekshipkits.com

The first big ship build I've undertaken and have been working on for awhile. This kit is from Dusek and was produced after they took over production from Mamoli after the fire at their factory in Italy. Dusek is in the Czech Republic. From seeing pictures of previous builds of the original kit, it looks as though Dusek changed/improved some of the materials used. The bulkheads and frame are of a different type of plywood, and the keel is now made of walnut. I've recently experienced good customer service from the company's owner Daniel. I had reached out on their website to see if I could get a replacement keel for the one I butchered attempting to carve a rabbet line in, and got a very fast response. Daniel sent me a new frame and the sheet that contained the parts for the keel that I received in about a week. I don't know if this is standard practice for them, but it was nice not to have to buy a whole other kit just to replace the keel. They are now producing a majority of Mamoli's original line of model ships.

1:72 La Real Dusek Ship Kits Catalogue # D015 Available from Dusek Ship Kits for 409€ La Real was a Spanish galley and the flagship of Don John of Austria in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, the largest battle between galleys in history. She was built in Barcelona at the Royal Shipyard and was the largest galley of its time. Real was usually the designation of the flagship in a particular Spanish fleet and was not necessarily the actual name of the ship. Almirante was the designation of the ship of the 2nd in command, others with a specific command function were patrona/padrona and lanterna. The galley was 60 metres (200 ft) long and 6.2 metres (20 ft) wide, had two masts, and weighed 237 tons empty. It was equipped with three heavy and six light artillery pieces, was propelled by a total of 290 rowers and, in addition, carried some 400 sailors and soldiers at Lepanto. 50 men were posted on the upper deck of the forecastle, 50 on the midships ramp, another 50 each along the sides at the bow, 50 each on the skiff and oven platforms, 50 on the firing steps along the sides near the stern, and 50 more on the stern platform behind the huge battle flag. To help move and manoeuvre the huge ship, it was pushed from the rear during the battle by two other galleys. As befitting a royal flagship, it was luxuriously ornamented and painted in the red and gold colours of Spain. Its poop was elaborately carved and painted with numerous sculptures, bas-reliefs, paintings and other embellishments, most of them evoking religious and humanistic inspirational themes. Photo by author, Barcelona, 2006 The Battle of Lepanto in 1571 saw Juan of Austria's fleet of the Holy League, an alliance of Christian powers of the Mediterranean, decisively defeat an Ottoman fleet under Grand Admiral ("Kaptan-ı Derya") Müezzinzade Ali Pasha. La Real and the Turkish galley Sultana, flagship of Ali Pacha, engaged in direct deck-to-deck combat very soon after the start of the battle. Sultana was boarded and after about one hour of bloody fighting, with reinforcements being supplied to both ships by supporting galleys of the two respective fleets, captured. Ali Pacha was wounded by musket fire, fell to the deck, and was beheaded by a Spanish soldier. His head was displayed on a pike, severely affecting the morale of his troops. Real captured the "Great Flag of the Caliphs" and became a symbol of the victory at Lepanto. The kit Dusek’s La Real is packaged into a long, very sturdy and attractive box with a nice glossy-finish lid which depicts a completed model of this famous galley, along with finished dimensions. The side panels also contain a further four smaller detail shots of the finished model. Lifting the lid reveals a clear plastic compartmented tray containing rigging cord, resin and fittings etc. Also seen at first look are the bundles of strip-wood and dowel, sailcloth pack, bundle of plans with a flag sheet, and lurking underneath are the timber sheets, wrapped in white plastic sheet. The hull of La Real is double-planked, and our first bundle of timber is for the first planking layer and deck planking, with there being 50 lengths of 2mm x 5mm limewood. Material quality is first rate, with nice, clean cutting, no split or frayed edges and all material being uniform. Also, all timber bundles are held together with elastic bands and these aren’t too tight as to deform the timber. A smaller bundle contains various diameters of Ramin dowel. The material is uniform, straight and again of a high quality. A few lengths of loose dowel are also found within the box, of varying lengths, and also machined from the same quality of Ramin as the previous bundle. Whilst on the subject of dowel, take a look at this little bundle! Here we have 61 lengths of 3mm Ramin dowel. These are for the 60 oars, so a spare piece is given. You will need to taper and shape each of these parts identically, so you could ideally make use of a lathe, if possible. This bundle of timber strip is produced from walnut and caters to the second planking layer for the hull. Colour is mostly uniform, but not all due to the nature of timber, so lay these accordingly. As with the first planking, these are beautifully cut with no fluffy or broken edges. With all other materials removed from the box, you’ll note the rest of the sheet material is wrapped in a sort of thick, white clingfilm material which needs to be peeled open to reveal the contents. Inside this wrap we have all of the laser-cut timber sheets including those manufactured from ply, walnut and pearwood. A real joy to see the latter included in an off-the-shelf kit. Here we see sections for the keel, laser-cut in walnut, along with some fine laser-etched details which are quite common to this release. This sheet is either Ramin or limewood and contains a lot of parts pertaining to the rower areas, as well as the hoops which form the covered section at the stern of the galley, plus the small launch. All parts are packed in very tightly on this sheet, to the point where there are practically touching each other. Save to say there will be little material waste here! Of course, you will need to remove char from all laser-cut parts, and there are some minimal, localised heat-affected areas which should be easy to sand from the surface before you begin to remove parts. It’s worth mentioning at this stage that no parts have numbers on or adjacent to them. There are two sheets of illustrations which map out the parts for you and number them accordingly, so you will need to keep referring to this during construction. A walnut sheet contains further parts that are laser-etched. When you have sealed these, you will need to either paint them gold or, if you have the ability, gold-leaf them yourself. As with the previous sheet, many parts are quite tightly packed on this sheet. There are FOUR sheets of laser-cut and occasionally engraved pearwood here. These are very thin sheets, almost to the point of being veneer, and they are crisply cut with nice, minimal tags for removing the components. The long straight lengths you see are veneers for the deck planking. One large sheet of 3mm ply contains all of the bulkheads and false keel for this vessel. Note that the false keel is in two sections that are linked with a dovetail joint. Also, the bulkheads have two holes in them to accommodate the dowels that will pass through them and help to make the narrow hull all that more rigid. What is quite unusual here is that the bulkheads slip onto the false keel from underneath, defying convention. Like other contemporary kits, this one contains a clear plastic tray and a lid, used to house the smaller kit components. Extensive use of resin has been made here to produce the various rails and features that contain carvings. These look exquisite and underneath gold paint, will look simply superb and very indicative of the gilded ornamentation of La Real. All resin parts, including the anchors, will need to be carefully sawn from their respective casting blocks and then cleaned up before use. It’s also a good idea to wash resin before use, to clean off any residual mould-release agent that could stop paint adhering. Casting is excellent with no visible flaw or defect that I can see. Also in resin are come parts for the stern lanterns and cooking pots etc. Cast in white metal are the cannon, etc. The finish is very good with just minimal seams that will need to be filed away. A small fret of photo-etch metal is included for their embellishments. As well as a length of fine brass wire, here we see a pack containing chain, parrel beads and various eyelets. Looking at the rigging blocks, these look perfectly acceptable in terms of quality, with them looking uniform and having nicely drilled holes and machined slots. Four spools of rigging cord in three colours and three diameters, are supplied. Along with this is a thicker length of rope and a length of blue cord. As is de rigueur these days, a fret of photo-etch parts is included, with parts for the observation top, name plates, dead eye fittings, rudder hinges, to name but a few. Etch quality is excellent, but the connection tags are quite wide, so be careful when it comes to removing the parts, as there will undoubtedly be some clean-up required. A pack of sail cloth is included for you to make your own sails, and illustrations are included as to how these will be made, including sewing in a bolt rope to the edges. Whilst the sails on this model are quite large, there is ample material here to make them. Flags are supplied as prints on a sheet of a material which looks like cloth but is slightly plastic in feel. These just need to be cut out and draped to suit. They are very thin so making them look natural should be an absolute cinch. Print quality is very good too and they most certainly look very attractive. FIVE sheets of plans are included with a LOT of illustrative info supplied. You really will need to study these as La Real isn’t a model for a beginner and deciphering the various sectionals will be vital to get the most from your purchase. Every single facet of construction is shown in super detail, with key areas being shown as separate areas of detail. All rigging and masting is shown in detail, with the galley being relatively simple in comparison to a Man ‘o War of the same or later period. Sheets appear to be A0 in size, so you’ll need some bench space! Two double-sided A3 sheets show the parts maps for everything, including the photo-etch sheet. An instruction booklet takes each main step and gives some simple text to guide you on your way. A complete parts list is also included here. Conclusion La Real and her place in time, for me, have always conjured up an image of a quasi-obsolete military marine technology that had its heyday during classical Roman and Greek times. The juxtaposition it creates when you consider that the Battle of Lepanto took place whilst other European countries were sailing Galleons, really tends to put things into perspective, yet La Real and her contemporaries were fighting against an empire which was creating an existential crisis in Europe, and they won the day. This elegant vessel has been immaculately recreated first in Barcelona in 1971, and now in kit-form by Dusek Ship Kits. This is a kit of superbly high quality and with a refined excellence in design execution, using some of the finest timbers I’ve seen in an off-the-shelf kit, such as sheet pearwood, walnut etc. The pearwood sheets are almost veneer-like in how thin they are, yet still have that laser-engraved etch detail. Superb. I also very much like the resin castings for the anchors and sculptures/rails. I know that resin isn’t generally seen by model shipwrights as a legitimate material, but it works very well and provides the modeller with details that they either wouldn’t be able to recreate at all or would need to use a more 2D photo-etch to simulate. Remember, we saw resin in Amati’s HMS Vanguard that we reviewed HERE. I’m quite used to this material from my plastic modelling time and know how good it can look when used. Dusek Ship Kits’ La Real is an absolute gem of a kit and when complete, its intricacies with all of those rowing positions and the multitude of other small details in décor and fitments, will doubtless result in a really beautiful finished model of this famous vessel. My sincere thanks to Dusek Ship Kits for the review kit seen in this article. This model is available right now from Dusek, so click the link at the top of the article and remember to tell them you read about it on MSW.

1:64 Catalina Mini Mamoli Kit Dusek Ship Kits MM61 Catalina NEW In 2016 Daniel Dusek bought all rights for producing of all Mamoli and MiniMamoli kits. Since then the kits are released in batches. History The first Lemster barges were built in 1876 in the "Gebr. De Boer" shipyard in Lemmer, Friesland. The original length of the wooden barges was initially 36 feet but gradually increased to 38, 40 and 42 feet. In 1902, the shipyard started building the Lemster barge with an iron hull and the length increased to 45, 47 and 50 feet. The Lemster barge was originally a fishing vessel for use on the Northern part of the then still open Zuiderzee, where, during wind against tide, often very foul seas developed. Therefore the ship was designed to be very seaworthy and she had very good sailing capabilities. These properties and her flowing lines make the Lemster barge one of the best and beautiful Dutch round sailing yachts. Originating in Friesland in the Northern part of the Nederland, the Lemster barge still carved herself a place in the fishing fleet of Zeeland in the South-western part of the Netherlands, were she was used for mussel fishing. The Lemster barge also won the heart of many yachtsmen, and in 1907, the "Gebr. De Boer" shipyard built the first iron-hulled sailing yacht, called Antje. The best known Lemster barge is undoubtedly "De Groene Draeck" (The Green Dragon), designed by A. de Boer and built by G. de Vries Lentsch Jr in Amsterdam, and on June 15, 1957 presented to the Dutch crown princess H.R.H. Princess Beatrix. Technical data Scale 1:64 Length 310 mm Height 265 mm The kit 5 sheets of plans and instruction (english, french, dutch, german) Prefabricated wooden hull 6 sheets of lasercut wood (2 sheets in pear!) round timber for masts and yards Photoetched brass parts Fine-meshed sail cloth All parts of the kit are stored safely and tidily in the box so as to minimise any movement of items within. Let's look deeper at this kit. The Prefabricated wooden hull makes it easy even for beginners to create the typical Dutch fuselage shape in a great small model. All small parts are well stowed away. Also the castings make a very good impression. Let's start with the cleanly lasered wooden boards. First of all, there is the deck of the Catalina with all planks pre-lasered in a beautiful pear. And this in a beginner kit. Wonderful! More parts lasered in pear. Other boards are laser-cut in beech. But there is nothing wrong with this either. Very very less laser char. All is clean and crisp. Some parts in plywood. Photoetched parts for portholes and rudder fittings round everything off. And last but not least, for all those who would like to make sails, a very nice fine-meshed fabric is included. The multilingual manual should make it easy for beginners to build a wonderful little model with a lot of fun. Conclusion With high quality components (where to find pear wood in a "beginner's kit"...) a revised manual and a really attractive price Daniel Dusek leads the Mamoli Mini Kit series into a successful future. This little kit is really great. For the beginner, but certainly also for the advanced, who are simply looking for a small, loving intermediate project, this small model promises a lot of fun. Dusek Ship Kits currently lists this model for €95, and I think that represents really good value for money for this beginner kit. My sincere thanks go to Daniel Dusek for sending this kit for review here on Model Ship World. To buy, go to your favorite Dusek dealer or directly to http://www.dusekshipkits.com

Just a quick unboxing of Daniel Duseks new kit of the 1:48 Dutch "Statenjacht Utrecht". As it was a preorder I got just a white box ... The content. The (very nice!) resin parts Accessories (Blocks are crap, sorry Daniel ... guns seems workable ...) Lasered sheets, a lot of pear but unfortunately the stem is not pear ... (Daniel I might order this sheet as pear!) Just some photoetched parts (curious if I find potential for more ... ) More wood Wonder if these windows will not break ... always a very delicate part for lasering ... Very nice laser work. The paperwork. Instructions My very first impression: For a very good price (I guess something around 200.- EUR, Daniel?) a very very good Dusek Style Kit. So, highly recommend! Gruss, Dirk

Today I received the two bireme kits and I'm busy packing my tools, so it's time to start my build log. I also received 2 ready made (already stitched) painted sails. they look really neat imho. I'm still waiting for some books on the subject, but I'll get them before we leave for France. I start this build as a vacation project, but I'm of course aware this will take me much longer. It's just a kick off. We rent a small cottage in the Médoc (Bordeaux region). My wife loves to read books and I love to do things with my hands (or I go insane). I used to bring a couple of plastic kits with me on vacation, but the insane amount of paint and tools made me look for something else to build. The Greek bireme seems to be a good choise. I love the subject, it's a good starter kit I think and I don't need that many tools...not as much as I used to drag with me anyway. Above all...no rediculous amount of paint jars, airbrush and compressor! We leave the 19th. I'll use this time to educate myself. Read this forum, read downloaded tutorials and watch youtube videos....and hopefully I won't make too much of a fool of myself when I start building in two weeks time. Looking forward to this! Robin

Hiya Folks, Just read the log guidelines and just opening my log. Hope I've complied with the forum rules. Received my model today via UPS. Only my second build and first on here in front of an audience!!! Hope it goes well. Hoping to have it completed in a couple of months - work permitting. However setting deadlines is probably the worst thing I can possibly do. Deep breaths ... Next step gonna complete an inventory on the parts/materials and instructions and give first impressions later or tomorrow. Thanks Sean

This seems to be the only available trireme kit. It is from a new Czech company - Dusek. I brought the kit because it is a trireme and curiosity about this new company's offering. The kit turn out to be much better than I expected. The laser cut bulkheads were nicely done, They fit perfectly without any adjustment. The plywood quality is very good. The laser scored deck verneer sheet was a surprise and superbly done. The wood verneeer quality is also top quality. The kit comes with a simple(not a tone of wording), yet effective illustrated instruction booklet. The 1 to 1 ratio plans made the built easy. There is one area the kit is lacking. The bow shape and the kit provided metallic ram is not satisfactory. Modification will need to be done to bring the model's bow to the correct shape (There is a modern full size reconstruction of the Greek Trireme- Olympias, which provides a very good reference for this- GOOGLE it)