Jump to content

Questions regarding old kit(Mantua 776, HMS Victory)


Smoke

Recommended Posts

Alright, so I'm pretty much new to this site and I've got a question. I was directed here from another forum.

 

I'm not new to modelling plastic kits(mainly airplanes) but I have received an old Mantua kit of the HMS Victory and I'm just wondering if there's anything in particular that I should know about if I plan to ever get started on it. It looks to be in pretty good condition, all the parts are present and accounted for, as well as the full plans and an accompanying guide. It was purchased in the late 60s or early 70s by my father-in-law but he never got around to it.
 
Here's a bunch of pictures of the full set, it was always stored clean and dry as far as I know. The wood itself looks all straight, there's no visible fracturing or cracks and it feels dry.

lgOJLgLl.jpg

RsJ248al.jpg

YbqmMOYl.jpg

1jczVMol.jpg

XzzhPQ6l.jpg

D74jzGPl.jpg

 

It's rather daunting to me as I've never worked with wood kits before, but I'd like to try it sometime at the very least. Would it be worth it to give it a shot? Alternatively, is there any value in a kit such as this considering it's still produced and sold?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't know about the value but it looks like a nice kit.  If the wood has been stored in a heated space all this time the wood has probably dried out to the point of being brittle.  This may cause you some trouble when it comes time to cut and fit the pieces.  You could try re-hydrating it with warm water or using dilute white glue to soak the wood.  The glue will help to strengthen the wood and make it less likely to split.

My advice and comments are always worth what you paid for them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I built this kit several years ago.  It makes up into a nice build out of the box.  I kit-bashed it rather severely using Longridge's book and the series of articles from SIS.  My suggestion...go for it!  First, decide whether you want to build it as-is or kit-bashed.  Either way, get the articles by Gene McClure in SIS.  Kurt posted links to the articles here http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/12994-ships-in-scale-magazine-articles/.  The biggest problem is that the pieces are printed on fairly low quality plywood which is prone to splintering.  I replaced several of these with pieces cut from basswood.  The walnut vernier meant nothing to me because I painted her.  As far as resale value, next to none.   

Toni


Chairman Nautical Research Guild

Member Nautical Research and Model Society

Member Midwest Model Shipwrights

 

Current Builds:     NRG Rigging Project

Completed Builds: Longboat - 1:48 scale       HMS Atalanta-1775 - 1:48 scale       Half Hull Planking Project      Capstan Project     Swallow 1779 - 1:48 scale               Echo Cross Section   

Gallery:  Hannah - 1:36 scale.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I found a couple of old pictures from early in the rigging process.  The pics are low quality as they were taken with a 1st generation digital camera.  Hope this helps your decision making process.

 

post-262-0-46179600-1471395511_thumb.jpg

 

post-262-0-30947900-1471395510_thumb.jpg

Toni


Chairman Nautical Research Guild

Member Nautical Research and Model Society

Member Midwest Model Shipwrights

 

Current Builds:     NRG Rigging Project

Completed Builds: Longboat - 1:48 scale       HMS Atalanta-1775 - 1:48 scale       Half Hull Planking Project      Capstan Project     Swallow 1779 - 1:48 scale               Echo Cross Section   

Gallery:  Hannah - 1:36 scale.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...