kit review Freedom Song Boatworks Tancook Whaler

[ccoyle]

This is a review I originally published as part of another thread back in 2014. I have updated some of the comments to reflect the current status of the companies mentioned in the review. Enjoy! 

 

When I bought this kit back in 2014, Freedom Song Boatworks were still in business, but they have since folded. One of the reasons I wanted to get hold of a FSB kit was to compare it to a Midwest Products kit. Interestingly enough, Midwest is also now out of business. Kits from both companies still turn up on eBay, although since far more Midwest kits were made and distributed, they remain much more common on auction sites.

 

Evangeline comes in a box about 18" long by about 3.75" square.  There is a color photo of the prototype model on the box.  The contents were packaged neatly. I can't say for certain, but I always got the impression that FSB was a cottage industry, and this is certainly reflected in the kit's design, materials, and packaging.

 

The kit comes with three plan sheets showing hull construction details, hull top and side views, and sail plan.  The plans are nicely drawn and easy to understand.  At 1/24 scale, you can see that the kit produces a fair-sized model. There are two two-sided sheets of simple instructions and a one-sided sheet of basic wood modeling techniques. This of course pales in comparison to what's found in any Midwest kit.  No parts list is included.

 

Evangeline's hull bottom and sides consist of four pre-cut pieces of pine.  All other sheet parts are printed and must be cut from two sheets of balsa, one sheet of pine, and one small sheet of ply.

 

The kit's strip wood and dowels are of good quality.  One of the dowels is slightly crooked, but considering the age of this kit, I'm not too surprised by that.  The included sail cloth has a nice, fine weave.

 

The fittings include various kinds of wire and cordage, eye pins, nails, aluminum tubing, brass portholes, and 'blocks' that are actually plastic (or perhaps ceramic) beads. As you can see, there is a very small quantity of parts and materials here, which reflects both the smallish nature of the craft being modeled and the simplified design of the kit.

 

So, what are my impressions?  Overall, I am satisfied.  I knew up front that the kit builds straight out of the box into a simplified version of a Tancook whaler and is intended for beginning modelers, and I also knew about the printed parts, so I'm not shocked by those features.  My only disappointment is with the plastic beads for blocks -- those will absolutely have to be replaced, but fortunately there are not too many of them.  The rest of the kit components are of good quality -- no complaints there.

 

As I said in the introduction, one of my reasons for purchasing this kit was to see how it stacks up against comparable offerings from Midwest Products (of which I have built two and have a third in my stash).  There is, IMO, no comparison between the two when it comes to considering their suitability for first-time builders.  Midwest Products kit instructions are the gold standard for kits of this sort - they are extremely detailed, profusely illustrated, and as fool-proof as kit instructions are likely to be.  The two sheets of instructions offered by Freedom Song are well below that standard.  The other big knock against Freedom Song is the large number of printed parts that must be cut out.  Seriously - printed parts is ancient kit technology.  If I'm going to shell out the $59.95 MSRP for this kit (Note: all prices mentioned in this review are listed 2014 prices; keep this in mind when bidding on any eBay offerings), I expect all the parts to be at least die-cut, same as Midwest kits are.  Additional style points must be deducted for the plastic beads for blocks.  I cannot fathom why the more usual wooden blocks were not included, or even plastic or cast metal blocks.  And lastly, we should look at pricing.  The most expensive MSRP for any kit in Midwest's beginner's line is $89.99.  Four of Freedom Song's similar kit offerings are listed at $99.95.  When you consider what you get from Midwest for significantly less money, the choice is pretty easy.

 

However, there is a final point to be made.  Freedom Song does offer several kit designs that are not available elsewhere, of which Evangeline is but one example.  For a modeler wishing to build one of these designs, or for someone intending to super-detail the basic model, Freedom Song kits are certainly acceptable. Be advised, though, that if you want to keep an eye out for FSB kits on eBay , you may have to wait a very long time for one of these uncommon models to turn up.

 

Cheers!

[GregWeeg]

Hi! I know this is an old thread, and this is a shot in the dark....you wouldn’t still have the plans for this model, would you? I have the kit but am missing the plans. 

I am at gregweeg@gmail.com if you could reply. Many thanks in advance for your consideration. 

[steven. R]

I have been building the Brigadoon schooner and I agree the white beads isn't a good choice for blocks. I have replaced some parts for better look but overall its been fun to build and a modeler can choose to add details that dont come in the kit. I think also its overpriced for the meager contents but gives the builder the challenge of upgrading details that enhance the great appearance you get once finished

[ccoyle]

On 5/29/2020 at 12:36 PM, steven. R said:

I think also its overpriced for the meager contents

I don't know when I will eventually get around to this project, but I do think about it from time to time, especially whether to build it as something more historically correct or to fit it out as a modern pleasure craft -- each possibility suggests different options for upgrading the kit contents. I do also still receive updates from eBay about FS kits being listed, but usually the kits are ridiculously overpriced, as you have stated. For kits that are out of production, use antiquated construction methods, and provide some rather iffy parts, I wouldn't pay more than $20-$30, but I often see them listed for much more.

 

Plus I have a stash of card models that will probably take me several lifetimes to polish off, so I have to think twice about accumulating more projects. 😜

[Monica]

We have one in our end of year fundraiser for Greenhill Humane Society in Eugene. We can make arrangements for shipping: https://one.bidpal.net/howliday2022/browse/all